SMT questions

[esmeralda80]

1) Is it best to use SMTs for pre poo, post poo or can they be used for both? What are your experiences?

2) If the honey is pasteurized, do you still need to heat the mixture? If I don’t mind the lightening effect, should I still heat it to avoid having the peroxide dry my hair, or is that not really an issue?

3) if I dilute the mixture with distilled water and put in a spray bottle, could I use it as a leave in? Any downside to this? How long would the mixture last and would it need to be refrigerated?

4) has anyone tried other ratios besides 1:1:2 honey/aloe/conditioner and what worked best?

5) if my hair likes the SMT can I use it with every wash - or is it like protein where it can be overdone? Has anyone had a bad experience from doing them too often?

Thanks for your help!

[skeletonous]

Hi there!

1) I believe it is best to use SMTs post poo and I have not heard of someone doing it pre poo but it could be possible

2) I think heating up the mixture is mostly to help penetrate the hair shaft and it's optional

3) Unsure of this one :p

4) Too much honey can make your hair sticky and too much aloe can make it crunchy I believe

5) I would use it once or twice a week I believe using it all the time might make it too greasy? Not too sure on this one

[esmeralda80]

Hi there!

1) I believe it is best to use SMTs post poo and I have not heard of someone doing it pre poo but it could be possible

2) I think heating up the mixture is mostly to help penetrate the hair shaft and it's optional

3) Unsure of this one :p

4) Too much honey can make your hair sticky and too much aloe can make it crunchy I believe

5) I would use it once or twice a week I believe using it all the time might make it too greasy? Not too sure on this one

thanks for your response - much appreciated !

[Jennithefirst]

1) Regarding using it pre or post shampoo, I've tried doing each before. Personally, it seemed to work better post poo.

2)I use pasteurized honey and still always heat it, but that's because I don't want to risk accidental lightening.

3) I've never thought to try this, but now I'm curious. Follow up if you try it?

4) I'm not the most precise with my measurements :whistle:, but I've never noticed a difference. To be clear, I try to keep it close each time.

5) I think this would somewhat depend how frequently you wash your hair and how dry your hair is. I agree though that it would probably make it greasy if you do it all the time. You might have to experiment with this one to find how often works best for you.

[esmeralda80]

1) Regarding using it pre or post shampoo, I've tried doing each before. Personally, it seemed to work better post poo.

2)I use pasteurized honey and still always heat it, but that's because I don't want to risk accidental lightening.

3) I've never thought to try this, but now I'm curious. Follow up if you try it?

4) I'm not the most precise with my measurements :whistle:, but I've never noticed a difference. To be clear, I try to keep it close each time.

5) I think this would somewhat depend how frequently you wash your hair and how dry your hair is. I agree though that it would probably make it greasy if you do it all the time. You might have to experiment with this one to find how often works best for you.

Thanks, Jennifer - I forgot to ask the first time, are you supposed to use heat with the SMT? Thanks again!

[shelomit]

I find it doesn't soak in well unless I use some heat. I don't have a fancy heat-cap or anything, but just wrap my head up in a dry towel or sheet so that my head stays warm. But that's true for me for any kind of conditioner. If you don't have to use heat for regular conditioner, you probably wouldn't have to for an SMT.

[Feral_]

1) Is it best to use SMTs for pre poo, post poo or can they be used for both? What are your experiences?

2) If the honey is pasteurized, do you still need to heat the mixture? If I don’t mind the lightening effect, should I still heat it to avoid having the peroxide dry my hair, or is that not really an issue?

3) if I dilute the mixture with distilled water and put in a spray bottle, could I use it as a leave in? Any downside to this? How long would the mixture last and would it need to be refrigerated?

4) has anyone tried other ratios besides 1:1:2 honey/aloe/conditioner and what worked best?

5) if my hair likes the SMT can I use it with every wash - or is it like protein where it can be overdone? Has anyone had a bad experience from doing them too often?

Thanks for your help!

1. I used it instead of my normal WO and it worked well, didn’t need to wash my hair for another 15 days!
2. The heat will help incorporate the other ingredients, sorry don’t know about lightening / peroxide.
3. In theory that might work. You’d need to refrigerate for the conditioner and aloe but the cold might set the honey?
4. No I’ve kept with the original recipe. I use a dessert spoon for 1 ‘part‘.
5. Too frequent will probably make your hair greasy, maybe once a week depending how your hair reacts to it.

[sipnsun]

1) Is it best to use SMTs for pre poo, post poo or can they be used for both? What are your experiences?

2) If the honey is pasteurized, do you still need to heat the mixture? If I don’t mind the lightening effect, should I still heat it to avoid having the peroxide dry my hair, or is that not really an issue?

3) if I dilute the mixture with distilled water and put in a spray bottle, could I use it as a leave in? Any downside to this? How long would the mixture last and would it need to be refrigerated?

4) has anyone tried other ratios besides 1:1:2 honey/aloe/conditioner and what worked best?

5) if my hair likes the SMT can I use it with every wash - or is it like protein where it can be overdone? Has anyone had a bad experience from doing them too often?

Thanks for your help!

1. I use it post poo, never tried it pre poo.

2. I heat the mixture for 2 reasons; to help it penetrate the hair shaft easier and because I make a large batch at a time and store it in the fridge so it's really cold.

3. I've never used as a leave-in but would probably leave out the honey if I did and use vegetable glycerin in it's place. (My hair likes glycerin, but not everyone does.) If you are using a store bought aloe then it probably has some sort of preservative so it should last for a couple of weeks or longer in the fridge. If you are using fresh aloe, then it will have a shorter shelf life. I would make it in small batches to test it. Check it everyday for smell, discoloration or odd bits floating that shouldn't be there.

4. I usually use equal parts conditioner and aloe and less honey because I don't want it to lighten my hair. I haven't tried this ratio exactly but usually eyeball it instead of measuring.

5. Some people experience moisture overload but I have yet to experience that so I guess you would have to see through trial and error. My hair LOVES moisture but doesn't tolerate protein as well. I do a moisture treatment every time I wash and a protein treatment only once or twice per month.

[Shorty89]

I don't use measurements for my SMT, but I use less aloe and honey than in the original recipe. I'd say mine is probably 1 or 2 C conditioner with maybe 1/4 tsp aloe and 1/2 tsp honey.

[esmeralda80]

1. I used it instead of my normal WO and it worked well, didn’t need to wash my hair for another 15 days!

Does this mean you used it in place of shampoo? Not sure what WO means! Thanks.

[esmeralda80]

So I tried the SMT yesterday and was wondering if the leftovers need to be refrigerated. I was thinking not because none of the individual ingredients need to be refrigerated - but I put it in last night to be on the safe side.

What do you think - refrigeration yes or no?

[Feral_]

Does this mean you used it in place of shampoo? Not sure what WO means! Thanks.

Yes in place of Water Only hair washing :o

I’d refrigerate it.

[esmeralda80]

Yes in place of Water Only hair washing :o

I’d refrigerate it.

I wish I could use something like this in place of shampoo because shampoo is so damaging - but I really can’t go longer than a week - the roots just get too greasy!

[esmeralda80]

1. I use it post poo, never tried it pre poo.

2. I heat the mixture for 2 reasons; to help it penetrate the hair shaft easier and because I make a large batch at a time and store it in the fridge so it's really cold.

3. I've never used as a leave-in but would probably leave out the honey if I did and use vegetable glycerin in it's place. (My hair likes glycerin, but not everyone does.) If you are using a store bought aloe then it probably has some sort of preservative so it should last for a couple of weeks or longer in the fridge. If you are using fresh aloe, then it will have a shorter shelf life. I would make it in small batches to test it. Check it everyday for smell, discoloration or odd bits floating that shouldn't be there.

4. I usually use equal parts conditioner and aloe and less honey because I don't want it to lighten my hair. I haven't tried this ratio exactly but usually eyeball it instead of measuring.

5. Some people experience moisture overload but I have yet to experience that so I guess you would have to see through trial and error. My hair LOVES moisture but doesn't tolerate protein as well. I do a moisture treatment every time I wash and a protein treatment only once or twice per month.
Thank you for your detailed response, sipnsun. I was hoping my hair twin would respond ;)

I am still a little confused about the honey vs glycerin thing and using humectants in winter or not. I’d experiment but my hair has been very touchy # maybe I’ll start a new thread!

[shelomit]

I am still a little confused about the honey vs glycerin thing and using humectants in winter or not. I’d experiment but my hair has been very touchy # maybe I’ll start a new thread!

I saw that you did indeed start a new thread about this, but since I saw it here: it is kind of a truism that humectants are more tricky to use in winter because the air is dryer, but that's not true for all climates (or even for all temperate climates). If you don't pay a lot of attention to the humidity in your area, look up the weather averages and see what seasons are actually most/least humid. (Where I live, were are most humid in autumn and least humid in summer).