Questions about humectants

[esmeralda80]

Hello

has anyone tried using both honey and glycerin and have feedback as to which one works better and under what conditions?

are there seasonal differences - one better in the winter vs summer?

or should humectants be skipped during the dry winter months ? What is your experience?

ive been using the SMT successfully as a leave in but it’s time for me to mix up a new batch - not sure whether to use glycerin instead of honey or maybe skip both as the weather is dryer ?

id experiment but my hair is damaged and one false move causes a lot of problems!

Thanks for your help!

[lapushka]

Personally I don't have problems with either, but glycerin is notorious for issues depending on the weather conditions. Here's a good article on it:
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/glycerin-and-humidity.html

[knobbly]

I would not use any variety of an SMT as a leave in during the (dry) winter.

[esmeralda80]

Personally I don't have problems with either, but glycerin is notorious for issues depending on the weather conditions. Here's a good article on it:
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/glycerin-and-humidity.html


thanks for the link - I love understanding the science behind what we do to our hair - I feel like I make better decisions that way.

i wasn’t sure from the article whether regular honey was one of the winter safe “film forming” humectants.

do you think I should skip the honey in SMTs over the winter and just use aloe? Skip both/neither?

thanks again!

[esmeralda80]

I would not use any variety of an SMT as a leave in during the (dry) winter.

Thanks for your input - Do you think aloe would still be a problem in the winter?

[knobbly]

I don’t avoid products used in the shower that contain humectants already, but I wouldn’t add more and I also wouldn’t use humectants out of the shower. I focus more on sealing with occlusives to slow water loss.

[lapushka]

thanks for the link - I love understanding the science behind what we do to our hair - I feel like I make better decisions that way.

i wasn’t sure from the article whether regular honey was one of the winter safe “film forming” humectants.

do you think I should skip the honey in SMTs over the winter and just use aloe? Skip both/neither?

thanks again!

I have no idea. SMTs aren't season-specific, it wasn't created that way I don't think.

I did not do SMTs that often, but the seasons did not seem to matter, for me. But then YMMV; one person isn't the next person. You may have issues, I may not. You'll just have to try it for yourself.

A lot of it is just trial and error, no matter what some sites say or others experience. It can be *totally* different for you.

[knobbly]

Just to be clear I was talking about using an SMT as a leave-in, which was your original question. I would use it as intended in any season.

[sipnsun]

Personally I don't have problems with either, but glycerin is notorious for issues depending on the weather conditions. Here's a good article on it:
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/glycerin-and-humidity.html

Thanks for sharing this article lapushka, my hair seems to love glycerin but I live in a climate that has 90-100% humidity about 9 months out of the year so that must be why. Very interesting read!

esmeralada80, I have used both interchangeably and never had any problems but prefer honey in my SMT because I can pick it up at the local farmer's market. I have added a few drops of glycerin to a homemade aloe gel and it works well also but as stated above, I live in a very humid climate. Like lapushka said, it's mostly trial and error to see what works best for your hair.

[Jo Ann]

Hmmm...Sipnsun, that sounds like FL. FWIW, in the winter I use oils more often than I do in the summer because the humidity is less.

But that's just me ;)

[esmeralda80]

Hi everyone - my hair is very fragile right now so I am trying to minimize experiments that may cause damage or dryness, so your feedback here is very helpful!

I also came across an article that talks about when it is best to use humectants based upon the dew point. Of course, it is just a guideline but seems like a good place to start!

https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/wavy-hair-type-2/the-411-on-dew-points-humectants