What is porous hair?
What is porous hair? How do you recognise porous hair? What is good care for porous hair? We explain it all to you below!
Porous hair
A porous hair, also known as porosity, is a hair whose cuticles are open. The consequence of a hair with open cuticles is that moisture and water enter more easily, however, the hair finds it difficult to retain it. This then unfortunately applies to anything that porous hair absorbs, such as hair dyes, masks, serums and all other hair products.
What are hair cuticles? Hair cuticles are small valve-like structures that make up the outer layer of each individual hair. Like roof tiles, they lie partly over each other and can be either open or closed. The cuticles are very important for protecting the inside of your hair. For instance, they help maintain the moisture balance in your hair and protect the core of your hair.
Types of porosity
Your hair can have low porosity, normal porosity or high porosity.
Low porosity:
Is your hair wet for a long time after washing? Think more than eight hours, then your hair most likely has low porosity. This type of hair has a cuticle with flat-lying and overlapping scales. Light reflects off these, making your hair look shiny, but the moisture stays on the hair before being absorbed. Low-porosity hair is actually very strong, healthy and smooth.
Normal porosity:
Do you condition your hair easily and it dries within four to six hours after washing? Then you have hair with normal porosity. The cuticle is a bit looser. The right amount of moisture then goes in and out. Your hair is also shiny, but less so than low porosity hair. Your hair absorbs hair products well and is not easily oily or dry. Your hair doesn't really need much care!
High porosity:
Does your hair dry quickly after washing (within two hours)? Then your hair probably has high porosity. The hair cuticles are open. The hair absorbs moisture very quickly (sometimes up to 50% of its own weight), but does not retain it. Your hair also looks dull and can quickly tangle. High porosity is common in curly hair, frizzy hair, fine hair, dehydrated hair or damaged hair. If you often bleach your hair, dye it, use harsh products or use your styling tools every day, your hair can also be high porosity. Your hair will also absorb hair dye faster and therefore the colour may be darker than you expect.
Test the porosity of your hair
Finding it difficult to determine the porosity of your hair? Then do this simple test. Put a hair in a glass with water, does it float? Then you have hair with low porosity. Does your hair sink slowly, then you have hair with normal porosity. If your hair sinks very quickly, you have hair with a high porosity.
Taking care of low or high porosity hair
If you have found out what your hair's porosity is, here are some tips to take good care of your low or high porosity hair.
Caring for low-porosity hair
- Stay a little longer in the bathroom when applying nourishing products to your hair. Because the bathroom is often still well-humid and warm, your hair cuticles will remain open, allowing the products to be better absorbed into your hair.
- Let care products soak in longer, but do rinse them well from your hair after washing.
- Do not leave too many days between hair washes, as dirt from the environment will settle on your hair. The cuticle layer of your hair is flat and overlapping, so the dirt from the environment stays on your hair and absorbs less of the products you use on your hair.
- Try to avoid products with proteins. Look for the words strengthening, repairing and firming, because that is what it does to hair: it fills 'gaps' on the hair strand (temporarily). If these terms protein, keratin or hydrolyzed keratin, hydrolyzed wheat protein, variations in hydrolyzed collagen and soy protein, hydrolyzed oat flour, amino acids (a 'piece' that proteins are made up of), hydrolyzed silk protein are among the ingredients, then you know you're in the right place too.
Caring for high-porosity hair:
- This tip appears several times in our blogs, but try to avoid heat from your styling tools as much as possible or use your styling tools on the lowest setting if you have high porosity.
- If you have high porosity, rinse your hair with cold water after washing. This will close the hair cuticles.
- If you have high porosity, you can seal your hair with oil (think of our Argan Silk). But don't use too much, as this can make your hair greasy.
- Wash your hair with sulphate-free shampoo and only wash your hair on the scalp. Avoid the ends. The lengths will be sufficiently clean when rinsing out the shampoo. Sulphates provide the foaming effect of shampoos, but also remove the natural greases and oils from your hair. This can irritate your scalp and make your hair drier. If you have high porosity, then you can also replace the conditioner with a hair mask or you cannot rinse out the conditioner completely.
- Use a cotton shirt or microfibre towel to dry your hair or squeeze the water out of your hair.
- You can compare porous hair to damaged hair, but there is still some difference. Damaged hair is hair whose hair shaft has damaged cuticles. This is often due to friction with other hair shafts, the towel and hot styling tools. Chemical treatments force open and close the hair cuticles. This too damages your hair.
Try not to worry too much about the porosity of your hair. Your hair is a set of various characteristics which also affects your hair and its care. Porous hair needs proper care.
