What Is My Hair Porosity?

High porosity hair is prone to becoming dry, frizzy, and tangled. It dries quickly in the air and readily absorbs hair products.

Looking after high porosity hair will involve reducing cuticle damage and moisturising the hair. Typically, you'll need heavier products, such as shea butter, however heavier products aren't great for wavy hair as they weigh your waves down. 

Therefore, opt for lighter conditioning products to ensure your hair stays nourished. You should also deep condition once a week to really feed your hair with the nutrients it needs to stay moisturised. This will reduce the chances of dryness or breakages.

Low porosity hair has a cuticle layer that overlaps and lays flat. Usually, this type of hair is shiny, especially when it’s a darker colour. It is resistant to penetration by chemicals and doesn’t readily absorb water.

If you have low porosity hair, you might find that your hair feels stiff after deep conditioning. This is because low porosity hair is prone to build up after the use of protein-rich hair treatments.

To care for low porosity hair, find conditioners that contain glycerin to hydrate the hair strands and encourage the cuticles to open up. Focus on using moisturising products that contain natural oils, such as jojoba. The Merwave Repair conditioner contains this. 

Hair with medium porosity requires less maintenance. It naturally absorbs the right amount of moisture and oils, and will hold styles well. The dream hair porosity for minimum maintenance. 

Damage can affect your hair’s porosity. So you will still need to be careful not to use too many heated styling tools or chemicals on your hair to avoid damaging the strands. 

If your hair is medium porosity you can simply follow the Merwave process to awaken your waves.