What Is Hair Porosity?
Porosity refers to your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture and products. Porosity is classified into three levels: low, medium, and high. Each strand of hair has an outer shell of cuticles that function similarly to doors, opening and closing to channel moisture and then seal it in.
These stacked layers open up when you apply heat to them and close when you smooth a product on top or use cold water on your hair.
What Types of Hair Porosity Are There?
The openness and closure of the cuticles determine the type of hair porosity. It’s important to note that the porosity of your hair can change for the better or the worse. Products, certain styling techniques, and hair dyeing can all leave your hair in an open and vulnerable state, with the cuticles remaining open.
While moisture can enter, without the cuticle closing to seal it in, the moisture will escape. This is known as high porosity hair.
There is a significant difference between low-porosity and high-porosity hair. On the other end, if your cuticle is difficult to open, or if you have low porosity, not much moisture can get in. Tighter hair textures may have overlapping cuticles, resulting in hair with low porosity. In this case, you'll notice that your hair feels and looks extremely dry.
You may notice that product or water from your shower just beads up on top of your hair if you have low-porosity hair. This is because the cuticles of low-porosity hair are so tightly closed that moisture cannot be absorbed.
Whereas high porosity strands have more space between the cuticles or less layering, they are often the driest of the bunch because water simply flows in and out. Medium porosity is ideal because moisture can penetrate but not easily escape the cuticle.
How Do You Test Hair Porosity?
Have you ever asked yourself, “What is the porosity of my hair?" Fortunately, it's fairly simple to find out with a quick hair porosity test. This is how you can find out your hair porosity.
- Fill a glass halfway with water.
Because porosity is all about moisture retention, you can analyze your hair in water to see how well it absorbs moisture.
- Drop one or two strands of hair into the glass.
The porosity of your hair can change depending on your styling habits and the products you use. Because you're likely to have different curl patterns on your head, it's best to gather strands from various parts of your head.
- Check to see where it lands.
If your hair sinks to the bottom right away, it's high porosity. If it floats in the middle, it has a medium to normal porosity. If it sits on top, it has low porosity.
Does Hair Porosity Matter?
Yes, the porosity of your hair matters! Porosity has a lot to do with the products you use as well as your styling techniques, so it's important to know or understand what yours is. If you don't have time for a porosity test, you can tell how well your hair absorbs or resists moisture by observing how it interacts with your products.
Hair Care at Klassi-La’Chiq
While knowing your hair type or curl pattern is a good place to start when it comes to hair care, knowing your hair porosity will allow you to take styling and care to the next level throughout the year. Using the right products and applying them correctly for your hair type and porosity will allow you to see improvements in length, shine, thickness, and strength.
At Klassi-La'Chiq, our goal is not only to help you discover your true beauty but also to educate you on how to care for your hair in-between salon visits. For more information, contact us today.