What is Low Porosity Hair?

Low porosity hair refers to hair with very tightly packed cuticles. It typically doesn’t allow moisture in or out of the hair shaft easily, and takes longer to absorb products than others. High porosity hair, on the other hand, has a loose cuticle structure, opening easily and not closing as tightly as cuticles with lower porosity. It's much more difficult for moisture to penetrate low porosity hair than high. This means products don’t fully absorb into hair with a lower porosity. Additionally, low porosity hair characteristics include being protein-rich, (making it dry and prone to breakage) and susceptibility to dullness, frizz and grease. So using hydrating, lightweight product formulas is a must for the overall health and appearance of your low porosity hair.

So how do you know if you’re dealing with low porosity hair? Typically, curly hair tends to be low porosity. And if your hair is so dry that water and moisture almost seem to bounce off of it, there's a good chance that your porosity is low. But you can determine your hair’s porosity in a few seconds with one of these two tried-and-true tests:

Start with clean hair that’s free of product, buildup and dirt. Brush or comb through your hair and take a strand from the brush or comb. Drop it into a glass of water, and wait a few minutes. Then check the hair. If it floats, it’s low porosity hair; if it sinks, it’s high porosity.

Start with clean, product-free hair and use a spray bottle to spritz a small section with water. If the water beads up and sits on the surface, appears to roll off the hair shaft or takes several minutes for any visible absorption to occur, the hair is low porosity.

By now you may be wondering, is low porosity hair good or is low hair porosity bad? While it’s not inherently bad, low porosity hair can cause major breakage, or rough brittle strands. But it can also be the reason your hair looks shiny and healthy. Hair that’s low porosity is essentially stronger than high porosity hair and may not split or break as often. The key is caring for and managing your strands properly. More on this below.

And now for some final tips to keep your low porosity hair looking and feeling its healthiest. Apply your conditioner in sections, working through with your hands for better moisture distribution, and encourage hydration by massaging your scalp daily to promote the production of natural oils.