The Products I Legit *Swear* By for My Low-Porosity Hair (2024)

Far and away, this is the best clarifying shampoo I've ever used on my low-porosity hair. Lemme wax poetic real quick: This sulfate-free formula uses salicylic acid and charcoal powder to break down buildup and gunk on my scalp (which is v common with my low-porosity hair), but also doesn't make it feel like straw after either thanks to hydrating panthenol and glycerin.

• Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, charcoal powder
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All* (*but might be a bit drying if used too often on dry hair)

One customer writes: "We have extremely hard water where we live, and since moving here, no hair shampoo helped until we were referred to buying this product! I will never ever buy another shampoo now that I live here. My hair was previously feeling like it had a film and dirty even right after washing it with other brands, but with this, it’s soft and silky and back to the way it used to be."

This shampoo combines a mix of lightweight oils and moisturizers (like babassu and honey) with strong cleansers to break down buildup and scalp oils without totally stripping your hair of moisture. If you've got dry hair, feel free to follow it up with a moisturizing conditioner, but if your hair is a bit oil-prone (like mine, hi!), skip conditioner in the shower and just spritz on a lightweight leave-in product to keep your ends soft but not weighed down.

• Key ingredients: Sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate (strong surfactant), honey, wheat protein, babassu oil
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All* (*but might be a bit too moisturizing for very oily hair types)

A customer's review: "This feels like silk. But it's not heavy at all. My curls came back after the first use. They are bouncy again!!"

If you haven't tried this liquid conditioner for your low-porosity hair yet, lemme introduce you to your new BFF. Essentially, it's just an ultra-lightweight, water-based conditioner that is way less likely to weigh down your hair than one with a thick, creamy consistency. I spritz it all over my ends in the shower, smooth it in a lil bit, then rinse completely. My hair feels soft and hydrated, but not greasy like it does after I use a lot of conditioners.

• Key ingredients: Panthenol, behentrimonium chloride (lightweight moisturizer)
• Curly Girl Method approved? No* (*contains alcohol, which can be drying)
• Hair type: Fine, normal

An Amazon shopper says: "This is a great high-quality product that adds so much volume to your hair and it is offered at such an amazing price. A little bit goes a long way in my long, thick hair. It is absolutely amazing."

For awhile, I stopped using any type of leave-in product in my hair because everything made it greasy after a few hours. Then I found this hair serum, and it has completely changed the game for me. The silicone-free formula lightly hydrates and softens my hair (see: sunflower seed oil, hyaluronic acid, and bisabolol), but it absorbs quickly and doesn't leave behind a residue. I just rake it through my hair when it's damp, then either air dry or blow dry, and it gives me some smoothness without the weight.

• Key ingredients: Sunflower seed oil, hyaluronic acid, bisabolol
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All* (*but might want to add another hydrating cream for very dry hair)

An Anthropologie customer's review: "This product is amazing! I smush a small amount through damp hair and then let it do its thing. I've also tried a small amount on three-day hair (I generally only wash my hair ~once a week) and it's brought softness and some order to an otherwise unruly mane. Definitely recco!"

If your hair leans on the drier side but still doesn't absorb product super well, def try this moisturizing leave-in conditioner from Ceremonia. It's full of lightweight hydrators, like squalane and aloe vera, plus sealing oils to lock in that moisture. And FWIW, this leave-in has a 4.6 rating on Sephora. Tons of customers legit rave about how great this product feels on their waves and curls.

• Key ingredients: Coconut oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, squalane
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: Normal to dry hair

One customer says: "I adore Ceremonia and this product did NOT disappoint! Its smells amazing and left my curls, bouncy, and nourished. A pair nicely with their other line of products from their shampoo to conditioner to detangling spray. I will definitely be buying again!"

I had a 1:1 salon appointment to test this blow dry mist before it launched (beauty editor perks!). I'm NGL I started visibly squirming in the chair when the stylist generously spritzed it through my hair—roots included—because I'm so used to products weighing my hair down. He told me to trust the process, and woo-wee, was I shocked when my hair had so much volume and legit didn't feel oily at all.

The formula actually doesn't contain any moisturizers; instead, it's filled with polymers that help make my hair strands look plumper and thicker, plus peptides and bond-building agents to help strengthen hair strands over time. Just make sure to spray on your roots, then blow dry to help work the product into your hair.

• Key ingredients: Peptides, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate (bond builder)
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All

A customer's review: "Works very well, some lift on my hair. I have blonde hair that is flyaway-prone that will not normally respond well to products. It doesn’t make my hair look greasy like other sprays do."

This detangler was specifically made with low-porosity curls and waves in mind. Just smooth it through your mid-lengths and ends in the shower after conditioning, then slowly detangle with a comb or brush. It'll give your hair lots of slip, thanks to shea butter, tea tree oil, sunflower seed oil, and grapeseed oil, but reviewers said it doesn't pull out their curls or waves or leave an oily film on their hair.

• Key ingredients: Shea butter, tea tree oil, sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All

One review from a shopper: "I really like SheaMoisture products, so I decided to try this when I learned that I have low-porosity hair. I don’t much like the smell, bit it goes away after rinsing. I live in the deserts of the U.S., and my hair is not nearly as dry as it used to be after a wash, even when I use a clarifying treatment. Also, this stuff does seem to work pretty well with my waves. Overall, I do recommend it for low-porosity hair."

If you color or chemically alter your hair at all, you def should incorporate a monthly bond-building treatment into your hair care routine. The catch? Many bond-builders are chock-full of heavy oils that my low-porosity hair just cannot handle. Enter: This conditioning foam from Biolage. It uses citric acid to help seal your hair's outer cuticle, which can help strengthen your hair over time. Plus, it's filled with moisturizing glycerin and capuaçu butter, which makes your hair feel hydrated and soft.

• Key ingredients: Glycerin, castor oil, capuaçu butter, citric acid (strengthener)
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: Fine, normal

A shopper's review: "I really enjoy this foam about once or twice a week added into my shower routine! It is super lightweight, and easy to use! Really nourishing for damaged, over-processed hair."

If you've got low-porosity hair, lemme intro you to this hyaluronic acid-spiked deep conditioner from Amika. Instead of coating your hair with waxy silicones and oils to hydrate it, hyaluronic acid pulls water into your hair to help moisturize it from the inside. Plus, it's also got polyglutamic acid, another humectant, as well as moisturizing squalane and shea butter.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, squalane, polyglutamic acid, shea butter
• Curly Girl Method approved? No* (*contains waxes and alcohol)
• Hair type: All

A customer's review: "This product is extremely hydrating and is great for hair that is dry or damaged! It’s become a new staple in my routine."

Gel is an unsung hero in anyone's curly-hair routine, but it can easily make your hair look waaay too greasy and gunked-up if the formula isn't right for low-porosity hair. Be sure to look for a silicone-free formula, like this one from Adwoa Beauty that's made for fine and low-porosity hair types. It's got lightweight moisturizers (like squalane and strawberry and raspberry seed oil) to help reduce flyaways and give your hair a bit of definition and hold.

• Key ingredients: Squalane, strawberry seed oil, raspberry seed oil
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All

A review from a customer: "Omg my curls have never been so happy. This makes them look shiny, full of life, but the best part is that it's not crunchy or dry. It’s an amazing product!"

I know what you're thinking: Why would I want to coat my hair in oil when oily buildup is exactly what I'm trying to avoid? But if you've got dry ends, these shine drops are actually your friend, I promise. They're filled with moisturizers like squalane and jojoba oil, which don't just sit on your hair, but actually help penetrate your hair shaft for deep hydration. Plus, all of the included oils absorb well into fine hair (see: meadowfoam seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and moringa oil).

Just keep in mind to limit this to just you ends if you're prone to an oily scalp. Or you can try dripping a few drops on your scalp, then massaging it in, before shampooing to help moisturize your scalp without gunking up product in your roots.

• Key ingredients: Squalane, jojoba oil, meadowfoam seed oil, sunflower seed oil
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All

One Sephora shopper writes: "I love this oil! I love that this oil is silicone-free, which I was told was good for my extensions. It smells good and leaves my hair so soft and shiny, and I feel like it actually helps to repair my hair and not just sit on it."

A good scalp scrub is key for buffing away product buildup—a common issue for those with low-porosity hair—as long as you're using one without heavy oils. Myself and testers love this sugar-based scrub from TPH by Taraji (yup, Taraji P. Henson—queen). It's got sweet almond oil and squalane to help moisturize your scalp, but because both are easily absorbed, it won't weigh down your hair and have the opposite effect you're lookin' for.

• Key ingredients: Sugar, sweet almond oil, squalane
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All

A customer's review reads: "It’s easy to apply and it rinses out quickly. It has a minty feel on the scalp and it’s not hard to spread it around while scrubbing. I’m hopeful that with regular use it will improve the condition of my scalp."

When you're not quite ready to wash your hair but your curls are feeling a bit dull and limp, spritz on this silicone-free curl refreshing spray from Camille Rose. It uses rice water extract, honey, and aloe vera to give your hair much-needed hydration and make your curls and waves spring right back up.

• Key ingredients: Rice water extract, honey, aloe vera, babassu oil
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: Normal, dry

One review by a shopper reads: "One of my all-time favorite products. Used as a refresher for my 3b-3c curly hair, and it made my hair look like I had just washed and styled it. The smell is amazing as well."

I was hesitant to test this product, knowing that most all leave-ins just make my hair look oily. But this serum texture is so lightweight. It instantly makes my hair feel super soft and smooth and adds so much shine, thanks to argan oil (which, btw, is known for absorbing pretty well).

• Key ingredients: Argan oil, vitamin E
• Curly Girl Method Approved? No* (*contains wax)
• Hair type: All* (*but could be a bit too rich for very-oily hair)

One buyer says: "Initially, I was leary about the consistency of the serum as it felt almost like water but once applied, it soaked in quickly and didn't leave greasy residue behind. My hair instantly felt softer and looked incredibly shiny. It didn't feel or look weighed down."

Hair porosity is your hair’s ability to absorb and retain hydration, says hairstylist and assistant vice president of education at L’Oréal USA Mezei Jefferson. Low-porosity hair essentially means that your hair cuticles are close together, which is why they repel moisture and the active ingredients in your hair products. For this reason, low-po hair can be difficult to hydrate without getting weighed down.

But how do you know if you have low-porosity hair? First, take this quiz from CurlsBot (it asks Qs like how often your hair takes to dry and how oils sit on your hair strands). FWIW, low-porosity hair usually doesn't have a ton of natural volume, looks limp easily, takes a very-long time to dry, and also takes a long time to get fully saturated with water when in the shower.

Look for lightweight hydrators.

Specifically hyaluronic acid, squalane, and glycerin. All of these ingredients lightly moisturize hair without creating a film or residue that can make your waves, curls, or coils look pulled out and greasy. You can also try light oils—like sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, and argan oil—which absorb into hair fairly quickly too.

A few ingredients to avoid? Shea butter, castor oil, and mango seed butter. These don't absorb quickly, so they'll likely just leave a residue on your low-porosity hair. Trichologist Bridgette Hill also recommends avoiding protein overload on any hair type, of course, but especially for low-porosity hair that's prone to looking flat and stringy, according to a previous Cosmo article.

Opt for lightweight textures.

Instead of coating your hair in rich creams and heavy oils, choose hair products with lightweight textures, like foams, serums, and milks. These will naturally sink into your hair faster and not leave as much of a film on your strands. For this reason, testers were big fans of the Biolage Bond Therapy Conditioning Foam, the Rōz Milk Hair Serum, and Anablue Hair Serum.

• Bridgette Hill is a certified trichologist and founder of Root Cause Scalp Analysis, a virtual platform that offers personalized scalp analyses and treatment plans. Hill was previously interviewed about hair Botox treatments.
• Mezei Jefferson is a hairstylist and the assistant vice president of education at L'Oreal U.S.A. Jefferson is well-versed in educating and working with textured hair.