What is Hair Porosity? A Complete Guide to Identifying and Caring for Your Hair Type (2024)
We are all unique individuals, each special and different in our own way. Our hair is no exception. Whether your hair is curly or straight, short or long, or anything in between, no two heads of hair are identical and we should treat them as such.
Many factors are popularly considered when picking a hair care regimen, like hair density, texture, and diameter. Yet, an extremely important factor is often overlooked: hair porosity.
Hair porosity affects your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture, which in turn impacts your hair’s health and appearance. Whether you’re trying to grow your hair, retain length, or simply want healthier hair, understanding hair porosity should be an essential tool in your hair care toolbox.
Despite using all the recommended products, I remember struggling with dry, frizzy hair. It wasn’t until I discovered my hair’s porosity that I could tailor my hair care routine effectively. Understanding hair porosity truly transformed my hair care journey.
What is hair porosity?
Hair porosity affects your hair’s ability to absorb moisture. This is directly linked to how porous (the amount of space available for the passage of fluids) your hair is.
To understand hair porosity, we first need to understand the structure of a strand of hair. Each strand of hair on our head consists of three layers: the cuticle, the cortex, and sometimes the medulla.
- Cuticle layer: This is the tough, protective outer layer. It consists of cells overlapping like shingles on a roof that act as a passage for water, moisture, and conditioning ingredients to enter and exit the next layer of the hair.
- The Cortex: This layer makes up the bulk of the hair strand, consisting of keratinized cells (fibrous protein). It contains the protein that gives your hair its color.
- The medulla: This is the soft and fragile innermost layer of the hair strand. This layer may or may not be present depending on the thickness of your hair. Thicker hair strands will have this layer.
The number of cuticles present and the distance between them along the hair shaft directly contribute to the hair strand’s ability to absorb and retain moisture.
If the cuticles are too tightly packed, it will be difficult for moisture to penetrate the hair shaft and provide your hair with the necessary hydration.
Conversely, if the cuticles are too far apart, moisture will enter quickly and leave just as quickly, leaving your hair just as dehydrated.
Types of Hair Porosity
The distance between, and number of and number of cuticles along the hair shaft allows for three categories of hair porosity:
- Low porosity Hair
- Medium porosity hair
- High porosity hair
Low Porosity Hair
Low porosity hair is a result of cuticles along the hair shaft being extremely close together and laying completely flat, leaving very little room for moisture to penetrate
Characteristics of low porosity hair
Your hair:
- Is typically smooth and shiny (because the cuticles lay flat)
- Takes a long time to dry.
- Takes a long time to get wet
- Has noticeable product build-up
- Feels stiff after a protein treatment
- Is slightly resistant to chemical treatment
Medium (Normal) Porosity Hair
For this type of hair, the cuticles are slightly raised, allowing for moderate absorption and retention of moisture. Medium porosity is often considered the “Goldilocks zone” of hair porosity as it allows your hair to absorb and retain just enough moisture to stay hydrated.
Characteristics of Medium Porosity Hair
Your hair:
- Is easily styled and the style stays intact for a long time
- Is naturally shiny and glossy
- Doesn’t take very long to air dry but doesn’t dry very quickly either.
- Takes color very well
High Porosity Hair
Highly porous hair has cuticles that are far apart and extremely raised along the shaft of the hair. This allows water to both enter and exit the hair strand extremely quickly.
Characteristics of High Porosity Hair
Your hair:
- Gets wet very quickly
- Drys very quickly
- Tends to look dull and straw-like
- Is prone to breakage
- Is unable to hold a style for very long
How to Determine Your Hair Porosity
Cosmetologists and hair scientists have many tools at their disposal to test hair porosity. While most of us don’t have access to this kind of technology, there are a couple of easy-to-follow at-home tests that we can use to determine our hair porosity:
1. The Float test
The float test is both scientifically sound and easy to do at home. In just five minutes, you can test your hair porosity with these simple steps:
Results:
Low Porosity Hair:
Hair will float on the top or close to the top of the water
Medium Porosity Hair:
The strand of hair will sink and then level out somewhere in the middle of the water.
High Porosity Hair
The hair strand will sink to or close to the bottom of the cup.
2. The Spray Test
Another way to test your hair porosity is the spray test. All you need is a spray bottle.
Results:
Low Porosity Hair:
Water beads up on the surface of the hair.
Medium Porosity Hair:
Water absorbs into the hair at a moderate rate.
High Porosity Hair:
Water quickly absorbs into the hair.
3. The Observation Method
You can also test your hair porosity by just using your hands.
What Factors Affect Hair Porosity?
Hair porosity, like most things, can be affected by several factors. All of these are important to consider when contemplating the source of your hair porosity. Here is a list of the factors:
- Genetic: Hence, you’ll notice that your hair porosity is very similar to that of your parents. Your hair type also plays a role; people with coily and curly hair tend to have higher porosity hair than those with straight hair.
- Chemical treatment: Chemical processing such as bleaching, perming, straightening, coloring treatments, etc can alter your hair porosity.
- Harsh processes like these often change the hair structure by lifting/opening the cuticles more to allow the chemicals to seep into the hair. This in turn makes your hair more porous and less able to retain moisture.
- Environmental: Excessive heat, UV radiation from sunlight, and harsh weather conditions can damage cuticles. Chlorine from swimming pools and saltwater also contributes to increased hair porosity.
- Heat styling: The use of heat styling tools like blow dryers, curling irons, and flat irons can damage the cuticle layer decreasing your hair’s ability to retain moisture.
- Hair care practices: Excessive washing, the use of harsh chemicals and hot water can all strip your hair of its natural oils and damage the cuticle layer.
- Mechanical damage: Being too rough with your hair, brushing or combing it too harshly, and using fine-tooth combs can all cause mechanical damage, lifting and damaging the cuticles.
How Do I Care For My Hair Porosity?
Now that you know your hair porosity, you need a tailored hair care routine for your unique hair. Here’s how you can care for your specific hair porosity:
Low Porosity Hair Care
Although low porosity hair appears shiny, it often lacks moisture (counterintuitive, I know). The beauty is that once moisture penetrates the cuticle layer, it’s less likely to escape. For low porosity hair, consider the following:
- Clarifying Shampoos: Consistent use of a clarifying shampoo eliminates product build-up and helps open the cuticles, allowing for better product absorption.
- Warm Water Rinse: Rinse your hair with warm water after washing to open the cuticles, enabling better moisture penetration.
- Oil-free Shampoos and Conditioners: Products with oil may not easily penetrate your hair shaft.
- Lightweight moisturizers and Leave-in: Heavier moisturizers won’t be able to penetrate your hair cuticle layer, causing product build-up and weighing your hair down.
- Deep Conditioner with Heat: Use steamers or a warm towel to help open the cuticles, allowing deep conditioners to penetrate the hair shaft and provide much-needed nourishment. This also minimizes product build-up.
- Lightweight Oils: Using lightweight oils prevents weighing your hair down while helping to seal in moisture.
Medium Porosity Hair Care
Medium porosity hair can maintain a healthy balance between moisture absorption and retention. However, external factors can still affect your hair porosity, so to keep it healthy, you should:
- Deep Condition Regularly: Nourish your hair with regular deep conditioning treatments.
- Use Moisturizing Shampoos: Opt for shampoos that provide moisture without stripping your hair.
- Protect Your Hair from External Stressors: Shield your hair from excessive heat, UV radiation, and harsh weather conditions.
High Porosity Hair Care
For high porosity hair, retaining moisture is the key challenge. Consider these tips:
- Moisture-Rich Products: Use shampoos and conditioners designed for hydration.
- Heavy Creams and Butters: These products help seal in moisture.
- Protein Treatments: Strengthen your hair with regular protein treatments to fill in gaps in the cuticle.
- Cold Water Rinse: Finish your wash routine with a cold water rinse to help close the cuticles and lock in moisture.
- Avoid Excessive Heat Styling: Minimize the use of heat styling tools to prevent further damage to the cuticles.
Final Thoughts
Understanding and caring for your hair porosity is essential for maintaining healthy, vibrant hair. By tailoring your hair care routine to your specific porosity type, you can ensure that your hair stays moisturized, strong, and beautiful.
Have you tried any of these tests? What were your results? Share your experiences and any questions you have in the comments below!
Sources:
New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists
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