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Treatments for high and low porosity hair are very different – and it matters
Whether you have high or low porosity hair will dictate which treatments and products you use, and thankfully, there are two five-second tests you can do at home.
Whether you like it up or down, short or with temporary tattoos, we spend our whole lives finessing the hair on our heads. Most of us are on quests for the shiniest most luscious locks, picking up hacks from the depths of the internet like using lemon juice to lighten it. Sadly, you might have skipped a vital step.
The difference between high and low porosity hair
Google reports an uptick in interest surrounding high and low porosity hair, with most people confused about what it actually means.
Hair porosity describes your hair’s ability to soak up and retain products, nutrients, and moisture. It’s usually dictated by genetics, though there are some things you can do to improve porosity.
For people with low porosity, you might notice water beading on your hair while you shower, products taking longer to sink in, and your hair taking hours and hours to dry. Nonetheless, having low porosity comes with its own benefits as people usually have healthier-looking hair due to cuticles laying flat. Providing you’re not blasting your hair with heat, you might also experience fewer split ends.
Those with high porosity typically have more spread-out hair cuticles, meaning their hair quickly soaks up moisture and products. Your hair is naturally more prone to breakage, damage, and split ends, with excessive products and bleaching only adding to your frizzy problems.
High, medium, and low porosity hair each require their own specialist attention, so first it’s best to understand which category you fall into.
You can test your hair porosity with a simple method
Thank the hair gods because you don’t need an expensive appointment or specialist knowledge to understand which porosity your hair is. In fact, all you need is water.
The first test calls for strands of your hair to be placed into a vessel of water, if they sink you’ve got high porosity, and if they float you’ve got low. If your hair settles somewhere in the middle then you have medium porosity.
To be double sure you can also spray your hair with water to see how it interacts. Those with low porosity should see water beads forming, and those with high should see almost instant absorption.
The final test is to use good old-fashioned common sense. Pinch your hair at your scalp and then drag your fingers through its length, little resistance suggests high porosity while lots of resistance suggests low.
