If you want healthy, strong, long curls, you need to know your hair porosity level!
Did you know that many people do not understand, let alone know about, porosity in terms of hair care and styling? Questions and conversations float around our natural hair community forums about porosity like flyways. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to determine hair porosity, making it easy to move forward when learning how to care for curls of a certain porosity level once it has been determined.
Porosity explained
Porosity is a subset of the Hair Typing system used by people with curly and textured hair. As noted by our sources, the following short descriptions can help you on your journey to understanding porosity:
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High porosity- “High porosity hair has gaps and holes in the cuticle, which let too much moisture into your hair and leave it prone to frizz and tangling in humid weather.”
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Medium porosity- “The cuticle layer is looser, allowing just the right amount of moisture to enter while preventing too much from escaping.“
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Low porosity- “Low porosity hair repels moisture when you try to wet it and is hard to process since it resists penetration of chemicals. Low porosity hair requires moisturizers rich in emollients such as shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil and mineral oil.”
[source: NaturallyCurly Texture Typing: Porosity]
Understanding your hair’s porosity will help you determine which products are best for your hair. But sometimes those choices can be overwhelming. That is why curl-advocates Design Essentials created an effective line of formulations that consist of coconut and monoi oils, two powerful emollients that moisturize dry, dull, very thirsty hair of any porosity.
Each of the following formulations are ideal for curls of all porosity levels:
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This gelee is ideal for 3a to 4b because of its lightweight consistency and medium hold that will not weigh down curls or make them crunchy. Wash and go styling with the gelee is a dream. Simply apply to damp or wet hair using the praying hands technique for defined, moisturized curls.
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Edges and baby hairs can be easily styled, but they can also be easily damaged. That is why an emollient-rich moisturizing glaze is so important to use. It is a thick glaze that gently melts edges into place upon application. Use either your finger to make waves or a small-bristled brush to smooth those curls into the shape you want.
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High porosity curls will love this leave-in nourisher because it helps curls hold in moisture at all hours of the day. For low porosity curls, this nourisher acts as a refresher for second and third day hair. In addition to coconut and monoi, this nourisher contains moisturizing sunflower oil and regenerative Biotin.
As its moniker indicates, the Design Essentials Coconut and Monoi Collection hosts formulations that help curls stay moisturized with coconut and monoi oils, while glycerin adds intense hydration on a deep, cuticle-level. That is why each formulation in this line is ideal for every porosity level.
Do you know your hair porosity?
Level with us in the comments section below!
This post is sponsored by Design Essentials.
