What Is Hair Porosity & What Does It Mean for My Hair Concerns?
What Is Hair Porosity?
Your hair behaves differently from others and this is probably why you might find yourself in a constant battle when it comes to hair care. The problems may vary from dryness and frizz, to retaining excess water after shampooing or uneven hair color. Whatever your hair concerns are, the answer lies in decoding hair porosity and understanding how it affects your hair.
The truth is, porous hair may be the cause of a number of concerns you observe in your hair. From retaining excess water to troubles like uneven hair colour, porous hair can seem impossible to manage.
Thankfully, the world of hair care has something just right for each and every hair type. It's as simple as learning how to check hair porosity and finding products that can help strike a balance.
WHAT IS HAIR POROSITY?
The short answer is that your hair’s porosity refers to how much moisture your hair retains. The best way to understand what is hair porosity is by looking at its different types.
HIGH POROSITY HAIR
In high porosity hair, the cuticle is raised. This hair type suffers from breakage and is generally weaker. If your hair retains excessive amounts of water and grabs onto color quickly causing it to look uneven, you may have high porosity hair.
LOW POROSITY HAIR
Then there’s low porosity hair, where the hair’s cuticle remains flat and closed. This makes it difficult for the hair to absorb moisture as products tend to just coat the outer layer of the hair rather than sink in.
MEDIUM POROSITY HAIR
Turns out medium porosity is the sweet spot for your hair. It lets moisture in and keeps water out. This hair type strikes a perfect balance between high and low porosities. This is why medium porosity hair is often strong, well-nourished, and manageable. Nevertheless, do not neglect indulging in proper hair care - even for medium porosity hair.
It's best to clarify scalps frequently, condition with each wash, and use lightweight products. Go gentle with detangling and opt for deep conditioning a few times every month.
Now that we know what is hair porosity, let’s dive into how to check hair porosity and achieve optimum hair.
HOW TO CHECK HAIR'S POROSITY LEVEL
The journey to healthy hair is all about knowing your hair inside and out. Porosity is no different and can be the key in solving some of your hair problems.
If you wonder how to check hair porosity, start by taking a dry, clean strand of your hair and place it into a cup of water. If it takes a few minutes to sink to the bottom then your hair ranks on a medium level of porosity, so you’re in the clear. A strand that floats to the top is likely low in porosity, whereas hair that sinks to the bottom right away is highly porous.
How To Care For High Porosity Hair?
The reality is that you can’t always hit the reset button on your hair’s porosity level. However, taking the right measures for high porosity hair can help you counteract the effects of porosity. Try creating regular hydrating hair care routines with conditioners and leave-in masks. You must also minimise the use of heat and chemical treatments while caring for high porosity hair. Make sure you also seal the high porosity hair cuticle with cold water rinses, natural oils, and dry it with gentle, microfiber towels and wide-tooth combs. Try using smoothing hair care such as the Redken Frizz Dismiss Shampoo that gives you smoother, controlled hair with humidity protection. Make sure you counteract the water loss in high porosity hair with moisturising serums too. If high porosity has left you with extremely damaged hair, try the protein-infused Redken Extreme Shampoo to restore your hair strength while preventing breakage and split ends.
How To Care For Low Porosity Hair?
Low porosity hair has tightly bound cuticles. This makes your hair resistant to moisture absorption and prone to buildup, since it does not take in the products you use. Considering these factors, low porosity hair stands to benefit from warm water and steam treatments that help nourishing products penetrate the hair cuticle. Try to use nourishing but lightweight products that will hydrate your fiber without weighing it down. A leave-in conditioner One United
like One United can also help with moisture while making hair more manageable, so that you don’t have to wrestle with your brush when it comes to detangling.
The low porosity hair is also treated well with cleansing hair care products such as the Redken Hair Cleansing Cream. This clarifying shampoo helps product build up, hard water minerals, excess oil, and pollution residue to restore the shine for low porosity hair.
HOW TO CARE FOR MEDIUM POROSITY HAIR?
While one of the most fortunately porous levels, the medium porosity hair also needs the right kind of care. With well-balanced moisture retention, this hair type is easier to manage and style. Try to choose balanced products with both moisture and protein, and avoid overloading with heavy products.
The key behind maintaining optimum hair health is understanding your hair and learning how to check hair porosity. Considering your hair’s needs and texture, you can go onto personalise your hair care routine to get the most out of the right products.