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What Is Hair Porosity and What It Means For Your Hair

Matrix | November 28, 2025

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    Key Takeaways:
  • Hair porosity is how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture, categorized into low (tight cuticles, resists moisture), medium (balanced moisture absorption), and high porosity (damaged cuticles, quick moisture loss).
  • You can test your hair porosity at home using the float test or spray test to understand how your hair interacts with water and products.
  • Knowing your porosity helps you choose the right products and care routines—lightweight, water-based for low porosity; balanced moisture for medium; and nourishing, sealing treatments for high porosity—to keep hair healthy, shiny, and manageable.

Understanding your hair’s unique needs is the first step toward achieving healthy, beautiful locks. One key factor that often goes overlooked is hair porosity. If you’ve ever wondered why your hair doesn’t seem to absorb moisture well or why certain products don’t work as expected, the answer might lie in porosity. In this article, we'll demystify hair porosity and show you how knowing yours can transform your hair care routine—plus recommend the best Matrix products that align with your porosity type. 

  

What Is Hair Porosity?

In simple terms, hair porosity is how well your hair can soak up and hold onto moisture. Imagine your hair strands covered in tiny scales (called cuticles) that protect the inside of your hair. If these scales are tight and flat, your hair doesn’t easily let moisture in—this is low porosity. If the scales are a bit loose and let moisture in and out pretty easily, that’s medium porosity. And if the scales are lifted or even damaged, moisture slips in but also quickly escapes—this means high porosity. 

 

Knowing your hair’s porosity is important because it tells you how your hair drinks up water and products, and how to best care for it so it stays healthy and shiny. 

 

How to Test Your Hair Porosity At Home?

Curious about your hair’s porosity? Here are two easy ways to test it yourself: 

1. The Float Test:

  • Take a few clean strands of hair and put them in a glass of room temperature water.
  • Wait for about 2-4 minutes.
  • If your hair floats on top, it’s likely low porosity because it resists water absorption. 
  • If your hair sinks slowly to the middle, that means medium porosity—it absorbs moisture well.
  • If your hair quickly sinks to the bottom, it’s probably high porosity because it soaks up water fast. 

 

2. The Spray Test:

  • In a dry area, lightly spritz your hair with water.
  • Observe how your hair reacts.
  • If water beads up or stays on the surface for a while before absorbing, your hair is low porosity.
  • If water absorbs quickly and evenly, your hair is medium porosity.
  • If water soaks in immediately and your hair feels damp fast, you have high porosity. 

 

These tests aren’t official diagnostics but give you a good starting point. Once you know, you can choose the right products and care routines that fit your hair’s needs. 

 

What You Need to Know About Low Porosity Hair

Low Porosity Hair Characteristics:

  • Cuticles are tightly packed and flat
  • Hair feels resistant to moisture and product absorption
  • Tends to look shiny but can feel dry or stiff
  • Product buildup and greasiness can occur easily
  • Hair takes longer to dry 

 

Low porosity hair has tightly packed cuticles that repel moisture, making it harder for water and oils to penetrate. You might find your hair feels dry even after moisturizing, or product buildup can occur easily. 


Hair Care Tips for Low Porosity Hair:

  • Use light, water-based products that won't weigh your hair down.
  • Warm water and occasional steam treatments can help open cuticles for better absorption.
  • Avoid heavy oils or butters that sit on top instead of nourishing strands.
  • Regular gentle clarifying shampoos help prevent buildup.

 

Matrix Product Recommendations:

  • Matrix Instacure Build-A-Bond Mighty Bonds Shampoo and Conditioner: Shampoo and Conditioner infused with Citric Acid and Squalane to nourish hair without weigh down.
  • Matrix Miracle Creator Multi-Tasking Treatment: A lightweight spray that hydrates, detangles, and protects without weighing hair down—ideal for low porosity needs. 
  • Matrix Food For Soft Multi-Use Hair Oil: An Oil Serum infused with Avocado Oil that helps to seal in hydration for hair that looks shiny, smooth. 

 

What You Need to Know About Medium Porosity Hair

Medium Porosity Hair Characteristics:

  • Cuticles are slightly raised but mostly intact
  • Hair absorbs and retains moisture well
  • Hair styles hold well and hair texture is balanced
  • Generally healthy, shiny and manageable
  • Responds well to most hair care products

 

Medium porosity is often called "ideal" porosity. The cuticles are slightly raised, allowing moisture to enter and stay balanced. Hair with this porosity usually holds styles well, is easy to manage, and responds well to most haircare products. 


Hair Care Tips for Medium Porosity Hair:

  • Maintain moisture balance with regular moisturizing and occasional deep treatments.
  • Use a combination of water-based and oil-based products.
  • Protect hair from damage with heat protectants and gentle handling.

 

Matrix Product Recommendations:

  • Matrix Food For Soft Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner: Shampoo and Conditioner infused with Avocado Oil + Hyaluronic Acid which moisturizes while cleansing & removing excess oil without stripping the necessary moisture dry hair needs.
  • Matrix Miracle Creator Multi-Tasking Treatment: A lightweight spray that hydrates, detangles, and protects without weighing hair down—ideal for low porosity needs. 
  • Matrix Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Top Coat: Controls frizz up to 96 hours, perfect for medium porosity hair needing sleek style and humidity defense.

 

What You Need to Know About High Porosity Hair

High Porosity Hair Characteristics:

  • Cuticles are lifted, damaged, or broken
  • Hair quickly absorbs moisture but loses it just as fast
  • Hair can feel dry, brittle, rough, or frizzy
  • More prone to tangling and breakage
  • Often damaged by heat, chemicals, or environmental stress

 

High porosity hair has raised or damaged cuticles that allow moisture to enter easily but also escape quickly. This hair often feels dry, frizzy, or prone to breakage and can tangle easily. 


Hair Care Tips for High Porosity Hair:

  • Seal in moisture with heavier creams, oils, and butters.
  • Use protein treatments to help rebuild the hair's structure.
  • Avoid harsh shampoos and frequent heat styling that worsen damage.
  • Gentle detangling and protective hairstyles minimize breakage.

 

Matrix Product Recommendations:

  • Matrix Food For Soft Hydrating Hair Mask: A rich hydrating treatment infused with Avocado Oil + Hyaluronic Acid to moisturize and lock in hydration.
  • Matrix Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Top Coat: Controls frizz up to 96 hours, perfect for medium porosity hair needing sleek style and humidity defense.
  • Matrix Food For Soft Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner: Shampoo and Conditioner infused with Avocado Oil + Hyaluronic Acid which moisturizes while cleansing & removing excess oil without stripping the necessary moisture dry hair needs.

 

Why Hair Porosity Matters for Your Haircare Routine

Knowing your hair porosity lets you tailor your routine to what your hair truly needs. For example, with low porosity hair, massaging in a heavy conditioner might not help—it could just sit on top, causing buildup. Whereas high porosity hair benefits from extra nourishment and sealing products to lock in hydration. 

Porosity also affects how often you should wash your hair, the types of products to choose, and how you style it to maintain strength and shine. It’s about working with your hair, not against it. 

By embracing your hair’s natural porosity, you can: 

  • Improve moisture retention
  • Reduce breakage and dryness
  • Enhance smoothness and manageability
  • Achieve salon-quality results at home

 

So take the time to learn your hair porosity and update your hair care game accordingly. It’s a simple step that brings big improvements. 

 

Discovering your hair’s porosity is like unlocking a secret code to better hair health. Armed with this knowledge and the right Matrix products, you can confidently embrace every strand’s unique needs. Embrace your hair’s personality — because healthy hair starts with understanding.