Hair Type: All
Hair Porosity: All
Hair Sensitivities: All
Hair Goal: All
One thing I will never ever stop talking about is…POROSITY! My favorite hair factor and what I believe to be super, super important. Your porosity is the doorway to your hair absorption and release. The cuticle layer is the first layer that nutrients, moisture, and overall essential bioactive molecules need to get past to benefit your hair.
What Is Porosity?
"Pores". When you think of pores, you think of the holes in your skin that allow product inside and release water, sebum, and salt. Now think of "pores" but for your hair. Your cuticles and how high or flat they lay, determine what type of porosity your hair is. As previously stated, porosity is the key to absorption and release. Your hair products need to absorb into your cortex to benefit your hair. Your hair also needs a mechanism to release excess water that may be absorbed in various instances like hair washing or going to the pool. Read the related articles to learn more about the basic structure of your hair strands, including your hair cortex.
Your porosity has direct access to product (absorption) and direct access to your cortex (release of products). All hair absorbs water and is supposed to release water at a healthy rate. Just like your cells have a bi-lipid membrane layer that controls what goes in and out, your cuticle layer is the control center for what goes in and out of your hair strands. Knowing your porosity is essential to mastering your hair regimen. Not knowing or understanding your porosity is a common situation amongst many people. Using the wrong porosity regimen can slowly destroy your hair and impede on beautiful hair growth.
Low Porosity Hair
Low porosity hair is hair with flattened cuticles. Cuticles that lay flat are sealed and hydration is difficult to get through to this hair texture. There are already articles about porosity and its definition but it is still important to keep iterating about porosity. Low porosity hair has issues with OBTAINING hydration. It is hard get hydration IN but this hair type can retain moisture for a long period of time.
Low Porosity Hair Characteristics
Low porosity hair is smooth, flattened cuticles. It can be chronically dry due to its difficulty in getting hydration into the hair but once moisture is obtained, it stays in the hair for days/weeks/months. Please do not confuse low porosity hair with high density hair. Naturally thicker, denser, more voluminous hair also takes a long time to dry. This hair tends to take a long time to saturate with water. It poofs up instead of being weighed down by the water. You have to wash your each hair section at least twice for this hair to fill up with water.
Low porosity hair tends to dislike thick and heavy creams, curl puddings, gels, mousses, and heavy leave-ins. This is because products tend to sit right on top of the hair. Build-up is so easy for this hair type due to the cuticles being shut. Avoid heavy, thick, sticky, clumpy, and super watery products.
Low porosity hair tends to be extremely picky with hair products. Store-brought products are very hit-or-miss with this porosity. This is due to many store-brought products being acidic. Formulated products cater to a high-porosity regimen and increase acidity to encourage people with high porosity to lower their cuticles, thus increasing moisture retention. Citric acid is a preservative seen at the bottom of your ingredients but it can double as a pH regulator. Products with higher amounts of citric acid (higher on the ingredient list), will dry out low porosity hair. All it does is flatten already flattened hair cuticles, assuring your hair won't get the moisture that it needs.
Regular Low Porosity
This hair likes spritz and super light leave-ion products. Hair milks, hair sprays, or home-made sprays (water/oil or water/conditioner) are lightweight and can slip between those cuticles and give hydration to the hair cortex.
Extreme Low Porosity
This is that real OG, real Africana, real motherland low porosity. The hair type that has adapted to the dry, high heat environment of specific African countries. This hair HATES water. Spritz and hair milks do not work but actually sit on top of the hair. The best products for this hair is super lightweight and fluffy leave-ins and hair lotions/moisturizers. Hair lotions, especially, are made for chronically dry hair. Lotions are much thinner and can penetrate the flattened cuticles due to is nature. Try to use hair lotions that have a greasy or non-watery feel, Luster's Pink lotion is an example of a "dry lotion.
See the previous article on hair volume to find out what products work for low porosity hair. The same products that work for low-density hair can be applied to fine-textured hair. The article will be under 'recent posts'.
Low porosity hair works best with really low manipulation and stretching. It does not need as much attention and people with lower porosity hair can stretch their wash days for up to 3 months or more. Leaving low porosity hair alone always works best.
How to Obtain Moisture for Low Porosity Hair
Because low porosity hair has issues with obtaining hydration, it needs aids in receiving water.
Massaging and pressing product into your hair. Push the product into you hair until that caste/ disappears. Prayer hands actually works.
Using a heating cap over your head to help trap heat, open cuticles in your hair, and ultimately absorb product when using leave-in products.
Using a clarifying shampoo, especially an alkaline one. Low porosity hair tends to build-up product quickly and needs to stripped so hydration can reach the hair strand. Alkaline shampoos are usually herbal and ayurvedic shampoos (lavender, green tea, rosemary, etc…)
Steamers to open cuticles during conditioning treatments.
Using hooded dryers (with heating cap) top open up cuticles during conditioning treatments or for leave-in products.
Your hair regimen is focused on wash days--the time to reset your hair and remove build-up. This is also where you will receive the maximum amount of hydration. Your cuticles open up the most when you are pouring high amounts of water on it.
Normal Porosity Hair
Normal porosity is what I call easy going hair. This hair absorbs water at a normal rate and releases water at said rate. The cuticles are raised high enough to bring in moisture but low enough to keep moisture in the hair for a few days, give or take. This hair is sometimes categorized with high porosity hair because both hair types have raised cuticles. There are more similarities between normal and high porosity hair.
Normal Porosity Hair Characteristics
Normal porosity hair tends to like most products. It does not have an issue with lighter or heavier products. This hair also absorbs higher amounts of product than low porosity. Normal porosity is all about balance. Being mindful about the weight of the actual product and your method of using it. Lighter products means using a heavier hand, heavier products means using a lighter hand.
See the previous article on hair volume to find out what products work for normal porosity hair. The same products that work for normal-density hair can be applied to normal porosity hair. The article will be under 'recent posts'.
People with normal porosity hair need higher manipulation because of water loss. Because the hair does not maintain hydration like low porosity, replenishing the hair is still a necessity. This hair also likes gels and mousses so wash and go's are good for this hair.
Because of the raised cuticles, this hair is more prone to tangling, knotting, and matting. The cuticles causes matting on a microscopic level and so detangling, sectioning, and stretching this hair is essential.
High Porosity
High porosity hair is the other extremity. This hair type has no problem obtaining moisture but RETAINING moisture. As quickly as water can get in, it can also get right on out! Water leaves this hair type fast so one is constantly re-applying product to avoid dryness.
High Porosity Hair Characteristics
This hair has high cuticles and feels rough when one runs their fingers down their hair strand. This hair type soaks up water very quickly and is easily saturated by water. High porosity hair likes heavier hair products like thicker creams, curl puddings, thick and sticky gels, mousses, and heavy butters and oils. High porosity needs these products to trap water in the hair strand physically. The product rests in the crevices of the open cuticles and helps water to retain moisture.
Store-brought products work best for high porosity hair. Acidic products help to lower the cuticles and encourage moisture retention.
See the previous article on hair volume to find out what products work for high porosity hair. The same products that work for high-density hair can be applied to high porosity hair. The article will be under 'recent posts'.
How To Retain Moisture High Porosity Hair
It is important to use products that can keep moisture in this hair type for an extended amount of time. Greases and heavier products help to achieve this goal.
Moisturize and seal-use a cream or any leave-in. Seal with an oil, the heavier the better, to keep water in hair for longer than a few hours
This hair absorbs high amounts of hydration at a time so be mindful of hygral fatigue. Do not use conditioning treatments overnight. Do protect your hair when swimming with an oil and a shower cap. Be mindful when your hair becomes dull, heavy, limp, and mushy and correct with a protein treatments.
Gels and mousses are somewhat helpful in retaining moisture (sealing) but they lock out moisture too effectively. It's always best to use these products once and re-activate with additional water.
Using more acidic products that promote lower cuticles.
Co-washing or using hydrating shampoos to maintain moisture in the hair is always key.
Stretching and detangling hair to mitigate tangling and matting.
Your hair regimen is focused on in-between maintenance. Replenishing your hair with hydration and sealing it with oil is essential to slowing down water evaporation from your hair cortex.
Hair Porosity Diagram
Below is a diagram to that can help you visualize your hair porosity.
Important Information
Everyone has individual hair goals that they may want to achieve. When it comes to porosity, this goal is not up to you. This goal is completely up to your hair. Low porosity hair goals has different goals than normal/high porosity hair. Make sure your regimen leans towards the right porosity goal. It may very well be that someone with low porosity hair is using a regimen that caters to high porosity hair. This may be the exact reason why your hair is not retaining length and showing growth.
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That is some heavy and wonderful info! Something as simple as porosity can drastically change what your hair needs and what works for your hair. Be mindful of your porosity because it is the very foundation of healthy hair. Make sure to follow the social media pages on Instagram and Tik Tok: @africanhaircarescience. Comment, like, and subscribe to this website as well! Share this article with someone and make sure to join the blog next week :)
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