Friday, May 3, 2024

Low vs High Porosity: Understanding Your Curls and How to Care for It

low porosity vs high porosity hair

A disadvantage of low porosity hair is that it is difficult to process – the hair’s shaft is not as receptive to hair dyes and straightening chemicals, for example. If low porosity becomes dry or damaged for any reason, it will be more difficult for it to absorb deep conditioning products. Porosity measures how easily the hair’s cuticle absorbs water, products or chemicals. Factors that influence porosity can be hereditary – curly hair is more porous than straight hair, for example. There are also environmental factors that influence porosity, such as how often you use a chemical agent to color or straighten your locks.

low porosity vs high porosity hair

Common questions about hair porosity

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"High porosity, nine out of 10 times, is due to damage," says Onuoha. Not all products work well for high porosity hair, so you have to be picky. It’s best to avoid hair products that have sulfates, parabens, silicones, and sodium laureth sulfates. Products with those types of chemicals are a big NO NO as they pull essential moisture from your hair.

Is it possible to change the hair porosity?

You can take steps to prevent your hair from becoming highly porous, but it's impossible to return strands to a lower-porosity state once the damage has been done, says Onuoha. Limiting your use of chemical treatments and heat styling and using hair products with UV filters are all preventative steps. No matter the porosity of your hair, Chambers-Harris has four tips for all hair types. Dyes or other chemical treatments can damage the cuticle, increasing hair's porosity.

What is high porosity hair and how do you care for it?

Once your locks are clean and dry, pluck a single strand of your hair and place it in a glass of water. If the hair floats at the top, you have low porosity, but if it quickly sinks to the bottom of the glass, you probably have high porosity hair. If the strand hovers around the middle of the glass and slowly descends through the water, it’s most likely medium porosity. I always knew my hair was thick, coarse, and wavy, but once I identified my hair porosity, it completely changed how I care for my hair. Highly porous hair is a result of chemical damage from coloring, straightening and perms. Hair of this type absorbs much more water than hair of average porosity – up to over 50 percent of water by weight.

Milk_Shake Cold Brunette Shampoo

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Like the other color options, this shampoo mildly cleanses the hair but primarily focuses on depositing green pigments to counteract unwanted red/brassy tones in hair, according to O’Connor. Blue shampoos are great for blondes with a more caramel highlight and brunettes with orange and brassy tones, says Benson. Blue is the best color for these orange-y tones because it counteracts and neutralizes it, says Byrd. Purple shampoos cleanse the hair (to an extent) but also cancel out unwanted yellow tones and brassiness by depositing purple pigment, according to our experts. Believe it or not, color theory is a big part of finding the right color-depositing shampoo for you — you want to pick the opposite color on the color wheel for your hair.

Cleansing Shampoo

This porosity level is balanced with looser cuticles that allow space for moisture to get in but don’t open too much so that the nutrients or hydration will escape. Due to the closed cuticles, low porosity hair will feel sleek and smooth. High porosity hair has open cuticles that will feel rough and coarse to the touch. If you want to conduct a third hair porosity test to be sure, try air drying the faster your hair dries, the higher the porosity. High porosity hair can fully air dry in approximately 2 hours, while low porosity hair may need over 8 hours to no longer feel damp to the touch.

low porosity vs high porosity hair

Humectants are products that draw in moisture from the environment. In high-humidity climates, this can lead to hair becoming poofy and frizzy. There are several tests available to identify one’s hair porosity, but not all of them are as accurate.

And while this means it can absorb water, product, and oil easily, it can readily lose moisture, too. Exposure to chemical treatments and UV rays can lead to a higher porosity level. Finding the right products for low porosity hair is key to keeping your locks feeling healthy, fresh, and hydrated. I suggest starting with a lightweight shampoo and conditioner that won’t weigh your hair down. Grow Perfect™ Duo is one of my top picks, formulated with hardworking yet lightweight ingredients that fortify your strands and protect them from future damage. An everyday hair oil like Moisture Hero™ Hair Oil will also help hydrate low porosity hair in need of nourishment.

selectHow to find the best shampoo to help repair damaged hair

If this is the case you should always treat your hair for the highest level of porosity it has. This is because that's the area that requires more care and attention. Ideally, you should be looking to achieve and maintain the perfect protein moisture balance every wash day.

Color-protecting shampoos won’t add color to the hair and are formulated to maintain the existing color for as long as possible without the potential for it to fade or appear dull, says O’Connor. The duration of the color deposited by these shampoos depends on factors such as frequency of use, the hair's porosity, and the shampoo's specific formulation. Generally, the color will gradually fade with each wash, so regular use is often necessary to maintain the desired tone, says Benson. High porosity hair takes in moisturizers very quickly, but, unfortunately, it loses them rapidly. In some cases, this problem it’s hereditary, but mostly, it’s caused by all the chemicals we apply on our strands. Washing your hair with clay is another delicate way to clean high porosity hair.

Understanding your hair porosity can help you determine which curly hair products or coily hair products to use and what techniques to incorporate into wash day and beyond. Hair porosity is a crucial aspect of hair health, determining how your hair absorbs and retains moisture. Low porosity hair has tightly packed cuticles, making it resistant to moisture. In contrast, high porosity hair, with its gaps in the cuticle, absorbs moisture quickly but loses it just as fast. These differences in porosity also dictate distinct hair care needs. Normal porosity hair is the easiest hair type to maintain because the hair cuticles tend to be looser, and because of that, moisture penetrates the hair with ease.

The Elixir Oil is formulated with Jamaican Black Castor Oil to help seal in moisture in order to prevent breakage and reduce split ends. If your hair is extremely brittle, we recommend avoiding heat styling until the Elixir Oil can work its magic enough to repair split ends. With normal porosity hair, you want to deep condition over a longer frequency and avoid high protein levels in your hair care products.

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