High-porosity hair: Recognition & Care tips for curls

You know that feeling when your hair is always thirsty? You can pour gallons of leave-in, oil, and mask into it, but a few hours later it looks like you've just walked through a desert? Chances are your hair is highly porous . And that's nothing to be ashamed of—it's just a hair type that needs a little more love, layers, and clever products.

What does 'high porosity hair' mean?

Simply put, the hair cuticles of high porosity hair are open like a blooming flower.
With low porosity hair, the scales are more closed — a kind of raincoat.

Because of its open structure, highly porous hair quickly absorbs moisture , but loses it just as quickly. The result?

• Fluff
• Drought
• And curls that lose their definition within a day.

This can be due to genetic predisposition, but also due to heat, chemical treatments, bleaching or sun damage .

How do you know if you have high porosity hair?

Some recognizable signs:

• Your hair absorbs products like a sponge , but dries out quickly.
• You often have fluff , especially in humid weather.
• Your hair tangles quickly and feels rough or straw-like.
• Your curls quickly fall out or lose their shine.
• Color takes quickly , but also fades very quickly.

Want to test it? Take the porosity test :
Take a clean (product-free) hair, place it in a glass of water.

• Does it sink immediately? → Highly porous.
• Does it float? → Low porosity.
• Does it get stuck somewhere in the middle? → Medium porosity.

Please note: don't believe everything you read in Facebook groups

A common saying there is:

“High porosity hair is only temporary, after that it will naturally become medium.”

Sounds nice, but unfortunately — that’s not entirely true.
You can even be born with highly porous hair . That's simply how your hair cuticles are naturally constructed.

What is true is that by taking good care of your hair, you can make it stronger and more closed , making it behave like medium porosity hair.
But that does not mean that the porosity itself changes structurally.

So if someone in a group tells you that after three weeks of deep conditioning, you've suddenly become "medium porous"... smile, nod politely, and carry on with your routine.

The right styling approach for high porosity hair

This is all about retaining moisture . You want to hydrate, seal, and protect.

1. Always work on wet hair.
Your hair cuticles are open, so this is the time to let moisture in — and then seal it in with the right products.

2. Use the LOC or LCO method.
That stands for Leave-in / Oil / Cream or the other way around, depending on what your hair likes.

• First a hydrating base ,
• then an oil to seal in the moisture,
• and possibly a styling cream or gel to keep everything in place.

3. Avoid heat — blow-dry with a diffuser on medium heat, or if you're using the Hoover Technique, it can be set to a high temperature.
High temperatures close to your hair = even more opened scales = even more moisture loss.

The Best Products for High Porosity Hair (Amazing Curls Recommendation)

Step 1: Cleanse without drying
Use the Smart Clean Shampoo – it removes buildup and hard water residue, but is gentle enough to preserve your natural oils.
→ Ideal for cleaning your hair without making it even more porous.

Step 2: Intense hydration
The All-in-One Treatment is your best friend here.
Use it as a mask or as a nourishing conditioner. Thanks to nourishing oils and proteins, it restores moisture balance and strengthens damaged hair.

Step 3: Hydrate + Define in one
Use the All-in-One Styling Cream to keep your curls soft, supple and bouncy.
It contains jojoba and avocado oil, among other things — exactly what highly porous hair needs to prevent frizz.

Step 4: Lock in the moisture
Then apply the Super Sealing Oil to wet hair.
This luxurious oil contains Meadowfoam Seed Oil – an ingredient that acts as a clever sealer around your hair, preventing moisture from escaping.
Tip: Use it as the last step for extremely dry hair.

Step 5: Hold & Shine
Finish it off with a little Styling Gel. This will lock in definition and give you a shine so intense you'll almost forget about the mirror.

Strengthen from within
High porosity hair often also needs protein to strengthen the open cuticles.
Our Protein Drops are the solution: add a few drops to your Treatment or Styling Cream and turn any product into a protein-rich boost.
This way you give your hair the strength it lacks — without overloading it.

If you want to know more about proteins, read this.

Styling tips specifically for highly porous hair

• Use lukewarm to cold water when rinsing – this closes the scales.
• Apply products in sections so that each strand gets something.
• Use a satin pillowcase – less friction = less lint.
• Use your diffuser on a low setting , and not too close to your hair.
• Scrunch with love, not with force.

Or read our blog about Styling Tips here.

And now let's be honest: it's trial and error

No two hair types are exactly the same — not even two curly-haired people with seemingly identical hair.
What works perfectly for one person may be too heavy, too light, or too sticky for another.

Caring for high porosity hair is a journey of discovery.
It's testing, trying, adjusting, and sometimes starting over again.

So if you find that a particular method or sequence isn't quite working for you — give yourself (and your curls) time.
Mix, match, and experiment. Eventually, you'll discover exactly what your hair needs.

A little reality check

High porosity hair is like that one friend who always forgets to refill her water bottle — she means well, but she just needs to be reminded to hydrate.

With the right routine and products, you can transform your curls from dull and brittle to shiny, bouncy, and silky.

High porosity hair demands attention, but rewards you with curls that truly come alive .