Why Hair Porosity Matters (And How to Test Yours)

You may know your curl type now, but do you know your hair’s porosity? If not, it might be the missing piece in your hair care routine. Porosity is all about how your hair absorbs and holds moisture, and understanding it can completely change how you care for your curls, from the products you use to how long your styles last.

What Is Hair Porosity?

Porosity refers to the structure of your hair’s cuticle, the outer layer that protects each strand. The cuticle is made up of overlapping “scales”, and how open or closed those scales are determines how moisture enters and leaves your hair.

There are three levels of porosity:

Low

Medium

High

How to Test Your Hair’s Porosity

Here are three easy ways to test your hair’s porosity at home!:

1. The Water Cup Test

• Take a clean strand of dry, shed hair (one that isn’t coated in product)
• Drop it into a glass of room-temperature water
• Wait 2-4 minutes and observe:
• If it floats, you have low porosity
• Sinks slowly to the middle, you have medium porosity
• Sinks quickly to the bottom, you have high porosity

2. The Spray Bottle Test

• Lightly spray a small section of dry hair with water
• Observe how the water reacts to your hair
• If it sits on top or beads up, you have low porosity
• If it absorbs slowly and evenly, you have medium porosity
• If it soaks in instantly and disappears, you have high porosity

3. Watch How Your Hair Behaves

• Pay attention to how your hair acts on wash day and in daily styling:
• Low porosity hair takes a long time to get wet and even longer to dry. Products tend to sit on top of the hair, and can even cause often buildup.
• Medium porosity hair absorbs water and products well. It holds moisture and products easily.
• High porosity hair absorbs moisture fast but loses it quickly. It may feel dry, tangle easily, or frizz more, especially after damage or heat.

Why Porosity Matters For Your Routine

Once you know your porosity, you can choose products and routines that actually work for your curls.

For Low Porosity Hair care

• You should look for lightweight and water-based products that absorb easily, and incorporate steaming when deep-conditioning
• You should avoid heavy butters and product buildup

For Medium Porosity Hair care

• You should look for balanced formulas that hydrate and define
• You should avoid too much protein or oil layering

For High Porosity Hair care

• You should look for rich creams, butters, and oils that seal in moisture, and leave-ins with protein to strengthen your strands
• You should avoid drying shampoos and skipping moisturizing your hair

Let’s Chat!

What’s your Hair Porosity? Did you use any of the methods I mentioned above to figure it out? I prefer and used the spray bottle test to figure out I have medium porosity! Have you noticed any products or techniques work better than others for your hair porosity?

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