Hair Wellness Lab
Hair Porosity Test
(Free Quiz)
Find out if you have low, medium, or high porosity hair — and finally understand why your hair behaves the way it does.
If you're dealing with dryness, breakage, products that don't work, or slow growth — porosity is likely the missing piece.
Find out your type in under 2 minutes
No float test — based on real hair behavior
10 behavior-based questions
Personalized results and product guidance
What Is Hair Porosity?
Porosity is your hair's ability to absorb and hold moisture. It's determined by how open or closed your hair's outer layer (the cuticle) is.
When you know your porosity, you can choose the right products, build a routine that actually works, and stop guessing why your hair isn't responding.
The 3 Porosity Types
Low Porosity
Your cuticle is tightly sealed. Water and products sit on the surface before absorbing. Once moisture gets in, it stays — but getting it in takes effort.
Medium Porosity
Your cuticle is balanced. Moisture flows in and out at a healthy, steady rate. Most products and routines work well for you.
High Porosity
Your cuticle is very open. Hair absorbs moisture quickly but loses it just as fast. Sealing is the most important part of your routine.
How to Test Your Hair Porosity
The most common advice is the “float test” — dropping a strand of hair in water to see if it sinks. But this method is unreliable. Strand thickness, oils, product residue, and how you handle the hair all affect the result.
A better approach is behavior-based testing. Instead of one moment in a glass of water, our test looks at how your hair actually behaves in the shower, while drying, and throughout the day.
What You Get
Your Hair Doesn't Live in a Vacuum
Porosity tells you how your hair absorbs and holds moisture internally. But your results are also shaped by what's happening around you — humidity, water quality, and seasonal shifts.
That's why we built a second tool to complete the picture.
Next Step
Check Your Crown Environment →
See how climate, water quality, and season affect your hair.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hair porosity?
Hair porosity is how well your hair absorbs and holds moisture. It depends on the shape of your cuticle — the outermost layer of each strand. Porosity affects how products work, how long moisture lasts, and how your hair reacts to humidity.
How do I test my hair porosity?
The best way is a behavior-based quiz that looks at how your hair responds to water, products, humidity, and drying time. This gives a much more accurate result than the float test, which can be thrown off by oils and product residue.
Is the float test accurate?
Not reliably. The float test can be affected by product buildup, natural oils, strand thickness, and how you place the hair in water. Behavior-based testing — like this quiz — gives more consistent and useful results.
What is the difference between low and high porosity?
Low porosity hair has a tightly sealed cuticle — moisture is slow to get in but stays once it does. High porosity hair has a very open cuticle — moisture absorbs fast but leaves just as quickly. Each needs a different routine.
Why is my hair not retaining moisture?
If your hair dries out quickly after moisturizing, you may have high porosity. Your cuticle lets moisture escape before it can benefit your strands. Sealing with oils or butters after moisturizing is often the missing step.
Most people guess their porosity wrong. This removes the guesswork.
You've seen the patterns. Now get your answer.
See What Your Environment Is Doing to Your Hair