Natural Hair Porosity: What Do We Mean?
For years I have read blog posts and watched videos talking about “porosity”, but it's only recently that I really started to think about what it might mean for me and the way I take care of my hair. I figured out what type of hair I had a few years post-transition to natural hair by paying attention to how easy it was to moisturise my hair, what different wash day methods did to my hair, and how it looked and felt when I used certain types of products for extended periods of time.
What is Hair porosity?
I am pulling a definition from healthline.com that I think sums it up well:
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.
So, when people talk about “porosity”, they are referencing what happens to your hair when it is moisturised, e.g. does your hair dry out again quickly? Does it absorb moisture and stay well moisturised long afterwards? When you get into a shower, how long does it take for your hair to get completely drenched and how long does it stay wet afterwards?
Why does porosity matter?
Your hair can only stay healthy when the water, oils and other products you use to moisturise it get through to the hair cuticle, the outer layer of your hair strand that protects the inner structure and controls the water content of hair fibre, to the cortex (part of the inside structure of your hair strand which provides strength, colour and texture, source: Design Essentials). Knowing the porosity of your hair gives you a fairly good indication of your hair structure, and thus what it needs to stay healthy.
What are the different types of hair porosity?
Hair porosity is really a description of your hair cuticle structure:
Low porosity:
Tightly packed, closed cuticles
Takes longer to to get soaking wet (fully saturated in the shower)
Takes longer to dry
May not absorb products all that well - instead, products may appear to coat the strands and sit on your hair rather than being absorbed by them
High Porosity:
Widely spread, open cuticles
Gets wet and saturated by water very quickly
Dries fast
Absorbs products very quickly
May be more frizzy, brittle and prone to breakage
It’s worth noting that as with most things, porosity is a spectrum, so don’t be surprised if you’re actually somewhere in the middle.
How do you figure out your hair porosity?
There’s a popular test that a lot of people still use that involves dropping a strand of clean (freshly washed), dry hair in a glass of water and seeing if it floats, sinks immediately, or sinks slowly.
Low porosity hair floats on the water because the cuticles are close together making it hard for water/moisture to get in and out of the hair shaft.
High porosity hair sinks quickly to the bottom of the glass because the cuticles are further apart making it easy for water/moisture to get in and out of the hair shaft.
I’ve had my reservations about this ‘test’ for a long time, and today they were validated in this informative video ‘Are you sure about your hair's porosity?’ by Trichologist, Afope Atoyebi posted on her Instagram page. In it she discusses the limitations of the test results and why it may be better to use other means to test/determine your porosity, such as how your hair responds to water when you wash or air dry it and how well it absorbs products.
What’s my hair porosity, you ask?
My hair isn’t really in the best condition right now, but I believe my porosity is somewhere in the middle. On wash days I stand under the shower for about 5 minutes before my hair is completely saturated with water. I find that running the water over my hair and squeezing it in my fingers helps with absorption. Once my hair is completely wet, it can take up to a day to completely air-dry. Products tend to sit on my hair rather than being absorbed into my hair. Letting my hair dry a little before applying my leave in helps. At the moment my hair is dry and frizzy, but mostly because I’ve neglected it for months and have stuck to my weekly wash and steam routine, although it’s making a slow comeback.
Now that you’ve Figured out your hair porosity, what’s next?
If you have a routine and products that work well for you, then your hair should be in a steady state and you should be focused on a run and maintain approach. If, on the other hand, you are just discovering your porosity and realise that your current regimen is not serving you well, it’s time for a review.
Take some time to confirm your hair porosity - you need to know what your starting point is.
Think about how best to address your hair care needs - do you need fewer products, more products or different products?
Make necessary changes, for example, applying products to your when it’s more dry or wet (let porosity determine this), and monitor the results. Tracking progress with the changes will make it easier to identify what is working and what isn’t.
Consider adjusting your use of protein treatments - again, this will depend on your porosity.
Research: hair blogs, youtube and instagram are still great resources for information on hair care. Take advice from sources you trust, noting that everyone’s hair is unique and results can differ from person-to-person.
Seek professional advice - find out what others are trying, but if all else fails, speak to a hair expert (Trichologist).
So that’s all I’ve got on porosity for now. I hope it’s been helpful. I’m thinking about the changes I need to make to ensure my hair retains optimal levels of moisture. At the moment my hair is in mini twists (I’ll probably share more on this on Instagram).
Until next time, stay healthy, happy and blessed!
Yours always,
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