blacknaps.org/hair-porosity-types/
Have you ever heard about porosity? Porosity is your curl’s ability to to absorb and retain moisture. It’s important to know your curl’s porosity, as this will help guide your curl care routine. Curls can have low, medium, and high porosity. Check out this article to learn how porosity effects curls. Once you know, you’ll be well equipped to make decisions regarding product use and how you take care of your curls.
How Porosity Effects Curls
The types:
Curls can be low, medium, or highly porous. How porous hair means its difficult for moisture to get into curls, but it retains well. Medium porosity is ideal, because moisture is easily absorbed and trained. With high porosity, the cuticle is high, so moisture gets in easily but leaves as easily.
Low porosity:
This type of curl takes a long time to dry. As a result, you will need to make sure you’re using lighter weight products to avoid overly weighing down strands. However, before applying products, make sure curls aren’t completely soaked or else the product won’t absorb. Instead, it will sit on the top of the strands, rendering it ineffective. Low porosity curls might be sensitive to protein use, so avoid saturating curls with protein.
Medium porosity:
If you’re experience medium porosity curls, you’re lucky. Your curls won’t need a whole lot of work to keep them looking and feeling healthy. While your curls might benefit from a protein treatment here and there, it won’t be necessary for their overall upkeep and maintenance.
High porosity:
This type of curl will take in moisture very easily, but will lose it just as easily. If you notice your curls are very dry almost immediately following a wash, you might have highly porous curls. As a result, you might need to help girls get more moisturizing treatment. This type of curl will benefit from butters or oils which will help create a barrier. Protein can help repair any holes in the strands which might allow moisture to escape.