Your hair’s porosity is its ability to absorb water and retain moisture.
Knowing your hair’s porosity will help you to choose more suitable products and it will also help guide you when it comes to keeping moisture in your hair.
There are three types: low, medium and high . Learn the real way to tell what your porosity type is. No junk science projects required (aka the hair float or sink test).
Let’s talk about the effective way that you can know what your hair porosity type is….
There are some sources that recommend using the old hair strand in a cup of water test; don’t waste your time it’s junk science.
It’s not accurate because sebum, an oil your scalp naturally produces coats the hair. As you know oil repels water, so in the vast majority of cases your hair will float.
The best way to determine your porosity is how your hair reacts to water. Does it suck in water rapidly and become super dry afterward?( High Porosity) Or does it take forever to to absorb the water? (Low porosity) No issues at all? (Medium Porosity)
This video shows how porosity really works. No need to do this experiment, just a visual from a real scientist.
Low
Challenging to absorb moisture but easy to retain once it gets in.
Medium
Moisture is easily absorbed and retained. Requires the least maintenance.
The cuticle is raised so high that moisture quickly goes in and out.
Have you ever set your hair in twists or rollers only to wake up and find that your hair is still super wet? You may very well have low porosity hair. Low porosity hair can take eons to dry. When you have low porosity hair you will have issues absorbing moisture so it ends up just sitting on top of your hair. The good news is once low porosity hair absorbs moisture it’s in there to stay.
You will want to use products that are on the lighter and are easily absorbed otherwise the products just end up creating a layer of buildup. When styling make sure you towel dry hair thoroughly to remove access moisture so you can style damp hair rather than saturated hair, this helps out tremendously when it comes to drying time. Then apply your product and style.
While all hair types will benefit from the occasional protein treatment especially if it has been subject to damage, low porosity may be protein sensitive so implement on an as needed basis otherwise it can make the hair feel dry and brittle.
HIGH POROSITY
High porosity hair easily absorbs moisture and loses moisture quickly. If you have ever washed your hair and noticed that it quickly soaks up the water and feels bone dry within minutes you most likely have high porosity hair.
This happens because the cuticle is raised allowing water to come in without incident but makes it challenging for moisture retention. The cuticles can be raised due to hair damage from heat styling, chemicals and from manipulating the hair too frequently. In some instances high porosity hair may be genetic.
High porosity hair benefits from using heavy oils and butters that help to prevent moisture loss by creating a protective barrier. Protein treatments are recommended to help fill in the gaps and holes that make it challenging to retain moisture in high porosity hair. Hair is made of Keratin which is a protein. When you use protein treatments it helps to build up and fill in the areas that may be lacking. Think of it like a Spackle job.
MEDIUM POROSITY
You are lucky! You don’t have any issues absorbing or retaining moisture.
Your hair may benefit from the occasional protein treatment, if you think you have incurred or could potentially be exposed to heat or chemical damage. However, you should limit your usage of protein to an as needed basis.
Unlike high porosity hair, there are little to no gaps or holes that need treatment. So frequent usage of protein is just not necessary.
Hair with normal porosity has the least required amount of upkeep.
You may want to try products on the lighter side to avoid product buildup and weighed down hair, as heavier products are not a must have for this porosity type.
What’s In the Guide
#1 Why to Go Natural
#2 What You Should Know About Natural Hair
#3 How to go from Relaxed to Natural Hair
#4 Know Your Hair Type
#5 What’s Your Hair Porosity Type
#6 What Products Do I Need?
#7 How to Create a Natural Hair Regimen
#8 Natural Hair FAQ
Original article and pictures take blacknaps.org site
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