Low Porosity vs. High Porosity Hair: How To Tell The Difference

Hair porosity (your hair’s capacity to hold onto moisture) is an important yet often overlooked aspect of caring for your mane. While dedicated formulas exist for different hair types, damage levels, and even colors, not many are geared toward the specific needs of low porosity vs. high porosity hair.

For some quick background, every strand on your head is porous—in other words, absorbent—to some extent, but porosity can vary greatly from one person to the next. Your hair’s porosity level can (and should) influence the products you use and when you use them. Ahead, learn about the differences between low porosity hair and high porosity hair, tips for identifying your hair’s porosity level, and discover our best products for your hair’s unique makeup and needs.

What Is Hair Porosity?

Simply put, hair porosity refers to your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. Porosity is usually determined by the condition of your hair’s cuticle, which consists of overlapping cells arranged like shingles on a roof.

When those cuticle cells lie flat, moisture can’t easily flow in or out, resulting in low porosity hair. If the cuticle becomes damaged, the cells lift, and tiny gaps (or “pores”) appear along the strand. This makes the hair more absorbent but less able to retain moisture, resulting in high porosity hair. Medium porosity hair, as the name suggests, sits comfortably between the two, with a balanced ability to absorb and retain moisture.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of low, medium, and high porosity hair:

• Low porosity hair: This type of hair generally has a tightly bound cuticle layer, which can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, your hair is typically smooth and shiny. On the other hand, a tight cuticle can make it difficult for water, moisture, and haircare products to penetrate properly. As a result, you may experience product buildup and have difficulty hydrating your hair.
• Medium porosity hair: Hair with medium porosity usually has a slightly raised cuticle layer, allowing for moderate absorption and retention of moisture. You may notice that your styles hold up fairly well and that your hair is resistant to damage, even after coloring or heat styling.
• High porosity hair: Highly porous hair often has large gaps and holes in the cuticle layer, frequently due to damage. High porosity hair typically absorbs moisture quickly but loses it just as fast, leading to issues with dryness, brittleness, and frizz.

Low vs. high porosity hair: Which is better?

Neither high nor low porosity hair is inherently "better" than the other—both hair types have their benefits and their challenges. Identifying your hair porosity is simply helpful in figuring out how to give your mane what it needs to look (and feel) its best.

High vs. Low Porosity Hair: Key Differences

The primary difference between low and high porosity hair lies in the condition of the cuticle—but since you can’t actually see your cuticles, the easiest way to identify your porosity is by paying attention to how your hair behaves. The characteristics below highlight the most noticeable differences between low and high porosity hair in everyday care and styling.

• Moisture absorption: Low porosity hair has tightly closed cuticles, which makes it difficult for water and moisturizing products to penetrate the strand. As a result, moisture often sits on the surface rather than soaking in. High porosity hair, on the other hand, absorbs moisture quickly because its cuticles are raised or damaged—but that moisture tends to escape just as fast.
• Drying time: Because low porosity hair resists water absorption, it typically takes longer to get fully wet and can have a surprisingly long air-dry time. High porosity hair absorbs water almost instantly, which means it usually dries much faster.
• Product compatibility: Low porosity hair is more prone to product buildup, especially from heavy creams, oils, and butters that can sit on top of the cuticle. Lightweight, water-based formulas tend to work best. In contrast, high porosity hair generally tolerates—and often needs—richer products that help fill in gaps in the cuticle and lock in hydration.
• Styling results: Styles on low porosity hair may take longer to set, but often last longer once they’re in place. High porosity hair typically responds quickly to styling but may struggle to hold definition, smoothness, or shine throughout the day. Without proper moisture and sealing, styles can fall flat or frizz more easily.

What Influences Hair Porosity?

Innate factors like aging and genetics can affect hair porosity, but how you care for your hair also has a significant impact. According to a study published in the International Journal of Trichology, all hair is porous, but damaged hair is even more so. Heat, UV exposure, and chemical processing (such as bleaching your strands) can greatly increase your hair’s porosity, per the Journal of Cosmetic Science.

To help avoid damaging your strands, consider limiting chemical treatments and your usage of hot tools. And, when heading outdoors, protect your hair from the sun with UV-protective haircare products, a wide-brimmed hat, or a head scarf to help shield your strands from the sun’s damaging rays.

How To Conduct a Hair Porosity Test

By now, you may be wondering how to determine your hair’s porosity (without trekking to the salon). The truth is that there isn’t a definitive way to determine how porous your hair is. However, a few at-home hair porosity tests can help you make an educated guess.

The first is the float test. Take a few clean strands of hair (you can pluck a piece from your hairbrush instead of ripping it from your head) and drop them into a glass of room-temperature water. If the strands immediately sink to the bottom, your hair is probably highly porous. Low porosity hair, meanwhile, will float on top of the water, not absorbing much (or any) of it. If your hair floats for a minute or two before sinking, you may have medium porosity hair that’s a mix of both.

The second option to gauge whether you have low porosity vs. high porosity hair is with the spritz test. Just spray some water onto your hair when it’s dry and observe how fast it absorbs. Highly porous hair will soak up the moisture right away, while low porosity hair will take longer to dampen. The water may even bead up on the surface of your strands before sinking in. If you have medium porosity hair, it’ll absorb relatively quickly, but not instantaneously.

How To Care For High Porosity Hair

If the results of your hair porosity test indicate that your hair is porous, don’t panic: there’s plenty you can do to help protect and nourish your strands. We’re sharing a few tips below.

1. Try a glossing system

High porosity hair tends to look rough and dull, but the right haircare routine can help restore your mane’s look and feel. Give your hair the care it needs by swapping out your usual shampoo with one designed specifically for porous hair, such as the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic + Gloss Shine-Boosting Shampoo. The gentle formula cleanses and smooths while laminating the hair cuticle for instant glossy shine. After lathering up, replenish moisture with the coordinating L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic + Gloss Shine-Boosting Conditioner for smooth, healthy-looking hair.

2. Reach for a hair mask

Using a hair mask once a week is a great way to give your strands some much-needed TLC. If your hair is dull or prone to frizz, try the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Glossing 5-Min Lamination Hair Mask. Its glycolic acid-infused formula helps seal the hair fiber, smoothing the hair and adding intense, glass-like shine. Apply it to damp hair after shampooing and conditioning, then let it sit for five minutes. Once five minutes pass, rinse well (use lukewarm water) and dry style your hair as usual.

If your strands are prone to breakage—which is often the case with high-porosity hair—try a reparative mask, like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Mask instead. The rich, creamy mask helps address five key signs of hair damage, including split ends and brittleness, and leaves the hair feeling softer and stronger after just one use.

3. Always use heat protectant

Using hot tools consistently can be a big no-no when dealing with highly porous hair. You can still use hot tools to perfect your look—just be sure to set them to their lowest temperature setting and apply a heat protectant to protect your strands. We like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Frizz Killer Leave-In Serum, which tames frizz and helps shield strands against temperatures up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Embrace the ‘LOC’ styling method

As previously mentioned, highly porous hair has open cuticles that can make retaining moisture difficult. One way to keep this moisture in the hair is by following the LOC method. This technique represents the order (liquid, oil, cream) in which hair products should be applied to help maximize moisture retention.

To start, saturate your hair with water or apply a water-based leave-in conditioner to help fill your strands with moisture. Then, apply an oil, which can help create a barrier over your strands to keep that water from escaping. Per a study published in the NCBI, oils and serums formulated with castor oil, jojoba oil, or argan oil are proven to help seal moisture in your strands. Try the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic + Gloss High-Shine Leave-In Serum, which is formulated with castor oil and helps laminate the hair cuticle for smooth, shiny strands. Finally, apply a cream product (like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Curls Leave-in Conditioner) to further lock in long-lasting moisture and help nourish your strands.

How To Care For Medium-Porosity Hair

Medium porosity hair is generally easy to manage. It typically has a balanced cuticle layer, allowing for moderate moisture absorption and retention. Making good choices in your haircare routine is the best way to help maintain its healthy look and feel.

1. Use bond-repairing products

While high porosity hair products typically prioritize moisture, products for medium porosity hair are more geared toward maintaining your hair’s healthy condition. A big part of that means addressing damage before it begins to affect your hair’s overall health and appearance. To start, consider updating your routine with a haircare system designed to help repair damage, like our sulfate-free bond repair collection. On wash day, lather up with the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Bond Repair Shampoo to remove dirt and debris while strengthening your strands. Then, restore moisture with the coordinating L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Bond Repair Conditioner. For added protection against damage, pre-treat your tresses with the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Bond Repair Pre-Shampoo Concentrate, an in-shower mask that helps strengthen hair from the inside out.

2. Prioritize moisture

Medium porosity hair doesn’t always require reparative treatments to keep it in optimal shape. Some days, moisture may be all you need to keep hair soft, smooth, and manageable. In that case, add the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Hydrating Shampoo and L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Hydrating Conditioner to your in-shower lineup. When used together, this castor oil and hyaluronic acid-infused range helps re-plump dry, dehydrated hair for up to 72 hours for bouncy, shiny-looking strands.

3. Avoid over-washing

Medium porosity hair tends to maintain a good balance of natural moisture and oils. Therefore, you don’t want to over-shampoo your hair and risk making it feel stripped and dry. How often you lather up ultimately depends on things like your lifestyle, hormones, and climate, but two to three times a week is generally a good rule of thumb. If you find yourself dealing with greasy hair between wash days, refresh your roots with a dry shampoo to help reduce the appearance of oiliness.

4. Detangle gently

Gently detangling medium porosity hair is essential to keep breakage at bay. Start by saturating your hair with a lightweight leave-in conditioner, like L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Moisture 21-in-1 Leave-In Conditioner, to help add slip to your strands. Then, use a wide-tooth comb to carefully work through any knots or tangles, starting from the ends and gradually working up toward the roots. Try to avoid yanking or pulling at stubborn knots, as this can lead to breakage. If you encounter particularly stubborn tangles, apply more conditioner or detangling spray and allow it to sit for a few minutes before gently attempting the detangling process again.

How To Care For Low Porosity Hair

Low porosity hair may appear silky and shiny at first glance, but it can also be prone to dryness and buildup. The good news, though, is that once moisture and haircare products are in, they’re less likely to escape. Here’s what you’ll need to do to keep your hair in great shape.

1. Use a clarifying pre-shampoo treatment

A clarifying pre-shampoo can help remove product buildup on low porosity hair. As its name indicates, a pre-shampoo treatment is a product designed to be applied to the hair (and, often, the scalp) prior to shampooing to help target specific hair woes. We’re partial to the L’Oréal Paris Hair Elvive Hyaluron + Pure Oil Erasing Serum for Oily Hair, which helps remove up to 100% of scalp residue while hydrating your lengths and ends for balanced-feeling strands. Follow up with the L’Oréal Paris Hair Elvive Hyaluron + Pure Purifying Shampoo and L’Oréal Paris Hair Elvive Hyaluron + Pure Rehydrating Conditioner to help hydrate your hair without any weigh-down.

2. Follow the ‘LCO’ styling method

Whereas those with high porosity hair are generally advised to apply liquids, then oils, then creams, low porosity hair benefits from a slightly different approach. The LCO method involves flip-flopping the order of your oil and cream so that you’re applying everything from lightest to heaviest (liquid, cream, oil). This minimizes the chances of products sitting on your hair's surface and instead allows them to sink in as intended.

Start with a liquid-based leave-in conditioner like the L’Oreal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Moisture Plump Serum to help introduce hydration to your strands without weighing them down. Then, follow it up with a lightweight, nourishing hair cream to deliver intense moisture sans any heavy-feeling residue. Finally, finish your LCO routine with a hair oil or thicker serum to seal in all the moisture you just added to your strands.

3. Try hair steaming

Theoretically, exposing your hair to moist heat—typically using a handheld or hooded steamer—can help open the hair’s cuticle so that low porosity hair can absorb more moisture.

If you don’t have a steamer, that’s okay—there are ways to replicate the process at home. After shampooing, apply your favorite conditioner or hair mask. Then, cover your head with a shower cap and let your hair steam for about 15 minutes before rinsing. You can also lay a warm, damp towel over the shower cap to help lock in heat and moisture. While there’s no conclusive proof that steaming your strands can help moisturizing products penetrate deeper, it can’t hurt to try—just be sure the steam isn’t so hot that it burns your scalp.

Can Hair Porosity Change Over Time?

Hair porosity can absolutely change over time, largely due to how your hair is treated. Chemical processes such as coloring, bleaching, and relaxing lift the cuticle to allow pigment or chemicals to penetrate the strand, which can significantly increase porosity. Frequent heat styling can have a similar effect, gradually weakening the cuticle and creating more gaps that allow moisture to escape.

To prevent porosity from increasing, the goal is to protect and preserve the cuticle. Using heat protectant before hot tools, limiting high-heat styling, and spacing out chemical services can all help minimize damage. Gentle handling—like detangling with care, avoiding harsh sulfates, and using lukewarm water instead of hot—also goes a long way in keeping the cuticle intact. If you color your hair, consider adding a dedicated post-coloring conditioner, like the L’Oréal Paris Excellence Moisture Lock Ultra Care Conditioner, to your routine to help keep your hair hydrated and protected.

If your hair is already showing signs of high porosity, it’s possible to restore better balance with the right routine. Protein treatments can help reinforce weakened areas of the cuticle, while deep conditioners replenish lost moisture. It’s also a good idea to treat your hair gently and limit heat styling or chemical processing until your hair feels stronger and healthier.

Next Up: What Is Glass Hair and How To Achieve It At Home

Photo courtesy of L’Oréal Paris