The porosity test is a good indicator of what category your hair falls into. First, drop a strand of clean hair in a glass of water. If the strand immediately sinks to the bottom, your hair is of high porosity. ... If the strand floats towards the top and it takes a while for it to sink, your strands are of low porosity.

Why do we test the porosity?

Hair porosity is simply the ability for your hair to absorb and retain moisture. This is important because knowing your porosity will help you determine the best ways to maintain, style, hydrate, deep condition and take care of your hair.

How do you accurately test hair porosity?

Place your strand of hair in the glass of water and watch how it behaves. If your hair stays at the top of the glass, then it is low porosity. If your hair floats in the middle, it has medium porosity. If your hair sinks at the bottom, it is high porosity.

How do you know if your hair is porous?

One way to do this is to take a strand of your hair—from your hair brush or comb—and drop it into a glass of water. If the strand sinks slowly, then the hair has a normal porosity level. If it sinks to the bottom right away, you have high porosity hair. If It floats on top, you have low porosity hair.

What does it mean if porosity is high?

If you have high porosity hair, it means that water, oils, and other types of products can be easily absorbed by your hair. On the flip side, because your hair is highly porous, it may not be able to retain moisture as well as other types of hair.

HAIR POROSITY TESTS (Test Your POROSITY LEVELS) (5 EASY WAYS)

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Is high porosity hair good or bad?

Whether due to genetics or hair damage, high porosity hair allows moisture to be absorbed into the hair shaft easily, yet it isn't able to retain moisture for long. ... your hair tends to break easily. your hair tends to be frizzy and dry. it doesn't take much time for your hair to air dry.

Is low porosity hair bad?

Low Porosity Hair Can Look and Feel Its Best

And there you have it — low porosity hair isn't as bad as you think. Thanks to fewer pores on its cuticles, it's the closest thing to undamaged hair fibers (aka relatively healthy hair) and can do well on a low-maintenance routine.

What are signs of low porosity hair?

Signs Of Low Porosity Hair

• Your 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.

What does low porosity hair like?

With low porosity hair, the cuticles tend to overlap each other and are tightly packed together. Because there are no spaces between the cuticles, it makes it harder for water, as well as products like oils and conditioners, to deliver moisture to the hair shaft.

Does 4c hair have low porosity?

Since 4c hair has mostly super low porosity, its absorbency is much lower, so it's less likely to react to water in this way. There is an exception to 4c super low porosity, though: finer 4c hair tends to be more porous than thicker hair, because it has fewer cuticle layers to form a barrier against water.

Does hair porosity matter?

Knowing your hair porosity helps you determine what ingredients and products are best." There are three porosity types: low, medium, and high. Typically, hair with high porosity is prone to damage, breakage, and gaps, Bailey explains. This allows the hair to absorb moisture quickly but also release it just as fast.

Is the porosity hair test accurate?

The lie is that you can easily find the porosity of your by simply doing the water test, which is not an accurate representation of how your hair takes in moisture. ... When it comes to porosity, you should know: Damaged hair is going to be more porous than virgin hair.

How do I know if my hair needs protein or moisture?

Take an inch of your hair and stretch it, if it doesn't stretch or breaks, feels dry and rough, it is brittle/damaged and needs moisture treatment. If the hair stretches far and does not return and/or breaks, feels mushy, gummy or cotton candy-like, your hair needs protein.

What does it mean when your hair holds water?

Telltale signs of high porosity include hair that retains excessive amounts of water and grabs onto color quickly causing it to look uneven. ... This can cause porosity because it creates gaps and tears in the hair that make it possible for the cuticle to stay open and moisture to escape through.

What does high porosity hair need?

"High porosity hair usually needs more protein or oil to help seal in moisture. Some conditioners have more protein in them, so look for conditioners with keratin, wheat, or silk protein for added strength," she explains.

Does rice water work on low porosity hair?

Rice water is good for low porosity hair as long as it's used in moderation to avoid protein overload. ... When rice water is put on hair, the rice protein forms a protective coat on your hair which is why you will notice that your hair feels stronger after using rice water.

Does low porosity hair sink or float?

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.

Does low porosity hair get wet fast?

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.

Is coconut oil bad for low porosity hair?

oils such as olive oil and coconut oil are a no go for naturals with low porosity hair because they will undoubtedly sit on top of the hair instead of absorbing into them. ... The fatty acids prevalent in Jojoba make it a great choice for women with low porous hair looking to seal their ends or oil their scalps.

How do you fix low porosity hair?

How To Care For Low Porosity Hair (5 tips)

1. Steam Your Hair. Steaming your hair every now and again is a good way to get your cuticles to open and for moisture to be absorbed. ...
2. Use The Greenhouse Effect. ...
3. Clarify Your Hair. ...
4. Give Humectants A Try. ...
5. Deep Condition With Heat.

Can you have straight low porosity hair?

According to Bailey Pope, “Low porosity typically just feels and looks more healthy due to the cuticle being less rough than a more porous hair type. However, low porosity can exist on any hair texture (straight/curly, fine/coarse).

How do you grow low porosity hair?

Here are the best tips on how to grow and care for low porosity hair.

1. Moisturize properly. Moisture is important to your hair. ...
2. Clarify the hair. ...
3. Steam for maximum hydration. ...
4. Use light oils that are easily absorbed. ...
5. Deep condition with heat. ...
6. Use the Green House effect. ...
7. Use humectants. ...
8. Avoid too much products.

Can you change your hair porosity?

In a nutshell, hair porosity is how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture. Porosity is usually genetic, but it can change throughout your life depending on a variety of factors. Exposure, heat treatments, chemical processing, and environmental damage (like pollution) can all affect your hair porosity.

What is a 4C hair?

Type 4C: You have hair as densely packed as 4B, just with less definition as well as more shrinkage. The hair texture, which is tightly coiled like all Type 4s, ranges from super fine and soft to coarse and wiry. It's incredibly delicate hair.

How often should low porosity hair be washed?

In fact: Once a week is how often you need to wash low porosity hair to keep it soft, moisturized, and free from buildup until your next wash.