All hair types and textures are beautiful and unique. But keeping your locks healthy and nourished takes a whole new level of consistency and dedication. For curly-haired beauties, your hair care routine is all about tangle-free locks, defined curls, and the perfect moisture balance. However, depending on your hair’s porosity, your hair care regimen may need some helpful tweaks.

Curly hair influencer and content creator, @hanzcurls, knows what it means to have healthy, low porosity curls. She shares her go-to tips and tricks on her Instagram blog, explaining how to manage low porosity curls to maintain their healthy shine.

Low porosity hair is characterized by higher water resistance, making it harder for moisture to be absorbed into your strands. This type of hair can be difficult to nourish and hydrate. “The reason for this is that in low porosity hair, the cuticles on the hair strands lie flat and therefore do not easily absorb water and moisture,” the hair blogger explains. At the same time, low porosity curls are easily weighed down, resulting in product buildup.

The main difference between low and high porosity hair is that the former looks stronger and healthier, while the latter can feel rough and bumpy because the hair cuticles are raised. High porosity hair absorbs moisture more easily, but struggles to retain it. As you can see, understanding your hair’s porosity is the key to tame and healthy locks.