The most important fact to know about your hair is its porosity (more than your hair type)! It determines the ability your hair has to absorb water/products.
Low Porosity Hair has a low absorption rate and have more difficulties absorbing moisture.
You may recognize that:
- It’s hard for water to saturate the hair
- It’s hard for natural oils/products to penetrate the hair they tend to sit on the hair and create buildups
- Once wet, the hair takes a long time to air dry
High Porosity Hair has a high absorption rate and have more difficulties retaining moisture.
You may recognize that:
- Water easily saturates the hair
- Products easily penetrates the hair therefore it requires more products
- The hair quickly air dries
- Tends to be frizzy and dry
- Hair brakes easily
How to determine your hair porosity?
The Float Test: Take a strand of your hair and drop it into a bowl or cup of water. Let it sit for 2-4 minutes for results.
- When your hair starts to float, it is considered to have Low Porosity
- When your hair starts to sink, it is considered to have High Porosity
What are the must-knows of low porosity?
- Use heat when deep treating your hair to open the hair shaft which aids with absorbing the products (hooded drier, steamer, warm towel or shower cap).
- Use protein-free conditioners.
- Use shampoos and conditioners that contains ingredients such as glycerin and honey.
- Use products with oils as a sealing agent. (They tend to have a harder time penetrating the hair.)
What are the must-knows of high porosity?
- Regularly deep condition/co-wash the hair to regenerate its hydration.
- Use lukewarm water when shampooing and conditioning and rinse with cold water. (Hot water may lift the cuticles and cause further damages.)
- Use shampoos and conditioners that contains ingredients such as butters and oils.
- Use leave-in conditioners and sealers to hydrate and keep the moisture.
- Dry your hair a microfibre towel to avoid breakage.