What Is Your Hair Porosity and Why It’s Important

Porosity is how well your hair absorbs and holds moisture. It is determined by how easily moisture passes in and out of the outer hair layer, known as the cuticle. Knowing your hair's porosity can be an important factor in helping you pick the best hair products for your hair.

Determining Hair Porosity

One method you can use to find out how porous your hair is the “float test”.

Float Test Instructions: Take a strand of hair and drop it into a cup of water. Let it sit for 2-4 minutes. If your hair floats, you have low porosity hair. If it sinks, you have high porosity hair.

Low Hair Porosity Characteristics
Low porosity hair has tightly bound cuticles. It repels moisture when you try to wet it and is hard to process since it resists penetration of chemicals. If you have low porosity hair, you should look for ingredients like shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil and mineral oil. (Try using our Shea Butter & Chebe Deep Conditioner and Hair Butter) You should also use lighter, liquid-based products that won't sit on your hair and leave it oily or greasy.

High Hair Porosity Characteristics
High porosity hair often has gaps and spaces in the hair cuticle. It allows moisture to be absorbed into the hair shaft easily, yet it isn’t able to retain moisture for long. If you have high porosity hair, you should look for ingredients like butters and oils in shampoos and conditioners. (Try using our Shea Butter & Chebe Deep Conditioner, Shea Butter & Chebe Hair Butter, Revitalizing Growth Oil, and Fenugreek Pre Poo Oil)  These ingredients will help moisturize your hair. You should also use products that will help your hair hold moisture, such as leave-in conditioners.