WHAT IS HAIR POROSITY
THE ESSENTIALS OF HAIR POROSITY
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
But, you may wonder, What is hair porosity? How do I know my hair porosity? The questions may go on forever. There are so many factors that change our hair porosity. Some may include sickness, heat, different hair products, and harsh chemicals, among many others. This blog will answer many commonly asked questions about hair porosity, as well as give helpful tips and tricks about it.
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What is hair porosity?
Moisture is maintained and absorbed by your hair based on its porosity. Your hair porosity influences how well oils and moistures pass through the outer layer of your hair, known as the cuticle.
To fully understand hair porosity, it is best to know the layers of the hair.
The cuticle is a strong, shielding outmost hair layer. It consists of smaller hair cuticles that overlap.
Even though it is not on the outside, the cortex is the thickest hair layer. It comprises fibrous proteins and melanin, the special pigment responsible for hair color.
The medulla is the velvety center of the hair.
For healthy and hydrated hair, water, oils, and other moisturizers must be able to pass the cuticle to reach the cortex.
When your hair structure becomes less able absorptive is low porosity.
Also, if your hair absorbs moisture easily but quickly loses it, you have high hair porosity.
However, if your hair retains and loses enough water, your hair is described as having medium porosity.
How do I know my Hair Porosity?
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Here are two easy ways to test your hair porosity.
- Wash your hair to remove residue.
- Fill a glass cup or bowl with water.
- Once your hair dries, drop a single strand into the water.
- Closely observe the strand to see if it sinks to the bottom or floats at the top.
If the strand of hair floats at the top before sinking, you likely have low-porosity hair.
If the strand floats close to the middle of the glass, you may have medium or normal porosity hair.
If the strand sinks to the bottom, you have high porosity hair.
You can also test your porosity by running a finger down a strand of hair. Low-porosity hair will feel smooth, while high porosity will feel rough and bumpy.
What is Low Hair Porosity?
As seen before, your hair is low porosity if it does not allow water or other liquids to pass through easily since low porosity hair cuticles are too compactly packed. If your hair cuticles are compacted too closely, water and oils will not be able to penetrate the hair, therefore making it harder for your hair to get the needed moisture. Hair washing will become a hassle since low-porosity hair is not easily saturated.
Characteristics of Low Hair Porosity
Common signs of low hair porosity include:
- Your hair struggles to retain moisture
- Hair products sit on your hair
- Conditioners and your hair are enemies
- Heat is needed to activate conditioners
- No matter how frequently you wash and take care of your hair, dirt, and buildup always linger around
- More dandruff
- Your hair is too oily or dry
- It takes forever to wash and dry your hair
- Your hair tends to look flat with little volume
Dealing with Low Hair Porosity
Some people are skeptical when they learn that their hair has low porosity. Others are just plain scared. How do I deal with low hair porosity? You may ask. With low hair porosity, you might consider applying more of a product than you usually do or using more than one hair product at a time, attempting to saturate your hair.
But because the cuticles are so compact, the amount of product applied will not make a difference since only a little product will pass the cuticle.
Here are some tips on dealing with low hair porosity.
- Try diluting conditioners with a small portion of water before application.
- Use shampoos that avoid leaving residue. Look for shampoos and other products that contain honey or glycerin.
- Your hair may need a little extra boost of moisture. A good option is to use a weekly deep-conditioning treatment. It helps if you use a steamer, heat cap, or hooded dryer when using your conditioner. Or, you can cover your hair with a shower cap once you have the deep conditioner in your hair. Then, you can use a blow dryer in a warm setting for a couple of minutes to heat your hair under the shower cap.
Did You Know?
For low-porosity hair, it is best to avoid protein treatment conditioners. Protein formulas increase the risk of hair breakage; they tend to drag moisture out of your hair.
Jessicurl is, Deep Conditioning Treatment, Deep Conditioner for Dry Damaged Hair, a great Anti Frizz Hair Mask
Moisturizing and Detangling Leave-In Conditioner Almond and Avocado
Deep Cleansing Shampoo
Design Essentials Oat Protein & Henna Deep Cleansing Shampoo, to Clarify, Strengthen, and Add Volume for All Hair Types
What is Medium Hair Porosity?
If your hair retains and loses enough water, your hair has medium porosity. With medium or regular porosity hair, the cuticles are not too compact but are not too spaced. So, your hair allows moisture to pass and retain for long periods.
Characteristics of Medium Hair Porosity
Medium Hair Porosity is a fancy way to say your hair is healthy and normal. Here are some signs of Medium or Normal hair porosity.
- It is a breeze to style your hair. Additionally, your hair can hold styles for a long time.
- The hair takes color, but it does not stain with semi-permanent dyes
- Your hair looks healthy and shiny
- It does not take a while for your hair to dry when washed
- When you spray water on a clean strand, the water will form beads but then sink into your hair
- Your hair gets wet easily
- Your hair does not get fuzzy or visibly dried by the end of the day
Dealing With Medium Hair Porosity
Even though medium porosity hair is the calmest type to deal with, taking time to care for it is still necessary. Here are some ways to deal with Medium Hair Porosity.
- Regularly moisturize and strengthen your hair with hair treatments.
- Use lightweight products
- Try several protein-based or protein-rich products to find the perfect protein-moisture balance.
- Maintain a balanced ratio of daily moisturizers (such as creams and mild cleansers) to bi-weekly hair-strengtheners (such as protein-filled masks)
- Do not overdo heat treatments and coloring, or your hair will, unfortunately, shift to high porosity.
Shea Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner Set
SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Yogurt Hydrate + Repair Protein Power Treatment
What is High Hair Porosity?
Like at the start, if your hair absorbs moisture effortlessly but loses it quickly, you have high hair porosity. High, Porosity Hair has widely spaced cuticles, so water can pass and be lost effortlessly.
Characteristics of High Hair Porosity
You may want to know if your hair is High Porosity or not. Here are some signs that can help you decide that.
- Your hair always looks dull and has this dry feeling after a few hours, and the products you use seem to have little to no impact.
- Your hair is prone to breakage, knots, tangles, and frizz.
- Your hair soaks up gallons of oils and conditioners without getting greasy.
- Water and other moisturizers are absorbed quickly into your hair.
- Your hair dries in a split second.
Dealing With High Hair Porosity
In my opinion, High Hair Porosity is a little bit better than low hair porosity. However, it is undeniable that regular or medium hair porosity is the best type. Regardless, it is still necessary to take care of high-porosity hair. Here are some ways to deal with High Hair Porosity.
- Use ultra-moisturizing conditioners and hair oils.
- Use protein-packed deep conditioners.
- Use shampoos, conditioners, and deep conditioners with “heavier” ingredients like oils or butter.
High Porosity Hair Products
Moisturizing Shampoo Malin + Goetz Shampoo, Peppermint
Leave-in conditioner
Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray
Split-end sealant Olaplex Hair Perfector No 3 Repairing Treatment
Hairmask soul food nourishing mask | amika
Hair Treatment
Since low and high hair porosity is between normal, you might wonder why your hair is like that. Here are some causes of low and high hair porosity.
- If low or high hair porosity is very common in your family, you likely have it because of genetics.
- Bleaching, straightening, overwashing, blow drying, and using harsh products all contribute to hair damage over time. They cause your hair cuticles to become raised and open which causes High Hair Porosity.
- Too much ultraviolet exposure also increases the porosity of your hair.
Can I change my Hair Porosity?
TIPS AND TRICKS
For low hair porosity:
- Use protein-free conditioners.
- Apply conditioner to hair that’s already wet.
- Look for ingredients like glycerin and honey in shampoos and conditioners.
- Apply heat when you condition your hair.
For high porosity hair:
- Look for ingredients like butter and oils in shampoos and conditioners.
- Use leave-in conditioners and sealers.
- Use a heat-protectant product on your hair.
- Avoid hot water when shampooing and conditioning.
Best Products for High, Medium, and Low Porosity Hair
Listed below are some of the best products used in my family and were researched and compared for High, Medium, and Low Porosity Hair.
High Porosity hair
Moisturizing Shampoo Malin + Goetz Shampoo, Peppermint
Leave-in conditioner
Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray
Split-end sealant Olaplex Hair Perfector No 3 Repairing Treatment
Hairmask soul food nourishing mask | amika
Hair Treatment
Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil
Shea Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner Set
SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Yogurt Hydrate + Repair Protein Power Treatment
Jessicurl, Deep Conditioning Treatment, Deep Conditioner for Dry Damaged Hair, great Anti Frizz Hair Mask
Moisturizing and Detangling Leave In Conditioner Almond and Avocado
Deep Cleansing Shampoo
Design Essentials Oat Protein & Henna Deep Cleansing Shampoo, to Clarify, Strengthen, and Add Volume for All Hair Types
Moisturizing Lotion
Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Daily Hair Moisturizing Lotion with Jojoba & Olive Oil
Botanical Oils
Design Essentials Botanical Oils Hair And Body Moisturizer For Relaxed & Natural Hair
DID YOU KNOW?
That, if your hair takes more than an hour to dry, or if an average-sized elastic band needs to be wrapped only once around your hair, it is considered course.
Conclusion
The porosity of your hair decides the amount of moisture that passes through and the amount that is retained. High Porosity Hair allows many moistures to pass through your hair but loses as much as it absorbs shortly after. Medium Porosity Hair allows the right amount of liquid to pass through and enclose. Low Porosity Hair does not allow effortless absorption, and when the liquid is absorbed, it takes a while to lose it. There are various signs to look out for when figuring out your hair porosity. No matter which type of porosity hair you have, choose the product which is suitable for you. In addition, there are a few ways to change your hair porosity and know why you have high or low porosity hair.
FAQ
Q: How to check hair porosity?
A. Observe your hair. If your hair is floating in the water, you have low porosity. If your hair is sinking, you have high porosity.
Q: What is low porosity hair versus high porosity hair?
A. With low porosity hair, water, and certain hair products are not easily absorbed; on the other hand, high porosity hair is more easily absorbed.
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