How do I determine the porosity of my hair?

On drugstore shelves, it is increasingly common to find products designed for hair with medium to high porosity. The new qualification of cosmetics is a major discovery in proper hair care.

There are different methods for determining the porosity of hair. You can determine your hair type on your own without the help of specialized experts. We explain what their porosity depends on and how to assess it well

What is porosity?

First of all, it is important to remember what the hair is made of. By default, it is divided into a root and a stalk. The root is located under the scalp and in the tissue, the stem on the outside. A single hair consists of a core, a cortical layer and a cuticle. The latter two are composed of keratin. The cortical layer surrounds the hair shaft concentrically and its fibres are arranged vertically and are responsible for the hair’s elasticity. The keratinous sheaths on the other hand are keratinized cells with a tile-like appearance. In the term “hair porosity” they are of utmost importance because they determine the porosity of a hair strand. Porosity is the degree of deviation of the hair cuticles. There are three types of hair porosity

• low porosity – the scales adhere to the surface of the hair;
• medium porosity – the cuticles are slightly tilted
• medium porosity, where the scales are slightly tilted; Medium porosity, where the scales are slightly tilted; and High porosity, where the scales are fully tilted and irregularly aligned

It is important to know that this is not a permanent characteristic. To a large extent, you are responsible for the porosity of your hair. It depends on hair care and a healthy lifestyle. It is interesting to note that the porosity of hair can vary at different lengths. The ends are often characterized by a high degree of deviation of the scales, while at the skin is smooth and fine

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Hair porosity: how to determine it?

There are various methods by which you can determine the porosity of your hair. Of course, the most reliable assessment will be provided by a trichologist, but for your own purposes, you can do the analysis yourself. First of all, a lot of information is given by just observing the hair, namely

1. Low-porous hair – is characteristic for most Asian women. They are smooth, shiny and lack volume. Low-porous hair is typical for most Asian women. In addition, the hair often tends to turn greasy. The hair is not very amenable to styling and does not absorb water
2. Medium-Rough Hair is typical for most women in Poland. The hair is usually weak, shiny and minimally dry. Wavy and slightly curly hair is prone to frizz when exposed to moisture. It tends to split and brittle. It is sort of a combination of low- and high-porous hair
3. Highly reactive hair is hair that has undergone many colouring and bleaching treatments. It is damaged, dull and rough to the touch. The hair ends are usually very split. In addition, they often become static and fall out a lot

There are often different express tests to determine the porosity of hair.

• Thewater test involves dropping a strand of hair into water. The speed at which the hair absorbs water indicates the porosity of the hair as a whole (highly porous hair sinks very quickly).
• Oiling with coconut oil – hair reacts differently to this treatment. If it fluffs up very quickly and looks ugly – it means it is highly porous
• Flour test – just sprinkleflour on your hair and see how fast it falls off. On highly-porous hair, most of the product will stick around

Porosity and Hair Care

Knowing the properties of your hair makes hair care much easier and more effective. Cosmetics designed for hair of different porosity are equipped with active ingredients of matching size. Depending on the size, the molecules effectively penetrate the hair structure or work on its surface. Small active ingredient molecules provide effective nourishment for low porosity hair because only these are able to penetrate deep into the hair structure. For highly porous hair, on the other hand, larger molecules are chosen because their purpose is to smooth the keratin structure of the hair and close the cuticles.