Porosity is the ability or not to absorb moisture into the hair fiber.
For some people, they may moisturize or nourish their hair regularly, but either it is always dry or it is oily and dry to the touch. It is a question of high or low porosity.
It is the porosity of the hair that will determine your hair routine. (If your hair is always dry it could be internal dehydration - drink water regularly 😉 )
Before we go any further it is important for you to know this
Hair fiber scales come in three forms:
1. Very open = High porosity
2. Slightly open = Medium porosity
3. Very closed = Low porosity
1. When the scales are very open, i.e. with a high porosity, the care products penetrate the hair fiber without retaining moisture. As a result, the hair is dry and dehydrated because the care products are not retained, they evaporate. This is a sign of damaged hair.
2. When the scales are half open, it means that the porosity is average, i.e. that the care products penetrate and remain there. As a result, the hair retains its moisture.
3. When the scales are very closed or even tight, i.e. with low porosity, the care products cannot enter, they slide on the surface of the hair fiber as if it were waterproof, so the care products do not penetrate. As a result, the hair is dry but with a greasy feel due to the styling products remaining on the surface.
How to know the porosity of your hair?
- Take the glass of water test
It's simple, all you need is a glass of water and a few strands of clean hair (without styling products). Fill a glass of water about ¾ full, dip the hair strands, and leave for a few minutes then observe the result.
1. If the hair sinks to the bottom of the glass, it means that it is very porous (high porosity).
2. The hair floats (remains on the surface of the water) because it is not very porous (low porosity).
3. Hair doesn't float or flow, it's medium porous (medium porosity) - Bravo !
- The drying time of your hair can be an indicator.
If your hair tends to dry quickly, it is very porous (high porosity), and conversely, if the drying time is long, it is not very porous (low porosity). If your hair takes a long time to soak up water when shampooing, it is not very porous.
What to do if your hair is :
1. Your hair is very porous, that is to say that the scales remain open, it is necessary to help to close them. When you shampoo your hair, the last rinse will be with an acidic product such as cider vinegar or lemon juice mixed with water. The acidity of both closes the scales. Very porous hair is a sign of damaged hair, due to coloring, use of excessive heating devices (straightener...), bad care..., so protein care will be welcome. During your daily care after moisturizing, please seal the moisture with our Fenugreek and Lavender oil or a vegetable butter, a heavy vegetable oil like castor, carapate or avocado oil which is very nourishing.
2. The hair is not very porous, the scales remain closed. The treatments do not penetrate. The routine to adopt is to open the scales, to let the care penetrate. Heat is the solution.
During your deep treatments, you can use a self-heating cap, a heating or steam helmet or simply a hot towel. This will allow the scales to open up and the treatments to penetrate better. Don't forget to rinse your hair with cold water. The cold will close the scales, especially avoid acidic products like cider vinegar or lemon juice. For your daily care, avoid vegetable butters and heavy or thick vegetable oils. Prefer light oils such as argan, jojoba or macadamia. Fenugreek and Lavender oil is suitable for hair with high or low porosity.