A Quick Guide: signs of high porosity and low porosity hair

August 11, 2020

2 mins

Goutaman Ram

Learn how to read the signs of high porosity and low porosity hair. Do the test in this article! Bonus: get the right hair care routine dialed in for you!

Knowing your hair porosity type can be helpful in getting the right hair care routine dialed in for you.

Your hair porosity level is generally your hair’s ability to absorb moisture. It is important to note that hair porosity is not related to hair thickness.

Table of content:

What is the porosity of my hair? How To Tell Your Porosity Type
How to Care for Low Porosity Hair Type
Products for Low Porosity Hair
How to Care for Medium Porosity Hair Type
How to Care for High Porosity Hair Type
Products for High Porosity Hair

What is the porosity of my hair? How To Tell Your Porosity Type

what porosity type is my hair, how to determine porosity type, what is my hair type

Hair porosity types normally fall into 3 categories, low porosity hair, medium porosity hair, and high.

An easy test you can do right now is to take a strand of your hair and drop it into a clear glass of water.

Low Porosity Hair Type - Floats at the top of the water

Medium Porosity Hair Type - Does not immediately sink and sits somewhere in the middle of the glass of water

High Porosity Hair Type - Sinks all the way to the bottom

If your hair is regularly treated with chemicals then this test may not be as accurate until your hair recovers back to its natural state. This is also the case with product buildup.

How to Care for Low Porosity Hair Type

What does it mean to have low porosity hair? Low porosity hair type has cuticles that are compact and located close together. This makes this hair type difficult to absorb moisture and products very well. It has a tendency for product to sit on the strands, being unable to penetrate the hair.

What are signs of low porosity hair? This hair type easily accumulates product buildup and which means your strands are often dehydrated as it is difficult for moisture to penetrate your hair shafts.

Products for Low Porosity Hair

WOW Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
WOW Onion Black Seed Hair Oil
WOW Hair Revitalizer Spray (Leave-In Conditioner)

The WOW Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo is an excellent clarifying shampoo that really deep clean. This is important because using any conditioners or hair oils are not going to be as effective as the strands are coated with product buildup.

Using light oils like the WOW Onion Black Seed Hair Oil is great for adding silkiness and strength to your tresses without weighing the hair down, with many potent benefits of onion.

While using a leave-in conditioner like the WOW Hair Revitalizer Spray can help with ensuring your strands get the nutrients they need without accumulating much buildup.

How to Care for Medium Porosity Hair Type

Medium porosity hair types usually do not have any problems and are usually pretty healthy and shiny. The cuticles aren’t open too wide or too closed, this makes the medium porosity hair type ideal for absorbing moisture and holding styles really well. It’s also easy for color to absorb into the strands.

How to Care for High Porosity Hair Type

High porosity hair types have cuticles that are lifted which makes them absorbent to moisture. This hair type easily breaks and is often frizzy. It is also easily weighed down as it absorbs products easily too.

Products for High Porosity Hair

Using a natural conditioner like the WOW Coconut & Avocado Natural Hair Conditioner helps your strands obtain the necessary moisture and nutrients without any harmful chemicals weighing it down or damaging the strands. Traditional conditioners contain ingredients like silicones that artificially condition your hair but cause damage over time.

This hair type frequently loses moisture as well so having a mist spray handy like the WOW 10-In-1 Apple Cider Vinegar Mist Tonic can be very helpful for preventing any frizz and flyaways throughout your day.