Porosity seems to be on (almost) everybody's lips. Why? How does porosity effect the quality of our hair? Well, porosity refers to how well your hair absorbs and retain moisture. It is determined by the cuticle layers, which allows moisture to pass in and out of the hair. If the cuticles are tightly closed (also known as low porosity) it will be difficult to get moisture into the hair. If the cuticles are raised (also known as high porosity) then it will be easy to get moisture into the hair, however you will have difficulty retaining that moisture.In both situations, the lack of moisture will result is dry hair, which has an increase chance of breakage. Normal porosity is the optimum hair state we want to achieve (or maintain) because it allows moisture to enter the hair shaft, while preventing too much moisture from escaping. The result, is healthy, shiny hair that thrives and behave in a predictable way (e.g. maintains hair style, easy to manage and manipulate).
Porosity levels may be determined by genetic factors, but it can, and is often affected by external factors such like the environment, heat treatment, chemical use and how you handle your hair. Understanding and identifying your hair's porosity is important because it will ensure you are using the right products to address your current hair condition and meet your hair goals.
I emphasize "current" because hair porosity can change over time. A person can also have different porosity levels throughout their hair. I for one have both low and high porosity hair. After doing some research, this was how I figured it out:
How to Determine Your Hair Porosity
Does it Float?
One way to determine your hair's porosity is the water method. The water method or the "float test" examines how the hair behaves in room temperature water. Take a few strains of hair from different sections of your head (e.g. back, left side, right side, crown and front). Place it on top of a glass of water and wait 1-2 minutes to see how it responds. Do not push or manipulate the hair while it sits on the water. If it floats, your hair has low porosity. If it sinks to the bottom of the glass then your hair is highly porous.
There is some debate as to whether or not one can truly test hair porosity this way because of the hair's structure. For this reason, there are a few other ways you can use to help figure how how porous your hair is.
How Fast Does It Dry?
After washing and conditioning your hair as you normally would, allow your hair to air dry without blotting it dry or adding any additional products. Do not dry off your body for this test. If you hair dries faster than your body does, your hair is highly porous.
Is It Smooth?
Another way to test your hair is to take a few strains of hair and gently slide your hair up the shaft from the tip to the root. If you feel any resistance or it feels rough, your cuticles are not flat and therefore porous. While this test alone is not definitive, pair it with the other two test you did to help determine your hair's porosity.
It's best to use all three test to help determine where your hair falls. So,
Low Porosity: hair floats, dries after your body, stains feels smooth to the touch.
Normal Porosity: only one of the three tests indicated you had high porosity.
High Porosity: two or all three of the tests indicated you have high porosity
The above test is not an exact science. These test are only used to help gear you in the right directions to help you care for your hair more effectively. Unless you carry out very expensive lab base test, you will not be able to truly determine the porosity of their hair in a definitive way. However, what is clear is the fact that hair responds in very unique ways based on its porosity level.
You have no idea how helpful this has been because I can now make better decisions when I treat and style my hair. Things made a lot more sense once I figured out what was going on with my hair and why certain DC treatments worked for a while then completely ruined my hair. For example, I have both low and high porosity level. Low porosity does not respond well to too much protein, while high porosity hair requires it to minimize breakage due to gaps and holes in the hair shaft. In the past I thought I was protein sensitive because sections of my hair would break easily and I was looking at my hair as a whole. As a result, I would only do mild protein treatments once a month. The problem is, the parts of my hair (side, front and crown) would suffer because it needed protein much more than that. I couldn't figure it out and got so frustrated because I wouldn't see any real progress in these areas (past posts will confirm this). The back of my hair, which loved the lack of protein and needed increase moisture thrived and still thrives.
With this new knowledge I have made adjustments to my regimen and I've noticed a difference in the feel and look of my hair. I just wish I knew this information before.
So what does this mean for my hair? Stay tuned....
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