When it comes to hair porosity is one of those essential characteristics that you should definitely know. Depending on how porous your strands are, you will need to adjust your hair care routine as well as products. However, you cannot always tell whether your hair has high, low or mid porosity by only visually inspecting it. To learn how to find out your hair’s porosity and how to take care of it, check out the guide below.
What Is Hair Porosity?
Hair porosity is the ability of your hair to soak in moisture and hold it in. There are roughly three categories of porosity hair can have: normal, high and low. When the cuticles in your hair are closely located, it is considered low porous. If they are located less closely, the hair is said to have normal porosity. Those whose hair cuticles are quite scattered have high porosity hair.
Hair Porosity Test You Can Do at Home
To find out how porous hair is, you can do an easy hair porosity test. So, here is how to test the porosity of your hair:
- Grab a clear glass and fill it with water.
- Take a small strand of clean freshly washed hair. You can use the hairs that are shed after you brush them.
- Throw the locks into the glass and notice how fast they are going to sink.
- If the hairs stay on the water surface, your hair porosity is low. If they slowly start sinking after a while, the porosity of your hair is normal. If the strands go to the bottom right away, then their porosity is high.
Low Porosity Hair: The Characteristics & Hair Care Tips
Low porosity hair is mistakenly thought to be unhealthy. Unless you have damaged hair, your low porous locks are absolutely healthy. You just need to properly moisturize them. Otherwise, they may start to feel coarse and knotted. Because your hair struggles to keep the moisture in, you need to additionally take care of it. So, make sure you wash it weekly and apply a hair conditioner.
Though, the best way of how to wash your hair when it is low porous is by applying a hair oil before shampooing it. Hair oil is one of the most effective low porosity hair products, as it infuses your hairs with much needed moisture. This trick will also save your locks from nicks, which can be the result of hygral fatigue. Also, make sure your leave in does not contain protein while being enriched with glycerin or honey, which are known as strong humectants.
Medium Porosity Hair: The characteristics & Hair Care Tips
With normal hair porosity, you do not have any difficulties maintaining your locks. As the cuticles in your hair are not very tight, it makes it easier for the liquid to get inside. That said, all you have to do to keep your mane healthy is to deep condition it regularly. This guarantees that your medium porosity hair absorbs hair care products as much as it can.
Moisturizing and detoxifying masks will be your best bet. They not only clean out the dirt and the residue of hair products but they can also make your tresses healthier, stronger and more hydrated. Additionally, you can follow up with a hair rinse for a better result, as the benefits of rice water for hair with medium porosity cannot be overlooked. Yet again, steer clear of hair products containing protein.
Avoid protein in your daily regimen.
High Porosity Hair: The characteristics & Hair Care Tips
Last but not least, if after taking the hair porosity quiz, you have ended up with the high porosity hair result, do not get upset. While your hair is not the easiest to look after, when maintained correctly, it pays off with a healthy and beautiful appearance. Apart from the test, what else hints at high porosity is the type of your hair. So, if you have either 2a, 2b, and 2c hair or 3a, 3b, and 3c hair type and it is prone to frizziness, breakage and dryness, there is a big chance that it is also high porous. However, high porosity can be also obtained when coloring your hair or damaging it in any other way.
Regardless of the reasons, you should follow a special regimen and use high porosity hair products and your hair porosity will never bother you. So, keep in mind to apply oil to your strands prior to shampooing them. Also, switch your regular shampoo to a sulfate free one and stock up on a quality hair conditioner that contains moisture and protein in equal proportions. Finish off with a moisturizer that has a water base. Alternatively, you can just follow the Curly Girl Method, which works perfectly for hair with high porosity, and incorporate vitamins for hair into your routine.
FAQ about Hair Porosity
What does it mean to have low porosity hair?
Having hair with low porosity implies that the liquid does not penetrate into the shaft of your strands with ease. So, when you wash your locks, they do not get saturated with water as easily.
Is low porosity hair bad?
Low porosity hair is not bad at all. It just has cuticles that are located so tight that they almost do not let water in. However, the porosity of your hair may easily change to high if it is damaged as a result of thermal, chemical or mechanical impact. So, do not be too harsh to your locks and remember to trim the ends regularly.
Is rice water bad for low porosity hair?
Instead, rinsing low porous hair with rice water strengthens it, makes it look healthy and boosts shine.
Does low porosity hair break easily?
Hair with low porosity has a sufficient amount of Keratin, which is a natural protein. So, you do not need to apply it additionally. On the contrary, excess protein can make your locks dry and thus brittle.
Does high porosity hair dry quickly?
Because high porosity hair soaks in moisture so quickly and eagerly, it dries quite long, from several hours to even the whole day.
How often should high porosity hair be washed?
You should wash your high porosity hair around 2-3 times weekly. If you have an oily scalp, use a clarifying shampoo once a week. Yet, in most cases, the frequency of hair washing is very individual.
Is apple cider vinegar good for low porosity hair?
An apple cider vinegar rinse can work wonders for hair with low porosity, especially on its tips. Rinse them in ACV once you have washed and conditioned your locks.
What causes low or high hair porosity?
In most cases, hair porosity is a genetic feature. However, it still may change over time. If you dry your hair with a blow dryer, straighten or curl it using a hair iron, bleach or dye your locks using strong chemicals, even wash them too often, their porosity may change from low to high. UV rays and different types of treatment may also contribute to an increase in your hair porosity.
Can hair porosity change?
Despite being an inborn trait, hair porosity sometimes changes over the course of time. And there are many contributing factors to this. Often use of chemicals and heat, sun exposure and pollution are one of many reasons why your hair may transform from high porous to low.
With this information in mind, hair porosity should not seem rocket science anymore. So, if you have not found out how porous your tresses are, we have no idea what you are waiting for. After all, your locks deserve to look their absolute best.
REFERENCES:- Knowing what type of hair porosity you have can help you understand how to manage, treat, and care for your hair.. Source
Was this article helpful?
