how do you know your hair porosity

One of the easiest ways to test your hair porosity is by using a glass of water.

• Shampoo and rinse your hair to remove any product buildup.
• Fill a glass with water.
• Once your hair is clean and dry, drop a single strand of your hair into the glass of water.
• Watch the strand to see if it sinks to the bottom of the glass or floats at the top.

Full Answer

Why do you need to understand your hair's porosity?

Why It's Important To Know Your Hair Porosity Type

• Knowing your porosity type will help you with growth and also help you maintain your healthy hair.
• It will help you be able to better select products for your hair. This will, in turn, save you time and money.
• When you know your hair's porosity, it will help you keep moisture in your hair which will help you maintain healthy and manageable hair.

How do you know if you have low porosity hair?

You may have low porosity hair if:

• hair products tend to sit on your hair and don’t absorb easily
• it’s hard for water to saturate your hair when washing
• it takes a long time for your hair to air dry

How to determine your hair's porosity level?

How To Determine Hair Porosity Levels

1. The Float Test Save Shutterstock Put a few hair strands in a bowl of room temperature water. ...
2. The Slip And Slide Test Slide a hair strand between your index finger and thumb, starting from the tip towards your scalp. ...
3. The Spray Bottle Test Pick a hair strand and spray water on it. ...

More items...

How often should you moisturize low porosity hair?

How Often Should You Moisturize Low Porosity Hair? Ideally you want to moisturize low porosity hair daily with leave in products or oils. However, it’s important to keep your hair clean, but not over-wash it and strip your hair of its natural moisture.

How do I test my hair porosity?

"Start by combing your hair to release strands that are shedding, and then take those stands and drop them into your glass of water," says Groover. "Hair that is low porosity will float. Hair that is 'normal' porosity will float and then begin to sink slowly. Hair that is high porosity will sink immediately."

What are signs of high porosity hair?

What are the characteristics of high porosity hair?looks and feels dry.tends to be frizzy.tangles easily.is prone to breakage.air dries very quickly.absorbs products quickly.rarely looks shiny.

What are signs of low porosity hair?

Signs Of Low Porosity HairYour hair struggles to keep moisture.Your hair doesn't work with conditioners.You need heat to activate conditioners.There's always buildup and dirt in your hair.You get more dandruff (clarifying dandruff shampoos for Afro hair)Your hair is too oily or too dry.You spend ages drying your hair.

Is frizzy hair high or low porosity?

In layman's terms, hair porosity is the hair's ability to retain and absorb moisture and affects how your hair responds to products and styles. Frizz and dryness are clear indicators of high porosity hair and can put a damper on the two-strand twist out you worked so hard to achieve.

Which dries faster high or low porosity hair?

Because low porosity naturally repels water, it dries faster. Often drying so quickly, you can see it shrinking and drying in just a few minutes. If your hair takes ages to dry, you have high porosity hair. Because high porosity hair loves water and drinks it up.

How do you fix low hair porosity?

How to care for low porosity hairSteam: Heat from steam relaxes the cuticle, opening up the dead cells somewhat. This allows water vapor to get into the hair shaft. ... Humectants: These substances attract and trap moisture. ... Lightweight oils: Products that contain lightweight oils may help seal in moisture.

What is normal porosity hair?

Test #2- Shedding Hair Test Another way to check your hair porosity is to drop hair that's been shed as a result of combing into a glass of water. If it floats, your hair is low porosity. If your hair sinks slowly, it has normal porosity, and if it sinks immediately, your hair is high porosity.

Is greasy hair low porosity?

If you are constantly dealing with a greasy situation on your hair, then your hair likely has low porosity. This type of hair tends to be oily and greasy most times as the products sit on the hair surface without easily getting absorbed into the hair shaft.

How do you fix high porosity hair?

5 Ways to treat high porosity hairProtein treatments. Incorporating protein treatments in your regimen is important for high porosity hair to gain strength and not break as frequently. ... Deep conditioning. ... Sealing with butters or oils. ... Using heavier products with natural oils. ... Apple cider vinegar and aloe vera.

How often should high porosity hair be washed?

On WASH DAY (Weekly or Bi-Weekly) after washing your hair with a moisturizing and clarifying shampoo, DEEP CONDITION for 15-30 minutes with heat and rinse with cold water to help seal your cuticles thus sealing in your moisture. Style and Protect your style as needed.

How do you treat high porosity hair?

How to care for your high porosity hair: 7 tips.Skip the too harsh treatments and hot tools. ... Only use low heat or air dry. ... Protect the strand. ... Use color-protecting shampoos and conditioners. ... Stick to creamy, dense products. ... Use a pre-shampoo treatment. ... Opt for low-effort styles close to your natural pattern.

How do you know if your hair needs protein or moisture?

So how can you tell if you need moisture or protein? The simplest option is to take a wet or dry strand of hair and gently stretch it. If it barely stretches and snaps, you need more moisture and might have too much protein. Also, if you brush your hair and strands fall out, you need protein.

How to test hair porosity?

One of the easiest ways to test your hair porosity is by using a glass of water. Here’s how to do it: Shampoo and rinse your hair to remove any product buildup. Fill a glass with water. Once your hair is clean and dry, drop a single strand of your hair into the glass of water.

How to get high porosity hair?

Or, if you don’t have those, put a shower cap over your hair once you’ve added a conditioner. For high porosity hair: Look for ingredients like butters and oils in shampoos and conditioners.

What is the meaning of porosity in hair?

Essentially, hair porosity is about your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. The porosity of your hair affects how well oils and moisture pass in and out of the outermost layer of your hair, known as the cuticle. Hair porosity is typically divided into three broad categories:

Why is my hair low porosity?

This makes it harder for moisture to penetrate the hair shaft. You may have low porosity hair if: hair products tend to sit on your hair and don’t absorb easily. it’s hard for water to saturate your hair when washing. it takes a long time for your hair to air dry.

Why does hair porosity change?

Heat damage and other chemical processes can cause normal porosity hair to change over time.

How to get rid of hair that is wet?

Apply conditioner to hair that’s already wet. Diluting the conditioner may make it easier to be absorbed into your hair. Look for ingredients like glycerin and honey in shampoos and conditioners. Avoid products with oils, as these tend to have a harder time penetrating the cuticle.

What causes hair to be raised?

Blow drying, bleaching, straightening, overwashing, and using harsh products can all damage your hair over time. This can cause your hair cuticles to become raised and open, which may make it harder for your hair to retain moisture.

What is porosity in hair?

Learn more... Porosity is a fancy term for how much moisture the strands of your hair can take in. It really comes down to the cuticle, which is the outermost layer of hair that’s constructed with thin, overlapping cells.

How to get medium porosity hair?

Use a mix of moisturizing and strengthening products for medium porosity hair. Don’t worry about changing your hair care routine if you have medium porosity hair. Keep your hair products well-rounded, and be sure to have an equal amount of conditioners and protein-heavy strengthening products.

What does it mean when your hair floats?

Keep an eye on your hair to see what it does. If your hair floats, it likely has low porosity—in other words, your cuticle cells are tight and don’t have a way to quickly absorb the water in the glass. High porosity hair, on the other hand, will rapidly absorb the water and fall to the bottom of the glass.

How to make low porosity hair look better?

1. Apply heat to low porosity hair to make it easier to condition. Use a dryer or heat cap when adding a deep conditioner to your hair. If you don’t want to take those extra steps, try conditioning your hair in the shower with hot water.

What happens if you have high porosity hair?

High porosity hair, on the other hand, will rapidly absorb the water and fall to the bottom of the glass. Medium porosity hair won’t immediately soak in or reject the water, causing it to fall more slowly. The float test isn’t always conclusive.

How to get hair out of glass?

Place 1 strand of your hair into the glass. Stroke a comb or brush through your hair to remove some hair without needing to pull it out. Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of loose hair, since you only need one strand for the float test. Take a single strand and drop it into the glass.

How to get hair to sink?

Pour some room temperature water into a glass. Take a drinking glass and fill it up halfway. Make sure that there’s enough water to observe a strand of hair floating or sinking. If the water is cold initially, wait a few minutes so it can settle to room temperature.

What does my hair porosity mean?

Now that you’ve figured out what your hair’s porosity level is, let’s dive into what exactly that means and how the porosity level of your hair can change over time.

How many different porosity levels are there?

There are 3 different types of hair porosity levels: low, medium and high. We will go over exactly what each of those means for your hair, teach you how to figure out your hair’s porosity level, and most importantly provide some crucial tips and tricks for each porosity type.

Why is my hair stuck in the open position?

It tends to be a bit more damaged as a result of UV exposure, heat styling, and chemical or bleach processing. Over time, this results in the hair cuticles being permanently stuck in the “open” position, making it easy for moisture to soak in, but just as easy for it to escape from the open cuticles.

How to get deep hydration out of hair?

Moisture is key! Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner that aims to provide deep hydration to your strands. Additionally, use a deep conditioning treatment 1-2 times weekly to give your hair that extra hug of moisture that it needs. When washing and rinsing your hair, try to use lukewarm or cold water.

What does it mean when your hair sinks to the bottom?

If the strand sinks quickly to the bottom – your hair has a high level of porosity.

What does it mean when your hair is rough?

What It Means: If the strand feels rough, bumpy or breaks - your hair has a high level of porosity. If the strand feels smooth – your hair has a medium level of porosity. If the strand slides easily and feels dense or hard in your fingertips – your hair has a low level of porosity. Want a second opinion?

How to keep hair healthy?

One of the best tips for your hair’s health- cut down on UV and heat exposure. Wear a hat when you’re lying on the beach or running around on sunny days, and opt for heat-free or low-heat styling options instead of styling with heat-intensive tools daily.

How to tell if your hair is high or low porosity?

After some time, check whether your hair sinks or floats. If it floats your hair has low porosity and if it sinks it has high porosity. If it’s somewhere in between, you have medium porosity hair.

What Is Hair Porosity?

Hair porosity is the ability of your hair to absorb and preserve liquids or moisture in the cuticle. Your strands appear like a single, long, smooth strip, but it's actually composed of numerous layers known as cuticles.

How To Improve Hair Porosity?

Are you wondering whether you can improve your hair’s porosity? The answer is yes, and no.

How to get rid of low porosity hair?

Low porosity hair does not retain moisture well and is almost water-resistant. Here are your solutions: Use a clarifying shampoo once a week to get rid of product build-up from your scalp and hair. Use conditioning hair masks to pamper your hair every other week.

Why is my hair so dry?

Highly porous hair has raised cuticles that can absorb moisture but cannot hold on to it and loses it quickly. This leaves your hair frizzy and prone to breakage and damage. The lack of moisture makes the texture of your hair dry and sometimes coarse.

Why do cuticles get dry?

If your cuticles are open and super raised, they will lose moisture faster, leaving your hair frizzy and dry. If your cuticles are close together, they hold off on absorbing liquids, making it difficult to hydrate and treat your locks. In essence, hair's porosity determines what your hair needs and what it doesn't.

How to keep hair from drying out?

Here’s what you can do to nourish and protect it: Massage your scalp and hair often with oil for nourishment and moisturization. Use oils like avocado, coconut, jojoba, or olive oil. Use a good leave-in conditioner every other day to preserve moisture and prevent the hair from drying out.

How to tell if hair is porous?

The Float Test: Take a couple of strands of hair from your comb or brush and drop them into a bowl of water. Let them sit for 2-4 minutes . If your hair floats, you have low porosity. If it sinks, you have high porosity.

What is the hair porosity?

Hair Porosity. Porosity refers to how well your hair is able to absorb and hold moisture. It is affected by the flexible outer hair layer called the cuticle, which determines how easily moisture and oils pass in and out of your hair.

Why is my hair so porous?

High porosity can be either an inherent property of hair or the result of damage from chemical processing, rough treatment or environmental damage. High porosity hair has gaps and holes in the cuticle, which let too much moisture into your hair and leave it prone to frizz and tangling in humid weather. Even simple acts such as bathing, swimming and shampooing can create more damage and breakage due to the sheer amount of moisture highly porous hair can absorb.

What is low porosity hair?

Hair with low porosity has a tightly bound cuticle layer with overlapping scales that lay flat. This type of hair is usually considered healthy, and is often very shiny, especially when it's dark in color. Low porosity hair repels moisture when you try to wet it and is hard to process since it resists penetration of chemicals.

What factors should be taken into account when developing a hair care regimen?

Many naturals only consider their curl pattern when developing a hair care regimen, but porosity is one of the foremost factors to take into account.

Does shampooing cause hair breakage?

Even simple acts such as bathing, swimming and shampooing can create more damage and breakage due to the sheer amount of moisture highly porous hair can absorb. Be sure to use anti-humectants in climates with high heat and humidity.

Is porosity genetic?

For most, porosity is genetic, but it can also be affected by external factors such as exposure, heat treatments and chemical processing. Knowing your hair's porosity can help you choose the right products to keep your hair well-moisturized, supple, strong and shiny.

What Does Hair Porosity Mean?

Hair porosity refers to the hair’s ability to absorb and maintain moisture. There are three levels of porosity – low, medium and high. It refers to how the cuticle lays on the cortex. Porosity can be genetic, but it can also be caused by damage (like coloring, bleaching, straightening, curling, excessive styling and manipulation) and it can be somewhat reversed with protein treatments and bond repair treatments. I have been able to change my hair from super high porosity (very damaged) to more medium porosity in just a matter of months with the protein and bond repair treatments. Click on the links in the sentence above to learn more about them!

What is low porosity hair?

Low porosity hair has a cuticle that is smooth and very flat. Think of a smooth pipe. Water doesn’t absorb well into this type of hair and usually sits on top. Products also do not absorb well into the hair and buildup happens quickly. It’s usually more sensitive to protein (but could still benefit from a protein treatment from time to time).

Why do curly hairs look dry?

Curls often look and feel dry, they absorb water quickly, dry quickly, and often need more products. The cuticle is raised and the scales do not lay flat. It can be genetic or high porosity can be caused by chemical damage.

How to open up the cuticle of hair?

Use heat when deep conditioning (read my post on deep conditioning here) or conditioning by using a thermal heat cap or wear a shower cap in the shower so the conditioner can do its magic while you wash your body. The shower cap will act like a mini greenhouse to open up the cuticle!

How to get hair to sink to the bottom?

Take a strand of clean hair (no styling products on it, either) and put it in a cup of water. Break the water tension on top and see if the hair floats (low porosity), goes to more of the middle (medium), or sinks to the bottom (high porosity).

How to get rid of dry hair?

Spray water on your dry hair with a spray bottle, or spray it on a section. Again, this works best if your hair is clean and and product-free.

1. Low Porosity

Low porosity hair cuticles are tightly closed and resist moisture absorption into the hair shafts. This hair type takes time to absorb moisture, making it prone to buildup and excess oil accumulation on the scalp. However, low porosity hair can lock in moisture for a long time and appears healthy and shiny.

2. Normal Or Medium Porosity

The cuticles in normal porosity hair are neither tightly closed nor too open. As a result, this hair type absorbs and retains the right amount of moisture and appears healthy, lustrous, and voluminous. Normal or medium porosity hair requires the least amount of maintenance.

3. High Porosity

The cuticles in highly porous hair are widely placed and open. As a result, such hair can absorb moisture readily and cannot retain it. This makes it dry and brittle. Highly porous hair is prone to tangles and frizz.

1. The Float Test

Ensure that your hair strands are clean and do not contain any residue.

2. The Slip And Slide Test

Slide a hair strand between your index finger and thumb, starting from the tip towards your scalp.

3. The Spray Bottle Test

If the water droplets sit on the surface, forming beads, you have low hair porosity. If the water gets absorbed quickly, you have high hair porosity. If the water stays on the surface for a while and gets absorbed, you have normal hair porosity.

4. Products Test

Take note of the pace at which hair products get absorbed into your hair. If the products get absorbed at a very fast pace, you have high hair porosity. If they sit on the surface for a long time, you have low hair porosity. If the products are working somewhere in between, you have normal hair porosity.

What is Hair Porosity?

Hair porosity is human hair’s ability to absorb water and other chemicals beyond the cuticle layer and into the hair’s cortex. All human hair is porous, but depending on your hair’s current health and condition, and the integrity of the hair’s cuticle layer, the degree of permeability will differ. Similar to growth rate and other aspects of human hair, our porosity level is inherited and determined by our genetic makeup, but external factors, such as heat styling and hair dyeing, can alter your hair’s porosity level. Let’s think of hair porosity like a sponge.

What is the most accurate test for hair porosity?

The most accurate test for hair porosity, gas sorption, is a lab-based test that the average person doesn’t have access to. This test involves measuring the flow of gas/air through the hair to determine the volume of holes in the hair strand in comparison to the total volume of the hair strand.

How does hair porosity affect pH?

Hair porosity is also closely married to the hair’s pH level and the pH of the products you use to cleanse, condition, and style your hair. For example, low pH hair products will lower the hair’s porosity level by contracting the scales of the cuticle layer, thus making it harder for water and other chemicals to penetrate the hair strand, so if you already have low porosity hair, using hair care products with a lower pH will reduce your hair’s ability to absorb water even more. On the other end of the spectrum, if you have highly porous hair, you want to use hair care products that are lower in pH to help your hair retain moisture.

What is the cuticle layer of hair?

The cuticle layer is usually healthy and intact, and the cuticle layer hugs the hair’s cortex very tightly. The downside of low porosity hair strands is the fact that it tends to repel water, oils, and conditioners, and the hair doesn’t saturate easily when it’s exposed to water.

How to fix high porosity hair?

Now high porosity hair can be inherited or a result of bad hair care practices. If your hair is just naturally porous, regular protein treatments are the best way to help high porosity hair retain more moisture. Protein will fill in the holes and gaps in your hair’s cuticle layer so that it can “act” more porous and keep moisture within the hair strand, sort of like patching up the bucket with holes. If your hair is highly porous due to chemical or heat damage, in my opinion, the best remedy is cutting of the damaged hair. The chances of repairing chemically or heat damaged, highly porous hair are very slim.

What does it mean when your hair floats?

The float test involves placing a strand of freshly cleaned and dried shed hair into a cup or bowl of water and waiting a few minutes to see what the hair strand does. If the hair strand floats, this supposedly indicates low porosity hair, but if the hair strand sinks, this indicates high porosity hair. This “test” is inaccurate for a few reasons. ...

Why is my hair so porous?

For example, high porosity hair can be inherited or your hair can become highly porous due to chemical damage from hair bleach, a relaxer, or some other chemical process.

How to tell if your hair has low density?

Look closely at your hair from all angles, and see if you can see your scalp through the hair strands. If you can, your hair has very low density.

What are the two senses that determine hair density?

However, you can also do a simple hair density test with just two of your senses — vision and touch. Your hair texture defines how your hair reacts to certain products, humidity and eve water. Knowing your hair's texture can point you in the right direction for your perfect products and hair regimen.

What is the ability of your hair to absorb and retain any type of moisture?

The simple definition of hair porosity is the ability of your hair to absorb and retain any type of moisture.

What does it mean when your hair feels wet?

If your hair simply feels wet, you have normal hair porosity.

How to get hair to not be bunched up?

Take your hair and gather it up as if you were going to put it in a ponytail. You may want to go ahead and secure it in a ponytail so that you won’t have to hold it. Brush it as smooth as you possibly can so that hair will not be “bunched up.". Examine your hair again from all angles.

What is the density of hair?

The density of your hair is simply how thin or thick it is. The number of hair follicles in a specific area of your hair, say a 1-inch area, determines your hair’s density.

Is porosity the same for all hair types?

For hair porosity, you want to feel your hair while it is wet, and the technique is the same for all hair types.