Jen BoothSalon Business Coach and Salon Owner, J Booth Salon · Salon Owner & Salon Business Coach

How to Test Your Hair Porosity at Home

18 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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1:13

In this short tutorial, Jen Booth explains that hair problems often stem from the hair's porosity—the ability of strands to absorb and retain water. She demonstrates a quick at‑home test: place a clean hair strand in a clear cup of water and observe its behavior. If the strand floats, the hair is low porosity; if it slowly sinks, it is medium porosity; if it drops quickly, it is high porosity. Jen describes how each porosity type affects moisture retention and product performance—low porosity resists moisture and can feel heavy with product, while high porosity absorbs quickly but also loses moisture fast. Understanding one’s porosity enables the selection of appropriate products and techniques, leading to more consistent hair results. She concludes by inviting viewers to seek personalized hair‑care plans based on their porosity.

Chapters

If your hair never seems to do what you want, it may not be your products. It might be your porosity, and most people have no idea what theirs is. But here's a simple way to test it at home. Porosity is the ability for your hair to hold water. So take a clean strand of hair, drop it in a clear cup of water, and then watch what happens. If it floats, You have low porosity. If it slowly sinks, you have medium porosity. If it drops quickly, you have high porosity. That one test tells you how your hair absorbs and holds moisture. Low porosity hair resists moisture. Product can sit on top and feel heavy. High porosity hair absorbs fast but loses moisture just as quickly. And that's why some people feel like, no matter what I use, it doesn't work. It's not random, it's how your hair is built. And once you know your porosity, You can use the right products, the right techniques, and get better results. So if your hair has been inconsistent, start here. And next time you're in, we'll help you figure out exactly what your hair needs and build a plan that actually works.