Understanding Your Hair Porosity: 

Why It’s the Game-Changer in Your Natural Hair Journey

 

Whether you’re just starting your natural hair journey or you're looking to level up your routine, knowing your porosity level can be the difference between frustration and flourishing strands. Let’s dive in.

🧬 What Is Hair Porosity?

Hair porosity simply refers to your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. It’s determined by the state of your hair’s cuticle layer — the outermost layer that opens and closes much like shingles on a roof.

Your porosity isn’t just a buzzword — it affects:

• How your hair reacts to products
• How long your styles last
• How hydrated your hair feels day-to-day

There are three main categories: low, medium, and high porosity.

🔬 How to Test Your Hair Porosity

Not sure where your strands fall? Try this quick Float Test:

Take a few clean, product-free strands of shed hair.

Drop them into a glass of room-temperature water.

Watch what happens after 2–4 minutes.

• If the hair floats, you likely have low porosity.
• If it sinks slowly, you’re in the medium/normal porosity range.
• If it drops quickly, you probably have high porosity hair.

 

What Your Porosity Means (and How to Care for It)

🔹 Low Porosity Hair

The Water-Resistant Warrior

• The cuticles are tightly closed, making it hard for moisture to penetrate — but once it's in, it stays.
• Products tend to sit on top of the hair.

Care Tips:

• Use warm water and steam to help open the cuticles.
• Opt for lightweight, water-based leave-ins.
• Avoid heavy butters or oils that can cause buildup.

🔸 Medium Porosity Hair

The Balance Queen

• Absorbs and retains moisture well.
• Responds nicely to most hair products and styles.

Care Tips:

• Continue a healthy balance of moisture and protein treatments.
• Seal in moisture with natural oils like jojoba or almond.

🔶 High Porosity Hair

The Thirsty Beauty

• The cuticle is raised or damaged, allowing moisture in — but it escapes quickly.
• Prone to frizz and dryness.

Care Tips:

• Use protein-rich treatments to strengthen and fill gaps in cuticle layers.
• Seal moisture with butters or heavier oils like castor or shea.
• Layer products (like leave-in + oil + cream) to lock in hydration.

🌿 Why Porosity Trumps Hair Type

Understanding whether you have 4C coils or 3B curls is helpful for styling — but porosity is what determines your product choices and hydration strategy. Two people with 4C hair can have totally different porosity levels and, therefore, need completely different routines.

📌 Final Thoughts from the Pros

At Nourished Scalp, our professional stylists see it all the time: clients struggle with dryness or breakage not because they’re using the wrong brands — but because they’re using products that don’t match their porosity needs.

 

Learning your hair porosity isn’t just helpful — it’s transformational.