My hair is thirsty

[Aingeal]

The weather around here is changing and my hair can feel it. I've been putting in more leave in than usual and it still felt terribly dry. I put some oil and it and I swear my hair drank it up! Looks like I'll be oiling more than usual for a while.

Anyone else oiling more often?

[CurlyCap]

Yep!

Did an oil soak last weekend because my evening applications just weren't enough. Soaked my hair for 4 hours, co-washed a good bit out, and braided it overnight. My hair is much happier.

Yay for dry winter weather! lol

[GreenBloodyShoe]

I heavy oil my hair every 2-3 days religiously with either hazelnut oil or pistachio oil. You might want to try using a heavier oil like castor oil, olive oil or sesame oil to quench your hair's thirst. Using a sulfate free shampoo and buttery rich conditioner should really quench your Hair's thirst.

[redtuss]

Yep!! Even my straight fine hair is craving a lot more oil then usual :)

[Naima]

I've started oil my hair and leave it over night before every wash (3-4 days). More than usual...but still feels like not enough(

[Sillage]

My hair never seems to get thirsty. My skin can be dry as a bone but my hair is just fine. Odd.

[gnome82]

Yes, it seems I need to oil my hair every day now.

[LauraLongLocks]

My hair seemed to totally suck the jojoba oil right up today, and I thought I over did the oil!

[thirstylocks]

Yes! My hair was dry from the root to the tip this morning, which has never happened before!! :( Usually only the last few inches are dry. Tis the season to oil your hair and leave it up in a bun all day.

[lapushka]

We use more serum on it as well, with the weekly washes. Typically, it's not touched with product during the week. The weekly serum is more than enough (but a little more is used now).

[rock007junkie]

As I see that you are a curly like myself, you might want to read up on this (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/kinky-hair-type-4a/loc-method-the-routine-every-curly-should-know) method. It helps me maintain moisture during the winter.

[Aingeal]

As I see that you are a curly like myself, you might want to read up on this (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/kinky-hair-type-4a/loc-method-the-routine-every-curly-should-know) method. It helps me maintain moisture during the winter.

Oh wow. ok. What moisturizer would you recommend?

[Suze2012]

My hair was dry at the end of summer but now that it's colder (below about 15 degrees) I've gone back to using a glycerin mixture - just a shop bought mix.
My curls love it and it lessens the need to do overnight oilings.

I just spritz it on wet hair after scrunching curl creme in.

[Silverbrumby]

We use more serum on it as well, with the weekly washes. Typically, it's not touched with product during the week. The weekly serum is more than enough (but a little more is used now).

What is the serum? Is it a product you can buy. My hair is bone dry at the moment as well.

[endlessly]

I have noticed my hair is very thirsty right now, too. I swear, I've doubled up the oil and leave-in, plus deep conditioning products! One thing that has helped me greatly so far is keeping it up in a bun to protect the ends and covering my hair with a scarf while outside in the cold and wind.

[rock007junkie]

Oh wow. ok. What moisturizer would you recommend?

A moisturizer can be any conditioner/ leave in you may already use. During the winter I tend to use heavier ones such as Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie or Camille Rose Moisture butter. After that I seal with an oil during the warmer months and during the winter months either with Pura Body's Cupuacu butter or whipped shea butter. Hope this helps.

[Mizumi]

Have you tried using light conditioner before washing on dry hair? It might help to moisturize, at least it did for me..

[Crumpet]

A moisturizer can be any conditioner/ leave in you may already use. During the winter I tend to use heavier ones such as Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie or Camille Rose Moisture butter. After that I seal with an oil during the warmer months and during the winter months either with Pura Body's Cupuacu butter or whipped shea butter. Hope this helps.

Great idea! I might give this a go. My hair is burning through the coconut oil now and seems to want more and more moisture.

[Aingeal]

Fantastic! I have been using Shea moisture curl and style milk on my roots and top section of hair and have been using coconut and evoo on the lower sections and ends. I might go on ahead and add the smoothie underneath the oil to help. It's already in my cabinet. :)

[lilliemer]

yep with a dry scalp too. i did a coconut milk soak last week which helped.

[CurlyCap]

As I see that you are a curly like myself, you might want to read up on this (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/kinky-hair-type-4a/loc-method-the-routine-every-curly-should-know) method. It helps me maintain moisture during the winter.

How do you do this without breaking up the clumps as you apply many layers of products?

Water based products help retain clumping to an extent, but I find that butters need more pressure to apply, even when melted, and can cause more diffuse curls to form.

[DancingQueen]

Yup, mine is very thirsty as well. I am considering switching from coconut oil to either avocado oil, or olive oil (never tried olive before). Or at least give it some more conditioning hair treatments.

[Wildcat Diva]

Thanks rock007 for posting that method. I did a bedtime revitalizing variation on dry hair. Slight misting with spray bottle, two drops mineral oil, smudge of coconut oil, then Nightblooming's Panacea, which is Shea butter based.

[lapushka]

What is the serum? Is it a product you can buy. My hair is bone dry at the moment as well.

IC Fantasia serums mostly (got the olive oil, regular one, or the one for frizzy hair to choose from)
or Chi Silk Infusion (not getting that one *ever* again, it thickens and gets gloopy).

[whylime13]

Most of my problems would be solved if I stopped taking such long hot showers, or sitting directly in front of the space heater - but I get so cold! All of me is dry, this week I bumped up to daily cuticle oil and a paraffin based hand cream, and my thicker winter body lotion. For my hair I normally do a coconut oil pre-wash soak 1-2 times a month, now I'm doing it every week. I also started doing a light coat of jojoba oil on the ends most days. It's been a while since I used it and I can't remember how my hair liked it.

After typing all of this out, I'm thinking that I really should start up the air humidifier - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[Crumpet]

I'm also thinking of hooking up the humidifier. I've been in denial about winter but it seems like it might be prudent to go ahead and accept that its here.

I'm currently marinating in an SMT inside my new heat cap. It feels fantastic and will hopefully do some good. I look absolutely ridiculous though!

[slyviolet]

Ooooh what kind of heat cap did you get, Crumpet? I've been looking into those. Would you recommend the one you have?

[HintOfMint]

My hair has been greedy about extra care in general since winter arrived. In warmer weather, I don't have to be so picky about conditioners, leave-ins, oils and the like. Now I have to make sure the conditioner is free from protein but has silicone in it. I've had to switch out my leave-in conditioner (which was loaded with humectants) to oils. I'll do frequent SMTs as my regular conditioner in the shower as well so that the steam helps moisturize my hair.

I am so determined to make it through this winter with my ends in decent shape. I haven't managed to do it yet with three New York winters, but this will be the one! I'm moving to the DC metro area soon, so hopefully the winters are a little more mild there.

[Crumpet]

Ooooh what kind of heat cap did you get, Crumpet? I've been looking into those. Would you recommend the one you have?

I got the Mastex Thermal heat cap. Cinnamonhair recommended it and it gets pretty good reviews on Amazon. Its a plug-in, which seems to bug some people (I really don't mind sitting for 30 minutes or so). The very back does not have wires/heat, but you're supposed to wear a shower cap on your hair, which distributes the heat. I thought it worked really well today, but as it was my first day its hard to say. It definitely felt luxurious!

[slyviolet]

That definitely sounds luxurious... And I don't mind sitting still for 30 minutes or so either. Our house gets so chilly in the winter, our heater doesn't distribute heat very well, but a toasty cap sounds so snuggly! Thank you for the info, Crumpet! :)

[SamEatsBrains]

My hair is almost always thirsty lol! I have never washed my hair frequently....even before knowing that many longhairs don't. I washed my hair when it got greasy and it simply never did. Ever since I can remember I've never washed more frequently than like...every 4th day. Usually I don't even wash once a week these days. And even with oiling, which will speed the process up...if I leave it a day it'd all soaked in!