Different Types Of Hair Porosity & Their Care
Porosity means how porous your hair is, in other words how your hair retains and maintains moisture.
(photo kenyankinks)
There are 3 types of hair porosity. They are, high, normal and low. Depending on which you have should determine the type of product you should be using.
How do I know you ask?
There’s a test! Here are the steps:
Step 1: Fill a glass or bowl with room temperature water.
Step 2: Grab a couple of clean hair strands, put them in the water.
Step 3: Watch it for 2-4 minutes.
- Results! If your hair sinks right away, it’s high porosity. It means that your hair absorbed the water quickly so it sank.
- If your hair is still floating 4 minutes later, it has low porosity.
- If your hair is slowly sinking, you have normal porosity.
Or you can spray a small section of hair with spray bottle. You only need to spray until water appears. If water beads up that’s low porosity. If it absorbs its high porosity. If it beads then absorbs it’s normal porosity.
Low porosity hair has its cuticle closed and very flat. It doesn’t allow water in, making for
(photo mane addicts)
unmoisturized hair. It repels water. Can also make it hard to dye hair. Low porosity care should look a bit like this:
- Clarify because buildup can happen easily with this type
- Deep condition in order to get those cuticles up so some moisture can get in. Use heat as well.
- Use lightweight products. Minimize cowashing due to buildup issues
- Use humectants like honey, aloe or glycerin and oils like grapeseed or almond.
- Apply products to damp hair
- Wet hair daily
- Steam
- Limit protein treatments due to buildup as well
High porosity hair absorbs moisture, but loses moisture fast. This is because cuticle is wide open. It can become very tangled. You can get this type due to damage from chemicals, dyes and heat. High porosity care should look a bit like this:
- Do protein treatments to help fill in gaps of open cuticle.
- Deep condition after every wash
- Use heavier oils and butters like, castor, avocado
- Use ph balanced products to help cuticle to close. Apple cider and aloe helps adjust ph too.
- Rinse with cold water to close down cuticle
- Limit heat
- Wash hair in section so you don’t mess around in hair too much due to tangling
Normal porosity hair accepts and retention moisture normally
Hope this help to clarify what your hair may have been going through and now you can remedy it!
How has knowing your porosity helped the health of your hair?