Hair Porosity

What is this thing called Hair Porosity.  Everyone is asking do you know what your hair porosity is.  Essentially, hair porosity is about your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. The porosity of your hair affects how well oils and moisture pass in and out of the outermost layer of your hair, known as the cuticle.  Knowing your hair porosity also helps you to determine what type of products are needed for your hair to be healthy.

There are three ways to determine hair porosity.

#1 - THE STRAND TEST:  Gently stretch a tiny section of curl strands from different areas of your head – front hairline, nape, crown and temple. Place the stretched curl between your thumb and finger and slide it up the hair strand from the tip towards the scalp. If your fingers move easily up the strand and it feels dense and hard, you have low porosity hair. If it feels smooth, you have normal porosity hair. And if the strand feels rough or dry or it breaks, you have high porosity hair.

#2 - THE SHEDDING HAIR TEST:   Another way to check your hair porosity is to drop hair that’s been shed as a result of combing into a glass of water. If it floats, your hair is low porosity. If your hair sinks slowly, it has normal porosity, and if it sinks immediately, your hair is high porosity.

#3 - THE H20 TEST: To determine your hair porosity level using water, spritz a small section of curls with water and watch how your hair reacts – does your hair absorb the water quickly (indicating high porosity) or does it remain on top (indicating a low porosity level)?

Additional characteristics to help identify porosity type are listed below.

Characteristics of Low Porosity Curly Hair 

• Curls take a long time to dry.

• Products tend to build up on curls rather than absorb.

• Natural oils don’t readily penetrate, but rather sit on your hair.

• Curls take much longer to get fully saturated when you wet them.

Characteristics of Normal Porosity Curly Hair • Curls are full of bounce and elasticity.

• Requires very little maintenance.

• Easily accepts and retains moisture inside the cuticle.

• Holds styles well and can be colored with good results.

Characteristics of High Porosity Curly Hair • Curls easily absorb water, however, it requires more products.

• Curls often look and feel dry.

• Curls are often frizzy.

• Curls dry quickly.

The type of care and products needed for your hair porosity type is Below.

Low Porosity Curl Care Low porosity hair has very compact cuticles, so it’s hard to inject moisture into the hair shaft, although it does retain moisture once it absorbs. To raise the cuticle, follow these tips:

• Use heat. Sit under a hooded drier, steamer or even a warm towel or shower      cap, to help products better absorb and bind with the hair better.

• Always  distribute products evenly throughout your hair making sure not to put    too much on. • Apply products to damp, not drenched hair.

• Use sulfate-free shampoo and rinses.

Normal Porosity Curl Care Normal porosity hair has compact cuticles that easily let moisture enter in.  Do regular deep conditioning treatments to maintain good product absorption.

High Porosity Curl Care Thirsty hair needs products that help it retain as much moisture as possible.  Follow these tips to increase hydration:

• Use minimal heat. It’s best to air dry your hair, if possible.

• Incorporate regular deep conditioning treatments into your curl care routine. 
  Rinse with cold water to seal the cuticle and prevent frizz.

• Detangle gently with a wide-tooth comb to prevent hair loss and reduce hair
  breakage.

• Seal in moisture and combat thirsty curl porosity.