[ad_1]
If you condition and moisturize, but your hair is still getting dry and frizzy, it might be time for a hair porosity test.
Porosity is your hair’s ability to retain and absorb moisture. Like your hair typegenetics primarily determine your hair porosity, but other factors such as chemical treatments, weather, and heat styling can also impact hair porosity.
Knowing your hair porosity is important to help you choose the best products and ingredients to help treat and maintain your hair health and needs. Knowing your hair porosity will also help you better understand how to style your hair and what techniques to use (i.e. heat styling does not work for all types of hair porosity). Knowing your hair porosity may not be as important as knowing your hair type, but it’s just as important if you want to maintain healthy, strong hair.
What are the different types of hair porosity?
There are three types of hair porosity: low, normal and high.
Low porosity hair means that the cuticle lies flat on the outside, preventing water or humidity from being absorbed into the strands. You can easily tell you have low porosity if your hair takes longer to dry or if products seem to build up in the hair instead of blending in. Low porosity hair isn’t necessarily unhealthy, it’s just not hydrated properly.
Normal porosity hair has looser cuticles, allowing moisture to penetrate the strands more easily.
High porosity means there may be tears or damage around the cuticle which can be caused by chemical hair treatments or heat styling, among other factors. It also means that the hair can easily and quickly absorb the product, which means you usually have to apply more to see its effects. Even very porous hair can absorb product quickly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s hydrated or properly nourished.
How to do a hair porosity test
Determining your hair porosity will inform your product decisions and hair care routine so your hair gets the moisture it needs. Although hair porosity is important for all hair types, girls with curly and wavy hair should be especially aware of their porosity type, as curly hair tends to dry out more easily. Curly hair has a natural tendency to dryness because the natural oils produced by your scalp can spread through the straight hair strand much more easily than through the curly hair. So even with healthy, normal porous hair, hydration is still essential.
Hair porosity test or float test is very simple, all you need is a glass of clear water and a few strands of hair. It’s best to do this when your hair is dry and product-free. Brush your hair and take the strands that have shed and put them in your clear glass or bowl of water.
If your locks sink to the bottom, they have high porosity and absorb all the moisture. If your strand stays below the surface but floats above the bottom of the bowl, your hair is well balanced and has normal porosity. If the hair strand floats above the water surface, your hair has low porosity and does not absorb moisture easily.
Another option is the wick test. It works especially well if you have curly hair. To do the strand test, gently stretch a small section of curly strands from different areas of your head – hairline, crown or temple. Place the stretched curl between your thumb and finger and slide it along the section of hair from the tip towards your scalp. If your fingers move easily along the strand and are dense and hard, you have low porosity hair. If it is smooth, you have normal porosity hair. If the strand feels rough, dry, or breaks, you have high porosity hair.
For low porosity hair, avoid heavy, thick products and thicker, single-ingredient oils. While you want to retain moisture, you also want to prevent buildup.
For low porosity hair, the key is to help strands lock in moisture. It starts with your washing routine. Reduce shampooing and conditioning to 1-2 times per week. Before stepping into the shower or washing your hair, first use an oil that can penetrate strands and help lock in moisture before cleansing.
To get the most out of the products, try to apply them when the hair is damp and make sure the products are evenly distributed to avoid buildup.
Jojoba oil is a great option for low porosity hair because it helps lock in moisture and also helps create shine and promote growth. This jojoba oil comes in three different sizes.
Avocado oil also helps low porosity hair when pre-shampooing. Apply avocado oil before your washing routine or use it as a mask once a week. NaturAll Nourishing Avocado Leave-In is a product to try.
People with low porosity hair may need more than one chemical treatment to color, straighten or curl their hair, but repeating multiple chemical treatments can be very damaging. Be sure to use color-treated hair products and moisturizing treatments to help lock in the style, but also maintain the health of your hair.
How to care for normal porosity hair
Lucky you! Normal porosity hair requires less maintenance, but there are steps you can take to ensure your hair stays within the “normal” healthy range. Deep conditioning and detoxifying masks once a week or once every two weeks depending on your hair type would definitely help your hair maintain its strong ability to absorb and retain moisture while preventing any product buildup. African Pride Moisture Miracle Coconut Oil & Baobab Oil Leave-In Hair Cream is a great 2-in-1 product that helps detoxify and hydrate your medium to normal porous hair.
Hair masks don’t have to come off the shelf of your pharmacy or beauty store either. We put set of 7 DIY hair masks which are perfect for medium porous hair.
For high porosity hair, it’s best to avoid sulfates, parabens, silicones, and sodium laureth sulfates. These ingredients can extract the natural oils from your hair that it needs for its strength and growth.
With very porous hair, it is common to experience dryness, shedding, and hair that breaks easily. The cuticle around the hair strand is damaged, so while the moisture enters it will not be held in, which dries out the strands. For very porous hair, it’s best to avoid heat styling and chemical-rich treatments that can continue to dry out the hair. If you often use color treatments or relaxing treatments for curly, frizzy hair, these processes break down and damage your cuticles, resulting in very porous hair. To help treat high porosity hair, opt for hair masks, oils, and products that moisturize and help repair damaged cuticles.
coconut oil is ideal for people with high porosity hair as it blocks cuticles and prevents water from seeping into strands too quickly, helping your strands retain moisture. This SheaMoisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil The leave-in conditioner treatment is ideal as a mask or as a pre-shampoo and conditioner treatment.
Hair care tips for all hair porosities
Whether you have low, normal, or high porosity hair, there are some universal hair care rules to follow for all hair types. It is also important to note that the seasons can also have an impact on your hair. UV exposure can dry out hair and scalp, which affects porosity, as well as cold, dry weather. You may need to adjust your hair routine seasonally, but otherwise, keeping your hair hydrated is essential for good hair health all year round.
- Minimize heat styling and use a heat protectant before blow-drying, curling or straightening.
- Limit chemical treatments like coloring and straightening when possible. Schedule these appointments two to three times a year at most if possible and be sure to be extra vigilant with hair care tips based on your hair porosity to keep chemically treated hair healthy. For more tips on how to deal with colored hair, check out those advices. For hair care tips and information on chemically relaxing your hair, check out This article.
Whether for hair with low or high porosity, hair extensions are a chemical-free way to experiment not only with color, but also with different textures, lengths and styles. Luxy Hair Balayage and Ombre extensions are clip in and are the fastest, easiest and safest way to play with color with your natural look while adding length and fullness in just minutes. Hair extensions can be styled before application, which not only protects your natural hair from the heat, but makes preparation easier and faster. The best part about hair extensions is being able to experiment without damage for a refreshed look and sun-kissed dimension, or trying new hair trends like reverse balayage.
SEE SEAMLESS HAIR EXTENSIONS
Hair porosity is just one category that helps fully determine your hair type. Density, elasticity and texture all play a role and are important in understanding your unique hair needs. It is not enough to continue to use the same products and the same process year after year. The hair porosity test is an easy way to “check” the health of your hair. Understanding the type of hair you have and the porosity of your hair means investing time and money in products and treatments that will actually work for your hair and help your hair absorb and retain the moisture it needs. needed for healthy, strong and shiny hair.
Written by: Rosalyn Solomon
[ad_2]
Source link
