Your hair needs to be moisturized in order to grow in every season. It’s easy to slather on products and call that enough, but when was the last time you checked your hair’s moisture levels from the inside out? How can you be sure that your products and lifestyle choices are actually making a difference on the health of your hair?  

It starts with identifying your level of hair porosity, which is a technical term that really means, “ How well does your hair absorb moisture?” The test is simple:

• Put a few strands of hair into a bowl of water.
• Let them sit for a few minutes.
• Watch if they float or they sink.

If your hair is still at the top of the bowl, it has low porosity. That means it will need some extra support to absorb moisture. If your hair is hanging out near the bottom of the bowl, it has high porosity. Your hair sucks moisture up like a straw, which can lead to frizz when it’s humid.

You can test the results further with a feel test. Observe your hair for a week as you wash and style it.

Does it absorb water quickly when it’s wet? Does it feel almost soggy after deep conditioning it? Does it start to feel super brittle a couple of days after a moisturizing treatment?

Your observations will help you confirm or deny the results of the strand test, and you may have even noticed that some parts of your hair have different porosities than others.  That’s normal!

After you’ve identified your porosity level, you’re ready to design a hair care routine that will actually give your hair exactly what it needs.

Do you have low porosity? Start experimenting with hydration masks and heated treatments. You’ll need a product with a lot of moisturizing power. You can also increase your hair’s ability to absorb moisture by adding heat.  Hot oil treatments and deep conditioning under a dryer are must-dos for ladies with high porosity.

If you have higher porosity hair, your focuses are strengthening your hair and locking moisture in. Think of your hair as an open door that lets moisture in and out  very easily.  Look for protein-filled products that will seal the hydration into each strand.

Start experimenting with your hair care routine this week, and share your findings below.

 Authored By Taylor Bryant