WHY HAIR POROSITY MATTERS

Hair porosity might be the most important aspect of your hair to know about. 

Knowing your hair porosity will help you figure out which products to use and how to use them.  Things like how much, how frequently, and in what order.

Before we get into all of that, what is hair porosity? 

Put simply, it is the ability of your hair to absorb and retain moisture.

You might remember from science class that porosity comes up with referring to materials. Porosity is defined as the ratio of the volume of pores to the volume of bulk and is usually expressed as a percentage. The more porous a material, the more air space or voids it has. That means that water can pass into and through these materials.  

A sponge is a good example of a highly porous material. A less porous material is one that has few voids. That means that water can’t pass into or through it. Glass and marble are good examples of low porous materials.  

When applied to hair, porosity reflects the ratio of voids to solids. Highly porous hair easily allows water in and out, low porous hair is less able to allow water in and out. The same applies to natural oils. Highly porous hair easily absorbs oils where it is hard for low porous hair to absorb them. There is always a flip side. Highly porous hair loses moisture and natural oils faster. This can make porous hair more prone to damage.

How do I find out my hair’s porosity?

To check your hair porosity, drop hair from your brush or comb into a glass of water.

• If it floats, your hair is low porosity.
• If your hair sinks slowly, it has normal porosity.
• If it sinks immediately, your hair is high porosity.

Keep in mind that knowing your hair porosity will help you figure out how much moisture your hair needs on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to keep your hair healthy and strong. Your porosity will also help you choose products that will help you nail the look you are going for.

Understanding hair porosity starts with understanding the structure of hair. Looking at a strand of hair under a microscope, you’ll see an outside layer, called the cuticle. It’s made up of small tiles that open and close. When the cuticles are closed, they protect the hair shaft from losing moisture. When the cuticles are open, water and oils can penetrate the shaft for greater strength and flexibility.

In low porosity hair, the cuticle lays very flat. When you run water over this hair, you’ll see the water roll right off.  It might take some time for water to be absorbed in this type of hair. By protecting the hair shaft, low porous hair naturally keeps hair in a healthy, strong, and highly elastic condition. When low porous hair does get dry or brittle, you’ll want to restore hydration. Low-porosity hair can seem “stubborn”. This type experiences buildup, and has trouble retaining moisture and absorbing natural oils.

In high porosity hair the cuticle layer sits open. This means it can absorb water, product, and oil easily, but can also lose moisture and oil. Highly porous hair tends to look frazzled and feels dry and coarse.

While hair porosity is largely genetic – thanks mom and dad! - your lifestyle can change your hair porosity significantly. Things that can increase your hair’s natural porosity:

• Excessive sun exposure – if you’re a golfer, hiker, runner
• A lot of swimming – especially in chlorinated water
• Straightening and Coloring – chemical hair treatments open the cuticle to affect the hair structure

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), extremely porous hair comes from damage due to UV exposure, hair bleaching, chemical relaxers, or intense heat over long periods of time.

Good news!  Knowing your hair type helps you select products that are best for you (and how to use them)

Tips for low porosity hair:

• Use lighter formulas for your regular hair care.Products like Ginseng Shampoo and Conditioner and Sandalwood Styler are made for great everyday hair care. 
• On a weekly or daily basis, fight build up by using a quality detox shampoo like Rosemary Clarifying Shampoo.For very low porosity, consider leaving the shampoo on your hair for 30 seconds before rinsing. TIP: If you have thin, low porosity hair, clarifying shampoos can open the cuticle to make hair appear fuller.
• Consider steam treatments or covering the hair while conditioning to encourage the cuticle layer to lift open and let healthful natural oils in. Be sure to rinse hair after. 
• Rinse hair with cold water after conditioning to help the cuticle to lay flat again.

Tips for high porosity hair:

• For daily care, look for products with protein like Baobab Shampoo and Baobab Conditioner.It contains Baobab and Quinoa protein to deeply nourish and soften the hair, reinforce strands for improved strength, to reduce breakage.

• Say NO to silicones, YES to high quality natural oils. Silicones coat the exterior of the shaft and leave your hair core fragile, prone to breakage.Natural oils penetrate the hair shaft to restore elasticity and strength from within. TryJojoba Hair Repair with Organic Jojoba Oil- actually a liquid wax - comes from the seed of the jojoba shrub. Jojoba is a precious non-greasy moisturizer. Ours is cold-pressed and GMO free.  Once a week, try leaving it as a 10 minutes hair masque.   A natural leave in conditioner might also do the trick.

• Style with moisture.Try leave in styling products that continue to condition all day. Avocado Styling Cream is great to smooth highly porous hair. Avocado Oil is a nutrient-rich vegetable oil that contains collagen-supporting amino acids and proteins, vitamins A, B, D and E.

• Follow-up with a rich hair serum.ANTIDOTE’s Nourishing Oil can help to seal in moisture. This unique formula combines the best quality natural oils like avocado, grape seed, and jojoba. Yum!
• Protection matters.  Use a good hair protector to guard against further damage from sun and wind (and heat styling).  Goldenseal Hair Protector locks in moisture and proteins reduce damage to hair.

Learning about your hair porosity is part of learning about yourself. The more you understand, the better you’ll be able to choose products and apply them in ways that will work the best for you.  Remember, your hair porosity can change, so stay tuned to how your hair reacts to products.

Happy hair day!

Abigail