Hair Porosity 101: What Is It & What Type Do You Have?

What you will learn about hair porosity from this article: 

• What is hair porosity?
• What are the three types of hair porosity?
• Hair porosity tests
• Frequently Asked Questions around: Porosity

If we asked you to define your hair type right here, right now, chances are you could give us a whole dissertation – from what it is to the best care routine.

Knowing our hair type is something we’ve all come to understand as vital healthy hair info.

But if you’ve spent hours scrolling #hairtok, then you know there’s a new focus of hair care gaining momentum: hair porosity. And for a good reason!

Hair porosity determines how well your strands can absorb and retain moisture.

So while your hair type and texture impact things like stylability and how often you shampoo, porosity influences which products you use and how you use them.

So how do you figure out your porosity hair and why is it such a big deal? We’re breaking down everything you need to know below.

What is hair porosity?

Hair porosity refers to how well hair can absorb and retain moisture. 

Porosity of hair is determined by the condition of the hair's cuticle, which is the outermost layer of the hair shaft. It’s typically genetically-determined but you can increase your porosity by causing damage to (aka, lifting) the cuticle. 

Here’s why all of this is important…

Hair is made up of three layers

1. Cuticle – the outermost layer of the hair shaft that consists of overlapping scales that protect the inner layers of the hair
2. Cortex – the middle layer of the hair shaft that contains the majority of the hair's natural pigment (color) and strength
3. Medulla – the soft, innermost layer of the hair shaft

In order for your hair to maintain peak hair health, moisture must be able to pass through the cuticle layer to the cortex. If your cuticle layer is too lifted (aka, highly porous), moisture can easily get it, but your hair can’t retain it. On the flip side, if your cuticle is closed shut (aka, minimally porous), this critical moisture can’t get in easily. 

Knowing your hair’s porosity will help you determine what kind of products you need in order to ensure your hair absorbs and retains a healthy moisture level.

What are the three types of hair porosity?

Hair porosity is categorized into three types: low porosity, medium porosity, and high porosity. Read on for more info on all three, including how to tell your hair porosity.

LOW POROSITY HAIR

Low porosity hair has tightly closed cuticles that make it difficult for moisture to penetrate the hair shaft. As a result, low porosity hair tends to repel water and hair products, making it resistant to treatments and styling, and often prone to buildup. 

Low porosity hair is actually considered quite healthy. It may be hard to get moisture into the hair, but once it’s there, it’s not going anywhere!

What are the signs?

• Hair takes a significant amount of time to wet and dry
• Products build up easily on the surface instead of absorbing
• Hair is resistant to chemical and color treatments

How to care for low porosity hair

If you have low porosity hair, it's important to focus on moisturizing the hair and avoiding buildup. Here are some tips for caring for low porosity hair:

• Use lightweight, water-based products: Look for hair care products that are water-based and free from heavy oils and butters. These products will absorb more easily.
• Detox regularly: Since low porosity hair is prone to buildup, it’s important to detox your hair of any residues – from hard water minerals to product buildup – that can prevent moisture from penetrating.
• Use heat: Using a warm towel or a hair steamer can help to open the cuticles of low porosity hair and allow for better product absorption.
• Deep condition: Regular deep conditioning treatments can help to provide much-needed moisture to low porosity hair.

Our recommended products

• Dream Filter – This pre-shampoo spray gently detoxes hair of hard water mineral buildup in just 3 minutes 
• Color Security Shampoo – 100% clean, sulfate-free, no-residue formula effortlessly washes away buildup without leaving any residues of its own behind (unlike most shampoos) 
• Money Masque – Made with natural humectants that instantly penetrate and hold moisture deep in hair’s core; no heavy oils or butters! Works in as little as 5 minutes. Use with a hair steamer to help make strands more receptive to moisture.

Want to learn more about low porosity hair? Check out this blog post.

MEDIUM POROSITY HAIR

Medium porosity hair is considered the ideal porosity type, as it strikes a balance between low and high porosity hair. It allows for a moderate amount of moisture to penetrate the hair shaft and can easily retain said moisture.

What are the signs?

• Relatively low maintenance, easy to style and able to hold styles
• Predictable color-processing results
• Air dries in a reasonable amount of time
• Looks healthy and shiny

How to care for medium porosity hair

If you have medium porosity hair, you're in luck as it requires relatively simple care.

• Use a balanced hair care routine: Medium porosity hair doesn't require any special treatment, so you can use a balanced hair care routine that includes shampooing, conditioning, and styling products suitable for your hair type and texture.
• Avoid excessive heat styling and coloring: These are the kinds of cuticle-damaging activities that lift the cuticle, turning medium porosity hair into high porosity hair. Make sure to always use heat protection, plus restore moisture and strength after color treatments.

Our recommended products

• Color Security Shampoo – 100% clean, sulfate-free formula leaves no residues behind for your healthiest, cleanest hair (and scalp!).
• Color Security Conditioner – weightless hydration and easy detangling made with color-safe ingredients and built-in heat protection; available in fine-to-normal and normal-to-thick.
• Heat Protectants – All Color Wow treatments and stylers – from our hydrators to volumizers to frizz busters – come with powerful built-in heat protection, so you can style without compromising the integrity of your hair.

HIGH POROSITY HAIR

High porosity hair has an open cuticle layer that allows the hair to easily absorb moisture, but is unable to retain this moisture. This type of porosity is usually the result of genetics or damage to the cuticle layer via heat styling, coloring, chemically processing and the like.

What are the signs?

• Lots and lots of frizz
• Super dry and dehydrated
• Dull, coarse texture
• Fragile and breaks easily
• Air dries extremely fast

How to care for high porosity hair

When it comes to high porosity hair, the goal is to lock in moisture, smooth the cuticle layer closed and keep damage to a minimum.

• Condition regularly – This is key to help restore and retain moisture. Use a deep conditioner or hair mask at least once a week, and leave it on for 15-20 minutes to allow it to penetrate the hair cuticles.
• Finish your shower with cold water – Cold water helps to close the cuticle layer and lock in moisture from your conditioner or hair mask.
• Apply a leave-in conditioner – When it comes to high porosity hair, there’s no such thing as too much moisture! A leave-in can help provide on-going moisture throughout the day.
• Seal in moisture – After applying your leave-in conditioner, seal the cuticle closed with an oil or serum. This not only locks in critical moisture, but also leaves the hair smoother, shinier and easier to manage.
• Avoid harsh treatments – Frequent color-processing, bleaching or chemical treatments all require lifting the cuticle, which in turns increases your hair’s porosity.
• Reduce heat styling – This also causes further damage to the cuticle layer. If you are going to heat style, though, make sure you 1) always use heat protection and 2) never go above 380°F to prevent further damage to your cuticle.

Our recommended products

• Color Security Conditioner – Weightless hydration and easy detangling made with color-safe ingredients and built-in heat protection; available in fine-to-normal and normal-to-thick. 
• Money Masque – Made with natural humectants that instantly penetrate and hold moisture deep in hair’s core. Works in as little as 5 minutes. 
• Coconut Cocktail – Ultra-hydrating leave-in conditioner (with built-in heat protection) turns straw-like hair to silk in just ONE blow dry. 
  
• Extra Strength Dream Coat – Ultra-powerful anti-frizz treatment for extremely dry, super humidity-reactive hair. Infuses hair with potent humectants saturating and satiating the thirstiest, most porous strands, preventing them from swelling and frizzing.
• Pop + Lock – Combines the conditioning benefits of an oil with the shine power of a serum; smooths the cuticle closed to help lock in moisture. 
• Heat Protectants – All Color Wow treatments and stylers – from our hydrators to volumizers to frizz busters – come with powerful built-in heat protection, so you can style without compromising the integrity of your hair.

Want to learn more about high porosity hair? Check out this blog post.

Hair Porosity Tests

The Float Test

This hair porosity water test is the best porosity hair test to try at home:

• Shampoo hair to remove any buildup, then let air dry.
• Fill a glass with room temperature water. 
• Place a single strand in the water to see if it sinks or floats

The Spray Test

• Mist dry hair with water and observe
• If the water absorbs quickly, you likely have high porosity
• If the water beads up on the surface, you likely have low porosity
• If the water beads up, then slowly absorbs, you likely have medium porosity

Hair Porosity FAQs

Which hair porosity is good? Is low or high porosity hair better?

The ideal hair porosity is medium porosity as this signifies hair is balanced in hydration.

Low porosity is less high maintenance than high porosity because it can hold hydration more easily, though it does take a very long time for the moisture to be absorbed initially.

Can hair porosity change over time? Can I change my hair porosity?

Yes, it’s possible to change your hair’s porosity. If your hair is highly porous due to damage or over-processing, you may be able to improve its porosity by using hair care products that nourish and repair the hair.

Using deep conditioning treatments and avoiding harsh chemical treatments can help to repair and strengthen damaged hair, which can lead to a decrease in hair porosity over time.

On the flip side, you can also increase your hair’s porosity by causing damage or over-processing. 

If your hair’s porosity is due to genetics, there’s not much you can do to change it.

Is frizzy hair low or high porosity?

Frizzy hair is highly porous hair. An open cuticle is the main characteristic of both frizzy hair and high porosity hair.

When the cuticle is lifted, it results in moisture loss, which causes the hair to become dry, brittle, rough and frizzy.

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Read more about hair care on the Color Wow Blog:

High Porosity Hair 101

Low Porosity Hair 101