I came across the Hair Porosity section of one article and decided to test my 4c hair strands.
First lets start with the question of what is Hair Porosity? Porosity tells you how well your hair is able to absorb and hold moisture. It is affected by the flexible outer hair layer called the cuticle, which determines how easily moisture and oils pass in and out of your hair.This will assist you in find the right products to moisturize and style your hair.
How can you test your Hair Porosity?
The Float Test: Take a couple of strands of hair from your comb or brush and drop them into a bowl of water. Let them sit for 2-4 minutes. If your hair floats, you have low porosity. If it sinks, you have high porosity.
My Results:
I tested 5 strands of shed hair and 4 out of 5 of them sinked. The 1st strand took 2 minutes to sink and 3 sinked almost immediately. One strand sorta got caught on the fold in the cup and didn't sink. That may be the reason why it didn't sink. So this tells me I have HIGH Porosity 4C Hair Strands.
So Now that I discovered I have high Porosity Hair, what do I do, what is it? So many questions.
According to various sites this is what they had to say:
How can you test your Hair Porosity?
The Float Test: Take a couple of strands of hair from your comb or brush and drop them into a bowl of water. Let them sit for 2-4 minutes. If your hair floats, you have low porosity. If it sinks, you have high porosity.
My Results:
So Now that I discovered I have high Porosity Hair, what do I do, what is it? So many questions.
According to various sites this is what they had to say:
High porosity hair can be one of the most challenging hair porosities. The upside of this hair type is how eagerly the hair absorbs moisture but the downside…it can lose moisture just as quickly as it gains it.
Because highly porous hair can also lose moisture easily, it's important to use leave-in conditioners, moisturizers, and sealers. Layering these products will help your hair hold on to the moisture you're giving it. You can even follow up with a heavy hair butter to help fill the gaps in your damaged cuticles and further protect your hair from losing too much moisture.
What to do? Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to porosity problems. Use the right products for your hair.
- Avoid harsh surfactants and soaps.
- Only comb tangles with a wide-toothed comb when hair is wet and saturated with conditioner.
- Protect your hair from the sun and the elements.
- Get regular trims.
- Treat your hair as gently as you would an expensive cashmere sweater!
If you already have a problem with high porosity, please make sure you have an excellent deep conditioning treatment available, preferably one that contains proteins. Use lots of conditioning and moisturizing products, especially those containing natural, plant-based oils. Avoid all of the sulfate-based surfactants and soap bars. Use a mildly acidic rinse regularly and avoid humectants. If possible, avoid the processes that created the high porosity, and get your hair trimmed regularly. These things should help restore your hair to a more manageable porosity level, but it will take time.
Protect your cuticle!
Protect your cuticle!
