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How to find out your hair porosity

Hair porosity is the capability of your curls to hold moisture and nourishment within, and it depends on how open their cuticles are (cuticles are small overlapping scales whose function is to protect your hair body against external harmful agents).

There are three possible conditions:

• Low Porosity: cuticles are closed and they barely allow nutrients to be absorbed. Low porosity curls get easily dry.
  
  
• Medium (or Average) Porosity: cuticles are open enough to let nutrients be successfully absorbed and hold within hair - that's why medium porosity is considered the best condition for curly hair.
  
  
• High Porosity: cuticles are completely open - and sometimes even damaged. They do quickly absorb moisture and nutrients, but they also quickly drop them as well: curls feel soft for the two hours following the treatment, and then they quickly get dry.

To find out what your hair porosity is, just try this simple test:

- Get a glass of room-temperature water.
- Tear a clean hair off your head and gently place it on the water surface.
- Pay attention to the way it starts going down.

If you have low-porosity hair, it will remain on the surface.
If you have medium-porosity hair, it will float at mid-height.
If you have high-porosity hair, it will go down to the bottom of the glass.

Let's see what you should do, basing on this test result.

LOW POROSITY

Keep your curls clean. Low porosity often leads to an accumulation of residuals due to its inability to completely absorb the products you apply. We highly recommend to use a purifying shampoo at least once every two weeks, in order to remove any product residual and give your hair freshness.

Take advantage of heat. It is important for curls to successfully absorb nutrients to have their cuticles wide open during the treatment: heat has the power to open fibres up, allowing your hair to be moisturized and nourished to the root.
You can use a plastic bonnet on your hair in order to hold your body heat and let it naturally open your cuticles.

Use wetting agents such as glycerin (vegetal o animal), honey, agave, coconut and so on: this will help your curls absorb the natural moisture that there is in the air.
Always dilute them with some water before use.

Always use water-based products that do not weight your curls down.

Also, always apply moisturizing products on damp hair, not completely wet: when your hair is wet, its cuticles are closed, not allowing hair to absorb nutrients.

HIGH POROSITY

It is fundamental to use highly nourishing oils and butters. You can improve their effect by wearing a plastic bonnet or a warm towel for about 15 minutes.

Sealing moisture with oils and butters helps your curls holding moisturizing agents within, and not dropping them too soon.

Also, rinse your hair one last time with cold water or with apple cider vinegar, whose acidity helps closing cuticles and saving all the moisture of the treatment.