Many hair stylists, hair maniacs and girls interested in the topic of hair care and styling, treats their strands on the basis of the porosity. What is it? Hair porosity is determined by how high the cuticles are lifted. You can distinguish low, medium and high porosity.
Depending on the appearance of your wisps, you should match proper cosmetic, including oils, to take better care of them.
Low porosity hair – has a tightly bound cuticle layer with overlapping scales that lay flat, which at the same time make any type of treatment very difficult. Such hair is considered to be strong and healthy. It is also difficult to style, absorbs water very slowly and the process of drying is very long. Low porosity hair is less prone to damages, it is not static or frizzy.
Medium porosity hair – the cuticle layer is looser, therefore many hairstyling and beautifying treatments bring satisfactory results. Nevertheless, medium porosity hair is easy to damage but on the other hand – it is quite easy to change its porosity to low. Remember that even though such hair type seems that it does not require a lot of effort to maintain its condition, it should be properly treated. It is recommended not to use too rash cosmetics or dyes too often.
High porosity hair – has gaps and holes in the cuticle which means that the treatment is very easy. However, nourishments, dye pigments as well as all impurities and pollution can easily penetrate inside. High porosity hair is heavily damaged, absorbs water quickly and is easy to style. Keep in mind that styling with the use of heat is very damaging.
The best oils and techniques of different hair porosity types.
LOW POROSITY HAIR
How to raise scales in order to properly treat low porosity hair? First of all, try out proteins and alkanes, add a bit of glycerine to your conditioner. Next, apply it to the entire length of hair and make sure to keep it warm. You can put on a plastic shower cap and cover it with a warmed up towel.
How to seal scales in order to retain proper hydration of low porosity hair? This is the solution. Firstly, rinse the conditioner with cool water. Then, use one of the hair oils or cosmetic butters: argan oil, sweet almond oil, grape seed oil, mango butter or avocado butter.
HIGH POROSITY HAIR
The key element of high porosity hair care is to use cosmetics that will seal cuticles. Therefore, always remember to rinse your shampoo with cool water, use leave-in conditioners or aloe vera juice. Try to reduce the use of products containing humectants. Do not forget that in humid environment, too big amount of these substances can cause frizz and static. Try out the following oils: castor oil, olive oil, hemp oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil, evening primrose oil, pumpkin seed oil, sunflower oil, soy bean oil.
MEDIUM POROSITY HAIR
The scales of medium porosity hair are slightly raised. It is very important to take a proper care of such strands due to the fact that it is very easy to damage and over-dry them. Use moisturising cosmetics, leave-in conditioners, hair milks and lightweight creamy masks. You will also need the following oils: jojoba oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, rapeseed oil, wheat germ oil, macadamia oil and rice oil.
How to determine hair porosity? Do a test!
It is said that the best results are obtained after doing all tree tests on hair porosity: water test, touch test and visual test.
- Water test – put a couple of wisps into a bowl filled with water. Remember that your hair must be clean and free of any cosmetics that could coat their surface. Wait a few minutes and observe what is happening with the wisps. High porosity hair will drown to the bottom of the bowl within a minute. Medium porosity hair will float on the surface for about two minutes. Low porosity hair will drown after about two minutes.
- Touch Test – take a wisp of hair and slide your fingers up the shaft (toward the scalp). Try to access what you feel. Low porosity hair will be smooth, resilient and soft. Medium porosity hair will not be 100 % smooth; you will be able to feel small bumps. High porosity hair will be coarse and rough to the touch because of the lifted cuticles.
- Visual test – consist in observing your hair. Pay attention to what it looks like after washing and blow-drying, whether it is smooth or frizzy after using new cosmetics, how it behaves during a rainy and humid day. Low porosity hair will always be smooth and soft regardless the weather and care. Medium porosity hair will be shiny and smooth on the top of your head but the ends will be dry and dull. High porosity hair will be static and unable to style or look nice no matter what cosmetics you use or the weather conditions outside.