Medium Porosity Hair Guide + Recommended Products

Medium porosity hair is often described as ‘normal,’ and it’s usually easier to care for than high or low porosity hair.

However, you can’t neglect your medium porosity hair if you want a beautiful, healthy mane. It’s essential to pick the right products and techniques to care for your tresses if you want them to look their best.

So this guide will tell you how to identify medium porosity hair and how to take care of it. We’ll also share some recommended hair care products that will help you keep your normal porosity hair looking fabulous!

What Is Medium Porosity Hair?

Hair porosity describes how well hair can absorb and retain moisture. You might have high, low, or medium porosity hair or even have different porosity levels on different parts of your head.

To understand porosity, you first need to understand your hair structure. All hair is made up of three layers:

• The medulla is the soft center of the hair shaft. 
• Next comes the thick cortex layer that gives your hair strength and color.
• Finally, the hair structure has a protective outer layer called the cuticle.

The cuticle layer is covered with scales that can open slightly to absorb moisture and nutrients. The hair cuticles should then close to keep them locked inside the hair strand, which is essential for good hair health.

You can read more about porosity in our Guide to Hair Porosity.

How Does Medium Porosity Hair Differ From High & Low Porosity Hair?

Low porosity hair has closely packed cuticles, so absorbing hydration is difficult but the strands can retain moisture easily.

The widely spaced, loose cuticles of high porosity hair means it absorbs moisture easily but then can’t hold moisture well. 

Medium porosity hair falls between these two. The strands have slightly raised cuticles so it absorbs and retains moisture well, which makes it easier to manage.

Characteristics of Medium Porosity Hair

Medium porosity hair can easily maintain a healthy level of hydration and is often described as normal porosity. 

Here are some of the characteristics to look out for:

• Absorbs water easily
• Air dries easily
• Easy to style and manage
• Holds a curl pattern well
• Maintains a color easily 

Medium porosity hair may be prone to frizz or tangles but not as severely as high porosity strands.

How Does Hair Become More Porous?

Maintaining healthy porosity is a delicate balancing act. If your strands are exposed to excessive chemical treatments, direct heat, or aggressive brushing, the cuticle layer can become damaged. This makes the hair more porous.

There are other ways to damage the hair cuticles. For example, too much protein can affect your hair’s protein/moisture balance and leave it brittle. Hair care products and styling products containing silicones can cause product buildup on the strands, which makes it harder for them to absorb moisture and nutrients. 

How Can I Tell if I Have Medium Porosity Hair?

If you’re unsure which hair porosity type you have, here are two easy ways to check.

The water test is a simple way to check your hair’s porosity, but it isn’t always 100% accurate.

Snip a few strands of clean, dry hair and drop them in a glass of water. If you have long hair, cutting each strand into two pieces for testing is a good idea, as the porosity can be different at the roots and ends. 

A lower porosity strand will float at the top of the glass, while high porosity hair will sink quickly to the bottom.

If you have medium porosity hair, you’ll see your strands sinking slowly to the bottom. That’s because medium porosity hair absorbs water slower than a high porosity strand. 

The second option is to observe how quickly your strands become saturated if you spray them with water from a spray bottle. 

High porosity hair will soak through quickly, while a low porosity strand will take much longer. You’ll see beads of water forming on medium porosity hair at first, then the hair shaft will become saturated fairly quickly.

How To Take Care of Medium Porosity Hair

Medium porosity hair is often described as ‘normal hair’ and doesn’t need too much special treatment. However, it’s easy to damage the cuticle layer and increase your hair’s porosity, so gentle care is essential. 

Avoid Sulfates

It’s important to use a gentle shampoo that won’t strip your hair’s natural oils. Choose a shampoo that doesn’t contain sulfates, phthalates, silicones, or mineral oils, as these can lead to fragile, dehydrated hair. 

Using a clarifying shampoo once or twice a month will eliminate any product build up, but always follow up with a deep conditioner.

Condition regularly

Regular conditioning after each shampoo will keep your hair soft and prevent the hair cuticles from becoming dehydrated.

Avoid conditioners containing silicones as these can build up on your strands. This makes it hard for your hair to absorb the hydration and nutrients needed for healthy hair growth.

Detangle carefully

If your hair is prone to tangles, regular detangling will reduce the risk of knots, split ends, and breakage. 

Always saturate the strands with a detangling product, hair oil, or leave-in conditioner before you start, and use a wide-tooth comb to work out the tangles. Start at the bottom of the strands and work upwards, holding your hair at the mid-lengths to reduce the pressure on your roots.

Sleeping on satin or silk pillowcases offers protection against tangling overnight, as it reduces friction between the strands.

Avoid Heat and Chemicals

Medium porosity hair can easily become more porous if it’s damaged by external factors like heat styling tools and chemical treatments.

It’s better to let your hair air dry whenever possible and only use blow dryers or hot styling tools occasionally. Always apply a heat protectant first to protect your strands.

The Best Medium Porosity Hair Products

Choosing the right products for your natural hair type and porosity is essential if you want gorgeous, healthy locks. If you’re unsure which hair texture you have, check out our Curly Hair Type Quiz.

If you have medium porosity hair, you’ll have a wide range of hair care products to choose from. Here are some tips on what to look for:

Shampoos

Look for a shampoo that suits your specific hair texture, but avoid products that contain harsh cleansing agents like sulfates as they can dry out your hair. 

For example, Type 4c hair tends to be dry, so your curls will need an intensely hydrating shampoo like Jessicurl Gentle Lather Shampoo, which is sulfate-free so it won’t weigh down your hair.

Conditioner

Using rinse-out conditioners and leave-in conditioners every time you shampoo will keep your hair soft and shiny. 

A medium weight conditioner like MopTop Daily Conditioner will infuse your strands with enough hydration to keep them balanced.

Protein and Moisture Treatments

Protein is vital for healthy hair as it strengthens the hair shaft and reduces breakage, but it’s essential to balance protein and moisture to prevent hair from becoming brittle. 

You can either alternate between protein and moisturizing treatments or use a combined treatment like Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair Hair Mask to maintain a healthy protein/moisture balance.

Medium porosity hair is pretty balanced with the protein and moisture so don’t go overboard with these treatments!

Hair Oils

A penetrating oil like sweet almond oil will help deliver moisture into your strands and can also be used for scalp massage. Follow up with a light sealing oil like jojoba oil to help lock in the moisture.

Medium porosity hair can benefit from using lighter sealing products to prevent frizz.

Styling Products

Layering lightweight products is the best option for styling medium porosity hair. 

Use a styling balm or curl cream like MopTop Curly Hair Cream to moisturize your curls and make them pop. A lightweight styling gel like TWIST Weather Up Gel will give your hair hold and definition while keeping frizz under control. 

Always apply a heat protectant before blow drying your hair or using hot styling tools to prevent heat damage that can make your hair more porous.

FAQs

Still curious about medium porosity hair? Check out the answers to these frequently asked questions:

Is Protein Necessary for Medium Porosity Hair?

A good balance of protein and moisture is essential for good hair health. Balancing protein and moisturizing treatments will avoid too much protein, which causes your hair to become brittle, or too much moisture, leading to hygral fatigue.

Is Rice Water Good for Medium Porosity Hair?

Rice water contains essential nutrients like biotin, zinc, and vitamin E. Using a rice water rinse once a month is a great way to maintain boost definition in medium porosity hair. 

How Often Can I Wash My Medium Porosity Hair?

You can wash medium porosity hair as frequently as your hair texture needs, which could be once a week or every day. Check out our hair texture guides for tips on how to care for natural hair.

Should I Use Heated Styling Tools on Medium Porosity Hair?

Frequent exposure to heated styling tools can damage the cuticle layer on your hair strands, turning medium porosity hair into high porosity hair. 

It’s better to avoid blow drying your hair or using heated styling tools too frequently, keep the temperature low, and always apply a heat protectant first to avoid hair damage.

The Bottom Line

If you want a gorgeous, healthy mane of hair, understanding your hair’s texture, density, and porosity is essential. These are key pieces of information that make caring for your hair easier.

Medium porosity hair is generally easier to care for than high or low porosity strands. However, it’s still vital to choose the right products and techniques. Paying careful attention to healthy hair is the best way to prevent the damage that could keep your hair from looking fabulous.