No poo SMT!!

[MoominPaige]

This winter my hair is a frizzy mess and i think thats due to all the electrical heat!
My routine is wash every 4th day with an organic natural shampoo bar and follow with and avc rinse rinsed out in cold water. I then add a drop of oil to the ends.
I think my hair needs extra moistire! Im waiting for some shea butter to arrive so i can use it as a leave in but then i thought an SMT might help more!

Is there anyway to do one without conditioner?! I dont want to break my routine as my hair loves it! Its just a shame it hates winter!

[Decoy24601]

Well, the whole point of an SMT is adding humectants to conditioner, so technically, no.

But why don't you just use humectants on your hair alone? Aloe vera gel and flaxseed gel are some great film-forming humectants.

[samanthaa]

Maybe do an overnight oil soak? You might need to wash twice the next day to get it all out but it might tame the frizzies.

Maybe you can also give the rinse-out oil method a shot (I always mean to try this and forget come wash day): http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=129191

You don't use a plastic comb or brush, do you? These will cause static in winter as well.

[Anje]

You might be able to swap out conditioner for yogurt or something like that. No idea how it'd turn out, but you can see what you think.

I'd suggest getting a humidifier or two. I don't think it's specifically the electric heat, since forced-air gas furnace heat is seriously dry too. Rather, the cold outside air doesn't hold as much moisture as warm air potentially can; therefore when you warm up the winter air to room temperature, it still doesn't have much moisture in it unless you add some to it.

[sumidha]

Honey is my hair's favorite humectant, and washes out without needing extra cleansing, as far as I can tell. Maybe that might be a good ingredient to experiment with?

[MoominPaige]

Maybe do an overnight oil soak? You might need to wash twice the next day to get it all out but it might tame the frizzies.

Maybe you can also give the rinse-out oil method a shot (I always mean to try this and forget come wash day): http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=129191

You don't use a plastic comb or brush, do you? These will cause static in winter as well.

Oh thank you ill have a look! Also i only use a wooden brush

[MoominPaige]

Honey is my hair's favorite humectant, and washes out without needing extra cleansing, as far as I can tell. Maybe that might be a good ingredient to experiment with?

How do you use honey?! I'd like to try it but I've never used humectants before so im a bit nervous

[mizukitty]

No surprise it's so dry! Ideal humidity for hair and skin health is around 40%, obviously skin benefits from more, and most hair types do as well. In the wintertime, I believe I read somewhere it can get as low as 15%!! The static on clothing is massive indicator your humidity is dropping below the comfortable 40%. I have a crane cool air (read: cool is better than warm - less bacteria and nasties) humidifier that I run alongside my space heater so I can keep my room around like 60% (I like it quite humid.) This reallyyyyy helps with skin tightness and static as well as dry hair. I think it's an absolute must if you live in place that uses indoor heating!

If that's not an option, the aforementioned aloe is a great way to bring some moisture into the hair, underneath oil or buttters it should work quite nicely. And of course, there is nothing wrong with switching up your wash routine for the colder months, either :)

[sumidha]

Well, I use it instead of aloe in an SMT, but you're avoiding conditioner so that's not ideal... The simplest way would probably be to dissolve a tablespoon or two into your ACV rinse, I think, since you're rinsing it out afterwards. :)

[MeAndTheMaz]

I may be wrong on this, but wouldn't humectants in dry air draw moisture out of your hair?

I'm sure I read that somewhere around here.

[Decoy24601]

I may be wrong on this, but wouldn't humectants in dry air draw moisture out of your hair?

I'm sure I read that somewhere around here.

I've read that it's a myth. It only feels that way because humectants like glycerin dry up and form a "film" in dry weather, making hair feel crunchy, but they don't suck moisture out of hair. Film forming humectants like AVG, flaxseed gel, xanthan gum, etc tend to have less of a nasty feel to them in dry weather.

[Anje]

Usually in conditioners, you've got the humectants and a bunch of moisture sitting on your hair for a while (hopefully in a shower cap/plastic bag), causing your hair to absorb some extra moisture. Then you rinse it all out. After that point, I don't think the presence of honey or glycerin or other humectants in the treatment should be a significant issue. All the same, putting a couple drops of oil on afterward to help slow moisture loss to a dry environment probably wouldn't hurt. (Honestly, I never liked the feel of most leave-ins, including film-forming humectants, on my hair anyway. Always made it feel grabby instead of smooth. But rinse-out is another ballgame.)