Hair Porosity 101

When it comes to hair care, understanding your hair’s specific needs is essential for choosing the right products and routines. One of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of hair health is hair porosity—your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. Hair porosity plays a significant role in how your hair responds to products, how well it retains hydration, and ultimately, how healthy it looks and feels.

In this blog, we’ll explore what hair porosity is, the different porosity levels, how to determine your hair porosity, and how to care for your hair based on its porosity. Whether you have high, medium, or low porosity hair, understanding this key factor will help you make better hair care decisions for healthier, more manageable hair.

What is Hair Porosity?

Hair porosity refers to how well your hair can absorb and hold moisture. This is determined by the condition of the cuticle—the outermost layer of your hair strand. The cuticle is made up of tiny overlapping scales, much like the shingles on a roof, that control how easily moisture and oils can pass in and out of the hair shaft.

There are three main categories of hair porosity

• Low Porosity Hair
  The cuticles are tightly packed and flat, making it difficult for moisture to penetrate the hair shaft.
• Medium (Normal) Porosity Hair
  The cuticles are slightly raised, allowing moisture to pass through at a healthy rate while still retaining it.
• High Porosity Hair
  The cuticles are raised or damaged, allowing moisture to easily enter but also escape just as quickly, leading to dryness.

Each type of porosity has its own set of challenges and requires specific care to ensure your hair remains moisturized and healthy.

How to Determine Your Hair Porosity

There are several ways to test your hair’s porosity, but one of the easiest methods is the Float Test. Here's how you can do it at home:

The Float Test

1. Start with clean, product-free hair. This ensures that no residues interfere with the results.
2. Take a few strands of your hair and place them in a bowl of water.
3. Let them sit for a few minutes (about 3-5 minutes).
4. Observe what happens to the strands:
• If your hair floats on top, you likely have low porosity hair.
• If it sinks slowly but doesn’t fall to the bottom, you likely have medium (normal) porosity hair.
• If it sinks quickly, you most likely have high porosity hair.

Characteristics of Different Porosity Levels

Let’s dive deeper into the characteristics of each porosity type, as well as the best care practices for each.

Low Porosity Hair

Low porosity hair has a tightly closed cuticle layer, which makes it difficult for water and moisture to penetrate the hair shaft. While this may sound like a good thing, low porosity hair often struggles with absorbing moisture, leading to dryness and product buildup.

Characteristics of Low Porosity Hair:

• Water beads on the surface of the hair rather than being absorbed.
• Hair takes a long time to dry.
• Products often sit on top of the hair instead of being absorbed.
• Prone to product buildup and dryness.

Tips for Caring for Low Porosity Hair

1. Use Lightweight, Water-Based Products
   Heavy products can sit on the surface of low porosity hair, leading to buildup. Choose lightweight, hydrating products that can penetrate the cuticle, like RevAir’s Extreme Hydration Cleansing Oil Shampoo. This shampoo is formulated to deeply moisturize without weighing down the hair, making it perfect for those with low porosity who need hydration without the risk of buildup.
2. Incorporate Heat
   Since low porosity hair struggles to absorb moisture, applying heat during deep conditioning treatments can help open the cuticle. Try using a warm towel or hooded dryer to help your hair absorb moisture more effectively.
3. Clarify Regularly
   Low porosity hair is prone to product buildup. Use a clarifying shampoo or a Detox Scalp Rinse every few weeks to remove excess product and help restore balance.

Medium (Normal) Porosity Hair

Medium porosity hair is the easiest to manage because the cuticles are slightly raised, allowing for a balanced absorption and retention of moisture. If you have medium porosity hair, you likely don’t face the extremes of too much or too little moisture.

Characteristics of Medium Porosity Hair:

• Absorbs moisture easily and retains it for a healthy amount of time.
• Hair is generally healthy and shiny.
• Styles and holds moisture well.
• Requires less maintenance than low or high porosity hair.

Tips for Caring for Medium Porosity Hair:

1. Maintain Balance
   Since medium porosity hair is well-balanced, focus on maintaining its health with a routine that includes regular moisturizing, occasional deep conditioning, and protecting it from environmental stressors.
2. Avoid Overloading with Protein
   While protein is important for hair strength, medium porosity hair typically needs less of it compared to high porosity hair. Overloading on protein can lead to stiffness and brittleness.
3. Hydrate Regularly
   A well-moisturized hair routine with products like RevAir’s Boost Fullness Revitalizing Shampoo can help keep medium porosity hair healthy. This shampoo provides a balanced cleanse while supporting scalp health and growth, perfect for those looking to maintain their hair’s density and manageability.

High Porosity Hair

High porosity hair has raised cuticles, which can be due to genetics or damage from heat styling, chemical treatments, or environmental factors. While high porosity hair absorbs moisture quickly, it also loses it just as fast, making it prone to dryness, frizz, and breakage.

Characteristics of High Porosity Hair:

• Hair dries quickly after washing but becomes dry or frizzy just as fast.
• Prone to tangling and breakage.
• Hair may look dull or frizzy without moisture.
• Easily absorbs products, but moisture retention is a challenge.

Tips for Caring for High Porosity Hair:

1. Use Heavier Moisturizers
   High porosity hair benefits from richer, thicker products that help seal moisture into the hair shaft. Products with natural oils and butters can help fill in the gaps in the cuticle. RevAir’s Extreme Hydration Deep Conditioning Treatment is ideal for high porosity hair, providing intense moisture and helping to smooth the cuticles for longer-lasting hydration.
2. Layer Products
   To lock in moisture, use the LOC method (leave-in conditioner, oil, and cream). Start with a water-based leave-in conditioner, seal with a lightweight oil, and finish with a cream or butter to lock in moisture.
3. Avoid Excessive Heat
   High porosity hair is often fragile and can easily become more damaged with heat styling. If you must use heat, always apply a heat protectant and use low temperatures.
4. Protein Treatments
   Incorporating protein treatments can help high porosity hair strengthen and repair its damaged cuticles. However, balance is key—alternate between moisture and protein treatments to avoid overloading your hair with either.

Caring for Hair Based on Porosity

Regardless of your hair’s porosity, there are some universal tips that everyone can follow for healthy, moisturized hair:

• Use Products Formulated For Your Porosity
  Hair care products that cater to your specific porosity will yield better results. For example, low porosity hair needs lightweight, hydrating products, while high porosity hair benefits from heavier, moisture-locking formulas.
• Moisturize Regularly
  Moisturizing is key for all hair types, but the frequency and type of moisturizer depend on your porosity. Low porosity hair requires less moisture more often, while high porosity hair needs frequent, intense moisture.
• Handle Hair With Care
  Whether detangling or styling, be gentle with your hair to avoid breakage, especially for high porosity hair, which tends to be more fragile.
• Protect Your Hair From The Elements
  Environmental factors like sun exposure, wind, and pollution can affect all porosity levels. Use protective styles or wear a hat or scarf to shield your hair from damage.

Understanding your hair porosity is one of the most important steps in crafting a hair care routine that truly works for you. Whether your hair struggles to absorb moisture or has difficulty retaining it, knowing your porosity will help you choose the best products and treatments to keep your hair healthy, hydrated, and strong.

RevAir’s Boost Fullness and Extreme Hydration collections offer products that cater to different porosity levels, helping you achieve the perfect balance of moisture and care.