Hair Porosity Test
Answer 8 quick questions to discover if you have low, medium, or high porosity hair and get personalized product recommendations.
What is Hair Porosity?
Hair porosity refers to your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. It's determined by the condition of your hair's cuticle layer – the outermost protective layer.
Low Porosity
Cuticles are tightly closed. Hair resists moisture but retains it well once absorbed.
Medium Porosity
Cuticles are slightly raised. Hair absorbs and retains moisture easily.
High Porosity
Cuticles are raised or damaged. Hair absorbs moisture quickly but loses it fast.
Yes, your hair porosity can change. Heat styling, chemical treatments, bleaching, and environmental factors can increase porosity over time by damaging the cuticle layer.
The float test: Take a clean strand of hair and place it in water. If it floats, you have low porosity. If it sinks slowly, medium porosity. If it sinks quickly, high porosity.
Medium porosity is often considered ideal as it absorbs and retains moisture well. However, every porosity type can have healthy, beautiful hair with the right care routine.
Low porosity hair benefits from lightweight, liquid-based products, heat-activated conditioners, and humectants like glycerin and honey. Avoid heavy butters and oils that sit on top. Learn more in our low porosity hair routine guide.
High porosity hair needs rich deep conditioners, protein treatments, sealing oils, and the LOC/LCO layering method to lock in moisture. Minimize heat styling and sleep on silk. See our high porosity hair routine for a full guide.
The Curly Girl Method can be adapted for all porosity types, but product choices differ. Low porosity needs lighter products, while high porosity benefits from richer formulas. Check out our curly hair routine for porosity-specific tips.
💡 Pro tip: Different parts of your hair may have different porosity levels. Test multiple strands from different areas!