Hair porosity is the ability of your hair to hold in moisture and absorb hair products. Each hair strand has a cuticle layer that opens and closes to lock in the moisture. Based on the porosity of your hair, you must find out the best products and treatments for your hair.
Types of Hair Porosity
There are three types of porosity – low, medium, and high. Here’s how to define them:
- Low hair porosity is when the cuticles are tightly packed together and are unable to readily absorb products.
- Medium hair porosity refers to cuticles that are less tightly bound.
- High hair porosity refers to cuticles with large gaps that are unable to retain moisture.
What are the Causes of Low or High Hair Porosity?
Listed below are some of the known causes of low porosity hair and high porosity hair:
- Genetics
- Age
- Stress
- Too much blow drying your hair
- Hair bleaching
- Hair straightening
- Overwashing hair using harsh products
- Hair treatments
- Excess ultraviolet ray and sun exposure
How to Test Hair Porosity?
You can perform a quick hair porosity test. Here’s how:
Fill a glass with water.
Now, grab a hair strand or two and dip them in the water.
Note that your hair porosity changes depending on your styling habits and the products you use. It is best to gather strands from different parts of your head.
If your hair sinks to the bottom, you have high porosity hair.
If your hair strands float in the middle, you have medium to low porosity hair.
Once you get to know the hair porosity type, you can explore the right care for your hair.
Best High, Medium and Low Porosity Hair Products
It is important to know the right routine for different types of porous hair. Read below:
1. High Porosity: High porosity hair is typically damaged, due to coloring, excess heat, and hair products which may have disrupted the hair cuticle. They are the most prone to breakage and it is advised to use an oil before you shampoo. Choose a sulfate-free shampoo, a deep conditioner and follow up with a water-based hair moisturizer.
Look for ingredients like butters and oils in shampoos and conditioners. You can also use leave-in conditioners and a heat protectant product before any heat styling treatments.
2. Medium Porosity: To care for medium porosity hair, a deep conditioning mask must be used regularly to maintain hair health. This will also increase product absorption by removing impurities and strengthening the hair. Try to limit the use of heat-styling tools as they can compromise your hair porosity.
3. Low Porosity: If you have low porosity hair, it means your hair is not moisturized well. The cuticle layer is intact, products are not easily absorbed, you must wash and condition it once a week. Look for ingredients like glycerin and honey in low porosity hair products.
Conclusion
Your hair porosity matters and has a lot to do with the products you use. This could help you learn to better style your hair if different areas of hair require different types of products. With an understanding of the hair porosity types, you can really make a difference and transform your hair.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Does hair porosity change?
Ans. Yes, hair porosity can change throughout your life depending on many factors such as exposure to heat, chemical processing, and environmental damage.
Q2. Will hair with low porosity take more time to dry?
Ans. Hair with low porosity can take more than 8 hours to dry completely.
Q3. Why does high porosity hair grow slowly?
Ans. High porosity hair grows quite slowly since the hair tends to break off more often.
