If you have already searched for hair porosity, and you can’t still figure it out, forget what you know! Porosity isn’t just Low, Medium, or High. Instead, professionals measure porosity in numbers.

What is Hair Porosity?

Porosity is a scale that measures the health of your hair. This scale evaluates the state of your cuticle and determines your hair’s condition based on this.

What is the cuticle?

The hair’s cuticle is the outer layer of the hair and is composed of dead cells. These cells look like scales covering the hair strand and they protect the hair’s medulla and the cortex.

Think of it like the hair’s protective armor!

However, when you expose your hair to damage, the cuticle opens. And this is what this scale measures. 

“How open is your hair’s cuticle? = How damaged is your hair? How much moisture absorbs?”

Porosity Grades/Levels

separator

1= healthy, 3 = best, and 5 = damaged.

Low Porosity

Grade 1: True Virgin is the rarest porosity grade to see. Also, this hair type will have no environmental damage and no heat damage, that’s why it is called True Virgin.

The cuticle is completely closed. Hence, some heat might be necessary to allow moisture to go in.

Grade 2: Low/Virgin is the second most common porosity type. This hair type is considered low porosity hair. Also, the cuticle is slightly open (if compared to grade 1 porosity).

It has some grade of damage expected from the environment surrounding it, and it still needs some heat to allow moisture to come in. Additionally, this hair type doesn’t have any bleaching, dyeing, chemical, or extreme heat damage.

Normal Porosity

Grade 3: Normal (aka Medium) is the third most common porosity type. The cuticle is more open, which means that it is more damaged. However, this hair type is considered the ideal one due to having excellent maintenance conditions.

This hair type is neither healthy nor unhealthy. Hair that has been bleached, dyed, or mildly expose to dangerous chemicals could be in this category. Also, mild heat or environmental damage could fall into this category.

High Porosity

Grade 4: High/Damaged is the danger zone and is the most common porosity type. Although hair in this porosity grade is damaged (also delicate), it is possible to make it healthy.

Hair at this porosity level has an open cuticle, which means that the hair isn’t retaining moisture nor proteins. The hair has a lot of damage. Often called high porosity hair. 

Exposure to dangerous chemicals, extreme heat, inadequate hair maintenance, and genetics will be some of the causes of having this porosity level.

Grade 5: 100% Damaged hair and has no salvation. This hair type will have no cuticle at all and is not reversible. Because of this, you will have to cut it.

This porosity grade happens when the hair has been exposed (in unbelievable ways) to dangerous chemicals and heat levels.

Testing Hair Porosity

Warning: Please don’t do the floating test, as it is not accurate.

There are various ways you can know your hair’s porosity, and the only way to know yours for sure is by taking a close look at your hair for a prolonged time.

Porosity Test:

This series of questions where put together by me, and you can find the post on my Instagram account.

1. How long it takes for my hair to fully dry?
   1. 0 to 2 hours
   2. 2 to 3 hours
   3. 3 or more
2. How long it takes to get wet?
   1. Too long
   2. Normal
   3. Quick

*For the two above questions, consider that if you have coarse hair, it will naturally take longer to dry or get wet regardless of its porosity. The opposite happens to fine hair. Also, consider that humidity levels can affect how long it takes for your hair to get wet/dry.

1. If I slide two fingers up a hair strand, it feels _________ .
   1. Smooth
   2. Slightly bumpy
   3. Notably bumpy
2. When I have no products, my hair is frizzy.
   1. Rarely
   2. Sometimes
   3. All the time
3. My hair builds up with ease because products don’t penetrate easily.
   1. Yes 100%
   2. Neither
   3. No, my hair sucks everything!
4. I have to clarify _______ because of buildup.
   1. All the time
   2. Sometimes
   3. Rarely

Results:

• Low = Most of them were As.
• Normal/Medium = Most of the answers were Bs.
• High = Most of them were Cs.

*You can have more than two porosity levels.

My Results:

C, A, A, C, A, & A. Although I have some high porosity traits, my hair is low because it is coarse, and it will naturally take longer to dry. Also, because I wasn’t appropriately hydrating my hair, it was always frizzy. Now that I have learned how to hydrate it, the frizz will go away.

Slip N Slide Test:

As the name suggests, slip your fingers through one strand and see if you feel scale-like bumps. 

If you:

• Don’t feel anything = Grade 1-2 porosity (Low)
• Feel it slightly = Grade 3 porosity (Normal)
• Feel it notable = Level 4 porosity (High)

How to know if my hair is Grade 5 porosity?

If you answer yes to all or most of these questions, you have grade 5 porosity.

1. If you pull a hair strand (while wet), does it stretches like a rubber band and snaps?
2. Does your hair feel soft, mushy, and gross?
3. Doesn’t has its natural definition, volume, and overall curl pattern?
4. Have you done a heavy chemical treatment (relaxer, bleaching, extreme heat, and others)? *This one must be yes! Otherwise, you might have a bad moisture overload.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your day! Also, if you want to keep in touch with me, and see more great content like this, make sure to subscribe to my Email List and follow me on Instagram.

xoxo,