All You Need to Know About Hair Porosity

Are you wondering about your hair type and whether you need to change your routine to accommodate your low or high porosity hair?


If you’ve only been looking at curl patterns to determine your regimen, you may be overlooking an important factor in how your hair behaves and reacts to water.


Changing your routine can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t have all the facts or you’re not sure about what your hair needs.


In this post, you’ll find out exactly what you need to know about hair porosity, so your natural hair can thrive. If you want to see what type of porosity you have, and how it affects washing and styling your hair, keep reading.

What is Hair Porosity?


Hair porosity is a term used to describe how porous a hair strand is. It’s a crucial factor because it helps you determine how much liquid your hair absorbs.


Knowing hair porosity can make a huge difference in the way you care for your curls and how you apply your products. It will also help you foresee the effects that certain products like hair dye will have on your hair.


The three types of hair porosity are low, medium, and high. Here is a description of each:

  • High. High porosity hair contains many gaps within the shaft because the cuticles are wide open. Highly porous hair is common in color-treated, relaxed, or damaged hair because chemicals have stripped the strand of its structure.


  • Medium. Having medium hair porosity is the same thing as having normal hair. The cuticles of healthy hair are neither too open, nor too close. If you have medium porosity hair, you probably won’t need to make any changes to your hair care routine because the strands are already healthy.


  • Low. Hair that is low porosity means that the cuticles are shut and that it is hard for the hair to absorb water and other nutrients. This type of hair has very few gaps in the shaft, but the strands may be brittle, regardless. 


See more specific traits of each porosity level below.

 

What are the Characteristics of High Porosity Hair?


Here are three signs you have high porosity hair:

  • Moisture Enters and Leaves Easily. If you have high porosity hair, you have no problem getting your hair to drink up products. The problem is, the shaft loses all the product and moisture just as fast as it had gained it.


  • Hair is Dry, Dull, or Color-Treated. If you have high porosity hair, your hair probably looks brittle and damaged. As your strands get drier, they stray away from the curl pattern and move upward in search of moisture. This condition is known as frizz, and it is common in high porosity hair types. 


  • Hair Tangles Quickly. You experience a lot of knots and unruliness when you have high porosity hair because the open cuticles tend to snag and cling to nearby strands. Does it seem like you have to constantly moisturize and detangle? If it does, you may have high porosity hair. 

 

How to Know if You Have Low Porosity Hair


Here are four characteristics of low porosity hair:

  • Product Sits on Hair. You see rave reviews on a certain deep conditioner or oil, but it doesn’t work for you because your hair won’t even absorb it. The product seems to sit on your hair until you rub it off. You may feel uneasy about wasting money on products and discouraged that nothing works. 


  • Hair is Shiny. Shiny isn’t a bad thing, but it does mean that your cuticles are closed. It can be difficult to get moisture into the hair shaft when there are no entry points.



  • Hair is Dry and Breaks Easily. It’s difficult to introduce hydration and nutrients to low porosity hair because the cuticles are shut. If you keep going throughout the month without moisture, your end result will be dryness. 


Want an easy way to find out your hair type? See the Hair Porosity Test below.

Step-by-Step Hair Porosity Test

Are you looking for a hair porosity test so you can know for certain which hair type you have? Try this easy water test.

Step #1: Place a clean strand of hair in a glass of room-temperature water. Make sure the hair strand doesn’t contain product or oils, or it will affect your results. 


Step #2: Does the hair float, sink, or stay in the middle?


If your hair:


  • Floats. You have low porosity hair. It means your hair has closed cuticles and does not absorb water. 


  • Stays in the Middle. You have medium porosity hair. It means your hair is normal, and there’s not much need to introduce a new moisture routine. 


  • Sinks. You have high porosity hair. Your cuticles are wide open and your hair quickly absorbs as much moisture as it can.

What to Do About Low and High Porosity Hair


Did you figure out what type of porosity your hair has? Now, it’s time to work on a solution to get your hair in optimum condition.


Follow these tips:

 

Tips for High Porosity Hair. It’s crucial to repair your high porosity hair with protein treatments. Protein works to fill in the gaps in the shaft and rebuild the structure of the hair. Use protein treatments twice per month to see good results. 

When you use protein, be sure to balance it with high-moisture products like Mango Moringa Moisture Max. Every protein treatment should be followed by a deep conditioning session. Protein and moisture work together to create a healthy, strong, and elastic strand.


Tips for Low Porosity Hair. When you have low porosity hair, your hair can become dry and brittle from lack of moisture. Using low, controlled heat will help to open the cuticles and get the shaft ready to receive hydration and nutrients.

Use your shower water to get your hair warmed up and then rinse your conditioners with cool water. Cold water will set the cuticles back to their original closed position and seal the conditioner inside the shaft. 

Want to get the most out of your deep conditioning session? Apply your deep conditioner while you’re still in the shower and your cuticles are still open to receive nutrients. Place a plastic cap over your hair to create body heat, and then leave the mask in your hair for at least one hour. 

Consider using  a Turban Towel and plastic cap to keep your deep conditioner warm with body heat. Body heat increases absorption. Finally, rinse with cool water to leave some of the conditioner closed within the shaft. 

 

Uncovering your true porosity may be one of the best things you do for your hair and wallet. Once you determine whether you are low, medium, or high porosity, you’ll be able to purchase the right products and give your hair the hydration and nutrition it needs.


Once you figure out your hair porosity, come join me for a moisture masterclass so I can show you how to get the best curly natural hair of your life!