Hair Porosity

What does “hair porosity” really mean?

Hair porosity is how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture. 

The protective outer layer of the hair strand is called the cuticle. It looks like tiny fish scales or rooftop tiles facing down. Sometimes they are more open, and sometimes they are more closed. When cuticles are open, hair looks frizzy and dry, and when they’re closed it looks smooth and controlled.

Hair structure varies from person to person and this affects the hair’s porosity. To know your hair’s porosity, you can do a simple test with a single strand of hair and a glass of water. 

Read more about: Hair Structure 

The Hair Porosity Test

If you want to know how porous your hair is, you can do this test to get a general idea:

Get a glass of water. 

Then, take one clean hair and drop it into the water gently.

Observe what happens to the hair.

If the hair sinks to the bottom... 

You have hair with high porosity, which means:

• The cuticles are wide open
• Hair easily absorbs water.
• You usually require more product.
• It is often frizzy.
• It dries quickly.

If the hair stays in the middle... 

You have hair with regular porosity, which means:

• The cuticles are normally open.
• Hair has bounce and elasticity.
• Very little maintenance required.
• Holds different styles well.

If the hair floats at the surface...

You have hair with low porosity, which means:

• The cuticles are tightly closed.
• Hair takes a long time to dry.
• Products tend to build up rather than get absorbed quickly.
• Natural oils don’t penetrate your hair; they sit on it.
• You need to condition more regularly.

Porosity is something we can manage

For high porosity hair you need products that help absorb moisture and then retain it by closing the cuticles. Yes, this is possible.  Although this hair type highly absorbs product, it also tends to lose it very easily due to the fact that the cuticles are open.  After cleansing and treating with a hair mask, finish your routine by conditioning with a product that has a pH that’s lower than 5.5 (the normal pH level for hair), to make the cuticles close down, allowing the strands to retain the treatment. The Hair Routine’s Balancing Conditioner is perfect for this as it has a pH of 3.9-4.6

For low porosity hair, you need products that replenish the strands with extra moisture. With low porosity hair, the cuticles aren’t open enough for the strands to absorb enough water to remain moisturized. Treat your hair with the Hair Routine’s Moisture hair mask, it contains specific ingredients that lock in water and leave the hair feeling soft and healthy without causing buildup.

The Hair Routine’s Balancing Shampoo & Conditioner were specifically created to clean and condition all hair types. The Balancing Shampoo opens the cuticles for a gentle cleaning and the Balancing Conditioner closes the cuticles to let the treatment get fully absorbed, leaving the strands silky and smooth. 

Let us guide you through your personal Hair Routine and subscribe to our worriless delivery method. Complete the test and receive your Hair Routine immediately.