This may be a stupid question but:

[gustavonut]

How do you give your hair moisture in winter, and does your hair even need moisture in the winter? :eek:
I know humectants aren't recommended in the cold, and from what I can remember, aloe and honey are humectants.
So what could I do to moisturize my hair besides an doing an SMT :confused:

[neko_kawaii]

It isn't the temperature, it is the humidity. I live in an arid place. I check the relative humidity before using aloe or honey as a leave in but I've found that the high teens and above are fine. It is only at very low RH that I've had troubles and I doubt many non-arid places have RH numbers that low regularly.

ETA: also for applications such as SMT, as long as you rinse thoroughly and don't let it dry out while it is on your hair, I don't see that it is going to be able to draw moisture out of your hair since it is surrounded by other more easily accessible moisture.

[gthlvrmx]

I think the problem in the cold is that the heaters are usually on in the winter which causes dryness inside the house. The dryness of the house makes your humectants suck out all the moisture in your hair. You can try oiling your hair with baby oil when it's damp. That will seal the moisture into your hair. Humectants are fine in the cold, it just depends on the dew point (i think) and how humid it is in your area.

[gustavonut]

The winter here is very humid and it's pretty humid in Germany where I'm going to be going for Christmas.
Could I still use honey? And what could I use to replace the aloe? I don't have any at the moment.
gthlvrmx: I have baby oil so that's cool! :)

[gthlvrmx]

The winter here is very humid and it's pretty humid in Germany where I'm going to be going for Christmas.
Could I still use honey? And what could I use to replace the aloe? I don't have any at the moment.
gthlvrmx: I have baby oil so that's cool! :)

Yes you can still use honey as long as its humid and the dew point is right. I forgot what the dew point has to be at, I think it's between 45- 55 F that is optimum for hair.

[gustavonut]

Yes you can still use honey as long as its humid and the dew point is right. I forgot what the dew point has to be at, I think it's between 45- 55 F that is optimum for hair.

The dew point is 46 right now. Well good, I feel better about this now; the humidity is pretty high here.

[MeAndTheMaz]

Just be careful of one thing. The dew point can never be higher than temperature. So if you're going somewhere that's going to be colder than 45-55, then the dew point has to already be lower than that, because when the two are the same, that's when moisture starts to condense out of the atmosphere.

Have fun in Germany. :Jealous:

[BlueMajorelle]

I use Wen. In summer, it has a tendency to make my hair greasy but in winter, it's perfect. :) I live in Minnesota so we already have our heat cranked on which dries everything out. I also have a humidifier in my room which helps.

[ErinLeigh]

I find sealing to be more important in winter.
Water moisturizes so after washing I just make sure to seal it with a good oil. I find in winter it is about retaining as much moisture put in as possible. The heaters that run everywhere can sap it dry.

[gustavonut]

Just be careful of one thing. The dew point can never be higher than temperature. So if you're going somewhere that's going to be colder than 45-55, then the dew point has to already be lower than that, because when the two are the same, that's when moisture starts to condense out of the atmosphere.

Have fun in Germany. :Jealous:
Aw dang it.. It's always below 30 so looks like I'll have to wait on the moisture stuff.
And thank you! I hope you can go some day.

[Johannah]

Humectants attract water from the environment. So if you live in a humid climate, it could cause frizz. Some people do not like using SMTs in winter because of this reasons, others (like me) don't really care because you wash it off and the effect isn't dramatic at all. This is also the reason why oils are recommended in winter because these are anti-humectants so your hair won't frizz.

And about the dew points and stuff... Just try something out. It's a personal thing, you know. If SMT works, - fine. If it doesn't, try sealing your hair with a light oil afterwards. You also could CO in between with a moisturizing conditioner if SMT doesn't work, or do some overnights oilings or leave your regular conditioner in your hair for a while.

[gustavonut]

I use Wen. In summer, it has a tendency to make my hair greasy but in winter, it's perfect. :) I live in Minnesota so we already have our heat cranked on which dries everything out. I also have a humidifier in my room which helps.

Ah too bad wen is the most expensive shampoo ever..

[lapushka]

My routine doesn't change with the weather. It's still WCC + LOC. All the way. I don't see my hair needing more moisture in winter, because apparently the methods are enough and can withstand the elements.

[Chiaroscuro]

Maybe I'll sound stupid saying this, so please smack me down and correct my thinking. I used to depend upon oils as moisturizers but I found out that for me, dampening my hair a tiny bit with water every day or dampening at night and braiding it added the most moisture. I haven't noticed others talking about this---am I missing something or doing something bad??? I still use oils and other things, but plain ole water is best for me.

[gthlvrmx]

Maybe I'll sound stupid saying this, so please smack me down and correct my thinking. I used to depend upon oils as moisturizers but I found out that for me, dampening my hair a tiny bit with water every day or dampening at night and braiding it added the most moisture. I haven't noticed others talking about this---am I missing something or doing something bad??? I still use oils and other things, but plain ole water is best for me.

Oils can't moisturize hair. They usually just seal the moisture in so it doesn't go away from the hair which is healthy for hair. EVOO is an oil that i think some fatty lipids go INTO the hair, but not many other oils do this. I think coconut oil is the only other one that can penetrate hair and make it feel more moisturized, but oils don't add moisture to hair. They just seal it in. That's why it is best to oil your hair when your hair is damp. Water is the only thing that can moisturize hair, hence the word "moisture".

[nakima]

The dry winter weather is hard on my hair so as soon as I start getting the dreaded fly aways I put a big pot of water on the stove to put more moisture in the house and this helps a lot.I can tell a huge difference right away it's good for your skin as well. Good luck!

[spidermom]

Pre-wash oiling and post-wash conditioning leave-in containing silicones to protect work well for me. I use leave-ins and coney serums sparingly. As in many things, a little is great, but there is such a thing as too much.

[ZeppHead]

Wash less, condition more, keep hair up to keep moisture in and try oils as a leave in...very small amounts.

[Bene]

How do you give your hair moisture in winter, and does your hair even need moisture in the winter? :eek:
I know humectants aren't recommended in the cold, and from what I can remember, aloe and honey are humectants.
So what could I do to moisturize my hair besides an doing an SMT :confused:



Why? I mean, what are you basing this on?

[lapushka]

Why? I mean, what are you basing this on?

No clue, but I just found this:
http://curly2kinky.com/clinic/dew-points-and-your-hair/

I generally solve this by staying away from humectants alltogether. :lol:

[Bene]

No clue, but I just found this:
http://curly2kinky.com/clinic/dew-points-and-your-hair/

I generally solve this by staying away from humectants alltogether. :lol:



Yeah, I went googling earlier and found that same article. It's mostly about humidity, which makes sense. But I don't agree with how the temperature has anything to do with it. As a curly/frizzy, I find that it's humidity that I have to deal with, temperature is altogether irrelevant, unless it's so hot that I sweat heavily and that moisture makes my hair frizzy.


In the past, when I was bothering with humectants and whatnot, the cold didn't do anything to my hair. An SMT in the deepest winter worked just as well as an SMT in the summer. So, I'm wondering if articles like these are pseudo-science people pass around for the sake of looking for an extra issue to have to deal with?

[gustavonut]

Yeah, I went googling earlier and found that same article. It's mostly about humidity, which makes sense. But I don't agree with how the temperature has anything to do with it. As a curly/frizzy, I find that it's humidity that I have to deal with, temperature is altogether irrelevant, unless it's so hot that I sweat heavily and that moisture makes my hair frizzy.


In the past, when I was bothering with humectants and whatnot, the cold didn't do anything to my hair. An SMT in the deepest winter worked just as well as an SMT in the summer. So, I'm wondering if articles like these are pseudo-science people pass around for the sake of looking for an extra issue to have to deal with?

That's very true, and I was just asking because I've heard many LHCers saying that it didn't really work in the winter. But then again it's different for everyone so..:shrug:

[HintOfMint]

When it's Winter and too dry, I usually just use SMTs as a regular conditioner in the shower to take advantage of the steam in the air. I find that I still reap the benefits of deep conditioning without having to sit around with drippy goo on my hair for hours, and without risking humectants being counterproductive in too-dry weather.

After that, sealants, sealants, SEALANTS. Whether it's oils, cones or butters, some sort of occlusive material after your wash is pretty crucial as well.