Figuring out what works for your hair takes a lot of trial and error, but if you’ve reached a point in your haircare journey where even the most raved-about products don’t seem to be doing their job of keeping your strands strong, healthy, and moisturized, it might be time to explore your hair’s porosity type.
Hair porosity, aka the hair’s ability to retain moisture, is a helpful thing to keep in mind when it comes to the products you invest in for washing, styling, and everything in between. And with all the hair care lines on the market, who wouldn’t want the extra clarity?
Meet Our Experts: Kari Williams, PhD, is a Los Angeles-based trichologist, celebrity hairstylist, and creator of the Goddess Locs. Candace Witherspoon is a New York-based hairstylist and curl specialist.
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If you’re ready to get into the nit and grit of it all, keep reading as experts explain everything you need to know about hair porosity, including what it means and how to determine yours.
What Is Hair Porosity?
In short, porosity is used to describe your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture, according to Kari Williams, PhD, a Los Angeles-based trichologist and celebrity hairstylist.
“[Porosity] is important because when you know the condition of your hair, it will guide you on how to pick out products to either help replenish moisture in your hair or deal with issues of dryness and breakage,” says Williams. “It will also guide you on how you should create your haircare regimen, because having the right balance of moisture in your hair is going to determine its overall health.”
What Are The Different Types Of Hair Porosity?
There are three different types of hair porosity—all of which are determined by the condition of the cuticle layer of the hair strand:
Low Porosity: Hair that has low porosity is not very porous, meaning it’s difficult for moisture to penetrate the hair strands. The cuticle layer of the hair is so tightly laid that your hair may need help letting moisture in. To do this, New York-based hair stylist and curly hair specialist Candace Witherspoon suggests doing a steam treatment every two weeks when doing a hair masque or deep treatment.
Additionally, Witherspoon recommends Amika Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Shampoo and conditioner, Innersense Organic Beauty Hydrating Mask, and Sienna Natural Plants Power Protein Moisture Repair for this hair type. Some key formula ingredients include fatty oils such as avocado and shea butter, chamomile, charcoal, peppermint oil, egyptian abyssinian, natural lanolin, and grape seed oil.
Normal Porosity: This kind of porosity is considered the sweet spot. It means that hair can accept and retain moisture healthily, and the cuticle scales are not too tight or damaged.
For normal porosity, Witherspoon recommends Innersense Organic Sweet Spirit Leave-In, Miribel Naturals Powerhouse Protein Cream, Charlotte Mensah Manketti Hair Oil, and Amika Dream Routine Overnight Hydrating Hair Mask.
High Porosity: When it comes to high porosity hair, the cuticle scales are usually damaged due to chemical treatments such as straighteners, curl perms, or hair coloring. It can also stem from using heating tools or excessive styling. The cracks in the cuticle mean that although moisture can be easily absorbed, it will also have difficulty retaining it.
Williams says to imagine a sponge to when trying to understand this hair type. It absorbs water quickly, but the holes prevent it from holding in the water. And after a while, it dries up and becomes brittle. She also notes that products with silicone can help temporarily retain moisture.
Uncle Funky’s Daughter Squeaky Deep Cleaning Shampoo and Aveda Botanical’s Repair Strengthening set are Witherspoon’s top recommendations for high porosity hair. The stand out formula ingredients include anti-humectants such as coconut or olive oil, apple cider vinegar, babassu oil, amino acids such as silk , milk, and wheat, and aloe vera for its repairing properties.
How To Test Your Hair Porosity
There are a few ways to go about testing your porosity, although they’re not fool-proof.
The most popular test is the water glass method. To do this, you would take a few stands of your hair (preferably stands that you’ve lost naturally from different parts of your head) and drop them in a full glass of water. If it sinks to the bottom, you have high porosity hair. If it floats, you have low porosity hair. If it sits in the middle, you have normal porosity hair
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HAIR POROSITY TESTS (Test Your POROSITY LEVELS) (5 EASY WAYS)
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According to Williams, this test may not give you definite answers since different parts of your hair can have different porosity types unless you’ve done a treatment on your entire head. In which case, you’ll find that your hair might be very porous .
Note: To get accurate results, make sure your hair is clean and free of any products.
Alternatively, you can try an elasticity test with wet hair (again, don’t pull any hair out of your head for this) to see if your hair breaks easily when you gently pull it. If so, it means the hair cuticles are closed together so that it’s difficult for water or any other product to moisturize the hair shaft—in other words, you have low porosity.
“Porosity tests aren’t necessary. It’s not something that I would advise as part of a regular process,” says Williams. “I would advise someone concerned about their hair health to just consult with a licensed stylist they trust.”
However, if you really want to put the science to the test, Witherspoon recommends doing so whenever the season changes since you’ll most likely have to make some adjustments to your routine throughout the year.
Sabrina is an editorial assistant for Women’s Health. When she’s not writing, you can find her running, training in mixed martial arts, or reading.