What is the porosity of your hair? What are the different types? How do you define its type? What is the importance of knowing the type of hair porosity for you?
Hair porosity is not given the same attention as other hair characteristics such as length or curl style. However, it is an essential part of understanding hair texture so that you can care for it properly.
What is hair porosity?
Porosity is a measure of your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture, oils, or chemicals such as color. We can also define it as porosity that refers to how easily moisture can penetrate into your hair, and that determines how easily moisture and oils can pass in and out of your hair. The porosity is determined by the structure of your hair cuticle, that is, by the outer layer of your hair.
Low-porosity hair has a tightly bound cuticle layer, which makes it difficult for moisture to penetrate and at the same time, it is difficult for hair to get rid of moisture once it is in it.
On the other hand, high porosity hair has gaps and holes in the cuticle, allowing moisture to pass in and out easily.
Porosity is considered hereditary, but it can also be affected by external factors such as exposure, heat treatment, and chemotherapy.
Different types of porosity
They are divided into three types and they are:
Low porosity.
Medium porosity.
High porosity.
Low porosity
Low-porosity hair has a tightly bonded cuticle layer with overlapping, flat scales. This type of hair is considered healthy and often very shiny, especially when it is dark in color.
Low porosity hair repels moisture when trying to wash or wet it. It is also difficult to treat and care for as it resists penetration into most materials and products. Low-porosity hair is also prone to a buildup of deep, protein-rich moisturizing products, which can make them stiff and straw-like.
Medium porosity
Hair with medium porosity often requires the least amount of care. As the cuticle layer is more elastic, allowing just the right amount of moisture to penetrate into the hair while keeping it from seeping in.
Hair with naturally porous hair tends to hold styles well, and can appear curly after a curly hair care routine or easy coloring and dyeing. However, over time, these changes can affect the nature of your hair and increase its porosity, so you should be careful when handling it.
High porosity
Your high hair porosity can be either an inherent property of your hair or a result of damage caused by:
Harsh chemical treatment.
Environmental damage.
If the hair is characterized by high porosity, you will notice that it contains gaps and holes in the skin, which leaves a lot of moisture in your hair and makes it prone to frizz and tangles in wet weather. Even simple activities like showering, swimming and using shampoo can cause more damage and breakage due to the sheer amount of moisture that high porosity hair can absorb.
Knowing the type of porosity can help you choose the right care products in order to keep your hair well-hydrated, soft, supple, strong, and shiny.
The importance of determining the type of porosity of the hair
Since no two hair styles are the same, it is essential to know your level of porosity in order to get the most out of your hair care routine. In other words, understanding the quality of porosity is the first step in your hair care routine and thus knowing how to use the right products in order to preserve the freshness and beauty of your hair, thus you can get beautiful styling results every time.
How do you determine the type of porosity of your hair?
It is very easy to determine the type of porosity, there are three tests that you can perform to find out what type they are:
Natural porosity float test
Extract a few strands of hair from your comb or brush.
Drop the tresses into a bowl of water.
Let them sit for a few minutes in the water.
test result
If your hair is floating after the time is up, this means that the porosity is low.
If it sinks, you have high porosity.
The strands may float somewhere in the middle of the bowl if you have medium porosity.
You should use clean hair, as hair care products can alter the results.
Slip test
Take a strand of hair and move your fingers up toward your scalp.
If you feel burrs, you have high porosity.
If you have a fine strand, your hair is narrow and your hair has low porosity.
Spray bottle test
Take a small section of your hair and spray it with a spray bottle, then closely monitor your strands.
If water is flowing into your hair, this means decreased porosity.
If it gets absorbed quickly, the hair is of high porosity.
In the event that the water has settled on your hair for a few minutes before absorbing it, this means that your hair is of medium porosity.
Your hair porosity test takes a few times before determining a type.
Remember, there are no "good" or "bad" hair types; it's all about knowing how to take care of your hair. Two people may have the same curl patterns but the type of porosity is different and therefore need to use very different products.