What causes a substance to be hydrophobic?

The hydrophobic effect is caused by nonpolar molecules clumping together. Large macromolecules can have hydrophobic sections, which will fold the molecule so they can be close to each other, away from water. Many amino acids in proteins are hydrophobic, helping the proteins obtain their complicated shapes. The hydrophobic effect extends to organisms, as many hydrophobic molecules on the surface of an organisms help them regulate the amount of water and nutrients in their systems.