Depending Upon Porosity

Porosity is a measurement of the ability of your hair to soak up moisture. This is measured by the state of the cuticle layer of your hair i.e. the partly covered scales of your hair shaft, and its rate as high, normal, and low. In healthy, normal hair, the hair-cuticle is packed together and slows down the diffusion of moisture in the hair shaft – both moisture coming out, and moisture going in. When the hair cuticle is excessively packed together and puts off the diffusion of moisture in the hair then it is said to have low porosity. Hair that has low porosity is difficult to treat, and is opposed to perms and hair color. Hair that has low porosity should generally be softened before getting any other chemical procedures done on it. High porosity hair has an open cuticle layer and the hair soak ups moisture readily. Hair that is overly porous also lets go of moisture quickly and gets dry and is damaged easily. Conditioning treatments that are acid-balanced are made use to compress the layer of hair cuticle and confine moisture on hair that is overly porous.

A lot of care should be taken when any kind of chemical service is performed on hair that is overly porous in order to prevent any sort of damage. Hair will be colored much more strongly and quickly in hair that is overly porous. Dermi-permanent and semi-permanent hair colors will become paler too soon. Straightened and perms will be processed quickly is hair that has a high porosity. In order to find out your hair’s porosity, just feel your hair when it is dry and wet as well. If your feel seems dry and straw-like when it is dry, or if the hair feels a bit rubbery or gummy when it is wet, then you most likely have some problems with hair that is overly porous.

You can test your hair’s porosity. If you want to get an accurate test of porosity of your hair, make use of 3 different regions – close to the crown, front of your ears, front hairline. Take hold of few strands of dry hair and smoothly comb it. Hold the hair ends tightly using your index finger and thumb and slide your other hand’s fingers from the scalp towards the ends of your hair. If your fingers don’t slide effortlessly, or if your hair gets easily tousled, then your hair is porous.

The more tousled your hair gets, the more it is porous. The less tousled the hair gets, the lesser porous is your hair. If your fingers easily slide through and your hair doesn’t get tousled, that means that the cuticle layer is close towards the hair shaft. This kind of hair is slightly porous, is a lot resistant and would need a longer duration for processing.

The porosity of your hair gets affected due to too much of exposure to hot irons, blow dryers, chlorine, sun and constant use of shampoos of hard kind, highlights, colors and relaters or strengtheners.