Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Hair Porosity: What Is It and What Type Do You Have?

what is high porosity hair

If your hair sinks to the middle of the cup and then gradually descends to the bottom, you have normal porosity hair. However, if your hair floats in the glass for a lengthy period of time before sinking, you probably have low porosity hair. When caring for high-porosity hair, make sure the scalp and hair are free from product buildup. Additionally, skipping regular haircuts can lead to split ends and breakage, so maintaining a consistent schedule is important for preserving the health of high-porosity hair. Lastly, overloading the hair with heavy products can lead to buildup and stiffness, so it's essential to strike a balance between moisture and protein to keep the hair hydrated and flexible. It's also essential to protect high-porosity hair from heat-styling tools and harsh environmental factors that can further damage the hair cuticle, our stylists explain.

Different Types of Hair Porosity

We recommend frequently using a protein conditioner or a protein mask, like once a week or once every two weeks. The high amount of protein found in eggs will give extra love and strength to your strands. Look for a frizz tamer like the Goldwell Kerasilk Control Rich Protective Oil, a winner in the GH Beauty Lab’s test to find the best anti-frizz hair products for its ability to smooth and boost shine. If you live in an area with high humidity, avoid products with humectants.

The Essential Care Tips for High-Porosity Hair

You might have heard the term “porosity” floating around in the natural hair community. Porosity, as it relates to hair, refers to how easily hair absorbs and retains moisture. Knowing what porosity your hair is can make a huge difference in how you care for it. For instance, you’ll be able to use products and techniques that are best for your hair’s porosity. In this article, we’ll be telling you everything you need to know about high porosity hair. Protein treatments are also beneficial for high-porosity hair, as they help strengthen the hair shaft and repair damage caused by raised cuticles.

How to Care for High Porosity Hair, According to the Pros

Typically, this will involve using hair care products that include “heavier” ingredients like oils or butters. “Finish washing your hair with a cool rinse and seal in your heat styling with your cool-shot button,” suggests Cucinello. It’s a finishing brush that gets icy cold instead of hot, so you can boost shine, lock in your style, or simply lower the pH of high-porosity hair. “Hair in its healthiest natural state has a pH somewhere between 4.5 and 5.5—altering the natural pH of the hair causes high porosity,” explains Cucinello. Because the cuticle is left open in high-porosity hair, it can cause the hair to lose moisture, leading to fragile, frizzy, dry, and damaged hair prone to breakage.

Simply apply it evenly through clean, damp hair with a comb, leave it on for five to 10 minutes, wash out, and voilĂ ! It always leaves my hair feeling smooth and conditioned, and my curls are consistently more defined after each use. I even like to place a shower cap over my hair while the conditioner sits in order to maximize the moisture. In terms of styling, you should opt for cream or oil-based products, instead of the ones that are water or gel-based to retain moisture. Layering both creams and oils gives your hair not only the moisture it needs, but also seals it in. Oil by itself does too little to give your hair the hydration it so much desires.

what is high porosity hair

However, our experts add that it's important to strike a balance between moisture and protein, as excessive protein can lead to stiffness and brittleness. UV exposure from the sun, not using a heat protectant before styling, color and bleach can lead to high porosity hair. There are many ways you can treat high-porosity hair, so that it looks healthy, shiny, and stays hydrated, too. First, Cucinello suggests choosing products that are specifically formulated for color or chemically treated hair.

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Frizz and dryness are clear indicators of high porosity hair and can put a damper on the two-strand twist out you worked so hard to achieve. To break down high porosity hair even further, celebrity hairstylist and Cantu ambassador Angela Stevens explains everything you need to know. If you have high porosity hair, pre-pooing and finger detangling are your best friends. To prevent your hair knotting up and breaking when it comes in contact with water, make sure that your hair is fully detangled before you step into the shower. You can use one of your favourite oils or conditioners to help give you a hand.

Styling products

But while genetics can affect porosity, it isn’t the only contributing factor. “Because hair is drier and more damaged, it is more prone to breakage and split ends,” Dr. Kahen says. “Regular trims help to stimulate new hair growth and keep the hair looking healthy and bouncy at the ends.” Aim for half-inch trims every four to six weeks. By understanding your hair porosity, you can take steps to ensure that you’re managing it correctly and using products and ingredients that are well-suited to your hair.

If you have high porosity hair, water and oils can be easily absorbed, but your hair will have a hard time retaining that moisture. This can lead to hair that’s dry, frizzy, and prone to tangles and breakage. With medium or normal porosity hair, the cuticles aren’t too close together, but aren’t too open either. This allows moisture to penetrate easily, and it also makes it easier to retain moisture for a longer period of time. "Low porosity hair has difficulty accepting moisture, the water repels off the hair and is usually very dry," Stevens continues.

Then, brush your hair through with a clean brush, and take a strand of hair that comes out in the brush. Protective styling is a great way to not have to constantly manipulate your hair and thus allowing your hair to grow. Since high porosity hair is prone to breakage, using protective styling can prevent this for you.

When you have low porosity hair, water or products sit at the surface of the hair instead of penetrating into the strands. "Let's say two girls got out of the pool and one's hair dries in 30 minutes, that's low porosity hair. But if the other girl's hair takes hours, then that is high porosity hair." 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.

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