Why You Should Know Your Hair's Porosity

Team Afrolocke 13.08.2023 4 min read

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Sound familiar? You follow the tips of someone who has exactly the same curl type as you, but somehow they just do not work for you?

This may be because your hair has a different porosity. It is not immediately visible at first glance, but it shows in your hair's needs and in how it responds to hair products.

In this blog post you will learn what the different porosities are all about and how to recognise your own porosity.

Porosity describes your hair's ability to absorb moisture and retain it. Once you know it, you will get to know and understand your hair and its care needs better.

A distinction is made between low, balanced and high porosity. With balanced porosity there is nothing special to watch out for, because your hair can absorb and retain moisture well. Below we take a closer look at the properties and characteristics of low and high porosity.

LOW POROSITY: LOVES WARMTH AND PLENTY OF WATER

With low porosity, the cuticle of the hair is closed. This means it finds it hard to absorb moisture, but once absorbed, it retains it better. The goal is therefore to encourage moisture absorption. Warmth and plenty of water are generally helpful here. Both help open the cuticle so your hair can absorb product better. We therefore recommend using warm water when washing and styling, wearing a shower cap when deep conditioning and applying care products to very wet or damp hair.

A clear advantage of low porosity hair is its shine. However, it also tends towards product build-up. So make sure you use thorough cleansing and do not use too much product.

Tip from our Nadine: "Before washing my hair, I apply the Afrolocke hair oil to my dry hair and gently detangle it at the same time. When I then wash my hair with plenty of warm water, the oil's nutrients are already absorbed during the cleansing step of my routine."

HIGH POROSITY: LOVES PLENTY OF PRODUCT

In contrast to low porosity, hair with high porosity has an open

cuticle. Unfortunately, this means it loses moisture quickly and tends to be dry. Here you should focus on avoiding moisture loss. It is a good idea to avoid heat and to rinse with cold water at the end of your routine to close the cuticle and keep the moisture in your hair. After the conditioner and the leave-in, use our hair oil to seal in the absorbed moisture.

A clear advantage of high porosity hair is that products and moisture are absorbed well. So feel free to use plenty of product in general.

Tip from our Nana: "Between wash days, you can bring back lost moisture by refreshing your hair. Dampen it with cold water from a spray bottle and apply plenty of Afrolocke leave-in."

HOW DO I RECOGNISE MY POROSITY?

In the following table we have compared the most important signs of high and low porosity.

Table comparing the most important signs of high and low hair porosity

In general, it is important to know that your curls can combine several porosities. So not all tips may work for you, and not all characteristics may apply to you. Do not let this unsettle you, and do not despair in your search for the right routine. Curls are wonderfully individual, and so is the right routine. So experiment, observe your hair, be patient and do not forget to have fun.

Tip from our Nadine: "I have learned to adapt my hair routine to my current needs. For example, in phases when I do a lot of sport, I skip sealing with hair oil after my leave-in. Because I sweat a lot and have low porosity, I do not need the extra protection from the oil. In winter, on the other hand, or when I know it is going to rain a lot, I never go without the Afrolocke hair oil."