Is your hair mask doing wonders for your locks or is it falling flat? To choose the right products, you first need to determine how porous your hair is. We’re here to help!

What is hair porosity?

Porosity refers to how well your hair can absorb and hold moisture. The degree of porosity is determined by the flexibility of the outer hair layer, also known as the cuticle. Ideally, cuticles should be tightly bound, smooth, yet slightly open to enable the hair to absorb hair products (moisturizers, repair treatments, etc.).

There are three levels of hair porosity:

• Low: The cuticle is tightly bound and smooth. This type of hair repels moisture, causing water to slide right off of it, like a duck’s feathers.
• Normal: The cuticle is bound and smooth, and the hair absorbs water and hair products.
• High: The hair has a permanently raised cuticle layer, causing it to absorb and reject water and hair products, like a soaked sponge.

How do I determine my hair porosity?

To determine how porous your hair is, simply do the following test:

1. Cut a thin section of hair from your scalp or retrieve a few stands from your brush.
2. Using a small amount of soap or clarifying shampoo, wash the strands in order to rid them of any dirt or product build-up.
3. Dry the strands and then drop them into a glass of water. Wait a few minutes and observe.
   • If your hair floats on the water’s surface, it means it absorbs less water, meaning you have low porosity.
   • If your hair sinks halfway, it means you have normal porosity.
   • If your hair sinks to the bottom of the glass, it means you have high porosity.

Each type of hair porosity has its own solution

Low porosity

Hair with low porosity also has difficulty absorbing hair products and treatments, but it’s not impossible! To give your strands a helping hand, take a hot shower (this will open your cuticles), apply a restorative hair mask, then rinse in warm water. Next, use a light oil (we love argon and jojoba oil) to help seal in moisture.

Normal porosity

Although it often suffers from lack of hydration, hair with normal porosity can easily be tamed using quality moisturizing hair products.

High porosity

Hair with high porosity has a permanently raised cuticle layer, causing it to be brittle and dull. The result? It quickly absorbs moisture, but has a hard time hanging on to it! There are several solutions to help deal with highly porous strands. Among the most popular is the LOC method (liquid, oil, cream). Start by wetting your hair. Next, apply an oil or oil-enriched mask to lock in moisture. Finally, apply a cream to seal all that moisture in.

We suggest:

• Extraordinary Oil Nourishing Mask Balm from L’Oréal Paris
• Whole Blends Honey Treasures Repairing Mask from Garnier
• Humectress Caviar Complex Mask from Nexxus