HAIR PORORSITY

What is hair porosity?

 

Hair porosity is the level at which your hair is able to absorb and retain moisture. This determines how one's hair cuticles are laid and opened. The are 3 levels at which hair can be classified with regards to porosity.

 

Low porosity

 

This type of hair does not absorb moisture very well or easily. The cuticles are compact therefore makes it difficult for the moisture to penetrate. In order to open the cuticles, you'll need to open them up first then put in the moisture. What I find positive about this hair type is that, once it gets hold of the moisture, it does not let it go easily. As it takes long for it to absorbs, it takes long for it to release it.

 

I fall under this category. It takes me forever to wet my hair. What I have to work with this type of hair is:

 

I wash my hair with bearable hot water, as well as co-wash

I deep condition under a heat cap, WE  LO-PO girls need heat to open up the cuticles so that the moisture can go in.

I moisturize immediately after I wash off the conditioner with hot water while my cuticles are still wide open.

I warm my conditioners before I apply them onto my hair

Hot oil treatments

I use the LOC method to moisturize.

I use light oils which penetrate the stands faster to moisturize and use a light butter to seal. At this point I use Shea butter which is a lot think for my hair type but I just love this butter and I will not let it go I'm sorry. Avocado oil works great because it is light enough to penetrate our kind of hair.

 

Products that work well for Low Porosity hair:

 

Baking soda -  great for opening up the cuticles

Hot water - as I mentioned above, it opens up the cuticles

grape seed oil

Aragon oil

Avocado oil

Coconut oil 

 

there are lot out there!!

 

 

Medium/Normal Porosity

 

This type of porosity is the most desirable one, everyone wants to be on this level. The ability of absorbing moisture is just fffine, it's ppperfect, not too much, not too little. JUST FFFINE.  the cuticles are laid nicely.  as lovely as it absorbs moisture, it releases the moisture just as lovely.   

 

people in this category can use whatever they please to use. they are able to get away with lots of hairstyles and treatments. I'm jealous. *GreenWithEnvy*

 

High porosity

 

This type of hair absorbs moisture tooooo much and sooo quick. It drinks up. no no no no make that gulps up. The cuticles are forever open therefore make it easy for anything to go in. BUT! as fast and as easy it is to gulp moisture, it also fast to loose the moisture. This type is the less desirable one. What I've heard to work for the HI-PO girls is washing and co-washing with cool or cold water, in so doing, they are forcing the cuticle down. As for deep conditioning, these girls can just use their boy heat. So while we (LO-PO) girls work hard to open the cuticles, they work hard to close them, while the MED-PO girls relax and enjoy.

 

Ladies in this category work hard to lock and retain moisture. They use thick and heavy products that aren't easy to evaporate. products such as :

 

Shea butter

Olive oil

Castor oil

Glycerin

and more!

 

How to determine which category you are in:

 

I used the water in glass method :). What you do is, you take a glass filled with water and take a clean strand of you hair. Put it in the glass with water and leave it for about 10 minutes. If you find your hair floating on top of the water, you know you are  a LO-PO girl.

If the hair drowns midway, you are the lucky girl, MED-PO girl. And if your hair drowns to the bottom of the glass, then you are a HI-PO girl.