Your hair can lock in or absorb moisture, and this is called hair porosity. There are three different categories of porosity—low, normal, and high porosity.
Determining Porosity
There are some home tests that you can do to determine your hair porosity. One test that you can do that is easy to perform is the glass full of water test. You will take a strand of hair that has no hair products on it and put it in the water. If your hair sinks to the bottom of the glass, you have high porosity. If it stays in the middle of the glass, you have normal porosity. If your hair is floating within the glass of water, you have low porosity.
Caring for Your Low Porosity Hair
Low porosity hair makes it difficult for you to lock in moisture due to the very tight cuticles. Caring for your low porosity hair shouldn’t be difficult. Buying a steaming cap will help to naturally lift your hair’s cuticles so your hair can lock in the moisture. To minimize the amount of product building up on your hair, you can use a clarifying shampoo and deep conditioning your hair by leaving it in conditioner for 15 minutes before a wash.
Caring for Your Normal Porosity Hair
It is more ideal for the strands of your hair to be balanced and hold a normal porosity. If you have normal porosity, then your hair can absorb moisture and keep in longer. Some products can be kept in your hair longer, such as heat protectants, leave-in conditioners, and some hair moisturizers. These products can help you maintain healthy hair.
Caring for Your High Porosity Hair
High porosity hair means that it is more than likely damaged in some way from coloring or too much heat. With your high porosity hair, you can lock in moisture because of your open cuticles. However, the downside is that it doesn’t hold moisture in very well. Using products like hair oils, repairing conditioners, and hair butters can help heal and close a cuticle.
Sincerely,
Chavela Hill
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