hmmm...this sounds kinda like my hair. My hair does not absorb products with heavy oils very well. It also takes 8 hours+ to dry. I'm not sure if its cottony or spongy though. The texture is fine with high density. I believe the porosity is low b/c of the strand tests I've done. I get way more shrinkage with creams than gels. I usually can't even absorb a cream

What is the difference between spongy and cottony?