Porosity is your hair's ability to absorb moisture and is broken down into three categories:low, medium and high.
1 – THE STRAND TEST
Gently stretch a tiny section of curl strands from different areas of your head – front hairline, nape, crown and temple. Place the stretched curl between your thumb and finger and slide it up the hair strand from the tip towards the scalp. If your fingers move easily up the strand and it feels dense and hard, you have low porosity hair. If it feels smooth, you have normal porosity hair. And if the strand feels rough or dry or it breaks, you have high porosity hair.
#2 – THE SHEDDING HAIR TEST
Another way to check your hair porosity is to drop hair that’s been shed as a result of combing into a glass of water. If it floats, your hair is low porosity. If your hair sinks slowly, it has normal porosity, and if it sinks immediately, your hair is high porosity.
#3 – THE H20 TEST
To determine your hair porosity level using water, spritz a small section of curls with water and watch how your hair reacts – does your hair absorb the water quickly (indicating high porosity) or does it remain on top (indicating a low porosity level)?
While these three tests are good places to start in determining your hair porosity-level, there are other tell-tale signs you should look out for:
Characteristics of Low Porosity Hair
Cuticles are closed, so moisture does not enter easily / resistant to moisture. Products sit on your hair.
Does not absorb hair color or treatments easily.
Water beads up on hair
Hair takes a long time to dry
Looks healthy but doesn’t have much elasticity or volume
How to care for low porosity hair:
Use heat to open the cuticles to let the moisture in (hot water, heated deep conditioners, etc.). If you aren’t opposed to the hair dryer, you can use it to heat your conditioner while it is on your hair. Or wrap a hot towel around your head (heat the towel in your clothes dryer).
Use lighter products. Argan oil and grapeseed oil are good light oils.
Reducing build up is key. Build up on low porosity hair makes it more difficult for the moisture to make it’s way to your hair. Washing with clay and apple cider vinegar is a good way to remove build up on low porosity hair (see the no poo methods for more info).
High Porosity
Traits of high porosity hair:
Absorbs too much moisture, but is unable to retain it.
Looks and feels dull and dry.
Generally damaged and over processed with torn cuticles (but not always).
Tangles easily because the cuticles get caught on each other.
Hair dries quickly.
Tends to be frizzy
How to care for high porosity hair:
Egg washes are great for high porosity hair. The protein in the egg restores and strengthens the cuticles. But do not do it too often. Too much protein will cause your hair to become stiff and break.
Aloe vera gel and coconut oil are great for high porosity hair.
Heavy products and cream work well for high porosity hair.
High porosity hair benefits well to deep conditioning products to help restore and heal the damaged cuticles
Normal Porosity
Traits of normal porosity hair:
Absorbs and retains the perfect amount of moisture
Shiny, healthy, lots of volume
What's your hair porosity?
Sources:
*http://www.curlynikki.com/2015/12/hair-porosity-does-it-matter.html?m=1
*http://thenopoomethod.com/porosity/
1 – THE STRAND TEST
Gently stretch a tiny section of curl strands from different areas of your head – front hairline, nape, crown and temple. Place the stretched curl between your thumb and finger and slide it up the hair strand from the tip towards the scalp. If your fingers move easily up the strand and it feels dense and hard, you have low porosity hair. If it feels smooth, you have normal porosity hair. And if the strand feels rough or dry or it breaks, you have high porosity hair.
#2 – THE SHEDDING HAIR TEST
Another way to check your hair porosity is to drop hair that’s been shed as a result of combing into a glass of water. If it floats, your hair is low porosity. If your hair sinks slowly, it has normal porosity, and if it sinks immediately, your hair is high porosity.
#3 – THE H20 TEST
To determine your hair porosity level using water, spritz a small section of curls with water and watch how your hair reacts – does your hair absorb the water quickly (indicating high porosity) or does it remain on top (indicating a low porosity level)?
While these three tests are good places to start in determining your hair porosity-level, there are other tell-tale signs you should look out for:
Characteristics of Low Porosity Hair
Cuticles are closed, so moisture does not enter easily / resistant to moisture. Products sit on your hair.
Does not absorb hair color or treatments easily.
Water beads up on hair
Hair takes a long time to dry
Looks healthy but doesn’t have much elasticity or volume
How to care for low porosity hair:
Use heat to open the cuticles to let the moisture in (hot water, heated deep conditioners, etc.). If you aren’t opposed to the hair dryer, you can use it to heat your conditioner while it is on your hair. Or wrap a hot towel around your head (heat the towel in your clothes dryer).
Use lighter products. Argan oil and grapeseed oil are good light oils.
Reducing build up is key. Build up on low porosity hair makes it more difficult for the moisture to make it’s way to your hair. Washing with clay and apple cider vinegar is a good way to remove build up on low porosity hair (see the no poo methods for more info).
High Porosity
Traits of high porosity hair:
Absorbs too much moisture, but is unable to retain it.
Looks and feels dull and dry.
Generally damaged and over processed with torn cuticles (but not always).
Tangles easily because the cuticles get caught on each other.
Hair dries quickly.
Tends to be frizzy
How to care for high porosity hair:
Egg washes are great for high porosity hair. The protein in the egg restores and strengthens the cuticles. But do not do it too often. Too much protein will cause your hair to become stiff and break.
Aloe vera gel and coconut oil are great for high porosity hair.
Heavy products and cream work well for high porosity hair.
High porosity hair benefits well to deep conditioning products to help restore and heal the damaged cuticles
Normal Porosity
Traits of normal porosity hair:
Absorbs and retains the perfect amount of moisture
Shiny, healthy, lots of volume
What's your hair porosity?
Sources:
*http://www.curlynikki.com/2015/12/hair-porosity-does-it-matter.html?m=1
*http://thenopoomethod.com/porosity/
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