leave ins - advice needed!!

[Agnes Hannah]

Leave ins! Oils, conditioners, serums? I'm a bit curious.
I oil my ends with argan every evening and olive oil the night before washday.
what are your favourite leave ins and when do you use yours?
Do you use diluted conditioner in a spray bottle inbetween washes?
What do you use, and why?
Thanks
AgnesHannah
X

[AmyBeth]

My fave is a few drops of avocado oil cut with about a teaspoon of aloe vera gel. I like avocado because it is very lightweight and provides an excellent slip and shine. I cut it with aloe gel to get a better distribution, and the gel gives a very slight texture boost because my hair is so fine and flyaway.
Looks like we are identical hair twins- each of my hairs is almost invisible bc it's so fine. My pony is about 3.5" diameter. My diameter has just about doubled in the 2.5 years since I started lurking here and putting into practice what I've learned!

[Neptune]

I love argan oil, and ojon repair serum, but tend to use olive oil as a leave in. I seem continually run out of argan oil, and the ojon product line is super expensive. Aand olive oil is always in the kitchen, hehe.

[meteor]

I really don't have a set rule/routine for leave-ins, because when my hair is dry I see what it needs and act accordingly. Sometimes I'll spray my hair with water with leave-in conditioner and/or oil/honey/aloe. More often than not I just spread a couple drops of light oil over my hair, but only when my hair looks like it needs it.
I am avoiding leave-ins when I stretch washes, as leave-ins really attract dust and lint.

[ositarosita]

I use Ion Inspired by Nature Coconut milk detangler as a leave in then I seal with a coney serum .. right now I'm using hair chemist coconut oil serum
(my serums change but I my leave in is always the same) ... it's what works best for my hair, I feel my ends are protected and moisturised... as an added bonus I find my hair is never dry and it's the only combination that gives me silky soft hair

[lapushka]

A coney leave-in is what goes on my hair after weekly washes, after that a dollop of gel and a dollop of serum smoothed over the ends, from ears to tips (not just the very ends) --> see: "loc method" thread. I used to have a spray bottle handy with water/glycerine/conditioner, but the days of refreshing my waves are long gone. I just let the waves weigh themselves down over the course of a week.

[Caitrìona]

My favourite Leave-in is the AO NuStyle serum which i always put on my ends after washing and in between washes. When I mix a leave-in to spray on my hair, to be honest I just mix what I have atm which is usually water or tea, coconut oil, aloe vera juice, and some AO conditioner, I spray it on my hair at night and the next morning they are smooth and usually straight :)

[Sillage]

Right now it's Alterna Kendi Dry Oil spray (which is very coney) for all over and shea butter on the ends and lightly on the length.

[PixxieStix]

I don't have any hard and fast rules I follow, but my go-to products for leave in are coconut oil, argan oil, and Toadstool's leave in conditioner. I am trying to use up my product stash before I buy more of my favorite conditioner that I ran out of, so I recently started just using some diluted shampoo on my scalp and Toadstools leave in conditioner on towel tried hair, with oil on the ends as needed.

[Nine]

I follow the kimmaytube recipe.
2 spoons of aloe gel
2 spoons of leave in conditionner (I use the original one, Kinky curly knot, but it can be replaced by the giovanni one for example)
2 spoons of jojoba/avocado oil
2 spoon of castor oil

My dry curly hair loves it !

[DweamGoiL]

I simply use my trusty Monoi Oil mixed in with some light DevaCurl gel. If hair is really dry, then I will simply take a tiny bit of cone-free conditioner, dilute it, and apply below the ears.

[Sillage]

Whoops, I pressed post too soon. Anyway, my favorite leave-ins are Alterna Kendi Dry Oil spray and shea butter. I use them after shampooing/conditioning (so about twice a week) in wet hair. I really love the the Alterna because it's very coney and really makes my hair tangle free, smooth and sleek. So grateful for LuxePiggy for recommending this to me. It's light enough to be used on my entire head of hair but isn't moisturizing enough for my ends and length which is where the shea butter comes in. Unlike other oils, shea butter is "grabby" in my hair but because it makes my hair so supple and soft (instead of dry looking and busted) I use it anyway. Shea butter weighs down my hair so I only use it on the length (lightly) and on the ends (more heavily). I don't use anything on my hair in between washes ATM. As for conditioner diluted, I don't like diluting products like that because of the risk of microbes etc since you're diluting the preservative as well. I also don't like the idea of using a rinse off product as a leave in. JMO.

[Firefox7275]

To me 'leave in' is shortform for leave in conditioner, to distinguish from rinse out conditioner. Using oils is 'oiling', serums are often rich in silicones which are artificial oils.

After washing I use a liberal amount of a true rinse out conditioner (rich in fatty alcohols and/ or cationic surfactants) as a leave in, plus a styling product usually an alcohol free gel. Between washes nothing, other than the occasional deep treatment on dry hair with coconut oil - that greasy mess is not public friendly tho!

[Aingeal]

I agree with firefox. I use my rinse out condish as my leave in then style. I also oil once t twice a week.

[Naiadryade]

To me 'leave in' is shortform for leave in conditioner, to distinguish from rinse out conditioner. Using oils is 'oiling', serums are often rich in silicones which are artificial oils.

I agree with Firefox on the terminology.

I'm another who uses my rinse-out conditioner as leave in. Since mine is very rich and heavy and weighs my hair down/straightens my waves a bit, though, I use only a small amount of it. I dip a couple of fingers into the tub of Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque, and add what comes out to a mason jar about 3/4 full of herbal tea, plus a little vinegar and a little protein (usually in in the form of Bragg's liquid aminos). I shake it up well, and use this as my final rinse in the shower. I apply it by first dipping my lengths into the jar, then pouring the rest over my head. Later in the week if my ends are feeling particularly dry, I might spread one fingertip's load over my ends only. I can't do this more than once or maybe twice before washing again, though, or my hair will get over-moisturized.

I do also oil my hair. Extra virgin olive oil is my favorite, and I usually have essential oils in it. This is mostly for slip and shine. Often I mix it with lighter oils too, so my hair doesn't get oily-looking as fast. I usually do 3-4 drops on my ends and length below the ears, and another 2-3 drops on the under-layer starting at the nape of my neck. I do this when my hair is ~90% dry after washing, and again whenever I'm wanting more slip (about every 1-2 days).

Coconut oil I reserve for pre-poo treatments.

[jacqueline101]

I like vo5 keep me strong cream it's a cone free leave in conditioner.