Porosity and Texture: What’s the difference?
Before you do anything, it’s imperative to understand the difference between the hair’s porosity and texture, as well as how both play a part in the dye process. According to Austin Medearis, lead colorist at Ted Gibson, one takes a higher precedent.
“Hair texture is your natural curl pattern and hair porosity is the hair’s ability to absorb moisture. If you want to know your hair texture, wash your hair and the natural texture will emerge when the hair is wet,” he recommends.
“If you want to know your hair porosity, cut a piece of clean hair and drop it in a glass of water. If it floats (or takes a while to sink), the porosity is low. If it sinks to the bottom of the glass, the hair porosity is high. If the strand lingers in the middle of the glass, the porosity is normal. To a colorist, hair porosity is more important than texture because the porosity will dictate how the hair absorbs the color.”
The lighter you go, the more likely your hair is to lose its natural curl pattern. Locks with a low porosity level also aren’t as receptive to dye chemicals like ammonia. If you’ve recently given up relaxers or perms, your hair probably fits this description and will need time to repair before adding a new color.
