Unpopular Opinion: I don't think hair porosity is what we have made it seem :bs:

[AutobotsAttack]

Contrary to the attitude I had previously about this subject. Beforehand I just accepted porosity for what everyone was deeming it as. I know there's quite a few individuals on Youtube, online, and other social media platforms that have kind of done away with deeming porosity as a very crucial thing when it comes to hair care regimens (at least how relevant it is).

There's also been plenty of users on here who have pointed out that the strand test using a glass of water is very flawed. Not to mention, proper measurement of hair porosity requires equipment that average, everyday folks do not have access to, let alone how to actually use said machinery.

But here's some main reasons why I think hair porosity is borderline B.S.

#1. As the hair gets longer, and goes through regular wear and tear, (especially for those with extremely long hair), porosity kind of just seems...not important? With the sheer amount of time those particular strands of hair have been fully intact, it's expected for the longer lengths to receive moisture more readily than say...the hair towards your roots, or upper mid shaft.

#2. Kind of hinted at this point, in number one. But concerning the porosity of hair towards the roots, ears, and neck area, by proxy, wouldn't those areas be less porous due to the sebum being able to reach those areas on the vast majority of folks? (Of course this is going to vary with how much curl, or lacktherof, people have, but in a general sense relative to your hair type the sebum that is actually able to cover whatever amount of hair seems pretty normal. To me at least.

#3. Environmental factors. I personally feel like environmental factors can have someone's hair perfect one day, and in shambles the next. I live in Houston, Texas and there's only two "seasons". Hot and humid, and less hot and humid. However, If i moved to somewhere cold and dry, i can guarantee my hair will shift its needs depending on the environment, and my product selection will more than likely change, as well how they react. Hence, why I don't think porosity matters all that much, particularly in areas with tons of humidity, or very arid climates, or climates that flip-flop quickly and frequently.

#4. Going a bit farther into product formulation, I really feel like this is the main issue, if not the culprit to this whole porosity mantra a lot of people, including myself have really clung to. The exact same product can react completely different in various heads of hair. And i say this because I have watched someone claim they have extremely low porosity, use a particular product they deem "penetrates", and watch someone who claims to have also low porosity, and complain that the exact same product just sits on their hair. To me, I don't think porosity is to blame. I feel like application is a big factor. We all apply product differently, in some way. Be it by leave-ins, in-shower application, using our hands, a comb, or a brush, etc. I've seen some people use products that they swear by, but I have also used those same products and even with the lightest amounts, I find that that product is rubbing off on my hands, clothes, pillows, hats, etc. from it just literally laying on top of my hair, and I've got a pretty compromised head of hair anyways.

#5. I also hinted at this in point 4, but i think this point really pertains to folks in the 3's and high 4's, and also people with a very high density of hair, but again, application seems to be a big factor. I've noticed what I'm going to call a "canopy effect". Wherein, the more textured your hair is, the more you have to make an effect to evenly coat your hair. The best analogy i can use would be like actual canopies that are created by dense forest areas. Say its raining, and you're standing within the forest. From deep within the forest, it's going to be difficult for that rain to reach you. I think the same principle applies towards product application when it comes to textured, and kinky/coily hair. Of course the product is going to sit directly on top of the hair if you're not sectioning properly, AND if you're not adding enough product accordingly. The more videos i watch, the more i notice certain Youtubers who claim low porosity, but also don't really apply product properly it seems.

#6. Individual strand thickness and texture. I think this kind of sums itself up on it's own, but its definitely a factor at play as well. Texture-wise, i just feel like type 4 hair, naturally isn't that low of porosity, especially towards the end, just by its very nature. It's quite dry when left completely alone with no product, sebum has a very difficult time even getting passed the ears of many people with said texture. With all of those factors, It just doesnt make sense for hair types such as mine, relaxed or natural to be so low of porosity that even water cant seem to penetrate?

#7. Chemical services. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but i've seen quite a few people, especially on Instagram claim they have low porosity, but are relaxed, bleached, permed, etc. In my opinion, if you've had a chemical service done, I think it's safe to say, your hair is probably has varying porosity levels, much more so than someone with a full virgin head of hair.


Now, I'm not saying porosity doesn't exist, but I'm definitely critiquing my own viewpoints i once held about it. I know there's ways to measure it, and I know our hair exhibits such characteristics. However I really think it's just not that big of a deal, like i once did, and like so many others seem to really hype up. I also think that one strand can have various porosity levels at various lengths/spots, and who knows where else on the same head. I rally think having low porosity seems to be some sort of desirable characteristic concerning one's own hair. I guess as a way to signify how healthy it is? To me at least, low porosity doesn't automatically mean hair health, and I think a lot of influencers seem to kind of piggy back off of one another just because others are doing so as well.

This is all just my two cents though. Sorry for the long post.

[Fimu]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

I consider porosity as the degree of cuticle damage and the only way to determine your porosity in an accurate way is to purchase a microscopical hair analysis. And I compare cuticle damage with roof shingles or a fabric where high-porosity is like a damaged roof after a storm or a raffled cotton fabric. From the articles at Science-y Hair Blog and her hair analysis, I've learned what porosity actually means.

Since there's a lot of misconception about porosity, I rather refer to degree of hair damage because that sounds more straightforward.

I understood that Type 4 is usually more prone to mechanical damage because of the tighter coils, elliptical strand cross-section and macro kinking, so it's more likely to be "high-porosity" at a certain length.

[SleepyTangles]

Very interesting points!
The only thing that I know for sure, is that my hair doesn't particularly like protein and keratin... Not even now that's bleached and highly porous in many areas :hmm:

But then, isn't the molecule size of proteins in hair products too big to penetrate anyway?

[TwilightMermaid]

I definitely agree with how porosity has been blow up in past years. People before porosity education had gotten along just fine with hair care. I think there are definitely more things to worry about than porosity, which includes as you said proper product application and dying. Porosity does explain why some with virgin hair don't like heavy products or why those with damage often feel the need for moisturizing and sealing products. I think damage often masks porosity. Those with hair that has been processed or man-handled will have strands that have missing cuticles, bursts, or splits, which aren't exactly high porosity. You can have a strand that has flat cuticles but has one dent in it and the varying damaged spots among each individual hair may cause the whole of it to be poofy or absorb water fast. Plus, no one's hair is the same porosity throughout unless you have a virgin bob. All ends will be higher porosity than the roots- it's just normal. I remember I had waist length hair when the porosity craze came about. I tried the water test and my hair floated, even though I had done several rounds of baking soda and peroxide bleaching to the ends. I thought, as if my hair is low porosity when the ends are fried. Porosity can help explain some things, but it isn't everything. Everyone's porosity fluctuates.

You are right about influencers piggy-backing. Seems like one person will nit-pick at the tiniest factors in hair and then the next day proclaim that that one thing is the key to all mishaps in the history of the hair eternity. Reminds me to do more research when I hear new big hair trends on Youtube.

[paulownia]

Very interesting points!
The only thing that I know for sure, is that my hair doesn't particularly like protein and keratin... Not even now that's bleached and highly porous in many areas :hmm:

But then, isn't the molecule size of proteins in hair products too big to penetrate anyway?
If it's a hydrolyzed protein ( and most of the hair care products contain those) then its small enough to penetrate hair.

Porosity is an interesting thing...:D
I treat my hair as low porosity and it works.. it has almost all the properties of low porosity except for drying time, it takes max 2 hours to be completely dry. I do not fuss much in choosing hair products and my routine is very simple.
It's the " rules" that make me cringe. Like saying : low porosity likes coconut oil, high porosity doesn't. If your hair is ( insert anything) than you should use this or that. So in this aspect I guess OP is right;) we are focusing too much on categorizing the hair and it's needs. Sometimes it's better just to relax and do our own thing.

[Feral_]

Interesting post! I have no idea what porosity my hair is. I would be interested to know your views on water only washing and hair porosity - how does sebum affect it? My hair dries quickly yet takes a while to get wet.

[lapushka]

That is why I always called my porosity "normal" or medium, since I have virgin hair.

But... things get a little different when there is relaxer, or dye or bleach on board. Hair does get more porous with the application of those items. Without a doubt. And that is something you have to keep in mind.

But is it the end all be all to type your hair with? I don't think it's that important, no.

I don't get the people that can be so obsessed with porosity they adapt their whole product regimen to it. Surely that product (conditioner or shampoo) is not going to "know". Bar, say maybe Olaplex, or something along those lines. Which is probably why it gets added to bleach and dye. There's a reason for that.

Anyway, that's my 2cts on it. :o

[Fimu]

.
But... things get a little different when there is relaxer, or dye or bleach on board. Hair does get more porous with the application of those items. Without a doubt. And that is something you have to keep in mind.


I want to add that even some people's unprocessed/virgin hair can become high porosity quickly if the cuticles are internally more prone to chipping and breaking due to higher sensitivity to environmental or mechanical damage. This is why my ends are prone to damage even being free of past heat damage.

[SleepyTangles]

If it's a hydrolyzed protein ( and most of the hair care products contain those) then its small enough to penetrate hair.

Thank you for the info! I wasn't sure about that.

[Fimu]

If it's a hydrolyzed protein ( and most of the hair care products contain those) then its small enough to penetrate hair.


I recall I saw microscopical images from raw material supplier papers where some proteins are more penetrating on the cuticle level and some penetrate deeper into the cortex, but it all depends on the molecular structure and the size of a certain hydrolyzed protein molecule.

[paulownia]

I recall I saw microscopical images from raw material supplier papers where some proteins are more penetrating on the cuticle level and some penetrate deeper into the cortex, but it all depends on the molecular structure and the size of a certain hydrolyzed protein molecule.
Well, size matters;)
Proteins are hydrolyzed to break the long molecule chains and make them small enough to penetrate hair. But those molecules also have different sizes. Milk protein is bigger, vegetable proteins like wheat, rice, oat, pea and so on are smaller. Keratin and silk are smallest.
There is also amino acids and those are even smaller than hydrolyzed proteins.
That's why I consider it inaccurate to call egg or yoghurt treatments "protein treatments," since those molecules are too big to enter the hair shafts. Well, yes, they are proteins but they will not repair as a hydrolyzed protein would. They will just have a conditioning effect.

[MusicalSpoons]

I agree. For some people, seemingly a small minority, porosity in the true sense does explain some things and helps them transform their hair care - like if they genuinely have low porosity (again in the true sense, not explained by any other factors you mention) or if their hair is high porosity and just keeps losing moisture really quickly.

But for the rest of us, it's just one aspect of our hair and may or may not need to be considered when evaluating or tweaking our routine. It's helpful to know roughly, I think, but it's absolutely not the key to hair health for most of us. I like Science-y Hair Blog's take on it, giving it the same kind of consideration as all other aspects of hair character and hair care, but not blowing it out of proportion - and the points you make especially about older ends and more textured hair agree with her, IIRC.

[Shorty89]

Well, size matters;)
Proteins are hydrolyzed to break the long molecule chains and make them small enough to penetrate hair. But those molecules also have different sizes. Milk protein is bigger, vegetable proteins like wheat, rice, oat, pea and so on are smaller. Keratin and silk are smallest.
There is also amino acids and those are even smaller than hydrolyzed proteins.
That's why I consider it inaccurate to call egg or yoghurt treatments "protein treatments," since those molecules are too big to enter the hair shafts. Well, yes, they are proteins but they will not repair as a hydrolyzed protein would. They will just have a conditioning effect.

I consider eggs a protein treatment because they act like protein to my hair. By that, I mean that they leave it "crispier" if they aren't followed by a moisture treatment. While it may not penetrate, it gives the same feeling to my hair as a penetrating protein treatment. :shrug:


I have to agree with Autobot's post. I have been around since before porosity became a "thing" and I don't consider it a huge factor in my haircare. I think factors like hairtype and whether or not your hair likes cones is more important. That being said, if someone finds a good routine by determining or following low or high porosity haircare, then that's good.

[florenonite]

<snipped for length>
Now, I'm not saying porosity doesn't exist, but I'm definitely critiquing my own viewpoints i once held about it. I know there's ways to measure it, and I know our hair exhibits such characteristics. However I really think it's just not that big of a deal, like i once did, and like so many others seem to really hype up. I also think that one strand can have various porosity levels at various lengths/spots, and who knows where else on the same head. I rally think having low porosity seems to be some sort of desirable characteristic concerning one's own hair. I guess as a way to signify how healthy it is? To me at least, low porosity doesn't automatically mean hair health, and I think a lot of influencers seem to kind of piggy back off of one another just because others are doing so as well.

This is all just my two cents though. Sorry for the long post.

I think because damaged hair is more porous than non-damaged hair, people think that lower porosity is inherently better, so they all want to claim their hair is ~so healthy~ because it has low porosity. However, lower porosity hair can have its own problems, and it's a relative thing. My hair is, as far as I can tell, naturally very non-porous, but I have damaged ends that are more porous. Another person with more "normal" porosity might have a similar porosity at the roots as I do at the ends, and have less damage at the ends so the porosity is more consistent through the length - is my hair really healthier because it comes out of my head with a Teflon cuticle? Hardly.

I tend to think porosity is more useful for how it affects the way hair behaves than for how it might actually look under a microscope. I said that as far as I can tell my hair is very non-porous, and I think this because: it takes an eternity to dry, if I oil it wet it gets stringy, my 50/50ish henna/senna mix fades, water beads on it in the shower before soaking in, I never needed conditioner until I moved somewhere with hard water, and it never soaks up sebum at the roots. All of this means that advice for low porosity hair is *more likely* to work for me, but I still need to experiment with it, and it may not work. In other words, it's just one other characteristic that can help inform how I treat my hair, like how my hair is fine, very dense, and mostly straight, with a picky scalp.

When I joined LHC porosity wasn't really a thing. I remember when I first started noticing it was A Thing, and started researching it and kept on thinking HEY THAT'S ME the more I read about low porosity hair. So in that sense, it's helpful, because someone was describing characteristics of my hair and giving advice for how to handle it. But I don't think it's helpful to try and discern the porosity of your hair if the descriptions of high/low porosity don't resonate, and lower porosity doesn't inherently mean better, healthier hair (I wish I had hair that behaved like normal porosity hair).

[TatsuOni]

I've never really cared about porosity. My hair shows signs of both high and low porosity, according to the descriptions. Also, it's been many years since I realised that my ends, lengths and scalp hair need different things.

My hair needs a lot of moisture and oil, but a lot more during the winter (or a dry summer), than it does during the summer. I've gotten to know my hair by trial and error. So I know what it needs and when it needs it.

I know that this is about porosity, but my hair has never behaved "like straight hair should" either. Not even when it was fine. I've always needed more moisture and oil than is recommended for category 1 or fine hair (I'm now an M).

I think that porosity and hair type can be a good way to start, for someone who knows nothing about what their hair needs. But in the end, if one thing doesn't work, try something else until you've found the perfect routine for your hair and scalp.

[lapushka]

I want to add that even some people's unprocessed/virgin hair can become high porosity quickly if the cuticles are internally more prone to chipping and breaking due to higher sensitivity to environmental or mechanical damage. This is why my ends are prone to damage even being free of past heat damage.

But... how do you *know* that is due to high porosity and it is not just very dry hair that needs more moisture, or something like that.

[Entangled]

Yeah, high/low porosity has never factored much into my haircare routine. I think it's probably useful when describing how bleach, dyes, perms, and relaxers affect the structure of the hair and how you will might need to treat hair differently after using them, as well as explaining one of the reasons why curly hair needs a different routine than straighter hair, but beyond that haven't given it much thought.

[Ylva]

I don't think it hurts to be aware of porosity and understanding different types of hair damage that can occur, but one needs to keep the big picture in mind and understand that there is much more to hair than porosity.

I certainly notice three different porosity levels (on top of the other cumulative damage) throughout my hair as I grow out bleach damage. I've got very high porosity ends, a relatively nice medium porosity section, and then my virgin hair which very much seems like low porosity. But contrary to people saying that long drying times are a sign of low porosity, I think it can also go the other way. My roots dry the absolute fastest, and I think that could indeed be because of porosity: since the cuticles are so tightly shut together, the hair doesn't even get very soaked in water and therefore not much needs to get out either.

[MusicalSpoons]

But... how do you *know* that is due to high porosity and it is not just very dry hair that needs more moisture, or something like that.

It's a reasonable conclusion after months/years of a very moisturising routine if the hair still behaves like high porosity.

[Fimu]

But... how do you *know* that is due to high porosity and it is not just very dry hair that needs more moisture, or something like that.

If virgin hair has split ends or white dots (which is often inevitable with very long hair), then I think it means they have high porosity ends (damaged cuticles on that part of the hair shaft) from long-term daily wear and tear.

I hope I could clarify it a bit

[lapushka]

It's a reasonable conclusion after months/years of a very moisturising routine if the hair still behaves like high porosity.

Could be. It's still all a puzzle to me though. I must admit. Porosity has me very confused!


If virgin hair has split ends or white dots (which is often inevitable with very long hair), then I think it means they have high porosity ends (damaged cuticles on that part of the hair shaft) from long-term daily wear and tear.

I hope I could clarify it a bit

Makes sense! :) Thanks! I still can't make that much sense of it, though, but every little bit of an explanation helps! :flower:

[Fimu]

Could be. It's still all a puzzle to me though. I must admit. Porosity has me very confused!



Makes sense! :) Thanks! I still can't make that much sense of it, though, but every little bit of an explanation helps! :flower:

I hope this article can give you more clarification: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/different-porosity-same-hair.html?m=1

[lapushka]

I hope this article can give you more clarification: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/different-porosity-same-hair.html?m=1

Thank you! :D

[KokoroDragon]

I watched a YouTube video on porosity once (I don't remember who the creator was). I think they rated hair from 1-5, with 1 being the lowest porosity and 5 being the highest. Most people fall between 2 and 4, 1 is a very small portion of people and 5 is extreme damage. IIRC, they said the only time porosity affects how your hair likes to be treated is if you're a 1 or 5. The rest of us needn't worry about porosity, because it just doesn't matter that much.

[Bri-Chan]

I think people naturally adjust their hair routine around - also - prosity. I mean, I think that it is in someway intuitive.
On the other hand, I think that it's too simple to choose a product or a routine that is supposed to work on every hair with that level of porosity because there are a lot of other factors involved.
In my specific case, my hair is bleached so high porosity, all over. But what I do is supposed to work on medium porosity hair, because that works better on me.

[florenonite]

I don't think it hurts to be aware of porosity and understanding different types of hair damage that can occur, but one needs to keep the big picture in mind and understand that there is much more to hair than porosity.

I certainly notice three different porosity levels (on top of the other cumulative damage) throughout my hair as I grow out bleach damage. I've got very high porosity ends, a relatively nice medium porosity section, and then my virgin hair which very much seems like low porosity. But contrary to people saying that long drying times are a sign of low porosity, I think it can also go the other way. My roots dry the absolute fastest, and I think that could indeed be because of porosity: since the cuticles are so tightly shut together, the hair doesn't even get very soaked in water and therefore not much needs to get out either.

My roots dry the fastest, too, but I think that's the warmth from my scalp more than anything else; if I'm wetting my hair enough to get a good lather from the shampoo, I'm wetting it enough that it gets absolutely sodden. That said, I have hard water and very dense hair, so I can easily spend five or more minutes just lathering and rinsing my hair; it doesn't take nearly so long to dry if, say, I just get caught in the rain and the water doesn't really penetrate.

ETA: My damaged ends dry about as fast as my roots, and it's the healthy length between that takes the longest, so the higher porosity hair at the end definitely takes less time to dry. That said, given that my hair is dense, I think it also takes less time to dry at the scalp/roots simply because it's less dense there compared to at the length, where it tends to clump together more.

[AutobotsAttack]

Interesting post! I have no idea what porosity my hair is. I would be interested to know your views on water only washing and hair porosity - how does sebum affect it? My hair dries quickly yet takes a while to get wet.

I don’t really mind water only washing. I have highly textured, and processed hair, so it’s gonna take a while for the sebum to reach a length that’s even remotely noticeable or beneficial. That’s if it’ll even ever reach the very ends of my hair.

Sebum in general is mostly hydrophobic, but it does exhibit some hydrophilic tendencies in that it will hold onto a certain amount of moisture to keep the hair from drying out quickly.

I’d say in a completely virgin head of hair, one possessing maybe short-ish, medium length, water only washing could prove extremely beneficial. Or even longer heads of hair, in which the sebum is mechanically distributed as far down as possible.

As far as hair taking a while to get wet, it varies between individuals, and whatever magnitude of “getting wet” one experiences. If you jumped in a pool, or completely submerged yourself in a bathtub I’m sure your entire head of hair would be soaking wet quite quickly. So there’s a lot of factors at play. Espeacially by how you wet your hair in the shower.

Dry time also varies. The temperature in your own home can fluctuate, as can the humidity, etc. sometimes my roots dry instantly, sometimes they’re still damp the next morning.

So again, I feel like hair isn’t really set with one type of porosity, and I don’t really think the degree of said porosity is constant either.

[ynne]

I guess I'm one of the people who are affected by this aspect of hair a lot! Most of my routine is built around managing its porosity. It's still far from perfect or reliable, though.

Fimu, I think my hair must be high porosity, and it's not caused by damage, it just grows that way. I can't really think of any other aspect that could affect it to this degree, especially around the roots where sebum should have an easier time spreading. It doesn't really feel great that some people go as far as to equate the two even if it were technically correct. :/

[Fimu]

I guess I'm one of the people who are affected by this aspect of hair a lot! Most of my routine is built around managing its porosity. It's still far from perfect or reliable, though.

Fimu, I think my hair must be high porosity, and it's not caused by damage, it just grows that way. I can't really think of any other aspect that could affect it to this degree, especially around the roots where sebum should have an easier time spreading. It doesn't really feel great that some people go as far as to equate the two even if it were technically correct. :/

It would be interesting if "hair porosity" would be redefined so that it will mean something different than the degree of cuticle damage.

On a side note in general, if the hair is processed with chemicals, the fatty layer is removed from the cuticle layer but it doesn't always mean the cuticles are broken off more quickly.

[Fethenwen]

Sure, there are many other factors to consider than just porosity. I guess if you fall into the middle or perhaps have mixed porosity, it doesn't really matter much if hair porosity is not taken that much into account.

My hair on the other hand is low porosity, so there are some things that I found works so much better since I learned that. As an example, like oiling my hair. If I oil on dry hair = hair disaster. Oil too often = hair disaster. Oil when there isn't enough humidity and haven't moisturized before oiling = hair disaster. That's because oil tends to build up really quick and prevents moisture from entering the hair shaft. Also a reason why cones do not work for me. I still love to use oils, if used sparingly they can do wonders and increase hair growth.

Also :D ... without clarifying shampoo, I think I would be stuck at shoulder length hair!

[lapushka]

I have tried, again, to look more into it, but the more I read... the more it just plain confuses me. I mean, I get it that if you dye or bleach that porosity goes up but... I mean...? People with virgin hair with high porosity? I just don't get it. :shrug: I mean maybe if your hair is long enough that the ends are really weathered and have gone through it, but...? Yeah... I don't get it. I can't get it through my thick head.

But you know then there *are* people with low porosity, so low that chemical services just don't do a thing, so... It really is something! :hmm:

But I think it just goes above my head, to be honest!

[Mariekeeee14]

I watched a YouTube video on porosity once (I don't remember who the creator was). I think they rated hair from 1-5, with 1 being the lowest porosity and 5 being the highest. Most people fall between 2 and 4, 1 is a very small portion of people and 5 is extreme damage. IIRC, they said the only time porosity affects how your hair likes to be treated is if you're a 1 or 5. The rest of us needn't worry about porosity, because it just doesn't matter that much.

That video was from ManesbyMell, a great curly hair content creator for people whose hair reacts well to silicones.


It would be interesting if "hair porosity" would be redefined so that it will mean something different than the degree of cuticle damage.

On a side note in general, if the hair is processed with chemicals, the fatty layer is removed from the cuticle layer but it doesn't always mean the cuticles are broken off more quickly.

But it doesn’t. It just says something about how flat your cuticles lay. That’s why it’s possible for people with virgin hair to have a high porosity

[Ylva]

My roots dry the fastest, too, but I think that's the warmth from my scalp more than anything else; if I'm wetting my hair enough to get a good lather from the shampoo, I'm wetting it enough that it gets absolutely sodden. That said, I have hard water and very dense hair, so I can easily spend five or more minutes just lathering and rinsing my hair; it doesn't take nearly so long to dry if, say, I just get caught in the rain and the water doesn't really penetrate.

ETA: My damaged ends dry about as fast as my roots, and it's the healthy length between that takes the longest, so the higher porosity hair at the end definitely takes less time to dry. That said, given that my hair is dense, I think it also takes less time to dry at the scalp/roots simply because it's less dense there compared to at the length, where it tends to clump together more.

That would most definitely play a part as well, but in my own case, I had fully bleached roots not too long ago, so in comparison to that, my virgin roots dry a lot faster.

My hair also dries last in the mid sections, so I'm not saying that porosity is the only thing that affects drying time. With my high-porosity ends being much thinner than the mid section, naturally it dries faster.

[florenonite]

That would most definitely play a part as well, but in my own case, I had fully bleached roots not too long ago, so in comparison to that, my virgin roots dry a lot faster.

My hair also dries last in the mid sections, so I'm not saying that porosity is the only thing that affects drying time. With my high-porosity ends being much thinner than the mid section, naturally it dries faster.

Oh, that's interesting. I wonder if it might also be because my hair is quite dense, so by the time I've actually gotten all my hair wet the water has sunk in past the cuticle (which would also perhaps explain why my length takes so long to dry, because even if I comb it it still clumps together).