By Courtney Pester

The first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word porous is an object which contains many pores. Visually, a pumice stone or sponge might serve as the best example–they both have many arbitrarily located openings of various sizes, where fluid can penetrate. High porosity objects are absorbent and permeable, subject to change from outside influences, and can hold a large amount of liquid–making them suitable aquifer materials.

On the other end of the spectrum, non porous objects are not easily penetrable; they have little to no pores and cannot absorb liquid. Think of glass, metal, hard plastic, or varnished wood–water or fluid simply collects on the surface or slides right off. Nothing gets through, and nothing is retained.

So how does porosity translate to hair?

Hair porosity–what is it, and what affects it?

Much like objects have different degrees of porosity, so does hair. In layperson's terms–porosity, as it relates to hair, means your hair's ability to soak up and retain moisture, including products that moisturize and hydrate the hair and cuticles. This includes oils or chemicals–like hair color treatment. Your hair either has a lot of pores, meaning it is highly penetrable, few pores, meaning it is less permeable, or it might stand somewhere in between–what most aspire to achieve. The trick is to help hair reach a state where it can maintain hydration, not over saturation–which can adversely affect our hair and cuticles.

The cuticle and its position–whether raised or flat–determine your hair's porosity. Your cuticle length reflects your hair health, serving as a protective shield for your hair. Both high and low porosity have their drawbacks, so the goal is to maintain a medium porosity and a slightly raised cuticle. If your hair has high porosity, it can easily absorb moisture and oils, but won't hold in that moisture well. If your hair has low porosity, it is practically water-resistant. This resistance to moisture and hydration often results in dry hair.

But how does one identify their own hair porosity? Of course, you can always consult your hair stylist, though it's easy to conduct a hair porosity test from the comfort of your home!

How to Find Out Your Hair Porosity at Home

Finding out what degree of porosity your hair is easier than ever. Pluck a few strands of hair from a used hairbrush, rinse and clean the hair strands to wash off any remaining product, and place them into a glass of water. The vessel must be transparent in order to observe whether the strands of hair float. If the strands begin to float after a short while, you have low-porosity hair. If it sinks, this is an indicator of high porosity hair. 

Hair consultations with your stylist can offer more personalized solutions to combat hair porosity and dryness, but we have a few recommendations to help you attain healthy hair and that sweet spot of hair porosity. 

Why does natural hair porosity change after chemical treatment?

Due to the nature and purpose of chemical treatments, hair can change tremendously in texture, thickness, hydration level, and overall feel after receiving a chemical treatment. Without question, natural hair can get damaged during processing and over-exposure to harsh chemical treatments, leading to high porosity. Bleaching, straightening, and perming are just a few hair treatments that introduce harmful sulfates in the hair, which damages the cuticles, causing them to lift and separate, which ultimately leads to high porosity. This not only strips the hair of moisture and leaves the hair dry and unhealthy, but it can also result in hair frizz.

It’s time to tame the frizz and break unhealthy habits that deprive your hair of hydration. Let's learn how.

How to Take Care of Your Hair's Health Porosity

First things first–awareness is key. Take a mental note of how your hair feels often. Do water beads or products collect and build on top of your hair? Does your hair seem brittle? Hydration is necessary to keep your hair from becoming susceptible to breakage, so if your hair is consistently dry, pay attention to what products you use, your water consumption levels, and which heating tools you might be using on the day to day.

Asking how to fix damaged hair can lead you down a rabbit hole, but if hair strength, length, and how to tame the frizz is what you're looking for, the answer is quite simple. Ditch heating hair tools and any intense chemical-filled treatments and products. When considering healthy hair treatments, opt for all-natural, chemical-free, alcohol-free, sulfate-free, minimal-ingredient products free of alcohol. 

You’ll also want to avoid products with excessive amounts of protein. Of course, protein is essential for hair to retain elasticity, but too much can become an issue if your hair doesn’t need it. Having too much protein in your hair may cause it to appear dull, dry, and brittle and can ultimately lead to hair breakage. If you have color treated hair, think smart and use color-protecting shampoos. If you are often in the sun, UV protectant sprays or protective hats can do wonders to prevent damage from sun exposure.

Breaking Down Degrees of Hair Porosity

1. High porosity

High porosity hair translates to a cuticle that is virtually always open, and often rough in texture. Water is absorbed quickly, but your hair also loses moisture just as quickly. Hello moisture retention issues! High porosity hair can lead to dry and frizzy hair that is more prone to tangles and breakage because your hair has a hard time retaining moisture, water, and product. You'll likely notice your hair will dry faster but tangle easily. That is your hair begging for moisture. Curlier hair tends to be drier because scalp oils have a harder time passing through hair coils from root to tip.

High porosity can be genetic, or a result of excessive exposure to harsh treatments and heat. Regardless, it's still treatable. To combat poor elasticity, dryness, and lack of moisture retention, you'll want to ditch the treatments and heating tools and refrain from using anything above or below 5-5.5 pH. In most cases, high porosity hair needs to be washed daily, though certain folks might only need to wash every few days, depending on lifestyle, routine, and genes.

The goal is to close the cuticles to prevent essential nutrients from seeping out, so you'll want to seal your hair with hair butter, deep conditioning treatments, and restoring hair oils. Apple cider vinegar, aloe vera, and cold moisturizing products are great for treating high-porosity hair. To close the cuticles, finish washing your hair with a cold water cleanse–it might be hard to bear at first, but your hair will thank you for it! It’s also a nice little wake-up call in the early morning.

Be aware of products that are silicone-based! They create an artificial barrier that gives them the feeling of smooth and healthy hair, but don’t be fooled! The feeling is not only superficial but also temporary. Our hair needs vital nutrients to create that flexibility, so avoid artificial silicone-based products and use revitalizing hair oils, such as MAY11 Revitalizing Hair Oil instead. 

How MAY11 Hair Oils Help High Porosity hair to be growth healthy:

MAY11’s healthy hair treatments and organic vegan growth oils possess natural sealing properties that help lock in all the natural nutrients. This ensures deeper conditioning and reestablishing optimal elasticity, reducing breakage, and increasing hair and cuticle flexibility and mobility.

The recommended way to use MAY11 Hair Oils is to use them at night as a deep conditioning treatment once a week (6–10 pumps from roots to tips). Use 1-2 pumps as a the leave-in conditioner on damp hair to nourish it and keep it in good shape between shampoos.

Pro-tip: Combining MAY11 Hair Treatment with S•Heart•S brushes will help you to ensure an even distribution, maximizing the benefits of every single pump.

If you rinse your hair with lukewarm water after shampooing and conditioning, it will help seal the cuticles of your .

2. Low Porosity

What do we notice when we look at liquid coming into contact with glass? Nothing goes in; nothing penetrates. Similarly, low porous hair cannot let much penetrate or be absorbed. Low porosity hair is harder to saturate, making it challenging to soak up the benefits of moisturizing products because they are washed out almost instantaneously. 

Less porous hair translates to smooth cuticles that are often flat, which makes the hair more resistant to water and product absorption. When wet, water might bead on the top of your head, as well as products that can make your hair appear greasy. When dry, your hair will feel fragile and rough. It will also take a while for your hair to dry. If any of this sounds like your hair, steer clear of any thicker oils known to seal the cuticle–it will not work in your favor. Similarly, stray away from products with more acidic properties, such as apple cider vinegar, which can keep the cuticle closed–great for high porosity hair but has adverse effects on low porosity hair. 

Low-porosity hair doesn't need much maintenance, save for deep conditioning treatments and hair oils that help seal in added moisture. MAY11 Revitalizing hair oil is a healthy hair treatment that you should incorporate into your regimen once a week. Avoid products with lots of protein, and seek to incorporate water-based treatments. 

How MAY11 Hair Oils helps low porosity hair to be healthy: 

The natural hair oil's alkaline pH formula gently helps to open up the cuticles of low-porosity hair, so nutrients can get in and do their job, bringing out the hair's vitality and texture. 

The recommended way to use it: begin by applying 3-5 pumps of your favorite MAY11 Hair Oil before shampooing from roots to tips–the primary goal is to avoid having oil sit on the top of your hair and prevent build-up of product. Repeat the treatment twice a week.

Pro tip: Distributing MAY11 oils with the high technology of S•Heart•S brushes, you can help your low porosity hair absorb products at their best. As your hair cuticles begin to open gently and gain mobility, increase the number of pumps accordingly. This will help your hair to absorb and retain moisture.

Wrap your hair in a warm towel (warm it up twice in a row) or be in a humid place–such as a sauna or steam bath–for 2–3 hours before you wash it. 

3. Medium Porosity

Ah, to be lucky enough to have this degree of porosity in the hair. It is what we aspire to have but aren't sure how to accomplish. When your hair maintains this healthy medium, it can easily absorb and retain moisture and styles well with volume and shine. Your hair strength and length are not only ideal, but look superb, too.

Medium porosity translates to a raised cuticle and sufficient hydration, where everything is balanced. Because the cuticles are likely to be loose, they can accept more moisture and do a fine job retaining it. Those with medium hair porosity have elasticity and bounce in the hair, which can bend and flex without breakage, and hair can hold well once it is styled. 

Sounds ideal, doesn’t it? Well, it is! But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rotate in repairing treatments such as MAY11 Revitalizing Hair Oil biweekly or every other week to help balance the amount of moisture and protein in your hair strands. Since our hair does not produce any nutrients, we need to introduce it with products. 

How MAY11 Oils helps medium porosity hair to be healthy:

All the MAY11 Hair Oils support medium porosity hair by delivering all the essential nutrients, optimizing healthy hair growth and maintenance.

The recommended way to use it: use MAY11 hair oil as a healthy hair treatment (4-6 pumps) 2-3 hours before shampooing. Repeat once or twice a week.

Pro tip: Combining MAY11 Hair Treatment with S•Heart•S brushes will help you to ensure an even distribution, maximizing the benefits of every single pump.

Wrap your hair in a warm towel or be in a humid place–such as a sauna or steam bath–for 2–3 hours before you wash it. 

As one might deduce, we can achieve healthy hair in fewer ways than one might think. Hair strength, length, and shine is just a hop skip and jump away, so long as you follow these crucial steps and understand how porous your hair truly is.

Any questions? Connect with an expert