Table Of Content
Hair can be naturally highly porous for those with curly or coily hair because the twists in the curls cause the cuticles to lift up. Hair porosity levels are determined according to the hair cuticle’s condition, which varies for each person, depending on genetics and grooming practices. Hair porosity is the ability of your hair strands to absorb and hold moisture based on the cuticle’s condition. Heat damage and other chemical processes can cause normal porosity hair to change over time.
The Right Hair Care for Each Porosity Level
Let’s take a closer look at how to test hair porosity and how to take care of your hair, depending on the results. There’s something else to keep in mind when finding out what kind of hair you have, and that’s hair porosity. If you’re curious to know how your porosity type impacts your hair goals, keep reading. The slip n slide test involves sliding a strand of hair between your fingers to feel for any bumps or roughness, which can indicate high porosity. 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. Textured Hair Specialist with a vast amount of experience delivering education both nationally and internationally.
The Wet Stretch Test
It’s possible to have hair strands of multiple porosity levels on your head and even have different levels of porosity within a single strand of hair. Low porosity hair is like the Wonka factory in the “Nobody ever goes in…nobody ever goes out” era. Very little moisture and hair products actually manage to penetrate minimally-porous hair. But the silver lining is that this porosity level experiences very little moisture loss.
How to Care for "Normal" Porosity Hair
If your curls are experiencing excessive dryness, frizz, and snap easily, these may be a sign that you have high porosity hair, or hair that has a raised and porous cuticle. "With high porosity [hair], you can take in water, but you can't retain the water," explains Chambers-Harris. High-porosity hair is super absorbent, so much so that you’ve probably found it’s hard for your curls to retain moisture, says Riley. With your widely spaced and raised cuticles (which often equates to tangles, breakage, and frizz), the benefits of hydrating products don’t tend to last long.
Hair Porosity Tests to Determine Your Hair Porosity Type
Make sure to do this test with freshly washed hair, though, because if there’s oil or any other product on the strand, this may interfere with the water absorption. If you’re unsure about the porosity level of your hair, there are tests you can do at home. If you look under a microscope, you’ll see that the cuticles in the strand are looser than that of low-porosity hair. When hair has low porosity, the cuticles are packed really close to each other and lay flat. This makes the strand smooth, with very little space for moisture to enter. The cuticle is the chemically resistant outermost layer of the hair strand.
Reviews 2020: Issa Rae's New Hair-Care Line Sienna Naturals - The Cut
Reviews 2020: Issa Rae's New Hair-Care Line Sienna Naturals.
Posted: Fri, 05 Feb 2021 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Medium Porosity
Porosity is usually inherited, however, environmental factors such as pollution, chemicals, and heat can all have an impact. That’s a positive sign that your hair isn’t losing much moisture, but it can be frustrating to deal with when you wake up with wet hair after showering at night. But understanding why certain products work better than others can save you lots of frustration (and money) in trying to find something that works best with YOUR kind of locks. Always use a good heat protectant before reaching for those flat irons or blow dryer. When using these treatments, always follow directions carefully and consult with a professional if needed.
The difference between the dry weight and wet weight of the hair is an indication of how much the hair has swelled and can be used to determine the hair’s porosity. A porosity meter test for hair is performed by using a small handheld device that measures the ability of hair to absorb and retain moisture. The test involves comparing the drying time of hair and skin but is not solely focused on how fast the hair dries compared to the skin.
Use the LOC Method When Styling Hair
The porosity meter test device measures the hair’s electrical resistance, which indicates the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. The watershed hair porosity test involves running a small section of hair under a stream of water and observing how the water behaves when it comes into contact with the hair strand. Highly porous hair will allow the water to pass through quickly, while low porous hair will resist the water, causing it to bead up and roll off the strand. A porosity level classification method categorizes the hair based on its ability to ingest and retain moisture.
Medium Porosity Hair Characteristics.
This leaves hair dry, weaker, and more vulnerable to damage and frizz. The cuticle tends to be tighter and flatter, so hydration has a harder time escaping. People with a certain hair porosity share similar characteristics even if they have different hair types. Low porosity hair may appear less frizzy but can still feel dry after products are applied. High porosity hair can also feel dry but it tangles easier and experiences split ends more frequently. Medium porosity hair can appear shiny and healthy, but it can experience all of the same characteristics as low and high porosity hair if it is heat damaged or has a product build-up.
This can affect the way products absorb into the hair, leading to unwanted build-up when styling. This is why regular clarifying should be part of a low porosity hair care routine. People with high-porosity hair should try to limit things like heat and chemical treatments. These can further damage cuticles, making it even harder for your hair to retain moisture and nutrients. Aside from using a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, you should also regularly apply a deep conditioning treatment to your mane once or twice a week. Use L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Simply Clean Elastic Fiber Masque after washing your hair and leave the mask on for five minutes.
Depending on your genes, you can be born with naturally higher or lower porosity hair. Due to their dry nature, all curly hair types in their virgin state are naturally higher in porosity than straight hair. Therefore, the curlier a strand is, the higher porosity it tends to be. For people with high porosity hair, the hair cuticle is compromised in some way. The twists in curly or coiled hair can disrupt the layers of cells.
No comments:
Post a Comment