Hair porosity - what type do you have?
Knowing your hair’s porosity level is key to understanding how to have healthy hair. Your hair’s porosity level will tell you how it retains hydration. Hydration is the application of water to your hair strands. Depending on how well it absorbs and retains the water, your hair will fall into three categories.
Before we know about each category, we have to know how to determine it by doing a hair porosity test:
- Take a couple of strands from the scalp of your hairbrush.
- Place it in a bowl of room temperature water.
- After 5 minutes ……………...
If your hair stays at the top, you have LOW POROSITY HAIR.
Let me be frank, LOW porosity hair is stubborn. How? The cuticles on the hair strand are tightly closed. Therefore, no hydration can enter the hair strand without raising the cuticle layers. The cuticle layer can only be raised using heat, specifically warm water. Once the water is applied to your hair whether from your shower head or spray bottle the cuticle layer is open to allow the water molecules to be absorbed into it. And, you can be assured that once the hydration gets in it will not get out. Therefore, your hair strand can retain hydration well.
If your hair sinks to the bottom, you have HIGH POROSITY HAIR.
High porosity hair is known to be associated with damage. How? Well, the hair cuticles are always open so you cannot retain your hydration. Once it gets in, it can easily get out. And as such, you have to use techniques to close the hair cuticle. This includes, and is not limited to, using cold water, thick butter, and protein treatments. The cold water and thick butter can keep the cuticle layer closed once hydration is added to it. As well, protein treatments are used to repair the damaged strands to bring them to a healthier state. For example, your hair will be able to withstand damage, the cuticle layer stays closed, and the gaps along the hair strands to be filed.
If your hair floats to the middle, you have MEDIUM POROSITY HAIR.
Medium porosity hair is the balance of both opposing ends of the spectrum. Your hair cuticles are slightly raised. And as such, hydration can get into the hair strands as well as get out. You don’t necessarily need warm water, but it can still be used if you want your cuticles fully raised. As well as, you don’t need to utilize the different techniques to be your cuticles closed. However, it can still be used to keep your hair looking and feeling healthy.
See knowing your porosity is a good thing. This will allow you to be better able to take care of your hair. Once you know how your hair absorbs and retains hydration, you’ll be able to retain more length to grow your hair to your desired length.
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