Porosity: you always hear about it but you don't have the slightest idea what it is? Worse, when it comes to adapting your care, are you completely lost? Madam President has heard your despair and is giving you the solution to adapt your care to the porosity of your hair. Follow the leader !
Porosity: kesako?
Hair porosity is the regularity of the hair cuticles (or scales) which absorb and maintain moisture to a greater or lesser extent. When the scales are very tight, porosity is low: the hair has difficulty absorbing hydration. Conversely, when they are too open, the porosity is high... But it's not better! Moisture will be easily absorbed, but difficult to maintain: the hair will therefore not be better hydrated. You will have understood, the ideal is medium porosity, with regular cuticles which regulate hydration themselves!
How to define it?
Damaged, brittle, fragile hair... They are sometimes the consequence of poor knowledge of the porosity of the hair, and therefore of inadequate care! And for good reason: unless you have a microscope, it's difficult to see its porosity. But don't panic, we offer you 3 tips suitable for all hair types! Frizzy, curly, curly or straight, fine hair or thick hair: everyone will find what they are looking for.
Glass of water test
- First collect a strand of clean hair (on a brush for example).
- Fill a glass (transparent for simplicity) with water and place the wick in it.
- After 2 to 5 minutes, watch its evolution: if it floats, your hair has low porosity; if it flows completely, their porosity is high; and if it remains in the middle of the glass, the porosity is average!
Wick test
Select a few strands from different places on your head (front, back, left, right, above...) and slide them between your thumb and index finger.
- For high porosity, the wick will be dense and "hard" under your fingers, which will slide very easily.
- If your hair has medium porosity, the strand will be smooth and even.
- Finally, if your porosity is high, your fingers will have more difficulty sliding and you will feel irregularities: your cuticles are very apart, which makes your hair damaged and brittle.
Spray test
Last tip: simply spray water on your hair using a spray!
- If water stays on the surface of your hair, it has low porosity.
- If they absorb it easily, your porosity is high.
- If you have a reasonable in-between: smile, your porosity is normal!
This test is particularly effective on frizzy and curly hair!
We advise you to combine the three tests for optimal reliability: there you go, you can now adapt your care to the porosity of your hair!
Warning: porosity can change with time and care (or attacks, we see you bleaching and straightening!), so it must be checked regularly.
Adapt your care to the porosity of your hair
Low porosity hair care
Your scales are very tight. Result: the treatments you apply have difficulty penetrating your hair, which therefore always requires more hydration and nutrition!
Your best friend: heat! It will open the cuticles and allow the hair to absorb the active ingredients, hydration and nutrition that you provide it.
The solutions
- The best known: wrap your hair in cellophane, a microfiber towel or a cotton t-shirt after putting on your mask. This will help retain heat, ideal for your low porosity hair. Bonus: heat your towel or t-shirt a little before covering your head to further optimize the effects. If you use cellophane, add a hot towel on top for the same result: presto, sauna effect at a lower cost!
- The gentlest: for nourishing treatments , if you prefer to avoid suffocating your scalp for 30 minutes to 2 hours, you can definitely opt for a gentler solution: lightly warm your treatment. Be careful, we don’t get burned! This involves warming it slightly in a bain-marie, so that the hair scales benefit from the heat upon application. We do not recommend this method for moisturizing treatments, as the watery part of the latter would evaporate and goodbye to the benefits!
do not forget
In both cases, and whether the treatment is nourishing or hydrating, apply it from roots to ends: all your hair needs it, it would be a shame to limit yourself to the lengths!
As a reminder, avoid shampooing after moisturizing treatments: on the contrary, it is better to use a nourishing treatment before shampooing, and a leave-in moisturizing treatment afterward to optimize its effects!
Warning: Open your scales with a hair dryer? Bad idea! It's an attack that your poor hair doesn't need at all!
Normal porosity hair care
Lucky girl! You have the type of hair we all dream of: easy to maintain! Your hair benefits easily from the care you give it. Take advantage of it and continue to pamper them: banish perms and other heating appliances, and offer them plenty of moisturizing and nourishing masks and conditioners, they will thank you! And above all, don't forget your tips!
High porosity hair care
Your cuticles are very wide and therefore absorb moisturizing and nourishing treatments very well... But don't keep them! Result: even if you drink a lot, your hair is still dry and damaged and requires more care. This is often the case for Afro hair that has been straightened or subjected to numerous perms and other heating devices.
The solutions
Your best friends: cold water, lemon and apple cider vinegar. They will close your scales which will thus be able to preserve the benefits that you bring to them. Follow the leader.
- Make your rinse water. In 1 liter of water, dilute the juice of a lemon or 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar (which is also a very good anti-dandruff agent ). Pour this mixture after rinsing your shampoo , and that's it! You can of course alternate to vary the pleasures!
- Always finish your rinse with a jet of cold water. We know, it's hard, but it's essential for porous hair: the cuticles tighten and thus retain the hydration and nutrition provided by the treatments.
do not forget
If your porosity is low, your cuticles are very damaged and therefore deserve gentle care. Don't skimp on nourishing masks and oil baths, apply leave-in moisturizing treatments, detangle them with your fingers or a wide toothbrush or boar bristle brush, choose a silk or satin pillowcase. .. In short, pamper them!
Bonus: Once your hair is dry, apply a few drops of vegetable oil, focusing on the lengths and ends to seal in moisture. Hydrated, shiny, nourished hair: the winning combo!
We can never say it enough: beautiful hair also requires a healthy lifestyle and a healthy, rich diet. To give yourself a boost, don't hesitate to turn to food supplements: Resolution N°1 and Hair Boost will stimulate the growth of your hair and slow down its loss.
And because Madam President forgets no one, you can also turn to Monsieur if you are a man, Mama if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or Little President for children aged 4 and over.
