Porosity 101

Porosity is how easily your hair absorbs and holds moisture. It explains why a product that transforms your friend's hair does nothing for yours.

The float test

1. Take a clean strand of shed hair (no product on it)

2. Drop it into a glass of room-temperature water

3. Wait 2–4 minutes

• Floats on top → low porosity: your cuticle lies flat. Products sit on your hair; use light layers, gentle heat (a warm towel) to help absorption, and avoid heavy butters as your first layer.
• Sinks slowly to the middle → medium porosity: the easiest to manage. Most routines work; keep a healthy protein-moisture balance.
• Sinks fast → high porosity: your cuticle is raised (genetics, heat or chemical damage). Hair drinks product but loses it just as fast. Seal aggressively — leave-in, oil, then butter — and use protein treatments monthly.

One head, several porosities

Your edges may be high porosity while your crown is low. Treat sections individually; there is no single rule.

Take our Hair Journey quiz and we will factor porosity into your product matches automatically.