Porosity is your hair's ability to absorb moisture and is broken down into three categories: low, normal, and high. The porosity test is a good indicator of what category your hair falls into. One test to find out your hair porosity is the float test. You will simply take a couple of strands of hair from your comb or brush and drop them into a bowl of room temperature water for 2 to 4 minutes. If your hair floats and remains at top of water, you have low porosity hair. If your hair sinks, you have high porosity. Low porosity hair is very resistant to hair products because it's cuticle is tight packed together so it becomes resistant to absorbing water and moisture. High porosity hair has holes and gaps in the raised cuticle, so water or oil will easily absorb but have a hard time retaining moisture. This can lead to dry, frizzy, tangled, and hair breakage. Porosity can be determined by genetics, but external factors can alter hair such as heat and chemical processing. Normal porosity is when the strand of hair floats in the middle of the glass and you have medium hair. Your curls or natural hair is at it's best, it simply feels smooth, looks shiny, voluminous, and healthy. Products absorb easily allowing moisture to remain in the hair and style exceptional.
