Hair Porosity Guide

Hair porosity, made practical

Your hair tells you what it needs.

Porosity is how readily your strands take in and let go of water and product. It is not your curl pattern, and no porosity is better than another.

Close view of Sanoun Moringa and Shea Hair Butter texture
Watch your wash day

Find your starting point

Over two or three wash days, notice how quickly your hair gets wet, whether product sinks in or sits on top, and how soon it feels dry again. Roots and ends may behave differently.

Start with the amount for your porosity and the product’s texture. Teaspoon amounts are for rich, heavy products. Lighter oils use drops. Apply in four sections. Observe how your hair responds, then add more only if needed.
Low porosity hair fiber with cuticle scales lying flat

Low porosity

Closed cuticles. Slow to take in water.

Hair takes time to become fully wet. Water may bead, and rich products can sit on the surface or build up quickly.

Start with ¼ teaspoon of a rich, heavy product

Think butters, dense creams, balms, or heavier oils. For a lighter oil, start with 2–3 drops.

Medium porosity hair fiber with gently raised cuticle scales

Medium porosity

Gently raised cuticles. Takes in and holds water steadily.

Hair wets without much resistance. Product absorbs without immediately disappearing or sitting heavily on top.

Start with ½ teaspoon of a rich, heavy product

Think butters, dense creams, balms, or heavier oils. For a lighter oil, start with 4–6 drops.

High porosity hair fiber with clearly raised cuticle scales

High porosity

Raised cuticles. Takes in and loses water quickly.

Hair becomes wet quickly, drinks in product, and may feel dry again quickly. Ends may feel rough or tangle easily.

Start with 1 teaspoon of a rich, heavy product

Think butters, dense creams, balms, or heavier oils. For a lighter oil, start with 6–10 drops.

Skip the float test

Product residue, natural oils, strand thickness, and the water’s surface tension can all change whether a loose hair floats. Your hair’s repeated wash-day behavior is a more useful guide.

Try this

A ritual for each porosity

Low porosity: use less or make time for warmth

For leave-inSmooth ¼ teaspoon across four damp sections. Focus on the ends.

For pre-washLightly coat the strands with about 1 teaspoon. Add gentle warmth for 10–15 minutes, then shampoo.

Why treat it if you are washing it out?
Water and gentle warmth help the hair swell slightly and lift the cuticle edges. This gives some of the treatment time to move into the strand while the rest coats and protects the outside. Shampoo removes the excess, but your hair can still keep the softness and protection it gained.

Use gentle warmth, never painfully hot air. Repeated high heat can damage the cuticle.

Medium porosity: begin in the middle

For leave-inApply ½ teaspoon across four damp sections. Focus on the ends. Observe, then add another ¼ teaspoon only if your hair needs more.

For lighter oilStart with 4–6 drops. Add more only if needed.

High porosity: layer, seal, reinforce

For leave-inStart with water or a leave-in. Smooth 1 teaspoon across four sections. Focus on dry lengths and ends.

For reinforcementAdd 1–2 drops of Strength & Length Hair Oil to the ends of each section as needed.

Build your hair ritual

The amount is a starting point, not a rule.

Start small. Observe. Add more only if needed.

Sanoun Moringa and Shea Hair Butter

Moringa & Shea Hair Butter

Rich moisture for strands and ends, with an amount that adapts to your porosity.

Sanoun Strength and Length Hair Oil

Strength & Length Hair Oil

A few drops for the scalp, strands, or extra reinforcement where moisture leaves first.