Hair porosity is crucial because it determines how well your hair can absorb or retain moisture. It tells you about the condition of an outermost layer of your hair which is ‘cuticle’. The openness levels of cuticle vary as low, medium and high. This shows how much porosity your hair possess.
Hair porosity is divided into three main types low porosity, medium porosity and high porosity. It is necessary for several reasons which are moisture retention, product absorption and styling and maintenance.
Grades of Hair Porosity:
There are 5 grades of hair porosity from which 1 and 2 are low porosity hair, 3 is medium porosity while 4 and 5 are high porosity hair. All of these are discussed in detail below:
- Grade 1 Porosity
In this porosity, a virgin hair has a tightly bound cuticle and will resist the moisture absorption. It is not yet revealed to any environmental damage. Such hair requires heat or steam to open up the cuticle for easy penetration of the moisture or products. Because of the tightly bound cuticle the hair looks smooth and shiny.
- Grade 2 Porosity
Such hair is also virgin and very less exposed to the environmental damage. It has also a tightly bound cuticle and looks smooth. Moisture doesn’t penetrate easily through it and it doesn’t tangle too much.
- Grade 3 Porosity
This hair is not virgin and is a bit damaged. It has also been through some chemical treatments and its cuticle is slightly open but very tightly bound. And so, it cannot retain or absorb that much moisture of any product.
- Grade 4 Porosity
This hair is lightened up with continuous bleaching and has lost its natural color. It has gone through many chemical processing and needs extraordinary care. It has open cuticles and absorbs moisture very easily. It actually needs more moisture because it also loses it easily.
- Grade 5 Porosity
This hair is about to destroy and hard to save. There is no cuticle left on this hair and the inner layer of hair (medulla) can be seen. Its structure is entirely destroyed and on touching, this hair will feel gummy. It will break when you slide your fingers in the hair. The only way to get rid of this hair is to cut it.
Porosity and the curly hair:
The porosity of straight hair and curly hair varies, especially if you are transitioning to natural hair. There are different levels of porosity, if you have curly hair. It can be seen that the roots of your hair have low porosity while your ends that have been experiencing straighteners, bleaches and other products have high porosity levels.
In this case, you should treat your hair where you find the high levels of porosity to prevent them from further damage and try to maintain the perfect protein balance in your hair.
How to check hair porosity?
There are different tests of examining your hair porosity such as float test, slip and slide test, the strand test and the spray bottle test.
1. The Float Test
You can take some strands of hair from your hair comb. Take a glass of water having a room temperature. Put the strands in the glass and observe if it floats or not.
- If you see the hair floating on the surface, it means it has no open cuticles and it cannot absorb the moisture. This hair has low porosity.
- If you see the hair is drowned till the middle of the glass of water, it means it has less opened cuticle which can slightly absorb the moisture. It has medium porosity.
- If you observe that the hair is completely drowned till the end of the glass, then it means that it has no cuticle and the hair is highly damaged. It has high porosity.
2. The Slip and Slide Test
This is also a very easy test to determine your hair porosity. In this test, you only need some strands of hair and your hand.
- Take a dry strand of your hair.
- Now you have to slide your fingers from end to start of the strand.
- If you feel that there is a resistance in sliding your finger on the strand. Then it has low porosity.
- If you feel more resistance and your finger, get caught by the hair, then it suggests normal porosity.
- Lastly, if you feel that the hair is very light and break while sliding your finger on it, then it means it is highly damaged.
3. The Strand Test
Here is another simple test to check your hair porosity:
- Take a clean, dry strand of your hair.
- Observe it closely, if you feel that it is rough, and has small bumps on it, then it has high porosity.
- If you see a smooth, shiny hair which doesn’t break on touching, it has low porosity level.
4. The Spray Bottle Test
Lastly, this is another interesting and effective test to determine your hair porosity level:
Take a small section of your hair.
- Spray some water on the strand and observe it keenly.
- If you see that the beads of the water suddenly disappear, it means your hair has high porosity level.
- If you observe that the beads stay on the section for some time and then disappear, it means it has medium porosity.
- If you see that the beads stay up on the hair and doesn’t disappear at all, it means it has low porosity level.
This is how you can check your hair porosity level and take precautionary measures to save them from further damage.
Choosing products based on your porosity:
Depending upon the porosity of your hair, it is recommended to use the products accordingly.
Bioxcin Forte Herbal Serum Spray 50 ml
Nutraxin Biotin Tablets 5000mcg
Bioxcin DermaGen Forte Shampoo 300ml
- Low Porosity
As this hair is not that damaged and almost virgin, so to protect your hair from further damage, you should use Bioxcin Forte Herbal Serum Spray which will make your hair look healthy and shiny. In this case you can skip oil if you want. As these are herbal products, you can use it daily.
- Medium Porosity
When it comes to medium porosity hair, you should use Merit DS Shampoo, and take Nutraxin Biotin 5000mg supplements for at least 3 months. Both of these products are extremely beneficial for the protection of your hair. Use it regularly for better results.
- High Porosity
For high porosity hair, use Bioxcin Dermagen Forte Shampoo for 3 to 4 months, Bioxcin Forte Herbal Serum Spray for 3 months. Use Nutraxin Biotin 5000mg and Bioxcin Keratin and Argan Oil for 3 to 4 months. As such hair needs extra care and attention, so, it is suggested to use these products daily for better results.
Gluvit-s Febectal Multivitamin Capsules
Bioxcin Keratin & Argan Hair Oil
Bioxcin Collagen & Biotin Volumizing Shampoo
Bioxcin Keratin & Argan Repairing Shampoo
Conclusion:
Examining your hair porosity is crucial to maintain the healthy and effective routine for your hair. After knowing your hair porosity, you can start using the recommended products as soon as possible in order to prevent further harm. The products include Bioxcin Dermagen Forte Shampoo, Bioxcin Herbal Serum Spray, Bioxcin Keratin and Argan Oil, Nutraxin Biotin 2500 mg and 5000 mg, and Multivitamin Complex for Women and Men. Incorporating these products in your daily routine can promote better and long-lasting results.
