By understanding your hair porosity, you can achieve soft, healthy, manageable hair by choosing the right products. Determining your hair type is key to selecting the right product, styling tools and hair care routine. You determine your hair’s natural characteristics by the texture, porosity and density. Here are some factors to consider when determining your hair type:
Hair Texture
The thickness or diameter of a hair strand. You can characterize texture in three types:
- Fine: Hair is thin, delicate and prone to damage. It may tend to get flat and struggle with volume.
- Medium: Hair strands are standard thickness and generally more versatile. It may not be resistant to damage but, hold styles really well.
- Coarse: Hair is thick and strong and with strands that feels rough when touch. It is more prone to dryness.
Since we have an understanding about texture; you can try testing your hair strand at home by rubbing your finger up and down to feel the type of texture. With this much information we can now test for hair porosity.
Hair Porosity
It can be defined by how well your hair retains and absorbs moisture. Specifically, you can determine your hair porosity by doing a “float test”. Here are the three types of porosity:
- Low Porosity: Hair has a tightly closed cuticle that resist moisture absorption. Products may sit on surface rather than absorbing and may take longer to get wet.
- Medium Porosity: Also known to be normal type of porosity, where hair absorbs and retain moisture. It is therefore easily manageable and hold hairstyles.
- High Porosity: Hair has gaps and has more holes in the cuticle area, allowing moisture to enter and escape quickly. It can absorb treatments and product easily, but is prone to frizz and damage.
How to perform a hair porosity test
- Fill a clear bowl with water.
- Take a strand of hair and place immediately in the bowl.
- Observe how it behaves:
a. If hair floats at the top or takes a long time to sink; it is Low porosity.
b. If hair sinks slowly or rest in the middle; it is Medium (normal) porosity.
c. If hair sinks immediately; it is High porosity.
Choosing right product based on hair porosity
To maintain a healthy hydrated hair, it is essential to understand the unique needs based on recommended products for type for hair porosity.
- Low Porosity: Use clarifying-sulfate free shampoo to remove product residues. Opt for water based, light weight, leave in conditioner that has humectants such as glycerin or aloe vera. Choose lighter oils like SheaMoisture Jamaican black castor oil.
2. Medium Porosity: Hydrating shampoos and conditioners such as Be kind aloe + oat milk Ultra soothing shampoo and Devacurl one condition original daily cream conditioner that provides adequate hydration without weighing hair.
3. Coarse Porosity: Deep nourishing and hydrating shampoos like Olaplex No.3 that helps seals the cuticles. SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Masque is consider heavier oils that locks in moisture and seals the hair shaft.
#makeup #hair #skincare #nails #beautytools
Leave a Reply