High VS Low Porosity Hair, What's The Difference?

Understanding your hair's porosity makes it easy to enjoy healthy, beautiful hair.

Does your hair soak up moisture instantly, or does it struggle to hold it? Knowing your porosity is what makes all the difference in caring for it.

At such times, our professional crew at Cynosure Hair will be the first to come to your help. If you are having difficulty determining your porosity type, we will make it crystal clear and help you choose the most suitable, flawless wig for your hair type.

Now, are you ready to learn how to give your hair exactly what it needs? Keep reading-this blog has everything that you need to know.

What Is Hair Porosity?

Hair porosity is the ability of your hair to absorb and retain moisture. Porosity basically tells how fast water, oils, and other products can sneak into your hair and make a mess of your hair care routine.

Knowing your hair porosity is very important since it directly relates to product absorption and general hair care, and it also helps in choosing the right products for your specific needs.

There are two kinds of hair porosity.

● Low porosity: In low porosity, the cuticle lies flat, which makes it difficult for moisture and products to penetrate, but if your hairs retain hydrogen, then it makes your hair very good looking.

● High porosity: This type of hair gets damaged easily and also absorbs moisture easily, but it also loses hydration easily.

High Porosity Hair: Key Signs

High porosity hair efficiently produces cuticles and absorbs water very quickly, which also leads to dryness in your entire scalp. It feels rough to the touch, tangles easily, and can become frizzy and break easily due to its weak structure.

Usually, high porosity conditions occur with heat styling, chemical treatments, or any hair coloring. Because the cuticle is lifted into an open structure, moisture escapes, leaving the hair dehydrated and susceptible to environmental stress. These characteristics will help in developing a proper care routine in order to give hydration and avoid further damage.

Low Porosity Hair: Key Signs

With low-porosity hair, the cuticle is tightly sealed, allowing very little to no moisture or product penetration into the shaft.

One primary symptom is that water sits on the surface rather than being deeply absorbed into the hair. It will also resist chemical treatments because of its structure.

In low-porosity hair, product buildup is common because many hair conditioners and oils can get stuck in the hair rather than being washed out.

Usually, low porosity takes longer to dry and also feels stiff or weighted down. So, to take care of these, use lightweight hydration products to avoid overwhelming the strands and ensure adequate care for your hair.

What Causes High Porosity Hair?

1. Overuse of Heat Tools

Curling irons, flat irons, and blow dryers weaken hair, and, with continued use, they actually damage its structure. High heat damages the cuticle and makes it rough, and also leaves a future impact.

2. Bleaching or Chemical Dyes

Many times, we bleach or dye our hair to explore different hair colors, so these changes disrupt the cuticle and leave it more prone to damage.

3. Excessive Sun Exposure

High sun exposure or any UV rays always affects our scalp, and they also break down the hair protein and moisture, which actually causes dryness in high porosity.

4. Genetics

Sometimes, high porosity hair is genetic, and so one has no option but to take good care of their hair in the recommended ways.

What Causes Low Porosity Hair?

In general, if you have low porosity hair, it's your genetic. But there are also some factors that can also lead to your hair to low porosity.

1. Product Buildup from Heavy Oils, Butters, Silicones

Excessive use of heavy oils, butters, or silicones, which place a coating on the hair, causes moisture and nutrients to enter low-porosity hair.

2. Hard Water Mineral Deposits

Calcium, magnesium, and many other minerals in hard water can easily affect our natural hair, causing buildup that leads to dryness and low moisture absorption.

3. Lack of Steam or Heat in Routine

The cuticle of low-porosity hair does not open without heat or steam, so it remains tightly bonded, making conditioning and hydration treatments less effective.

4. Overuse of Protein Products Creating Stiffness

Overusing protein-based products can harden the cuticle of low-porosity hair, make it more brittle, and reduce the proper absorption of moisture.

How to Test Your Hair Porosity (3 Methods)

1. Float Test

This is the most common technique for measuring hair porosity. To do this, first take a clean strand of hair and place it in a bowl of water, and allow it 2-4 minutes to absorb water fully.

How to interpret results:

● If the hair sinks rapidly, it denotes high porosity.

● If the hair strand reaches the top, then it also indicates low porosity.

Pros:

● Easy to do at home, with basic means.

● Provides quick, visual results.

Cons:

● Results can be affected by product residue or oils on the hair.

● It may not always yield accurate results if the hair is not absolutely clean.

2. Water Spray Test

In this method, a strand of your hair is lightly misted with water and observed to see how it absorbs.

How to interpret results:

● After a few minutes, if the water reaches the surface, you have low porosity.

● If the water is quickly absorbed, then you have high porosity.

How the hair reacts:

This test really shows how resistant or receptive hair is to moisture, and that informs your hydration needs.

3. Slide Test (Strand Touch Test)

To perform this test, first take a strand of hair between your fingers and slide them upwards from the tip to the root.

Feel the cuticle layer:

● If the strand feels smooth, you likely have low porosity hair with tightly bound cuticles.

● If it feels a bit bumpy, it suggests raised cuticles with high porosity.

Best Care Routine for High Porosity Hair

● Cleansing: If your hair is dry, select a mild shampoo that professionally removes build-ups.

● Conditioning: You should condition your hair regularly to keep it hydrated and strong.

● Moisturizing: Moisture is always very important for our hair, and that is why we always choose a water-based product.

● Protein Treatment: If you have time and money, then you may also do protein treatments to mend and strengthen your hair.

● Oils That Work Best: As a step of the extra care, you may also put some oil, like argan, coconut, or jojoba, to seal the moisture and to make the hair shiny.

Routine for Low Porosity Hair to Form a Healthy Base

● It's best to clean your low porosity hair with any lightweight or clarifying shampoo to easily remove dirt and oils without even producing a little residue. Avoid heavy products that lead to buildups.

● Condition your hair with heat or steam to open cuticles, and also with conditioners with ingredients like coconut or argan oil to avoid weighing hair down.

● Before styling, it will be great to apply warm water to the open cuticle so that your products absorb easily. Always opt for lightweight leave-ins that hydrate without hitting the top surface.

● After the styling, try to lock in the moisture with lightweight oils like sweet almond oil to prevent buildup or greasiness.

Tips to Make Your High and Low-Porosity Hair More Styleable

1. Protective Styling

For high porosity hairs, beautiful styles like braids and twists help a lot to retain moisture. For low porosity, these styles reduce the stress, which minimizes the product's build-up and breakage.

2. Drying and Stretching

High-porosity hair is super fragile, so air-drying is the best way to prevent heat damage. Low porosity hairs benefit from heatless stretching methods, as you don't need to do braiding to retain length.

3. Avoid Stressful Styles

It's best for both hairstyles to avoid tight styles like tight ponytails or buns, which can cause high friction and scalp stress. This can lead to damage for high porosity hair and also cause breakage for low porosity hair.

4. Sealing and Definition

The best part of high porosity hair is that you can easily benefit from light oils like grapeseed and jojoba oils to seal moisture without feeling greasy. For low-porosity hair, try the finger-coiling method to distribute products evenly throughout the hair and improve curl definition.

Common Mistakes to Avoid for High Porosity Hair

● Using too many tools in dry weather also causes moisture.

● Avoid excessive styling because it damages your cuticle layers.

● Try not to avoid protein treatments because they reinforce the complete structure.

● If you rely on lightweight products to lock moisture, it can also lead to high porosity hair.

In a Nutshell

Understanding your hair's porosity is much more important than facing facts. With knowing your porosity, you can easily create your personalised hair care routine. Each type has unique needs. High porosity requires extra nourishing and sealing, while heavy oils can cause low porosity. Pay attention to your hair's type and make adjustments as needed, and remember that healthy hair comes from practice, not a quick fix.

No matter your porosity type, your hair has the potential to make you look your best; all it needs is proper care tailored to its needs. So stay consistent, stay patient, and trust the process.