I Found Out I Have Low-Porosity Hair, and It's Been the Key to Finally Having Good Hair Days

If you don't already know what a hair milk is, lemme introduce you. (I have a feeling you're gonna fall in love.) Think of it like a milky toner for your hair. It adds hydration and softness, a teensy bit of hold, and a lil smoothing—all with just a lightweight liquid that you can apply to hair wet or dry. Best part: This one from Emi Jay smells like a delicious vanilla cupcake.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, xylitol, trehalose, chia seed extract, hydrolyzed quinoa
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All* (*but might be a bit too heavy for very fine, oily hair)

Notes from the Cosmo team: "I rake this through my bob when I want my hair to look a bit more piecey and textured but without taking away any softness. And because the consistency is so lightweight, it doesn't make my hair look greasy either."—BG

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, this repairing oil is actually your friend, I promise. It's filled with squalane, which doesn't just sit on your hair, but actually helps penetrate your hair shaft for deep hydration.

Plus, all of the included oils (soybean oil, moringa seed oil, chia seed oil, marula oil) absorb well into fine hair. 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: Soybean oil, squalane, moringa seed oil
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All* (*but might be a bit drying if used too often on dry hair)

Notes from the Cosmo team: "I typically avoid using hair oil on my fine hair, but Vegamour's is really the opposite of most hair oils on the market. It's incredibly lightweight and leaves my hair soft and silky, and there's absolutely zero residue or greasy feeling."—LAUREN BALSAMO, BEAUTY DIRECTOR

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)

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

A mousse for curls without all the rich oils? Usually hard to find, but this formula right here is actually a hidden gem in the Bread Beauty Supply portfolio. Testers wrote that it made their curls look the best they ever have, and it's all thanks to a mix of proteins and amino acids that help strengthen your hair strands as they define curls. There's a teensy bit of hydrating magic in there too with panthenol and vitamin E so your hair stays soft, not crunchy.

• Key ingredients: Panthenol, arginine, vitamin E; yeast, wheat, and soy amino acids
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All, but especially damaged hair

Notes from a shopper: "This is a game-changer for those looking for coils without the crunch. This mousse provides a soft hold that enhances natural texture while keeping hair moisturized and frizz-free."

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. The spray applicator makes it super easy to spritz right onto your hair in the shower, and it helps distribute the product too before you smooth it through your ends.

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

Notes from the Cosmo team: "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."—BG

If you use any styling products on your low-porosity hair, you've gotta be shampooing with a clarifier at least once every other week. Your scalp and hair are prone to buildup and gunk, which is why I love this sulfate-free clarifying shampoo to help break it all down. It's filled with salicylic acid and charcoal powder to help gently exfoliate and clean my roots, 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)

Notes from the Cosmo team: "Far and away, this is the best clarifying shampoo I've ever used on my low-porosity hair. I use it once a week with a deep conditioner, and that day is always my best hair day of the week. My roots are lifted, my scalp is clean (but not stripped), and my products just absorb better."—BG

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)

Notes from the Cosmo team: "My hairstylist introduced me to this lightweight lotion last year, and I haven't stopped using it since. It's excellent for air drying—I smooth a quarter-size blob on wet hair from roots to tips and have way less frizz and flyways as a result."—LB

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. Multiple editors on the Cosmo team swear by this one from Cécred, the hair line created by Beyoncé (yup!!). It uses a fermented purple willow bark to help slough away all the gunk in your roots, but soothes any potential irritation with niacinamide.

• Key ingredients: Fermented purple willow bark, tea tree oil, niacinamide
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All (will likely need a hydrating conditioner afterward for dry hair, though)

Notes from the Cosmo team: "The Clarifying Shampoo and Scalp Scrub is divine. I love how gentle the fermented purple willow bark was on my scalp. I rarely use physical exfoliants because particles (usually sugar or salt) never fully wash out and I’m left with them sporadically falling out of my hair days later. But the tiny purple willow bark grains in this shampoo literally dissolve as you scrub."—JULEE WILSON, BEAUTY EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Most products that promise shine do so by coating your hair strands with heavy butters, oils, and silicones. Not this one, though. In standard Living Proof fashion, it uses a unique technology (aka a blend of jojoba oil, hydrating ingredients, and an optical brightener) to help light reflect your hair and look legit like a mirror. But because it's without all the stuff that usually weighs hair down, it helps keep your hair bouncy and soft while imparting a glowy look.

Just wash and condition your hair like normal, then coat your strands from roots to ends with this lightweight cream. Leave it on in the shower for five minutes before rinsing. For very fine hair types, this can replace the conditioner step too (see my quote below about how I use it).

• Key ingredients: Jojoba esters, hyaluronic acid,
• Curly Girl Method approved? Yes
• Hair type: All

Notes from the Cosmo team: "I've been using this religiously once a month since it launched, which is a huge feat for a majorly picky beauty editor who rarely uses anything on my temperamental hair. But this formula is legit perfect. It makes my hair look like glass and smooths out my flyaways but doesn't leave any greasy texture on my hair like I get with most shine-enhancing creams."—BG

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

Notes from a shopper: "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!"

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

Notes from the Cosmo team: "as someone with super thick, wavy, and at most times dry hair, this mask is a must-have on my hair wash days. I either use it in place of a conditioner, or on the extra brittle days, with my conditioner. It leaves my hair feeling so soft and defines my waves much better than if I don't opt for the mask and let it air dry on its own."—JASMINE HYMAN, ASSISTANT BEAUTY EDITOR

This volumizing spray 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

Notes from the Cosmo team: "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."—BG

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

Notes from the Cosmo team: "I was stoked to try a bond-building product that wouldn't feel so heavy on my fine hair. And this one seriously delivers. Once every two weeks, I'll shampoo as normal, then smooth a pump of this through my hair and wash out after one to two minutes (aka after I wash my face and body and shave). It's def helped keep my hair healthy amidst heat styling."—BG

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

Notes from a shopper: "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!"

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

Notes from a shopper: "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 just got back from Marrakech where everyone uses argan oil to make their hair feel soft and smooth. And what you might not know is that it actually absorbs really well, even on fine, low-porosity hair types. It's actually the hero in this hair serum from Anablue, which is heavily inspired by founder Lauren Perez's Moroccan heritage. It helps smooth flyaways, soften hair, and lock in moisture. Apply it to damp or dry hair (I find that it absorbs even better on damp hair, though).

• 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)

Notes from the Cosmo team: "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."—BG