Most of us are familiar with the classic hair porosity test, where strands of clean, product-free hair are dropped into water to see whether or not it floats or sinks; however, this method cannot accurately determine your specific porosity type.
There are multiple ways you can test the porosity of your hair!
How to Test
When combing your locks, hair porosity can be determined by observing the condition of your cuticle – the outer layer that protects and coats the strands like scales on roof shingles. Low porosity occurs when cuticles are tightly bound together, preventing moisture penetration into strands; on the other hand, high porosity has open holes or gaps, allowing more moisture to pass in and out freely through each strand.
Your hair’s porosity can be determined in several different ways. A popular method is dropping a strand into a glass of water: If it floats to the top, your porosity is low; otherwise, it indicates higher porosity levels.
Misting some strands with water from a spray bottle and watching their reaction is another method for testing porosity. If they quickly absorb it, this indicates high porosity; otherwise, if they rest on the surface for some time before drinking, medium porosity.
The Glass of Water Test
TikTok users have shared a hack in which dipping one hair strand into the water can determine its porosity and help you select products to use for it. The video, which has over 5.8 million views on TikTok, describes that when your strand sinks or floats in the liquid, you will know its density and can choose products accordingly.
However, this method needs to be more scientific. Salem Wynter-Baxter of Root2tip says many factors determine whether a strand sinks or floats, including the density of hair and its health, as well as different contaminants that could pollute a glass of water – thus distorting any accurate reflection of your environment.
The Hair Shed Test
The hair shedding test is an easy and practical way to identify conditions associated with abnormal hair growth. On three consecutive days without shampooing, men comb forward over a pillowcase of contrasting color for 60 seconds each day without shampooing before counting any shed hairs that come loose. This method provides a reliable sample over time and has proven helpful for monitoring or diagnosing conditions associated with excessive hair shedding, such as telogen effluvium or androgenetic alopecia.
The Finger Test
An easy finger test can tell you if your nails and fingers have become clubbed, which could indicate certain health conditions. The Schamroth window test, available online or at home, efficiently diagnoses this condition.
The Finger-to-Nose test measures coordinated, target-driven movement of the upper extremity that may be lost with cerebellar pathology. An examiner places their index finger approximately arm’s length away to perform it and asks the patient to touch it with their index finger.
It can also be used to check for hand numbness.
Unfortunately, two-finger tests are forbidden under India’s Rape and Sexual Violence Act of 2012, but many individuals may use this test unwittingly for personal gain.
