diaspora

Hi, I've rejoined this community after several years away and am trying to figure out my porosity. I did the strand-in-water test, and my hair floated at first, then part of the curl sank below the surface. So is my porosity low, or low-normal? Also, I never thought of my hair as being very hard to wet in the shower, but products do take a while to absorb. Thanks for any help. It sounds like you still have to experiment to find what works for you though...

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Formerly Urbancurl.
Medium-high density, fine-medium, low-normal porosity, 3b/c, permanent color.
CG, no heat, combs, brushes, parabens.
Fall/Winter HG=Alba Botanica Soft Hold Style Cream.
Spring/Summer HG=MGA Sculpting Gel
Current fave LI=Madre Labs Made by Nature for Baby Conditioner.
Limit oils, butters, glycerin.

TangledMadness

Well, I can only speak for myself...I never did the strand test.
I figured my hair must be low porosity because it takes so long to get wet and also since I don't use any chemicals in my hair or styling/heat products, plus it being hard for my hair to absorb moisture.
All signs point to me having low porous hair.

kathymack

I never did the float test, either. I did the fingers going from tip to root test, the fact that my hair frequently dries before the product is absorbed and it takes HOURS for my hair to dry--and it's no longer dense.

The float test is not considered terribly reliable.

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3a (Corkicelli), highlighted, fine, low porosity
modified CG, since April '07
CG since 3/11/08

SE PA

HGs: Curly Kinks Satin Roots, Curlycue ReNew and Coil Jam; homemade FSG and okra gel; soap bars; DM MiraCurls Curling Gelly; UFD Curly Magic; Shescentit LIs; Sevi conditioners; Botanical Spirits Puree, CJ Repair Me

diaspora

Thanks Kathymac and TangledMadness.

I'm thinking then that my guess of low-normal is probably right. I did the tip-root test and my strand felt rather smooth. My hair does take forever to dry (like 5 or 6 hours!), however I color treat it and have never been told that my hair has trouble taking color. I've been worried my hair needs more protein since I don't regularly use products that contain it and my hair is pretty fine, but I don't want to overdo it if my porosity's low. I used the GPB conditioner last week just as a regular rinse-out conditioner and definitely noticed a difference, and my hair wasn't straw-like at all. It came out shinier and flatter.

Years ago when I was on here, all anyone seemed to talk about was curl pattern. Now there's so much more to understand to keep your healthy!

__________________
Formerly Urbancurl.
Medium-high density, fine-medium, low-normal porosity, 3b/c, permanent color.
CG, no heat, combs, brushes, parabens.
Fall/Winter HG=Alba Botanica Soft Hold Style Cream.
Spring/Summer HG=MGA Sculpting Gel
Current fave LI=Madre Labs Made by Nature for Baby Conditioner.
Limit oils, butters, glycerin.

kathymack

You do need to use more protein. My hair is fine/low porosity. I do at least one PT a week and use a lot of products with protein. Even use some of the milder PTs as my leave in. I find that it defines my curls and reduces frizz.

__________________
3a (Corkicelli), highlighted, fine, low porosity
modified CG, since April '07
CG since 3/11/08

SE PA

HGs: Curly Kinks Satin Roots, Curlycue ReNew and Coil Jam; homemade FSG and okra gel; soap bars; DM MiraCurls Curling Gelly; UFD Curly Magic; Shescentit LIs; Sevi conditioners; Botanical Spirits Puree, CJ Repair Me

diaspora

Oh wow! I didn't know, thanks, I will start using more PT.

__________________
Formerly Urbancurl.
Medium-high density, fine-medium, low-normal porosity, 3b/c, permanent color.
CG, no heat, combs, brushes, parabens.
Fall/Winter HG=Alba Botanica Soft Hold Style Cream.
Spring/Summer HG=MGA Sculpting Gel
Current fave LI=Madre Labs Made by Nature for Baby Conditioner.
Limit oils, butters, glycerin.