On the whole, porosity is directly dependent on the initial water content, temperature, pressure, relative humidity, air velocity, electromagnetic radiation, food material size, composition, and initial microstructure and viscoelastic properties of the biomaterial, as shown in Fig. 4.1 (Saravacos 1967; Krokida et al.

Clay

Usually, this is as simple as thoroughly mixing in organic material such as peat moss or garden gypsum to increase soil porosity.

A sponge is an example of a porous material as it has a large number of empty spaces compared to its volume. Sponges, wood, rubber, and some rocks are porous materials. In contrast, marble, glass, and some plastics are not porous and contain very few open pockets of air (or pores).

The porosity is conventionally given the symbol φ, and is expressed either as a fraction varying between 0 and 1, or a percentage varying between 0% and 100%. Sometimes porosity is expressed in ‘porosity units’, which are the same as percent (i.e., 100 porosity units (pu) = 100%).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Porosity or void fraction is a measure of the void (i.e. “empty”) spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume, between 0 and 1, or as a percentage between 0% and 100%.

Porosity is the quality of being porous, or full of tiny holes. Liquids go right through things that have porosity. Go back far enough and you’ll find that porosity stems from the Greek word poros for “pore,” which means “passage.” So something with porosity lets things through.

The bottom line. If you have high porosity hair, water and oils can be easily absorbed, but your hair will have a hard time retaining that moisture. This can lead to hair that’s dry, frizzy, and prone to tangles and breakage.

Low porosity means your hair strands have a tightly bound cuticle layer that lays flat and tends to repel water. If your hair is low porosity it can become high porosity over time with more mechanical, thermal, and chemical damage, so moderation and trims are important.

Characteristics of normally porous hair: It is bouncy and elastic, not brittle and prone to breakage. It generally requires very little maintenance. It easily accepts and then retains applied moisture. It holds styles well without the use of many styling products and accepts color well and evenly.

Best Shampoos and Conditioners for Low Porosity Hair

• Be Care Love SuperFoods Frizz Control Shampoo & Conditioner Duo.
• Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Conditioner.
• Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Hydrating Calming Conditioner.
• Camille Rose Curl Love Moisture Milk.
• Aunt Jackie’s Quench Moisture Intensive Leave-in Conditioner.

Why should you care? Well, rice water rinses can only compound the problem. Especially if used excessively on low porosity hair. The protein and starches can coat your strands making a bad situation worse.

Low porosity hair can get weighed down easily with most products, so consider using “film-forming humectants” for moisturizers. This group includes aloe vera, flax seed gel, marshmallow root, panthenol, nettle extract and more. If you’ve been frustrated by your hair feeling dry and brittle, worry no more.

Here are the best tips on how to grow and care for low porosity hair.

1. Moisturize properly. Moisture is important to your hair.
2. Clarify the hair.
3. Steam for maximum hydration.
4. Use light oils that are easily absorbed.
5. Deep condition with heat.
6. Use the Green House effect.
7. Use humectants.
8. Avoid too much products.

Oils like coconut oil, olive oil, and castor oil are not recommended for low porosity hair. They are not recommended for low porosity hair because they sit on the hair. Some people end up complaining about their hair getting really flaky after using coconut oil.

In fact: Once a week is how often you need to wash low porosity hair to keep it soft, moisturized, and free from buildup until your next wash.

Cantu Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream Another great Leave-In Conditioner for low porosity hair comes from Cantu. The repairing leave-in works to prevent hair breakage and split ends. It is a great product for promoting healthy natural hair!

In a nutshell, hair porosity is how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture. Porosity is usually genetic, but it can change throughout your life depending on a variety of factors. Exposure, heat treatments, chemical processing, and environmental damage (like pollution) can all affect your hair porosity.

Signs Of Low Porosity Hair

• Your hair struggles to keep moisture.
• Your hair doesn’t work with conditioners.
• You need heat to activate conditioners.
• There’s always buildup and dirt in your hair.
• You get more dandruff (clarifying dandruff shampoos for Afro hair)
• Your hair is too oily or too dry.
• You spend ages drying your hair.

There is plenty of variation in every head of hair. You may have both low and high porosity strands, and it’s also possible to have medium porosity.

Low porosity hair is the reverse of high porosity hair. The cuticle is more tightly closed and although the hair will absorb less water, it will actually hold onto the water a lot longer than highly porose hair. Luckily there is a quick fix to get low porosity hair back on track.

You can also test your porosity level by running a finger down a strand of your hair. Low porosity hair will feel smooth, whereas high porosity hair will feel rough and bumpy because the cuticles are open.

For high porosity hair, heavier products with natural oils are very helpful in retaining moisture. Our Seal It Up — Hydrating Sealing Butter — which includes heavy butters and oils like avocado and shea butter — is a great product to start with. Seal with the right butter or oil.

“Products that restore moisture, reduces frizz, seals in moisture, and protects the hair from heat are great products for high porosity hair.” Hardges recommends cremes, oils, and butters to aid in moisturizing and strengthening highly porous hair. Jojoba oil is among her favorites.