Why Understanding Porosity is the Secret to Healthy, Beautiful Hair

Whether you prefer shiny, bouncy curls, regal locs, or head-turning braids, there is one thing every natural wants: healthy, beautiful hair.

Tons of natural hair products promise just that. But, have you ever tried a product that others were raving over, only to find it was a total bust for you? That’s because hair products rarely work for every type of hair. Knowing the porosity of your hair is the first step to finding the right products for you.

What Is Porosity?

Simply put, porosity measures your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. This is critical because moisture is the key to shiny, healthy, beautiful hair. Thirsty, dry hair is hard to manage, and breaks off easily during styling and manipulation.

Porosity is determined by how tightly the hair cuticles—similar to roof shingles in appearance and function—are sealed. The cuticles can lay flat, stand wide open, or fall somewhere in between. The porosity of your hair determines which products and styling methods will deliver the most moisture to your strands, and help you maintain it.

The Highs and Lows of Hair Porosity

Low porosity hair – When the cuticle lays flat it provides a tight seal that prevents moisture from penetrating the hair shaft—in the same way roof shingles prevent moisture from entering your home. Water inside your home can be disastrous. However, the hair shaft needs moisture. Getting low porosity hair to absorb moisture can be difficult.

Normal porosity hair – This is the ideal situation. Hair cuticles are lifted slightly, allowing moisture to penetrate the shaft. Yet, they are closed enough to enable the hair to retain moisture once it penetrates. This type is the easiest to care for and requires the least maintenance.

High porosity hair – In this type, the hair cuticle stands wide open. The hair soaks up moisture like a sponge. However, since the “doors” never close, the absorbed moisture evaporates from the hair just as quickly. Strands are left dry, thirsty, and prone to breakage. Often the result of heat damage and chemical processing, high porosity hair requires more maintenance.

Knowing whether your hair has low porosity, normal porosity, or high porosity will help you to keep it moisturized and healthy. But how do you determine your hair’s porosity?

Sink or Swim

Here’s a simple test to determine your hair’s porosity. Wash your hair, so it’s free of products. Take a strand of shed hair and drop it into a glass of water.

If your hair remains at the top or sinks very, very slowly, it’s because the strand isn’t absorbing water. You have low porosity hair.

If your hair slowly drifts down, it’s absorbing water at an optimal rate. You have normal porosity hair.

If your hair immediately sinks to the bottom of the glass, it’s absorbing moisture too quickly. You have high porosity hair.

Now that you understand the porosity of your hair, you can make better decisions about which hair products will work best for you. In the next post we’ll discuss which hair products and treatments work best for each hair type. Subscribe to the blog here and get the next post delivered directly into your inbox.