Welcome to step two in having a better understanding of the hair on your head!! Today is all about the porosity of your hair, and how to determine it!

Hair Porosity

In this context, porosity refers to the ability of your hair to absorb, and retain moisture. Knowing the porosity of your hair can help to determine which types of shampoo, conditioner, and other products are best for you.

There are two simple methods to determine the porosity of your hair, and it can be helpful to try more than one and compare results! For both methods, it is important that you have clean hair, free of any products, prior to testing.

Method 1

Fill a small bowl with room temperature water. Use a glass bowl if possible, as it will make it easiest to see what is happening. 

Place a few strands of your hair onto the water, and watch them for 2-4 minutes. In this time, the hair will float, or sink, telling you how porous your hair is.

• Sinks Immediately - High porosity
• Sinks Slowly - Normal porosity
• Remains Floating - Low porosity

Method 2

Wash and towel dry your hair. When drying, only try to absorb excess moisture, do not over dry.

Beginning at the roots, slide your hand down sections of your hair, paying attention to how it feels in different areas.

• Hair Feels Dry - Low porosity
• Hair Feels Wet (not sticky) - Normal porosity
• Hair Feels Sticky & Wet - High Porosity