You've tried every viral product, and your hair still won't cooperate. The missing piece might be porosity: how easily your hair absorbs and holds moisture. Once you know yours, choosing products stops being guesswork. And the test takes one glass of water.
The glass-of-water test 🧪
- Start with clean hair, with no product or oils on it.
- Drop a shed strand into a glass of room-temperature water.
- Wait 3–5 minutes and watch where it goes.
- Floats on top → low porosity
- Hovers in the middle → medium (normal) porosity
- Sinks to the bottom → high porosity
Real talk: the float test is a starting point, not lab science. Check it against how your hair behaves day to day (see below).
Low porosity: the "products just sit there" hair
The cuticle is tightly closed. Water beads up, hair takes forever to dry, and heavy creams leave it greasy or coated.
What helps: lightweight formulas, a little warmth (a shower cap or warm towel) while masks work, and clarifying now and then to remove buildup. Skip piling on heavy butters.
Medium porosity: the lucky middle
It takes in moisture and holds it well. Keep a balanced routine and protect from heat so you stay here.
High porosity: the "thirsty and frizzy" hair
The cuticle is raised or damaged, usually from bleach, heat or chemical treatments. Hair soaks up water fast, loses it just as fast, frizzes in humidity and tangles easily.
What helps: rich masks that fill gaps in the cuticle, leave-in moisture, cool-water rinses and less heat. This is where a "hair botox" style treatment really earns its spot.
One mask that works across porosity types
Our Japanese Botox Keratin Hair Mask (250 ml) smooths and seals the cuticle, so high-porosity hair holds onto moisture and frizz calms down. On low-porosity hair, use a smaller amount with a bit of heat for soft, shiny results without buildup. Want something extra-hydrating? Try the Hydrating Keratin Hair Mask on in-between days.
Quick cheat sheet
- Low: light products + heat to help them absorb + clarify monthly
- Medium: balance + heat protection
- High: rich mask weekly + leave-in + less heat
Do the test, then tag us with your result. We want to know if your strand floated or sank. 🐝
