You may have heard the term “hair porosity” and wondered what it means. Essentially, hair porosity is about your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture (or chemicals).
For this to happen moisture must penetrate the cuticle into the cortex. The cuticle layer protects the hair shaft (envision shingles on a roof). Moisture is diffused in and released out through the cuticle layer, meaning this layer controls how much moisture, products, and chemicals can be absorbed into your hair.
All hair styles have the same level of porosity, but the hair health determined if that level is high or low. For instance, healthy hair usually has a low porosity. The cuticle layer lay flat and close together and allows for little moisture into and out of the shaft.
So, low porosity means that the hair is resistant and absorbs small amount of moisture. Making wash day a nightmare because it can take soooo long.
On the other hand, hair with high porosity have cuticles that are too far apart and is known to absorb moisture very quickly. Your hair will have a hard time retaining that moisture. This is usually done to having over processed hair but can also be genetic and run in your family.
How can I tell if I have low or high porosity hair?
If you have low porosity hair your hair:
- Products sit on your hair.
- Washing and drying takes longer.
- Water beads up on hair.
- Conditioners do not work well unless heated.
- You still have built up even after a great wash.
If you have hair porosity hair your hair:
- looks and feels dry.
- tends to be frizzy.
- tangles easily.
- is prone to breakage.
- air dries very quickly.
- absorbs products quickly.
- rarely looks shiny.
Determining Hair Porosity
There are two methods you can use to find out how porous your hair is.
The Float Test: Take a couple of strands of hair from your comb or brush and drop them into a bowl of water. Let them sit for 2-4 minutes. If your hair floats, you have low porosity. If it sinks, you have high porosity.
The Slip’n’Slide Test: Take a strand of hair and slide your fingers up the shaft (toward the scalp). If you feel little bumps along the way, this means that your cuticle is lifted and that you have high porosity. If your fingers slip smoothly, then you have low porosity hair.
In my opinion both tests are hard and do not really work well in determined hair porosity. I think it is better just to wash and condition your hair and make note of how it behaves when you do.
How to care for low porosity hair:
Use Shampoos that do not leave a lot of residue are your best bet. Try diluting your conditioner with a small amount of water when you apply it to your hair. This can help make the conditioner more easily absorbable and less likely to just sit on your hair. Sometimes your hair may need a little extra boost of moisture. One way to do this is with a weekly deep-conditioning treatment. Then style with a great moisturizing cream you may even want to sit under the dryer to help your hair dry quicker.
How to care for high porosity hair:
The goal here is to reduce and/or reverse damage to the cuticle, while helping your hair retain moisture. To nourish, moisturize, and repair highly porosity hair, use products that are heavier and use ingredients like oils or butters. Use shampoos that cleanse the hair without drying it out, Conditioners that contain butters and oils, and use deep conditioning treatments which are especially helpful for adding moisture, nourishment, and softness to the hair.