Non-oil moisturising solutions

[qvbit]

I get really dry ends, but I have very fine hair that immediately looks greasy when I put oil on it. I've tried many light oils, grapeseed, argan, oiled it when wet, etc. I've tried putting on very little (which looks like I haven't used it at all), using a sprayer, everything. Nothing really quite works for my hair. My scalp is oily but even distributing my natural oils seems to make the ends look limp. I suspect what my ends actually need is hydration/humectants, rather than oils, because the condition of my ends dramatically improves on humid and rainy days. Does anyone have any tips or recipes? I'm comfortable trying both natural/herbal and conventional/consumer products.

ETA: I use a vinegar rinse on my hair which helps just a little. I also try to shampoo as little as possible and only on my scalp. I use sulfate and cone free products.

[Laurab]

i'm with you on the oils, even 1-2 drops goes a long way in making me look greasy.

I've tried the SMT (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) and really liked it! That might be something to try.
I also really like the Garnier treats one minute masks. I've tried the smoothing one and the repairing one, I like both.
Also some leave-in treatments might be helpful. I use a really cheap garnier one, but it's got tons of silicone, so it may not be best for you if you avoid that. I'm also not sure what's available in Australia.

[qvbit]

i'm with you on the oils, even 1-2 drops goes a long way in making me look greasy.

I've tried the SMT (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) and really liked it! That might be something to try.
I also really like the Garnier treats one minute masks. I've tried the smoothing one and the repairing one, I like both.
Also some leave-in treatments might be helpful. I use a really cheap garnier one, but it's got tons of silicone, so it may not be best for you if you avoid that. I'm also not sure what's available in Australia.

Oh yeah! I've heard of the SMT. I've wanted to try it but I have trouble getting my hands on pure aloe gel :( I'll give it another go and search for some online, I'm sure I will find some eventually. Otherwise I'll have to buy an aloe plant to harvest! When I try it I'll report back on the results.

[Larke]

Even SMT has honestly been a little too heavy for my hair sometimes. It's very helpful, but my hair usually doesn't look right until the next wash day after the treatment. I've tried loads of different oils and masks and leave-ins, with very little results that I've been happy with. My current routine is simply to do a regular conditioning mask for about 15 minutes before every wash day. It all gets washed out during the wash and isn't too heavy anyway, since I use my regular conditioner, but it does help with moisture. Maybe not an ideal solution, but for my very fine hair, it seems to be working okay?

I will say, I've also done plenty of SMT with just conditioner and honey. Aloe doesn't work great for my hair and it isn't necessary. It might also be part of why a full SMT doesn't wash out well for me? I have no idea. At any rate, I usually do just conditioner, maybe sometimes a little honey, always before shampooing (so I can get as much of the treatment out as possible), and then only keep the treatment in for 15-20 minutes tops.

I'm going to follow this thread to see what others recommend, though, because I have similar issues and I'm not entirely satisfied with my current routine yet. You might be more successful with it. :)

[Lady Stardust]

It might be worth trying a heat cap with your usual conditioner. It helps the conditioner to work better, by some kind of magic. I add aloe sometimes. You’re certainly thinking along the right lines with aloe, as it’s film forming humectant and should help to keep the moisture in. I buy Fruit of the Earth aloe gel or juice.

Have you tried an oil rinse (also known as ROO - Rinse Out Oil). Add a drop of oil (or more) in between shampoo and conditioner. The conditioner helps to remove the oil again. It makes my ends feel much softer, for longer, in between washes. It’s really worth a try if you haven’t done it before.

[Ylva]

Is the weather generally dry over there? Since you say that your hair feels better on humid days, maybe omitting humectants entirely would be something to look into. If the air is dry, they will move water OUT of your hair and into the drier environment instead.

[Feral_]

Some really good advice already. When you get the aloe you could also try mixing it with a bit of oil - and applying to damp hair after washing and conditioning. I'm WO and I did that the other week. A squeeze of aloe so maybe a heaped teaspoon with a few drops of argan oil and mix it up. Combed it through. Felt a bit sticky at the time but no stickiness when it dried and it left my hair very sleek. The only down side for me was it took every wave out of my hair - it was like I'd straightened it! But I combed it and didn't scrunch so maybe if you want to keep a wave do that.

[MusicalSpoons]

My routine involves pre-poo oil but one thing that did make a huge difference all by itself was leaving conditioner on damp hair for at least an hour before a wash - and you don't have to have it on your roots, just on what would be your ponytail (my scalp seems to do better not being wet for all that time so that's how I do it now).

Also seconding rinse-out oil, it very often works for people whose hair doesn't otherwise like oil.

[Mariekeeee14]

Perhaps some aloe vera gel or flaxseed gel might work