What is Hair Porosity & Why is It Important?
Porosity is your hair’s ability to retain moisture and oils after absorption. It is determined by the outer layer of your hair, the cuticle. Porosity is genetic, but external elements may cause your porosity to change, such as chemical processing, heat, and exposure.
Knowing your hair’s porosity is important because it will allow you to fully grasp maintaining your hair as well as keeping it healthy and moisturized. Finding and implementing a regime for your hair can be very costly, but when knowing your porosity you will be able to find out which TYPE of products you should be using. This should lessen the trial period of product testing for your hair.
There are three categories of hair porosity; low, medium/normal, and high. Low porosity hair has a tightly bound cuticle that makes it tough for moisture to penetrate and escape. Medium/Normal porosity has a more loosely bound cuticle. This allows for a balanced flow of moisture within your hair. Last but not least, there is high porosity. High porosity has holes and gaps in the cuticle that allow moisture and oil to absorb easily.
How Can I Determine My Porosity?
1. The Float Test: Take a few strands of CLEAN hair from your brush or comb and drop them in a bowl of water. Let them sit for a few minutes. If your hair floats after the time is up, you have low porosity. If it sinks to the bottom, you have high porosity. If it floats somewhere in the middle of the bowl, you have medium porosity.
2. The Slip ‘n Slide Test: Take a strand of hair and slide your fingers up it, toward your scalp. If you feel small bumps along the way, you have high porosity. If the shaft is smooth, your cuticle is bound tight and you have low porosity hair.
3. The Spray Bottle Test: Take a small section of your hair and mist it with a spray bottle. Watch closely: if the water beads up on your hair, it is low porosity. If it absorbs quickly, your hair is high porosity. If you notice the water sitting on your hair for a couple minutes before absorbing in, you have medium porosity hair.