Knowing your hair porosity is one of the most important factors when it comes understanding what products, techniques and routines will work for your wavy and curly hair. Especially when you’re starting the Curly Girl Method. When most people start their curly journey, they frantically try to determine what curly type they have. In a recent post, I spoke about why your curl type doesn’t matter. Hair Porosity does! Think of your hair porosity the same way you would think of skin type: oily, combination, normal and dry. You don’t shop for skincare products based on skin colour or face shape, you shop according to your skin type. The same principle applies when it comes to hair porosity and shopping for hair products. Shop according to your hair porosity. There are three hair porosity types: low, medium and high.
What is Hair Porosity?
Determining your hair porosity is often key to discovering what products and techniques will and won’t work for your hair. So knowing which hair porosity type you have can save you money, time and frustration. But what is it? Hair porosity refers to you hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. The cuticles of the hair shaft determine this. For the most part hair porosity is genetic, but factors like heat, chemical and environmental damage can all have an impact. Hair porosity does not depend on race, climate, hair length or curl pattern.
Things to note about hair porosity tests
If you have thin or thick hair it can cause a little confusion when it comes to hair porosity tests. Because thick hair will naturally take longer to get wet, and then dry. And thin hair will naturally get wet quickly, and dry quicker. All curly hair types experience frizz, low porosity hair is not immune to it. It’s part of having curly hair, regardless of your hair porosity type.
If your hair is dull, limp and lifeless with little curl definition, that’s often a sign you need to clarify. If your hair is dry and frizzy, you may need to do a deep conditioning treatment. Rather than simply meaning you have high porosity hair for example. Heavy creams and rich butters will weigh down any hair type. Especially if you have fine hair strands, or not much hair, no matter how well the product is formulated.
FYI: The float test is a complete myth and waste of time, it’s not accurate! You may as well put a strand of hair out for the fairies to determine what porosity it is.
Hair porosity can also change, due to a few different things. Both for the better, and for the worse. For example, if you colour, highlight or chemically treat your hair, it’s almost always going to become high porosity. Because of the damage these processes do to the hair shaft and cuticle.
The goal, or most ideal porosity, is medium porosity. Hair that is healthy, and cuticles that can open up to absorb moisture and hydration. But then close again, to protect the hair shaft and retain that moisture and hydration. This post is to help you determine what porosity you have, using the tips and characteristics as a starting point. Let’s get started!
Low Porosity Hair Characteristics
- Hair takes a long time to get fully saturated because it naturally repels water.
- Hair dries quickly. Again, because the hair repels water.
- Difficult to hydrate.
- Products tend to build up on the hair, rather than absorb into the hair shaft.
- Natural oils don’t readily penetrate, but rather sit on your hair usually making low porosity hair quite dry and coarse.
- Difficult to chemically and colour treat, especially highlights. Low porosity hair doesn’t take colour well.
- Hair can appear dull or shiny, it depends if there’s buildup.
- Prone to product build up because products can’t penetrate the hair shaft.
- Less prone to breakage and split ends.
- Regular clarifying washes are required to remove build up – see this post for more info on clarifying.
- Hair doesn’t tend to have much elasticity or volume.
- Lightweight products such as gels and mousses work better than curl creams and butters.
- Gentle clarifying shampoos/lo poos are great for low porosity hair.
- You need heat to help open up the cuticles, so moisture and product can penetrate the hair shaft.
- Regular deep conditioning using thermal heat caps are essential for deep conditioning! You can purchase Curl Maven Thermal Heat Caps from my shop.
- For best wash day results, use warm/hot water and apply products to soaking wet hair, when the cuticles are open.
- Use light oils such as argan, grapeseed, mongongo and jojoba.
Low Porosity Protein Myth!
There’s a theory that low porosity hair types should avoid using products that contain protein, or doing protein treatments. That’s simply not true, and misinformation. Our hair is made of protein, all hair is. Every hair type needs protein! That’s like saying short people don’t need to drink water, but tall people need to drink lots of it. We all need to drink water, we are all made primarily of water. Same with hair and protein, all hair needs protein, because it’s made of protein.
Medium Porosity Hair Characteristics
- Hair in it’s most natural, healthy state is medium porosity.
- Usually full of bounce, volume and elasticity – provided the right products and techniques are used. See this post if you’re struggling with root volume.
- Hair doesn’t take too long to get wet, or too long to dry.
- Requires less maintenance and effort choosing which products will/won’t work.
- Easily absorbs and retains moisture inside the cuticle.
- Easier to maintain a healthy protein moisture balance – see this post if that’s something you’re struggling with.
- Holds styles well and can be colored with good results.
- Lightweight products work best, but you can use curl creams provided they’re not loaded with cheap quality, heavy oils and butters.
- Lo poos work great on medium porosity hair, or light weight cleasnsing co-washes.
- Occasional clarifying washes are good practice, but not required as regularly as low porosity hair.
- Hair looks and feels healthy with lots of shine.
- Minimal breakage and split ends.
- Use light oils such as argan, grapeseed, mongongo and jojoba.
High Porosity Hair Characteristics
- Hair easily and quickly absorbs water because it’s so highly porous.
- Hair takes a long time to dry. Often taking hours, or even a day or so if drying naturally.
- If your hair is coloured, highlighted or chemically treated, the damage caused during these processes causes hair to become high porosity.
- High porosity hair absorbs and takes colour really well, because it’s so porous and thirsty, it drinks the colour up.
- Holds moisture for so long it tends to lean towards over-moisturized hair more often than others.
- High porosity hair loves and needs protein.
- Hair is often frizzy – check out this post on how to beat halo frizz.
- Hair gets tangled easily.
- Most prone to breakage and split ends.
- Regular deep conditioning, with a balance of moisture and protein. Moisture because hair porosity hair is dry, protein to repair the damage and heal the hair. See this post all about protein moisture balance.
- Do cold water rinses to close the cuticle.
- Cleansing co-washes are great for high porosity hair, with occasional clarifying, lo poo shampoos.
- Use sealing oils and products to seal moisture into the cuticle after styling.
- Well-formulated shea, coconut and mango butters can be good for high porosity hair. But only if the hair is quite thick/coarse.
Top Tip: When looking for fellow curlies to follow on social media, look out for those who have the same hair porosity as you. There’s a better chance the products and techniques that work for them, will work for you too.
How to Check your Hair Porosity?
There are a couple of ways you can find out your hair porosity. One of the most common ways is the float test using a cup of water. But it’s so inaccurate, I don’t recommend it. I find the wet and dry tests are the best indicators, most consistent and most accurate. The best way to visualise what your hair shaft is like, and to explain the cuticles, is with a pine cone.
A closed pine cone represents low porosity hair. The cuticles are closed, sealed tight, making it harder for water, oils and products to penetrate. I’ve found low porosity hair tends to be drier than other porosity types. An open pine cone represents high porosity hair. The cuticles are open and therefore water, oil and products can easily penetrate it. But the cuticles remain open, meaning hair can easily dry out and tangle. Medium porosity is regarded as the most healthy, and natural state for hair porosity. The cuticle opens to absorb water, oil and products. But also closes back down to protect the hair shaft.
The Wet Test
I find these next two tests are usually the best indicators of hair porosity. It works best on hair that has been recently clarified, to make sure there’s no build up, or heavy oils and butters that may prevent the hair from absorbing water the way it should. To make the test easier to apply and determine the results, take one small section of hair and wet it. If it gets really wet really easily, and it quickly becomes heavy with water, you have high porosity hair. Because high porosity hair loves water and drinks it up.
If your hair takes a long time to get wet, and almost repels the water, you have low porosity hair. Or if you use a spray bottle and lightly mist your hair and beads or droplets of water sit on top of your hair, you also have low porosity hair. If your hair doesn’t repel the water or doesn’t take a long time to get wet. Nor does it get soaking wet really quickly, then you have medium, “normal”, healthy porosity hair. That’s what I have.
Top tip: Grab a friend, partner or child that can operate a phone. Let’s face it, they can pretty much operate a smart phone before they can feed or dress themselves these days! Anyway, give them the phone, and get them to record you taking a section of your hair and wetting it under the shower head. A few seconds or minute or two is all it takes. Then watch the recording back. It’s hugely helpful to be able to actually see how your hair is absorbing or repelling the water to determine if you have high or low porosity, or somewhere in between (medium porosity).
The Dry Test
Again, this is a much more accurate way to determine hair porosity, and probably the most easiest and quickest way to tell which hair porosity you have. This is also where the most confusion, and misinformation on the internet and social media is about hair porosity. Again, the density of your hair can also contribute to drying time. Because thin hair will naturally dry much faster than thick hair, especially if it’s short.
If your hair dries quickly, you have low porosity hair. Because low porosity naturally repels water, it dries faster. Often drying so quickly, you can see it shrinking and drying in just a few minutes. If your hair takes ages to dry, you have high porosity hair. Because high porosity hair loves water and drinks it up. Soaking it up like a sponge and holding onto that water for as long as it can. It can often take hours for high porosity hair to dry naturally, sometimes all day! And I’ve found that high porosity hair tends to always lean a little on the over-moisturized side. NOT more dry and brittle as many people believe.
The Slide Test
I would never use this test as the only way to test hair porosity. More so just a way to confirm it, from the other two tests. Grab a strand of hair on your head, and hold it taught at the end. With your other hand, slide your thumb and finger up the hair shaft. If it feels smooth, it’s low porosity. If it’s bumpy, it’s high porosity.
Hopefully my updated guide to hair porosity has been helpful and now you know what hair porosity you have. Click here to subscribe if you haven’t already, and you can follow me on Instagram or like my Facebook page. Check me out on Pinterest too! Feel free to comment below or send me a message on social media if you have any questions or need help/advice with your curls. Gabriella xoxo
Thermal heat caps are amazing for deep conditioning treatments, especially for low porosity curlies. You can purchase a Curl Maven Thermal Heat Cap on my Shop.
Or this post on protein moisture balance. What protein overload, over moisturised hair and hygral fatigue is like. And how to get your curls to bounce back.
Feeling overwhelmed?
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I’ve been trying to figure out porosity for a while. My hair shaft is smooth and floats in water, but it does dry relatively quickly. Help!
Hi Nia. Do you have fine, low density hair? That might explain why it dries quite quickly. I have fine, low porosity hair but I’ve got LOADS of it so it takes absolutely ages to dry!
hi what about men for short hair thin to fine hair I did the test I have low porosity hair with dandruff scalp and eyebrows so what I have to use shampoo for oily or normal or dandruff shampoo thanks
Hi Admon, most dandruff shampoos aren’t CG friendly, I don’t actually know of any that are. Rice water rinses are actually great for dandruff and dry scalps. You can also do regular scalp massages with an oil, such as any of the ones from Tropic Isle Living. Hope that helps xoxo
Hi dear. Great information but I think you need to clarify a few contradiction in your post low po hair takes longer to dry and high po hair dry quickly because of the open nature of the cuticle. Absorbed quickly and released MOISTURE quickly .
Hi. My 6 year old daughters hair takes long to get wet.. I have to use alot of water. She does have alot of hair an curly. But then it also takes very long to dry.. Wat type of hair does she have. Although She has alot of hair it is thick.. But the texture is fine and curly.. Not sure if this makes sense.
I agree with you, some of this info is incorrect. Low porosity hair takes much longer to dry than high porosity hair.
This is simply not true, as I’ve explained in the post. It’s a common myth and incorrect information that was spread by people who were just passing on the information as if it were fact, thinking it is fact, but it’s not. Low porosity dries fast, high porosity hair takes much longer to dry.
Hello Cailin,
When I do the test my Hair stays at the top of the water.
But my Hair also takes very long to dry also with the hairdryer it takes at least 15 min.
So i don’t know if my Hair is low OR high porosity.
Because of the test I always thought IT was low.
Can you help me?
Greetings Fenna
( From Holland)
Hi Fenna, (what a lovely name!) The glass test is trash and I don’t pay any attention to it. The best way to guage it is to observe how quickly your hair gets wet, and how quickly it dries. If you really want to see, get someone to record you wetting your hair with the shower head and see how easily and quickly your hair gets soaking wet. It works best if your hair has been recently clarified so that build up of moisturizing agents, oils and butters don’t throw off the test results. Hope that helps x
I have a mix of low and medium porosity characteristics with unrelenting frizziness. My hair is gray, not dyed in years and fairly thick. It worked wonderfully for the big hair ’80’s styles. I’ve been doing CGM consistently for several months and unofficially for years. I’ve tried to stay away from silicones because they make my hair feel greasy. I learned that a long time ago. But I’m still having frizz issues. Any advice? My hair is also on the long side. I’m due for a trim and will go to a stylist trained to cut my hair type…
Hi Kathi, frizz can be the cause of a few things. Have you read my post on how to beat halo frizz? A lot of the causes aren’t related to products at all. Then questions like what products are you using, when was the last time you clarified, deep conditioned? I’ll be able to help you more once I know the answers to those questions. x
I actually have both types, the crown is highpo and everything else is lowpo. How do I find the right products to condition my entire head?
Hi Cat, you need to find a healthy balance of protein and moisture for your hair and alternate deep conditioning treatments between the two. I hope that helps! Gabriella xoxo
My length has got to be high porosity- I’ve colored it so much and with some harsh stuff. My roots (about 2 inches of growth)- I’m not so sure about.
Here’s my problem- the length still takes FOREVER to dry- when I have product in. It’s much quicker with no gel. Could it be the product that is making it take so long to dry?
Hi there…Hair Porosity is something that really confuses me. I have tried the float test but I don’t find it reliable. The dry test is definitely more reliable, but I am not sure how long is too long as far as hair drying is concerned. For e.g my hair takes about 3 hours to dry…but the inside layers can feel slightly damp for a bit longer. Would that be considered long enough to be low-po?
With all my readings and observing my hair, I feel mine are medium porosity. I have fine hair like yours, but loads of it, so it takes longer to dry. Also, it does tend to get weighed down and have product buildup – but does not get greasy. So I guess I’m somewhere in the middle.
This is SO helpful! I’ve been trying to figure out how to take care of my daughter’s blond, curly hair for YEARS. She has beautiful hair but it literally dreads in the back when she sleeps…the rest gets tangled like crazy. The tangles happen during the day too and her hair can get so frizzy it looks like she stuck her finger in a electrical outlet. When I wash her hair it is a tangled up mess! Her hair can also look very dull. She has very fine hair strands and her hair is not very thick. She seems to have tighter curls in the front and her hair texture is course there. In the back her hair can actually look straight. I finally took her to a hairdresser who specializes in curly hair. The hair dresser said to NEVER brush my daughter’s hair when its dry but to wet it and spray a good conditioner in it and then brush through with a wide tooth comb or a wet hair brush. I was also told to wash her hair only 2-3 times a week with a sulfate free shampoo (I’ve been using Divacurl Nopoo for wavy hair but I’m not crazy about it) and to do a conditioning mask on wash days rather than just a conditioner. Oh, and to put her hair in a braid before bed to prevent dreading. I thought her hair would be an oily, sticky mess! Guess what! It is not! Her hair is shiny, not frizzy and is even starting to wave/curl in the back! Her front curls are now more defined. It’s just sucking up the moisture and loving it! Does that mean her hair is high porosity??? Also, I think I can do better as far as “shampoo” for her hair. Any recommendations? And where do I get a towel for drying her hair that won’t make it so crazy tangled??? Is there a product I can put in her hair to enhance/define her curl? What is a good clarifying shampoo for the summer/pool season (BLOND curly hair)? Any tips would be appreciated! This is a whole new world to me!
Hi! I suggest using an old adult t-shirt cut into a square, instead of a towel. And when you dry it, just wrap her hair and let it sit for a while. Some people rub their hair roughly with a towel to dry it, and that just disrupts the hair follicle and makes it frizzier and more prone to tangling. I squeeze out as much water as I can in the shower, then wrap it in a t-shirt while I put on body lotion, re-wrap it for a few more minutes with a dryer section of the shirt, and then let it down, put in gel, and air dry. Good luck!
I am currently 15 months into growing my colour out and the difference in my new hair to my years of dyed hair is huge. I’m confused as to the porosity of my hair because the ends are like straw whereas the top half of my hair is soft and bouncy. Could my hair be both low and high porosity?
Yes, your new hair is most likely low porosity and your dyed hair is high porosity. I chose to cut all the dye out of my hair, I didn’t have the patience for two different hair types and needs!
Thank you so much for all this Gabriella!
Finding your page has been great! You get right to the point and explain everything so clearly. Keep up your great work girl
I’m so delighted to read this!! My hair is exactly the same.
I’m one of the 100% Irish with curly/frizzy hair! My mother never knew what to do with my hair as a child, but it got worse as hormones kicked in with adolescence!! Like Gabriella, I only could find products for my hair in London! No-one in Ireland knew anything about managing hair like mine! I was constantly being asked where I got my curls from . I laugh when people with straight hair day that curly hair must be so much easier to manage .
Anyway, I’ve been letting my “silvers” grow out for about a year now. I’d never dyed my hair until about 7 years ago when I discovered my first grey appear! Now that I’ve embraced my new “authentic me” hair I’ve got a completely new head of hair to get to know.
Having had tight corkscrew curls my whole life I’m now struggling to learn how to manage and work with this new head of hair. Curls are looser now. But the real struggle has been finding a conditioning treatment that works for the dual porosity.
I’m still a work in progress …..(aren’t we all!!!)
I’m “new” in curly girl method, only two months, but I see changes in my porosity. When I do the float test at the first time, was low porosity. One month later, I repeated the test and was medium-high porosity. So I think it’s recommended repeating the test specially when you are in transition, because when you removed all the silicones in the shaft it will reveal your natural porosity. Mayte I will repeat the test and see the results to continue learning!
Thanks for your information!
A great read and so many products to try out on my low porosity mature grey hair. Some days you want to jack it in but then these posts keep you on track x
Oh god I’m really struggling at the moment. Used a 3rd of a tube if UG scrunching jelly and still no cast.
Hair feels soft but fluffy. Curls loose too. Did ACV rinse still looks rubbish.
Yet my hair hates protein and coconut.
Okay so first of all, don’t worry to much about your hair not getting a cast, mine doesn’t always either. It’s no biggie. That’s a hell of a lot of gel to be using though. However, soft fluffy hair and loose curls suggests to me your hair is lacking in protein. I know you say your hair doesn’t like protein, but have you tried rice water rinses? Check out this post for more info and maybe give it a try. https://curlmaven.ie/my-rice-water-rinse-routine-results/ Hope that helps xoxo
I am wondering if you can help me figure out my porosity. I have just started on the curly girl method and want to buy the correct products for my hair. I have fine thin hair that gets wet quickly and dries quickly. It also usually looks greasy the next day after washing. I currently bought the low-poo from deva curl and the conditioner to go with it. I am using the frizz free volumizing foam and ultra gel from the same company. I was looking into using the coconut co-wash and wanted to get a clarifying shampoo and deep conditioner when needed. Should I also be using a leave in conditioner?
Hi Ashley, you already have quite a few products there to get you started. You can leave a little of the devacurl one condition in your hair, that way you don’t need a separate leave in conditioner. I’ve got a post on my favourite curly girl products, which includes all the types of products you mentioned, so definitely check that one out. Fine hair can often skew the hair porosity tests because it will naturally wet and dry faster as there’s less hair. So take a look at the other tests and the characteristics to find out which porosity type best describes your hair. Hope that helps xoxo
Over the past four years my hair has gone from wavy and fine to pretty much straight and fine with a few very,very light bends around my face here and there. I think it used to be fairly high porosity, but is now fairly low porosity. It’s shiny but pretty flat and limp. It doesn’t tend to frizz like it used to. Also, I can’t do much with it. It’s just limp and won’t hold a style. I don’t know what happened, but I want my waves and light curls back! I do think I changed what I was using on my hair around that time, but don’t exactly remember. Could this be the cause? Is there a solution possibly?
Hi Valerie, from what you’re describing your hair is like, it sounds to me like you need to clarify your hair, and then do a protein treatment. Check out my posts on clarfiying and my modified rice water rinse routine which you should find helpful. Hope that helps. xoxo
I am trying to figure out my hair porosity and it is all so confusing. I conducted your porosity tests and it is all mixed. Float test: part of my hair floats and parts sunk. Rubbing: my hair strand is bumpy.
My hair gets wet quickly and dries quickly.
It doesn’t take bleach or dye well and always confuses cosmetologist because they expect my hair with it being so thin and fine that’ll dye or bleach fast. I’ve tried low-poo, no-poo, cowash, LUS. My hair is frizzy yet flat the day of washing and greasy the next day. Doesn’t respond well to creams or oils as they’re too heavy. Doesn’t do well with gels, or mousse. I feel lost in the curly girl world but badly want to make this work! 2b-3a type. I wonder if my long hair has something to do with it all? I feel like I am missing something.
Hello, thanks to your blog my husband and I started our CG journey around 2 months ago. so a big THANK YOU!
we haven’t figured out our hair porosity yet. I think mine is medium. but have no idea about hobby’s! his hair is fine, thin really, we have both done the float test, the hair does not sink! so it says low porosity.
But the slide test says high porosity cause it is just very bumpy.
The wet test , I don’t know really but looks like when you pour water on it, it slides and goes away, but when it comes to the dry test his hair dries pretty quicker than mine. on air dry also it dries faster than mine, not super fast but I can’t say if it takes long either. so I am very confused by his porosity!!!?
another issue his hair has, on some wash days, after the hair dries, there appear some strands of hair that at the ends get crazy! and by that I mean like what happens to your earphones when you take them out of the bottom of your purse after a week! if you find one end of the earphone and pull it, there would be long straight/ slightly wavy strand and then the crazy end! after the next wash day the issue is gone but why does this happen we have no idea!!! :/
any suggestions ? 🙂
Hi, I have medium to high porosity coloured hair!!! Can you recommend an intensive conditioner (not leave in as I have a sensitive scalp and is easily irritated). I am always on a budget, hair type 3a/b. Any recommendations? 3 weeks in and it is really making a difference, just ordered hair clips as root volume a bit of an issue!
Thanks again for all the positive comments, your comments on anxiety and depression is bang on xx
Aww thanks Tracey, so if you’ve got coloured hair, you’re going to want something that has protein in it, and olaplex really too – to help rebuild and repair those bonds in the hair that are damaged during the colouring process. I know Olaplex can be expensive, but it’s worth it and personally I think it’s a must if you want to try and maintain as much healthy hair as possible. My favourite protein deep conditioner is Hairfinity Strenghtening Amino Mask, but I REALLY love us use that for my modified rice water treatment. It also means I use a lot less of the DC and it’ lasts longer. Check out that post here> https://curlmaven.ie/my-rice-water-rinse-routine-results/
So I’m pretty confused about my hair’s porosity. The float test says low, as my hair doesn’t sink. Slide test says high, since it’s bumpy both where it’s dyed and not. The wet/dry test says low, but my hair is also thick and thick, so it can be throwing things off. I can’t tell about product buildup because I don’t really use any, but my hair EATS hair dye. Like, the last time I did it myself when my hair was mid-back, it took 3 boxes of dye and I still missed spots. My stylist is always baffled because he has to put on more and more dye because it eats it up like crazy. Any ideas?
My hair is like that with colour too, although I don’t dye it anymore. Yes, having thick hair can throw the methods for testing off. If you take a small section of hair and wet it with the shower head or spray bottle, does that section of hair get wet quickly? If so, you’ve got high porosity hair – which I suspect you have if you colour it. I need to update this Hair Porosity post actually as I’ve learned some new stuff since it was written. I hope that helps. xoxo
Hi,
I’m probably the only person here who wants to ask a rather awkward question: can one do the porosity test after you’ve completed your washday routine or straight after you’ve cleansed your hair?
After you’ve cleansed your hair. But really, it’s easier to take a general look at the characteristics, does it take a long time for your hair to get wet? Or dry etc etc.
My hair is chemically damaged so I cut it twice. It will not hold moisture but it dries very quickly. I’m confused on what porosity I have. My hair looks very dry all day every day. I’m going to try Curls green collection in a few weeks but it is so depressing how dry my hair looks and feels. I cant find any products that help
Hi Kheri, it sounds like your hair is low porosity. When was the last time you clarified? What products are you using? And how often do you deep condition?
How can her hair be low porosity if it dries very quickly??
I am in my forties and have hair which is a thin amount on the top and sides, but a more normal amount at the back. The actual hair strands are also quite thin. My hair tangles and breaks easily, and often looks like candy floss in the morning. It doesn’t hold onto straightening and fuzzes up quickly. Oh, and it gets greasy quickly so I have to wash it every day. An attractive description, no?
Having read the descriptions on here I think my hair type is high porous, and curl type is a 2. The bottom of the back curls quite a lot, but the rest just kind of kinks and puffs out. I tend to straighten it, even though it doesn’t hold, and then put it back in a pony tail when it starts doing its thing. I’d like to try to embrace and enhance any natural wave or curl I have since it won’y stay straight anyway, is very thin and I’m aware that under the circumstance I should be avoiding heat!
Am I suitable to try Curly Girl? The washing thing is a particular worry as it needs washing every day.
Any advice greatfully received! Thanks.
Hi Emma, so yes, firstly, the curly girl method is for everyone, even those without curly hair because it’s based on a much more natural care and treatment of hair, all hair types. There’s a lot going on, but try to keep it simple, certainly at the beginnning. I would definitely ditch the heat tools as they are doing nothing but damage to your hair. Take a look at this post: https://curlmaven.ie/what-is-the-curly-girl-method/ as to what the curly girl method is and other things you need to do/stop doing. Personally I don’t believe that hair needs washing every day, and often your hair seems greasy because there is an over production of oil/sebum to hydrate the hair because it’s so dry from daily washing. It will take a few weeks for your hair’s oil/sebum production to regulate itself and get used to washing less frequently but the health of your hair and scalp will be much better in the long run. Hope that helps! Gabriella x
Hello Cailin!
I have fine 2B, C waves and I color my hair (to hide the greys). I did the test by running my fingers up and down a strand of my hair and it is smooth (low po); my hair dries quickly (low po); my hair gets wet quickly (hi po). With both results what does this mean? Can I have two types of porosity? Suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Diane, your hair may get wet quickly if you don’t have thick hair, or a lot of hair, or short hair. But yes, you can different porosity types on your head. Hope that helps x
Hi,
When I was little I had very curly hair. Now it is just wavy, it seems. Each hair is fine, but I have a lot of it. I also have a very aggravating problem. Because my hair is so thick/dense, I have to get it cut in layers or it gets poofy. Not sure what else to call it. When it is cut in layers, it sticks out in the same places all of the time. I don’t know if I have cowlicks in these places on the sides or what, but I would like to try going curly, but when I let my hair air dry, there is no structure to it. It’s just a wreck of a bunch of sticking out hair. I have not done any porosity tests as I just came across this site today. I am wondering if I change things to go curly it will help. Thanks!
Hi Shelley, are you using any styling products? Or just letting it dry naturally with no product? Because if I did that my hair would be really poofy and sticking out too. I have just published a new post on my styling routine using the LMG method if you want to check that out: https://curlmaven.ie/the-lmg-method/ Hope that helps x
Hi I love your website and writing style. I am excited to learn curly care; however, I am confused. If porosity is the most important guideline for curly hair care, I wish I knew if I was Low or High. I was wondering if you would give me your opinion? I usually shampoo my hair every 4 days. I don’t use styling products except aloe gel and water in a spray bottle, and air-dry. I have a bit of an oily scalp with dry ends. I am brand new to curly care. Below are my test results:
Low Porosity:
dries slowly
hair floats at top and barely below top of glass
takes quite a while to really get hair wet
High Porosity:
hair is not shiny at all; looks & feels dull, looks shiny only when professionally blown which is rare
hair color absorbs very well; must be careful not to pull color through or it goes black
frizzy
tangles easily
bumpy shaft
Thanks!
Hi Lisa, thank you so much for your kind, sweet words. Okay so from what you said, I think you probably have high porosity hair (dries slowly, absorbs colour very well, bumpy shaft) that’s got some build up (takes a while to get wet, not shiny) so you need to clarify your hair to get rid of that (see this post:https://curlmaven.ie/why-when-you-should-clarify-your-hair/) and you need to deep condition, which will help with the shine, frizz, tangles and overall health of your hair. Hope that helps and makes sense! x
Gabriella, what kind of sealing products do you recommend to seal the cuticle in hi po hair? And, when do you apply when layering products?
Thanks! I love your articles <3
HI Kat, I don’t really subscribe to “sealing products” – certainly not oils anyway. I prefer to layer my styling products and almost always finish with a gel to “seal” everything in. Hope that helps and answers your question. x
What’s the best course of action for mixed strands? Some of my hair strands are high porosity and some are low. I’m really struggling with making my hair look good because the textures of the strands are all so dramatically different. I know people often have mixed curl patterns, but I the thickness and porosity are my strands are highly variable. I would greatly appreciate any thoughts
regular clarifying and deep conditioning with heat and a good deep conditioner. x
I’m really confused. High porosity hair finds it really difficult to hold on to moisture so i don’t understand how it would therefore take ages to dry. The cuticle is open so the moisture escapes. It usually dries really quickly in my experience.
That’s the misinformation that we’ve all seen, read, been told by various people, in various corners of the internet and social media etc. But it’s not actually correct. High porosity hair takes a long time to dry, low porosity hair dries quickly.
I agree my experience and logic says low porosity takes longer to get moisture in and once in locks it in and it takes longer to dry since the cuticle is tight and high porosity/damaged cuticles don’t hold moisture well so it dries faster
I truly don’t believe that’s true. Otherwise I wouldn’t have updated my post. Just because it’s what is widely believed to be true, doesn’t make it factual. Believe me, I have spent a long time researching this and making sure I had all my facts checked and straight before I made the changes to this post. Low porosity hair repels water, it doesn’t soak it in, therefore, it doesn’t then hold the water too. Low porosity hair dries fast. High porosity hair dries slowly.
I don’t understand how high porosity hair can dry slowly when the cuticles are open so water evaporates from the hair shaft quickly. I’ve done hairdressing and this is my experience and what I was taught when studying. Do you have any science articles you could point me in the direction of so that I can better understand this? Thank you
Agreed. Low porosity hair takes longer to dry. There is scientific information to back this up. I also would like to see the information she has used to state otherwise in this blog. I have every characteristic of low porosity hair except my hair, once wet, takes forever to dry. That doesn’t make sense. This blog is awesome and has been so informative as I begin my CG journey, but I’d really like to see this updated with the science.
I agree, low porosity hair always takes a long while to dry. I have researched this and no source says the opposite, even both my stylists know this to be true. I have low porosity hair, rain beads on my hair and doesn’t soak in, same with the spray test but once my hair finally gets wet in the shower (again takes a good while) drying takes a very, very long time.
this simply isn’t true and is inaccurate misunderstanding
Hi Gabriella
Thanks for this post – I’m still super confused, though 😉 Here’s what I’m dealing with:
Long hair, lots of frizz, often feels drygets tangled really easily. Usually dries in 2-3 hours. When doing the slide test, my hair doesn’t feel bumpy, but a little rough if I compare it to going the other way down the strand. Trying the wet test, I just don’t know what “quickly” is. I’ve never noticed that it was quick or slow to get wet, just kinda normal 🙂
My hair gets oily easily around the roots and the face.
Any idea what kind of porosity I have?
Thanks for helping out!!
Hi Marie, it sounds like you’ve got medium-high porosity hair. Your frizz could be due to a few different reasons, check out my post on halo frizz to trouble shoot that. But from what you’ve described, I’d say medium – high porosity hair.
Thank you so much for your advice! Please can you tell me what hair porosity you have?
I have medium porosity
The information you have here is incorrect. High porosity hair dries quickly , low porosity hair takes hours sometimes days to dry. Do your research.
Excuse me, mind your tone on my blog please. I have done my research, years of it. And what I have written in this blog post is correct. Low porosity repels water, it dries quickly. You may choose to disagree with me, but don’t be so rude and dismissive on my blog. Do your own research and use some common sense and logic.
Low porosity hair rappears to repel water that is on it because it is hard for water to penetrate the hair strand due to closed cuticles. And precisely for this same reason, it is hard for the water that does penetrate the cuticle to leave it. So the hair takes a long time to dry.
And following that same reasoning, for high porisity hair water can enter and leave the hair strand easily because the cuticles are very open, thus the hair saturates and dries faster.
I’m sorry Vic, but I disagree and haven’t found that to be the case. Believe me, I put a lot of research into this post and I stand by what I say. I haven’t got my information wrong.
I agree, all the stylists and science will say low porosity takes forever to dry. This blog is the only one who seems to got mixed up. I have textbook low porosity hair that when you spray it with water, it doesn’t absorb, same if I went out in the rain, it just beads on the top. Once I finally soak it in the shower (after a while of working the water in) it takes absolutely forever to dry.
You most likely have build up and need to clarify, or you use products that contain a lot of oils or heavy, rich emollients and butters.
In my experience of having high porosity hair for a very long time due to colouring and the wrong products, Gabriella’s explanation is spot on! My hair got wet in an instant and would take all day to dry. (Also frizzy) Since using the CGM and growing my colour out, I now have much lower porosity, shinier, healthier hair with frizz free waves. (I use As I Am products)
As someone with low porosity hair who literally just did a protein treatment (curls blueberry bliss reparative wash + curls blueberry bliss reparative mask- thank you for the rec), I can definitely verify that the protein myth is completely untrue! Its when my hair routine has had protein in it that I’ve gotten my best curl results! I just make sure that not all my products have protein and I’m totally fine! Also thank you so much for the info on clarifying and protein treatments through your blog posts! I clarify and did a protein treatment on my hair for the first time and it’s never looked better! I absolutely adore the blueberry bliss mask and the bounce curl clarifying shampoo and I cant thank you enough for the recommendations!
Should the wet test be done on hair with no products in it just washes and conditioned with no shampoo in it? If so my hair get wet i think fairly quickly and it dries fast with no products in it. With products it takes all day to air dry. My hair looks dull when no products are in it. It’s frizzy very frizzy with no products in it. It takes up colour fast when i dye which i don’t do anymore. It is fine to normal hair but dense and a bit longer then shoulder length. I just can’t figure out if i have low or high porosity? my hair looks dry if there is no product in it.
Hi Charlene, I don’t think the wet and dry tests have to be done on product free hair. It just comes from regular observations of how your hair gets wet and how long it takes to dry on wash days. Your hair sounds like it might be medium porosity, you just need to do regular deep conditioning treatments (dull, frizzy, dry). Hope that helps.
I think your right about my hair being medium porosity. My son has totally different hair then everyone else in the family hair like my mom. It repels water you have to squish the water in to get the hair wet and his hair is very thick and course it dries very quickly just towel drying it then it’s dry. His hair is not curly however. I’m glad to know my porosity finally.
I’ve been recommended to try CGM and am researching with a view to start. Water spray sits like beads on my hair, so I guess I’m a low porosity. I have fine hair which is wavy and will curl with work, after using straightening irons for the last few months my hair looks duller and I would love curly hair again. Can you recommend the products that would suit me best to get started? It’s condition is not too bad, is coloured, shoulder length with view to growing again. I’m 43 ! I’ve also read to do a 1st clarifying wash, and read from a hairdresser that this is not necessary as the system will get rid of the buildup of silicone etc. With thanks !
Hi Angelina, it’s not as simple as that I’m afraid, but I have a few posts on how to build a curly girl routine and my favourite products, so definitely check those blog posts out.
Hello,
I am very confused about my hair porosity. When I wash it and put conditioner on it and I let it air dry. It dries fast. However, If I add a product to my hair after shampooing and conditioning my hair, it takes almost two days for my hair to dry. Am I low porosity or high porosity?
Yes that can happen, especially if the styling products you’re applying are very moisturising. Does your hair get wet easily? Or does your hair repel the water and you really have to massage the water in to get it wet?
Every other website says Low Porosity dries slowly.
Technically this makes sense:
“Hair with low porosity has a tightly bound cuticle layer with overlapping scales that lay flat.”
If the cuticles are tightly bound it takes ages to wet, but once it is wet it takes ages to dry because the water cannot escape.
High Porosity hair has loose cuticles – easy to wet – water can get in easily + quick to dry – water can escape/evaporate easily.
I know there are many variations and some people are not strictly Low or High Porosity, but my hair is Low Porosity – it takes ages to wet and hours (literally) to dry naturally.
I understand what I’m saying doesn’t fall in line with much of what is out there on line. But that doesn’t mean my information is incorrect. Just because lots of people say something, doesn’t make it true. Low porosity hair repels water, so naturally it dries quicker – as it repels the water so fast. If your hair takes ages to get wet, I would ask when was the last time you clarified? Do you use heavy oils and butters in your hair, or in the ingredients of products you use on your hair – such as Shea Moisture or Cantu – because that can all contribute to causing a film or coating on your hair which makes it difficult for water to penetrate, which is why it takes a while to get your hair wet and no doubt you have to rub and agitate your hair to get the water to penetrate, not because your hair is low porosity, but because you need to agitate, loosen and remove heavy oils, butters and maybe even waxes and silicones too.
Thanks for replying. I am sorry if I have offended you in any way, this was not my intention. I thought naturallycurly.com would have accurate information and am going a lot by that website. I have just found what is written there holds true in my experience.
My hair has been this way my whole life – taking ages to wet and ages to dry. I always wondered why, when I discovered articles about the Curly Girl method I thought I had found the answers My sisters hair was the opposite – quick to wet and quick to dry.
I do not use any of the products you mentioned and I avoid silicones like the plague. Even before I ever heard of CG Method I knew they made my hair horrible. I used to Co-Wash but have read recently that this wrong for Low porosity hair because it causes build up. I clarify when I can but need to be careful with this too. I have yet to find a shampoo that doesn’t dry the hell out of my hair.
I only use a very small amount of Apricot Kernel oil which is lovely and light.
I can verify from personal experience that Gabriella has nailed the ‘porosity’ problem with great accuracy. She has obviously thoroughly researched before publishing these blogs.
Thank you! x
Love this thanks so much! I think I am fairly sure I am medium, but my hair does feel slightly bumpy when feeling the strands. But I have not clarified. My hair dresser always says “you have such healthy hair, except for your ends!”
I need volume, more curl definition and less frizz! my hair gets knotted easily, its very very thick & heavy but very soft/smooth – slips out of braids easily
Sounds like you need to do regular deep conditioning x
cool thanks!! I am still scared to jump in to not shampooing. I have no idea what products to buy. its so confusing
Hi there! After hours of reading your articles and links, I saw your porosity article and I believe I have high porosity hair. Based on your recommendation to follow someone with like porosity hair, who would you recommend I turn to since you have medium porosity hair? I’m really bummed about this because I love your info ❣
I have medium porosity hair. Early posts I wrote, I thought I had low porosity hair, but I actually have medium porosity hair.
I am pretty certain I have high porosity hair because when I dyed my hair brown it turned black even though it does not take long to dry and is very fine but dense. Some hair is coarse, bumpy and others smooth because my grey hair really has a different texture to it making my hair overall more frizzy. I don’t think I can follow the rule of not color treating my hair because I am in my early 30s with about 20% grey and it bothers me a lot to see it.
This post was super helpful but I’m still struggling to discover which hair porosity my hair falls under. My hair does take awhile to dry (around three hours), it looks somewhat shiny and healthy but upon closer inspection has tons of breakage. I’ve gotten highlights two times in the past two years at a salon and never use heat tools. I use jojoba oil after showering and only shower every 3-4 days. I get regular trims but still suffer from split ends. My hair is super straight, thick, and course as well as being somewhat dry. What’s your opinion on my porosity level and what should I be doing to fix these problems and attain my hair goals.
Hi Claire, does it get wet easily/quickly? If so, it’s medium-high porosity. If you have a lot of breakage, you need to get a hair cut, shape or trim. I also recommend deep conditioning, preferably with heat. To help maintain healthy hair, and thus preventing split ends and breakage. Hope that helps x
Hi! This was so informative, but I’m still unsure of my hair porosity. I have fine hair, but a lot of it so its medium/thick. My hair takes about 2 hours to get mostly dry and 3 hours to get fully dry. I did the dry test but I can’t really tell if its bumpy or smooth. I would say my hair gets wet sorta quickly in the shower, but I tried misting my hair with a spray bottle too and some droplets sat on my hair. I got a balayage once and my stylist said my hair took the bleach/color well. Also my hair definitely suffers from some frizziness. My roots seem to lack volume but not really from the ears down. I thought I may have medium-high porosity hair but the spray bottle kind of threw me off. Was wondering what you thought, and any products you recommend?
Hi Morgan, yes I think you have medium-high porosity hair from the sounds of it. Check out my post on How I Get Root Volume for more info on that. I have lots of product recommendations throughout posts on this blog, however the most concise list is on my most recent Favourite Products of 2019 post.
Hi, I’m still not sure whether I have medium or high porosity hair. It is thick and takes a few hours to dry. It keeps moisture for about three days and it gets tangled easily. My roots are flat and I usually have a normal amount of frizz.
I’m new to the CG method, so this is a little confusing.
Thanks
Hiya, sounds to me like medium-high porosity hair, which is what I have. Hope that helps x
Hi, love this post it was very useful. I have medium/high porosity hair. Is SheaMoisture good for that or should I give it away?
Throw it in the bin!
I don’t recommend Shea Moisture products.
Hi! I know this is about curly hair but this article came up when I was trying to figure out what’s wrong with my hair lol. I have straight hair which is medium in thickness and takes up to 7-8 hours to dry. Do you think the high porosity might apply to my hair as well? It is damaged from regular dying and I’m trying to figure out if deep conditioning and protein would help even for straight hair.
Hi Petra, don’t worry. This article isn’t just for curly hair. If your hair is taking that long to dry, then I’d definitely say you’ve got high porosity hair. Regular deep conditioning with a product that contains protein would definitely help. It’s not that high porosity hair is bad, my hair is in optimum health and it’s medium-high porosity. It’s about achieving hair health, so if your hair is damaged, then yes, deep conditioning will help.
Hey! this was a very informative post but I’m afraid I’m still quite confused about my porosity since i have traits of both high and low porosity. I have 2C-3A thin and not dense hair to about my shoulders when straight. its frizzy when dry without product and takes about 1.5 hours to dry (its fine at the top and back but stays in wet strings round the crown) but wets easily. the strand test feels fine and smooth around my crown but sometimes i come across bumpy hair especially around the backside (which is also where my curls are tightest). it goes straight and greasy toward the end of day 2 if i shower in the morning of day 1. I’ve noticed when i use oils it just makes my hair feel greasy and stringy. i have never coloured, straightened, or chemically treated my hair. i am only now starting my curly hair adventure but as the only person with curly hair (inherited it from my grandpa but he keeps it in a buzzcut so i cant ask him for advice XD) its hard to know where to start :/ please help!
Hi Fem, if you’ve got characteristics of both it’s most likely because your hair is medium porosity. I don’t recommend using oils on the hair. If your hair is thin, that’s most likely why it dries so quickly, as opposed to being low porosity. Especially if it gets wet easily and feels smooth.
The hair drying fast due to low porosity is exactly opposite of what I’ve been taught. I also see in other Curly blogs and product pages that low porosity hair take forever to dry.
Yes I know it’s the exact opposite, but think about it. Low porosity hair rejects and repels water, so of course it’s going to dry quicker, not take forever to dry. Not everything you read on the internet is correct. I believe this post, what I’ve written is correct.
As someone with low porosity hair and having done research on the matter, it does NOT dry quickly. It takes double the time. High porosity welcome water but it also kicks it right out so that’s what dries quickly not low porosity. This is information straight from professional curly hair stylists that I’m referencing by the way
I’m sorry but that simply just isn’t true. I have done years of research and also consulted with hair stylist and curl professional stylists too. Low porosity hair rejects and repels water, and dries much quicker than high porosity hair which drinks up water and holds onto it for as long as possible.
Not true from my personal experience. Gabriella has it spot on.
Hi Jayme, just because a lot of blogs are saying the opposite, doesn’t make it true. I’ve put years of research, consulting professional stylists and my own experiements into this and stand behind what I say.
Hi! I’m having a hard time figuring out the best hair routine. Perhaps you can help? My hair is a mix of different textures and I think a mix of different porosity as well. It’s wavy on top, tighter waves through the middle, and the tightest waves underneath.
When it’s air drying, I have to keep twisting and scrunching the middle and top to encourage it to curl, otherwise the top falls flat from the roots until midway down the shaft where it starts to coil, but flat and frizzy, not flat and smooth.
When it dries, the top and middle dry the fastest, at the ends first, but it takes over an hour for the roots to dry.
My hair strand is very thin, but somehow with all the frizz and waves, it appears very fluffed out, except at the roots. As it’s drying, I have to keep gently lifting the roots up to get volume there.
My hair is highlighted, with more highlights at the ends, and a little less at the roots so I’m guessing that plays a role in it, but I have always remembered my hair to be this way even when it was completely natural. And I’m prone to breakage and split ends.
Without any product, it’s not a good look haha. However, products have been a journey so far. Shampoos like devacurl worked nice for more curl, but eventually caused buildup and made the blonde brassy. I still haven’t found the right cream. CC cream made my hair too oily and became limp. Oribe signature cream I found out wasn’t even for curly hair and was making my hair crunchy. Sea salt spray gave good hold for my waves, but also dried it pretty bad. Mousse (not specifically a curl mousse) at the roots also became drying and actually made my roots more flat over time. I recently was recommended a detangling spray by oribe and beach wave spray by oribe that isn’t sea salt. It was nice to not have my hair be as crunchy and weighed down, but I had more frizz and straightness from the top, root to almost ends. Hair oil can help, but it’s such a delicate thing.. too much and my hair goes flat and looks soaked, and it’s really easy to go too much even when using a small amount.
Now I am seeing all these products for curly hair and realized I’ve been really out of the loop. But there are so many.. hair creams, hair butters, hair gloss, hair gel, hair mousse…. it’s a nightmare to figure out and so many sites recommend different things for my “type”.
Any advice on which types of products and in what order would be greatly appreciated!!! Oribe and devacurl have whole lines for this, but with so many options, it’s overwhelming.
Essentially, I’d like my hair to just look healthy and for waves and curls to go from the roots to ends on all sections of hair, with movability, shine, no crunch, no frizz, and enough volume, and for that to last. I’d prefer to stay away from things that dry my hair more or weigh it down. Thanks!
Hi Gina, there’s an awful lot to get through there. I offer 1:1 Curl Clinics for these occasions. They’re a 30 minute video consultation where we go through your hair, issues your experiencing, products you’ve been using etc, what you want my advice/guidance on and I then put together a recommended product and technique routine for you, specifically for your hair. If that’s something you’re interested in, click this link and fill out the form and I’ll get back to you via email with all the details. http://www.curlycailin.ie/contact
Hi Gabriella!
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your blog and all the work and passion that you put into it. I love how you compile all the information, summarise and organise it so perfectly!
I keep coming here for any information/products/reviews I need and I recommend it to everyone.
I grew up very unhappy with my hair. I always thought my hair was just “weirdly straight and puffy” but after starting CGM 10 months ago I realised it’s just very high density and curly and I’ve been in love with it and with my journey.
I also identify with many things you say because I am Portuguese (Latin/Mediterranean hair AM I RIGHT???) and I live in Northern Ireland (rain and humidity!)
Anyway thank you for doing what you do, you really helped me a lot in my journey! You have a fan in the north!
Have a lovely day!
Thank you so much Leila, such a lovely comment x
Hi Gabriella,
Honestly, I was excited to find your update saying that you high po hair gets wet quickly AND takes longer to dry, because that’s always been my experience with my own hair. I’ve been really frustrated reading blog after blog on porosity, and never seeing my own experience described! I have two questions:
1. If high po hair drinks up moisture rather than repels it, taking so long to dry, why then does it not seem to retain moisture over time? Again, this jives with my own experience, so I don’t doubt it’s true. I’m more curious about the mechanics of why my hair is wet for several hours after washing but looks dry later in the day/on the second day.
2. Can you share some of your research/sources that shaped your changing understanding of this over time? I’m a researcher by day, so I always like to learn as much as I can about any new topic! For example, with my question above, I’m wondering if there’s a difference in water versus moisture in these conversations…
Hi,
I’m a bit confused, you mention that High Porosity takes a long time to dry, and Low Porosity dries quickly. On other sites its the opposite? If Low Porosity if difficult to absorb water, wouldn’t it be difficult to release it?
Hi there, as you’ll see from the comments on this post, yes – my advice and guidance is different and the opposite from other sites, and I’ve explained why in the reply to those comments. Low porosity hair REPELS water, so WHY would it then hold onto it. You don’t retain what you repel. Just because lots of other sites say something doesn’t make it true, correct or accurate information. My information is correct, accurate and true. It just takes some time to get your head around when you’ve believed the opposite to be true, no matter how false or misleading the information was.
Thank you for sharing this information on hair porosity. It was useful and interesting. You indeed have written it in a layman way so that anyone can understand and work accordingly. You have done a great job.
I just found you blog, the intro to the CGM is so helpful, but agh! My hair is defying all your tests. It practically repels water (low porosity) but also takes forever to dry (high). My hair if a fine texture but very thick, but even now that it’s quite short it takes -hours- to dry, and that’s after having a towel turban for half an hour to soak up water. When it was long it could literally take more than a day to dry. The wet test say low porosity, the dry test says high. The slide test is…….inconclusive…..some hairs I pick are smooth and others are bumpy, I think that just means my hair is upset.
Help.
you sound like you have high porosity hair, that needs clarifying. Check your products and ingredients too, that they’re not loaded with lots of oils and heavy rich emollients too
Hi, I am starting late in life I guess…54. I have a daughter with very curly hair, coils and spirals. I have always had wavy, curly hair. Mine is not as curly as my daughter. I saw the curly girl online and wondered if I could improve my hair. I’ve always wanted curlier hair. I’m not sure about type, I would guess high Porosity due to wets easily and takes forever to dry. It seems to feel bumpy when I run a strand threw my fingers but it’s hard to tell. I think fine hair just a lot of it (even though I lost a lot to menopause). I have only recently started coloring my hair and have only colored 3-4 times. I don’t blow dry my hair and have very seldom in my lifetime used curling irons or flat irons. I did quit a bit of reading over my daughters 14 year life trying to figure out how to take care of her hair and did much of what you recommend for curly hair for her. I don’t use expensive shampoos and not a lot of anything else in my hair (no conditioner, I know, I know…lol, no curl cream…etc) so I’m not sure what to use or how to use it. I guess my main question is do you use a shampoo with the coconut wash? Or just by itself, then leave in conditioner and so forth?
The co wash is a cleanser, as is a shampoo. You don’t need both, just one or the other. You need something to cleanse with and something to condition with. And then something to style with to help enhance your definition and give you some hold.
Hi! I just want to say thank you so much for all that you do and all of the wonderful advice you post! Not just about curly hair but general positivity and love.
I did want to ask about deciphring my hair porosity. I totally get what you are saying about the drying time and porosity, but I do have hair that seems to get wet in a normal amount of time but also dry really quickly. It get super frizzy (even wet frizz) and loses some curl (particuarly at the top) within one day of washing and styling, gets matted super easy, but oils don’t seem to work well on my hair either. The frizz is the main issue for sure, and I know that can also be caused by other factors, but I really just cannot figure this out! I have read this post probably 10 times, done all the tests and still can’t seem to land on an answer. I know you cannot answer everything and I would never expect you to, but do you have an idea of what direction to point me regarding porosity so I can at least start experimenting?
Hi Lauren, so from what you’re describing, you have low porosity hair that’s lacking in protein. Wet frizz, limp lifeless curls dropping etc are all signs of over moisturised hair that’s lacking protein. So you need to check out my Protein Moisture Balance blog post, YouTube video and IGTV on that. I also don’t use or recommend oils on the hair.
I can’t figure out my porosity. I have 2b/3a hair that is neither thick or fine; in my youth it was very thick, but thyroid issues and age (I am 49) have changed that. What I’m finding challenging is that the word “quickly” is so subjective. I don’t think it’s difficult to get my hair wet, but how fast should it get wet? It takes about a minute to get my hair wet enough for shampoo when I shower. If I use my spray bottle, I can see the water crystals glittering and sitting on the surface, but as soon as I touch it to work the water in, it seems to absorb and get wet pretty easily. The slide test felt smooth, and my hair takes about 3-4 hours to completely air dry – is that considered a long time? I do feel like I get buildup easily, and I do use clarifying shampoo about twice a month, but if I don’t use products, I definitely have frizz. Am I the only one having this much trouble figuring this out?
I’d say you have medium – high porosity hair from what you’ve described.
I’m so confused! I thought low porosity hair takes longer to get wet and then takes longer to dry… thats what other websites say but this says low porosity hair dries quickly…. help!
Nope. Common mistake and misconception. Just because other websites say something, doesn’t make it true. I stand behind the information I’ve provided and given in this post.
Hi! First of all, thank you so much for all the great content!
My hair has always been difficult to get wet (the kind where I spend at least several minutes working the water into my hair in the shower), so I’m now assuming my hair is low or low-to-medium porosity. It takes a while to get wet, doesn’t take too long to dry, and basically never tangles? But it “eats” hair product and I can’t figure out if it’s because of hair porosity, something else about my hair, or if I’m just using the wrong products? Even the Bounce Curl Clarifying Shampoo just disappears, and I have to use so much product to actually get my hair washed.
I’ve tried almost all the Giovanni shampoos and conditioners, and they’re fine, but don’t necessarily do very much? The As I Am Coconut Co-Wash leaves my hair super soft and shiny, but just medium definition, no volume and the curls fall out by day 2. The Innersense Hydrating Hairbath was eaten, same as the Bounce Curl, and the Giovanni Leave-In also just feels like it disappears into my hair and does nothing? The Curls Blueberry Bliss Leave-In, and (probably) both the Boucleme Curl Defining Gel and the Inashi Soothing Mint Gentle Shampoo are the only products I’ve tried that feel like they actually do something good for my hair. And I’m just really confused about what to do or what products to try.
Sorry about the long message, and thanks again for all the hard and amazing work!
I’m so confused. A year ago I had healthy, shiny hair. I dyed it, not for the first time, but this time with bleach, which absolutely ruined my hair. I used to have type 2A hair, but it’s somewhere between type 1 and 2A now. It’s very fine, very dry, and I can’t do anything with it.
The bleach has almost grown out, but my hair is way worse than when I first dyed it. It breaks and falls out easily, and I constantly have split ends, even a week after a new cut.
I’ve tried porosity tests and I’m at a loss. My hair floats in water, but gets wet pretty easily and then takes forever to air dry. When I go up the strand, it feels smooth. I also have a lot less hair than I did a few years ago, but it’s very fine.
I’ve been trying to figure out what products are right for my hair. I’ve been using jojoba oil, but it stays on top of my hair and there’s no difference when I wash it out. I’ve been using moisturizing shampoos and conditioners, ones with biotin, shampoos that are clarifying with deep conditioners, and I have the same results with all of them: dry, straw-like, thinning, fine, frizzy almost straight hair. If I brush my hair when it’s dry it smoothes it out and helps with frizz, but the slight wave and tiny amount of body that I have goes away.
Please help!
This article has been so helpful! My hair has changed over the last couple of years and I’ve been so confused about what to do with it. Your blog has been so helpful!
I am still a bit perplexed about my porosity, and how to care for my hair. I have type 1 to 2a very fine, thinning, color treated hair. It used to be very healthy and shiny, maybe up until a year ago. I wash it every other day; on day one it usually looks okay, with a little wave and body to it, but on day two it’s been completely flat, dry as straw, and super frizzy. I use olive, avocado, or argan oil in the evenings on day two, and wash out in the morning. I’ve been using moisturizing or biotin shampoos, moisturizing conditioners, a leave in conditioner, a spray detangler, and a weekly deep conditioner. However, my hair is still super dry, like straw, unruly, frizzy, and flat.
In terms of porosity, I did the water test and it stayed at the top. However, my hair gets wet quickly in the shower, but takes a few hours to dry. If I spray water on my dry hair, it beads around my crown, but soaks up in other places. My hair feels smooth when I do the slide test. Would you say I have low porosity hair? Low to medium? I’m at such a loss in terms of how to care for my hair.
Thank you!
As I said in the post, the water cup test is a load of B.S. It’s not accurate. From the sounds of it you’ve got high porosity hair with some damage.
Hi, I am very confused about my hair porosity type. I have between wavy and curly hair just past my shoulders and it takes 4+ hours to air dry. My hair is very thick but fine strands, but it’s driving me crazy how long it takes to dry! I started the CGM a couple of weeks ago, but it’s absolutely miserable having wet hair for most of the day. My hair seems to get wet easily, and doesn’t look either dry or oily, and the slide test definitely feels smooth. Also, I’ve tried various methods to keep my waves overnight, and wake up with wild and tangled hair. Any tips? If my hair takes hours to dry it would be nice to be able to sleep on it and not have to get it wet every morning.
This is so confusing to me. I have very fine, thin hair and I do color treat it at home. My hair gets soaked immediately in the shower, but dries very quickly. I have been treating it as high porosity, but honestly I am not really sure. I have tried the wet and dry test and my hair is so thin it feels smooth when I run my finger up it. I have spent my entire life hating my hair and I just want to get this right and it is so confusing.
Hi Debbie, if you have very fine, thin hair that may be why it gets wet so easily and dries quickly too. CHeck out the other characteristics of the different porosity types and see which one fits over all. x
Hi, I just found your article & read it completely. Thanks for sharing about low porosity hair. The tests which you have shared are so impressive. I am looking for such an article for a long time. My head is so dry & I am facing low porosity hair.
I was fairly confident I had high porosity hair (pretty much ticked all of the things on the list) until I did the slide test – it felt smooth and not bumpy at all, why might this be? (I have straight – but not poker straight – hair and my hair is also fine but doesn’t look fine because I have a lot of it, haha!)
wavy or straight hair most often tends to be smoother. But you don’t have to tick every single symptom on the list, just whatever you’re identifying the most with.
So before doing the test, it needs to be clarified OR deep conditioned depending on what state it’s in? Based on your description, the deep condition is what I need. But my deep conditioner (if it’s even OK to use – Redken Extreme Mega Mask) says to first clarify and then deep condition. So just wondering if it’s OK to do both.
Yes, you should always deep condition after clarifying. I always recommend clarifying before trying to determine your hair porosity, just so there’s no product, limescale, mineral or metal build up on the hair which may throw the results/symptoms off. Hope that makes sense.
Hi, my hair takes forever to dry because they also take forever to get wet. It takes 6-8 mins for all hair to become wet. But does that mean it’s high por?
I have always thought my hair to be low por and using CGM accordingly.
Make sure that you’ve clarified your hair as build up can prevent hair from getting wet easily/quickly/properly and then watch what styling products you’re using, because moisturizing products such as creams will take much longer to dry than a gel or mousse for example.
I’m sorry but I think the information regarding porosity and drying time is backwards. I realize hair texture (fine, coarse) and density (thin, thick) must also be taken into consideration.
I believe I have low porosity (floats, repels water) but it takes 8+ hours to air dry.
I think high porosity dries faster because the cuticles are more open? ♀️
I completely disagree, your hair may be taking much longer to dry because of a)need to clarify to remove build up or b) the styling products you’re using, for eg: creams, thick gels or if you use oils or butters will take much longer to dry than foams, mousses etc. Equally, if you’re using products that contain a lot of oils, butters and rich emollients, they reject and repel water and you need to clarify to remove them from the hair to allow the hair to hydrate properly.
Hi
You have really beautiful hairs.
I am really confused about my hairs as when I apply some products it feels really producty and sticky. However when I just apply little leave in after co wash it feels and looks really dry. I am still not able to fine the right routine.
Also when I did the water test it floats but when I feel the hair strand it doesn’t feel smooth to me.
My hairs has medium thickness, not give and not very thick. When in shower my hairs are wet quickly and if no product it dries up also quickly.
So not sure what is my hair porosity.
Hi there, I recommend you book in for a 1:1 Curl Clinic, you can see more info here: http://www.curlmaven.ie/services
Hi,
I have had trouble figuring out, which porosity my hair has… I have done the ‘wet-test’, but I am still confused.. My hair seems to be mixed, or maybe not?
My scandinavian hair dry very fast, and actually it feels like it never gets wet doing the hair wash.
Afterwards my hair doesn’t feel smooth or soft, but more stiff.
I have always has thick and voluminous hair. As a little girl I had an incredible amount of curls, but over time it has become more wavy and a bit fizzy. The last couple years I can’t no longer recognize my hair. Every time I am showering, I lost so much hair. I have done highlights to times, but last time was a year ago.
I hope you can help me with this, so I can get much more healthier hair
Hi Anna, I’d recommend booking in for a Curl Clinic, you can find more info here: https://curlmaven.ie/curl-clinic-info/
Hi,
I have a question which I hope you can help me with.
When I wash my hair, it takes long time to get wet (actually it feels like it never gets wet?). But my hair dry so fast! When it is new washed, it doesn’t feels smooth, but more stiff and dry :/
Because of this, I am a little confused about my hair porosity. I took the ‘wet-test’ and it seems like some of my hair is low and some medium. How should I be treating my hair?
Hi Anna, it sounds like you’ve got a lot of build up on your hair, so I’d recommend clarifying first – depending on how much build up you have and from what, it may take 2-3 goes, but then you’ll be able to get a better idea of your porosity. Hope that helps!
Hello, I’m really having troubles figuring out my hair porosity. I have thin hair strands, low density and after my wash day(plus moisturizing and all) my hair takes about 35-50 mins before it dries to a certain level but not completely.
Is it high or low porosity??
sounds like low porosity to me
This post was so helpful, finally helped me to understand my hair better. So now that I know I have low porosity hair, do you have a post about product recoomendations. Because the products sitting on my hair is my biggest strugle. I have tried so many products and don’t seem to find the right one. Either it makes my hair look really greasy just after showering of a light oil doesnt do enough.
Thank you!
I’m super confused, most sites say low porosity hair takes ages to dry? Please explain cause im super confused
it’s all explained in the posts and in the comments. Just because a lot of people say the same thing, doesn’t mean it’s true or correct information.
My hair gets wet real easily absorbs water very fast but also dries even faster. This combination doesnt seem to fall under any category u mentioned is it low porosity or high porosity, also my hair dries out so quickly and then turns into volumnous dry curly frizz unhealthy hair
You also need to take into account your density. Because if you have a lot of hair, that’s going to take longer to dry than someone who doesn’t have much hair. Regardless of porosity. So if your hair absorbs water very fast, but dries quickly. It sounds like you have low density, high porosity hair.
What kind of shampoo & conditioner should I use on fine, high porosity hair? I’ve read on your blog that fine, wavy hair does best with gentle clarifying shampoos and lightweight conditioners but I know that high porosity hair needs more moisture and you mention co-washes here. Should I switch off between a co-wash and gentle clarifying shampoo depending on how dry my hair feels? Thanks.
Hey, I wouldn’t recommend co-washing if you have fine hair. I’ve actually got a whole series on fine hair, of 10 things you shouldn’t do, 10 things you should as well as a post on the best products for fine hair, which you can read here: https://curlmaven.ie/the-best-products-for-fine-wavy-curly-hair/
Hi im soo confused. I have type 2bhair. It gets pretty frizzy a lot. It takes a long time to dry but when i spray water on it, little droplets form. I often find that when i ‘refresh my curls’ i have to spray a lot of water on it or else itll be frizzy. It gets weighed down a bit if i use too much cream. Right now ive been using a curl cream or leave in conditioner with a mousse and sometimes a gel afterwards to decrease the chance of frizz. I need help haha.
the clue is in the product you’re using: leave in conditioners and creams have emollients, oils and butters – all of which a) make drying time longer and b) are water resistent (oils and butters reject and repel water) so that’s what’s throwing off your drying time, but also what’s causing your hair to take longer to get wet, and droplets to form when you spray water on your hair to refresh. I recommend clarifying first, to remove all the build up, emollients, oils and butters from your hair and then see how long your hair takes to get wet, and to get dry.
Struggling! I love my curls and waves I have both underneath and at the ends I have bouncy curls, over top it’s more waves. Pregnancy changed my hair a lot. I’m loosing hair like crazy it use to take ages for my hair to dry now it feels like it’s instant drying. It’s thinning out and I really don’t know what to do. Is there hope to restore my once healthy hair and curls so that I can show them off without them being crunchy from product?
Hey, I’d highly recommend booking in for a Curl Clinic with me so I can help you on your hair journey, to get your health, waves and curls back. More info here: https://curlmaven.ie/curl-clinic-info/