Is Redken All Soft Good for Low Porosity Hair? An Honest Answer
Quick answer: Redken All Soft can work for low porosity hair, but only if you use it the right way. The shampoo is fine for most people, but the conditioner and mask are rich formulas that sit on top of low porosity strands instead of soaking in. If you apply them with a little warmth and rinse well, you get soft, smooth hair. If you pile them on cold and skip clarifying, you get buildup, limp roots, and hair that somehow feels dry and greasy at the same time. Below, I explain exactly why, and how to make it work.
First, What Is Low Porosity Hair?
Porosity is simply how easily your hair absorbs water and products. Every strand of hair is covered in tiny overlapping scales called the cuticle. On low porosity hair, those scales lie flat and tight, like closed shutters on a window. Water and conditioner have a hard time getting in.
You probably have low porosity hair if you notice these things:
Water beads up on your hair in the shower instead of soaking in right away
Your hair takes forever to get fully wet, and even longer to dry
Products seem to sit on your hair rather than absorb, leaving a coated or filmy feeling
Oils and butters make your hair look greasy fast
The Float Test (Do This Before Buying Anything)
Take a clean strand of shed hair and drop it into a glass of room temperature water. Wait a few minutes. If it keeps floating, your hair is low porosity. If it sinks quickly, it is high porosity. If it hovers somewhere in the middle, you are normal porosity. Your hair must be clean for this test, because product residue changes the result.
What Is Actually Inside Redken All Soft?
The All Soft line is built for dry, brittle hair. The three main products people ask about are the shampoo, the conditioner, and the Heavy Cream mask. The key ingredients are:
Argan oil – the star ingredient across the whole line. It smooths and adds shine.
Softening polymers and silicones – these coat the strand to make it feel silky and reduce frizz.
Redken’s RCT protein complex (in some versions) – a light protein blend that targets the root, core, and tip of the hair.
Notice something? Almost everything in this line works by coating the outside of the hair. That is exactly why the answer for low porosity hair is “yes, but carefully.”
So, Is It Good for Low Porosity Hair or Not?
Here is the honest breakdown, product by product.
The Shampoo: Yes, Safe to Use
The All Soft shampoo is gentle and moisturizing without being heavy. For low porosity hair, this is the safest product in the line. It cleans without stripping, and because it rinses out, it does not cause the buildup problem the leave-in products can. If you wash two or three times a week, this shampoo is a comfortable choice.
The Conditioner: Good, With One Condition
The conditioner is rich. On high porosity hair, it sinks in and repairs. On low porosity hair, it mostly sits on the surface unless you help it absorb. The trick is warmth. Apply it in the shower after the water has been running warm for a few minutes, leave it on for three to five minutes, and rinse thoroughly. Warm water gently lifts the cuticle just enough to let some of that argan oil in. Use a small amount, focus on the mid-lengths and ends, and keep it away from your roots.
The Heavy Cream Mask: Be Careful Here
This is where most low porosity users go wrong. The Heavy Cream mask is designed for very dry, damaged, high porosity hair that drinks up product. Low porosity hair cannot absorb something this thick on its own. Used cold and left to sit, it creates a film that makes hair feel soft on day one and flat, coated, and lifeless by day three.
If you want to use the mask, use it once a week at most, always with heat. Apply it, cover your hair with a shower cap, and wrap a warm towel around it for 15 to 20 minutes. The gentle heat opens the cuticle so the mask can actually do its job. Without heat, you are basically buttering a closed door.
The Buildup Problem Nobody Warns You About
Silicones and argan oil are not villains, but on low porosity hair they accumulate faster because nothing absorbs. After two or three weeks of regular All Soft use, you may notice your hair feels heavier, your curls or waves fall flat, and even freshly washed hair does not feel truly clean.
The fix is simple: clarify once every two to three weeks. Use a clarifying shampoo (Redken makes one called Detox, but any budget clarifying shampoo works) to reset your hair. After clarifying, your regular All Soft routine will work noticeably better, because product can finally reach the hair instead of piling on top of old residue.
How to Use Redken All Soft on Low Porosity Hair: The Routine
Clarify first. Before starting the line, wash with a clarifying shampoo so you begin with a clean slate.
Shampoo normally with All Soft, two to three times a week.
Condition with warmth. Small amount, warm shower, 3 to 5 minutes, rinse very well.
Mask once a week maximum, always under a shower cap with a warm towel.
Skip heavy leave-ins. If you want a leave-in, use the lightest possible amount of the Argan-6 oil on damp ends only, one or two drops.
Clarify every 2 to 3 weeks to remove buildup and restart the cycle.
Follow this and All Soft genuinely delivers what it promises: softer, smoother, shinier hair. Skip the clarifying and heat steps, and you will probably end up blaming the product for something that was really a porosity mismatch.
Better Alternatives If All Soft Feels Too Heavy
If you tried the routine above and your hair still feels weighed down, your hair may simply prefer lighter formulas. Look for products described as “lightweight,” “volumizing,” or “water-based.” Within Redken’s own range, the Volume Injection line is a better match for fine, low porosity hair. Outside Redken, lightweight leave-in sprays and rinse-out conditioners with humectants like glycerin tend to suit low porosity hair better than heavy creams and butters.
For a full breakdown of every product in the All Soft range, read our complete Redken All Soft Hair Care Review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Redken All Soft shampoo good for low porosity hair?
Yes. The shampoo is the most low porosity friendly product in the line. It cleanses gently, adds slip, and rinses clean without leaving heavy residue behind.
Will Redken All Soft cause buildup on low porosity hair?
The conditioner and mask can, if you use them frequently without clarifying. Clarify once every two to three weeks and apply the rich products with warmth, and buildup stays under control.
Should I use the All Soft Heavy Cream mask on low porosity hair?
Only once a week, and only with heat (a shower cap plus a warm towel for 15 to 20 minutes). Without heat, the mask sits on the surface and flattens your hair.
Is Redken All Soft protein-free?
No, the current formulas include Redken’s RCT protein complex, but the protein content is light. Low porosity hair is often protein-sensitive, so if your hair starts feeling stiff or straw-like, cut back to using the conditioner once a week and see if it improves.
What is better for low porosity hair, Redken All Soft or Volume Injection?
If your hair is fine and gets weighed down easily, Volume Injection is the safer pick. If your hair is thick, coarse, or frizzy despite being low porosity, All Soft used with the warm-application method usually gives better softness and shine.
The Verdict
Redken All Soft is not automatically bad for low porosity hair, and it is not automatically good either. It is a rich, coating line that low porosity hair can absolutely benefit from, as long as you meet it halfway: use warmth when you apply, go easy on the amounts, and clarify regularly. Do that, and you get the soft, glossy results everyone raves about. Ignore porosity and use it like the label suggests, and you will likely join the people saying it “stopped working” after a few weeks.
Know your porosity first, adjust the routine, and the product takes care of the rest.
This article is for general information. If you have a scalp condition or serious hair loss, speak to a dermatologist before changing your routine.