What is Hair Porosity: Types, Causes and Prevention
Knowing your hair porosity is key to achieving healthy, easy-to-maintain, and shiny locks. At Pure Gajah, we believe that once you understand your hair's specific needs, you can select the right products to truly nourish it.
Our premium hair care line that adapts natural ingredients and effective formulations ensures that you have the right balance of moisture in your hair while strengthening your strands from root to tip.
What is Hair Porosity?
A lot of individuals wonder, What is hair porosity? In simple words, it is how your hair can absorb and retain moisture. The porosity of your hair depends on how healthy the cuticle layer is– the outer shield of every hair strand.
● If the cuticle is smooth and flat, optimum moisture remains trapped.
● When it is lifted or distorted, it causes your hair to lose water within a short time.
When you learn the type of porosity you have, you will be able to use the appropriate products to keep your hair nourished, shielded, and healthy.
Types of Hair Porosity
Hair porosity is normally categorized into three levels:
1. Low Porosity Hair
The cuticle layer in low porosity hair is tightly closed. So, moisture and products pass through with difficulty. Whereas this usually gives hair a natural shiny straight features, it also turns out to cause:
● Product buildup
● Difficulty absorbing treatments
● Slow air-drying time
Why it happens: Often it's genetic, but sometimes it can be due to overuse of the heavy oils and products.
2. Medium Porosity Hair
In medium porosity hair, the cuticle layer may be slightly raised so that the hair can absorb moisture and retain it. It is the perceived the ideal type most of the time as a result of:
● Styles hold longer
● Hair looks healthy and glossy
● It responds well to coloring and heat styling without excessive damage
3. High Porosity Hair
High porosity hair suffers gaps and holes in the cuticle layer that is usually damaged. It absorbs moisture quickly but loses it just as fast.
Causes include:
● Frequent coloring, bleaching, or chemical treatments
● Heat styling without protection
● UV damage and environmental stress
● Over-washing with harsh shampoos
Common signs:
● Dry, brittle texture
● Frizz and tangling
● Quick air-drying but poor moisture retention
How to determine hair porosity at home?
To test your hair porosity, take a water test:
- Wash and air-dry your hair.
- Take a single clean strand and drop it into a glass of water.
- If it floats: Low porosity.
- If it stays in the middle: Medium porosity.
- If it sinks to the bottom: High porosity.
This quick test will provide you with a fair beginning of selecting the proper products.
Characteristics Of Hair Based On Porosity Levels
If you have porosity hair:
● Hair products build up on your hair, rather than being absorbed.
● It takes longer to get the hair air-dry
● Water takes longer to saturate your hair when washing
If you have medium/ normal porosity hair:
● It can be styled much easily and this hair type holds the style longer
● Hair looks healthier & shinier
● It takes colour well
If you have high porosity hair:
● Hair tends to be frizzy and dry
● It tends to break easily and is prone to tangling
● It air dries quicker
Is low or high porosity hair better?
Neither extremely low nor extremely high porosity is ideal. The goal is to maintain a healthy medium porosity level.
● High porosity hair loses nutrients and hydration quickly.
● Low porosity hair struggles to let moisture in.
Medium porosity maintains a balance of everything- the moisture can get in and be held there more easily to maintain the softness and strength much longer.
How to Care for High Porosity Hair
If you have high porosity hair, the focus should be on sealing in moisture and repairing damage.
Tips:
● Use conditioners enriched with butters and oils to boost hydration
● Opt for slightly acidic, silicone-based products to coat the cuticle and prevent moisture loss
● Incorporate leave-in conditioners for extra softness
● Massage your scalp regularly with nutrient-rich hair fall oil containing coconut, jojoba, olive, or avocado oil
● Minimize heat styling and always use a heat protectant when necessary
● Apply deep conditioning masks once or twice a week
How to Care for Medium Porosity Hair
Medium porosity hair is fairly low-maintenance, but it still needs care to prevent damage:
● Alternate between protein-rich and moisturizing treatments
● Avoid excessive heat styling
● Protect hair from prolonged sun exposure
● Use a strengthening hair tonic to maintain resilience and shine
● Trim split ends regularly to keep hair looking fresh and healthy
How To Take Care of Low Porosity Hair
Low porosity hair requires gentle but targeted hydration to avoid buildup:
● Choose hair products with humectants like glycerine, honey, or hyaluronic acid
● Apply conditioner to already wet hair for better penetration
● Avoid heavy oils that sit on the surface
● Use clarifying shampoos once a week to remove buildup
● Distribute products evenly from roots to ends without overloading
● Occasionally use heat caps or steamers to help treatments penetrate the cuticle
Final Thoughts
Your hair porosity is so important when it comes to how your hair acts and what you need to do to care for it. Knowing your hair type can ensure more enlightened decisions and long-term results.
If you have high porosity hair, the combination of deep nourishment and moisture sealing will change the condition of your hair and its texture. Our products are organic and formulated to deliver those results–naturally and effectively.
With Pure Gajah, your journey to strong, soft, and radiant hair begins today.
FAQs - Hair Porosity
How to repair hair porosity?
Achieving the right amount of hair porosity can be best accomplished by providing your hair with protein. This is possible through serums and nourishing oils such as coconut, jojoba, shea, and almond oil that penetrate the hair shaft to provide necessary nutrients.
How to prevent high porosity hair?
Over bleaching, dyeing, and using hot tools and gels, waxes or creams to style your hair are some of the things to avoid. After you wash your hair with these products filled with chemicals, they would have stripped the hair of its strength and elasticity.
Which porosity is good for hair?
Medium porosity is generally considered the healthiest because it allows your hair to absorb and retain the right amount of moisture. This balance keeps hair soft, shiny, and manageable. While low porosity hair and high porosity hair can still be healthy, they require more specific care routines to maintain hydration and prevent damage.
