Helping hair hang on to moisture

[MandaMom2Three]

Are there ways to help my hair retain moisture for longer? I started out with hair that was basically straw all the time, now I've figured out enough of product and method that my hair feels like SILK, for a while. Each evening I CO. I use a cone free conditioner on the crown where my hair is either virgin or henna, then I follow with a thicker coney conditioner on the length which has old dye/heat damage. I pat dry with a towel, brush in couple drops of oil and bun or braid. It dries slowly overnight and when I take it down, it is HEAVENLY smooth and silky, but it dries out super fast. Within an hour it's back to straw again :( dry and frizzy. As long as my hair is up it seems ok, but I would like to have my down more! I would like to find a way to get my hair to hold moisture longer. I'm going to start keeping my hair up more, but I do want my hair to be able to be down once and a while :( . Here are some observations I've made...


It's not a cone issue. If I go no cones it does the same thing, in fact it dries out a lot FASTER when I don't use cones.
It's not a clarifying issue.
Using a leave in doesn't help.
Deep oilng before washing keeps my hair softer, but it doesn't stop it from drying out and frizing.
Even the lightest oiling on dry hair looks greasy, I can wet it and oil but as soon as it's dry it's frizzy again.
Honey no longer seems to make it worse, but it doesn't make it better either.
AVG doesn't help either, unless I apply it over and over and over, as soon as it's dry, frizz.
SMT's make no difference.
The hair on my crown isn't quite as bed, where it's henna (which is growing out, I need to touch up soon) but that could be either the henna helping or just that there's much less damage. It's as if my hair can absorb moisture ok, but it loses moisture VERY quickly.

Is there anything I can do/use to help it hold on to that moisture for longer? Theoretically oiling after moisturizing should help hold the moisture in but it doesn't seem to be enough :confused:.

[ReddishRocks]

I'm really interested in responses to this one. I'm totally avoiding humectants (like honey) right now so they won't pull moisture from my hair in the really low dew point here in Colorado. On another board, we had a loooooong conversation over whether or not AVG is a humectant too. I'm not convinced one way or another, but I'm still using it.

One thing I find is that if I avoid protein for too long, I'll get frizzy. Too much protein makes my hair feel straw-like, but not enough will mess me up too.

Good luck!

[Dreamernz]

Hmmm, I can't think of anything else other than once you let down your hair, oil it with a heavy oil like EVOO, only to your length. You say your hair dries out easily, perhaps the greasy effect of the oil may dry out too leaving the medium that you want. Alternately it could just be your damaged ends, once they are damaged there is nothing you can do about it except for wait it out while your hair grows out, trimming the damage off, I'm sorry but at this moment in time I can't think of anything else, hope that has been of some help :)

[Samikha]

Misting? It's the only thing I can think of, really. My hair always feels worse if I leave it down for a while, but not like what you're describing :/ Is it better after you henna, or no change? Have you tried several kinds of oil, and using really minuscule amounts?

[Flaxen]

Move to the Caribbean? :cheese: :lol:

Seriously, those of us in dry climates (Winter and/or Summer) are going to find it very difficult to wear our hair down and keep it from drying out. Personally, misting makes my hair a mess and doesn't add moisture long term. Nothing really does, and that might be a function of fine hair, too. I think the best you can do is find a heavy leave-in, something with shea butter (maybe Fox's?) if you really want to wear your hair down. Otherwise, wearing it up works best to preserve moisture.

Of course there is that Caribbean thing, too. I have great hair with a little bit of humidity. ;)

[Kirin]

First, check all items you are using, conditioners, for glycerine. Glycerine and a low humidity point outdoors and in your house make for awful dry hair.

Moisturize your hands. Quirky I know, but sometimes if your hands are dried out, when you touch your hair, your hair feels worse than it actually is.

Use a touch of oil periodically throughout the day, as its drying, not waiting until its completely bone dry.

Try drying your hair down, and not up. Long term slow evaporation of water from hair may leave your hair more dry than you started with. Water itself can be extremely drying, keeping hair wet for extended periods of time (for some) can cause this overdrying problem (I am one of them).

As a last resort, try something with mineral oil. I know I know, alot don't like it, but I love mineral oil products, especially in winter. They tend to break down less fast, and don't evaporate away.

Check conditioners and products for high amounts of alcohols, and citric acid. I know the current wisdom that acids are good for the acid mantle... but I find such acids detrimental to my hair's length and very damaging.

[Debra83]

I've been experimenting with that as well...and I found the best method to keep in moisture way longer but it takes time which I don't always have before work so I don't do it always. After conditioner only washing or CWC leave hair soaking wet...don't even pat once with a towel. Take a good dollup of your favourite conditioner and a tiny (I mean tiny) bit of coconut oil and mix it in your hands then work it through the hair...mostly on length ( a little though on the scalp) and let it completely air dry before touching it. That seems to preserve way more moisture in my hair and give it shine. Added bonus is my natural curls come out too. I never tried it yet before bed, only at the start of the day, so I don't know what it would do overnight. I got this method from mixed chicks application technique of their product, but seem to get even better results from using one of the conditioners I bought at the health food store. Let me know if you try this and what it does for you. Good luck.

[Honey39]

I use a lot of conditioner and water on my hair, which has changed it completely from being dried out. I either co-wash and put on a leave-in, or I add conditioner to the dry ends and then soak with water from the ears down and scrunch into curls. The two things - water and conditioner - have changed my hair.

Misting doesn't work for my hair - it seems to 'sit' on the outside and makes everything drier and more tangled. If I'm wetting the ends, I put my hand under the tap and scrunch water into the ends. Works much better for me, and as it's only the last 9 inches or so it doesn't take too long to dry - say, about an hour??? But it doesn't feel wet because my scalp is nice and dry.

Oils are nice, but they didn't help my dryness issue - for me, it was leave-in conditioner that sorted it. Good luck!

[Flaxen]

Try drying your hair down, and not up. Long term slow evaporation of water from hair may leave your hair more dry than you started with. Water itself can be extremely drying, keeping hair wet for extended periods of time (for some) can cause this overdrying problem (I am one of them).
Well now, that IS interesting. I thought I was the only one who noticed this. Sometimes damp bunning gives me very soft hair, and sometimes it's almost crunchy when I take it down after drying fully. :ponder:

[salamander]

Have you tried repeated heavy oilings? When my hair is dried out, just one heavy oiling makes it better, but doesn't fix it. It takes several tries to fully re-hydrate my hair. When I first found LHC, I did a heavy oiling every week for a year before my hair felt really better!

[suziwon]

First thing I'd recommend is seeing if you can skip a CO night every once in awhile. For me, nothing has made as big of a difference in my hair's health than stretching between washes.

Next thing would be to try an even heavier conditioner on the length. Until it got "really cold" here (and given that I live in the Vegas area, I use the term loosely), I had no problems with my routine. I was using a heavy (extra moisturizing) conditioner every time I washed (every three days) and noticed that after the weather change, my hair started seeming really dry again. I switched to using a conditioner labeled as a weekly deep conditioning treatment every time I wash, and it seems to have made a difference. My hair is not where it was before the weather change, but it is a far sight better than before the conditioner change.

[Meli]

I pat dry with a towel, brush in couple drops of oil and bun or braid. It dries slowly overnight and when I take it down, it is HEAVENLY smooth and silky, but it dries out super fast. Within an hour it's back to straw again :( dry and frizzy.


You did not mention which oil you use? This part describes exactly what my ends felt like all summer. The length was not as bad, but still dry. I blamed it on the summer weather, but in August I quit using oil (because of other reasons). My hair got better in only a few days, despite the weather, without any effort from my side. Later, during the more humid autumn, I put some oil on the ends again - instant dryness... I have later identified this particular feeling in my hair as too much protein, not normal dryness. I used coconut oil, which helps to prevent protein loss. This was enough to over time cause protein overload, and I, who thought my hair loved coconut oil, have now realized that it actually hates it...

This does not necessary mean that you are dealing with protein overload, it's just a thought that crossed my mind. But check your products for protein, and if you are using coconut oil, perhaps try another oil instead.

[Flaxen]

...I have later identified this particular feeling in my hair as too much protein, not normal dryness. I used coconut oil, which helps to prevent protein loss. This was enough to over time cause protein overload, and I, who thought my hair loved coconut oil, have now realized that it actually hates it...
Coconut oil only prevents protein loss of the protein that naturally makes up your hair, so it would be impossible to get "overload" this way. The overload would have to come from protein products applied to your hair. If your hair hates coconut oil, it's for some other reason. :flower:

[girlcat36]

Watching this thread; I have the same problem. :)

[vindo]

Have you tried repeated heavy oilings? When my hair is dried out, just one heavy oiling makes it better, but doesn't fix it. It takes several tries to fully re-hydrate my hair. When I first found LHC, I did a heavy oiling every week for a year before my hair felt really better!

I second that, and the oilings don't even have to be heavy at all times, just regular. Over time your hair will keep in more of the moisture and stay smooth longer.
Be sure to try an oil with molecules small enough to penetrate the hairshaft..(coconut, camellia, olive oil)
Jojoba will stay on the outside mostly for example. It's better for scalp oiling.

You can also try natural Aloe Vera Gel, it is a humectant, therefore attracts moisture and helps hair and skin to retain moisture longer.
Make sure there is no drying alcohol in it though.

[MandaMom2Three]

One thing I find is that if I avoid protein for too long, I'll get frizzy. Too much protein makes my hair feel straw-like, but not enough will mess me up too.

I checked the products I use most frequently and I see ONE protein about halfway down the list on ONE of them. So I don't think I'm getting too MUCH protein, though maybe I'm not getting enough! I was going to use yogurt in my next henna gloss, but since I don't plan on doing one for another week yet, I put my hair up in a yogurt pack. I'll be rinsing out in about half an hour. I might try egg yolk another time.


Misting? It's the only thing I can think of, really. My hair always feels worse if I leave it down for a while, but not like what you're describing :/ Is it better after you henna, or no change? Have you tried several kinds of oil, and using really minuscule amounts?

Misting doesn't really do much. I have to mist HEAVILY to effect the frizz at all and then as soon as it dries it's frizz again. I think it was a little better after hennaing, so I'm hoping after a few more rounds it will improve a bit more. I've tried all the oils I can get my hands on!


hose of us in dry climates (Winter and/or Summer) are going to find it very difficult to wear our hair down and keep it from drying out. ...I think the best you can do is find a heavy leave-in, something with shea butter (maybe Fox's?) if you really want to wear your hair down. Otherwise, wearing it up works best to preserve moisture.

Well it sure is dry around here and that probably has a lot to do with it :( not much I can do about that right now, but I do plan on getting a humidifier when possible (even if it doesn't help my hair I hope it helps the constant shocking!!) I've tried Fox's, but it seemed way too heavy for my hair, though maybe I'll try again with different add ins. Shea seems to be usable as long as I use an insanely small amount, it didn't seem to do anything special for my hair, but it didn't feel gross either.


First, check all items you are using, conditioners, for glycerine. Glycerine and a low humidity point outdoors and in your house make for awful dry hair.

One of my CO conditioners has glycerin about halfway down the list, but I havn't seen any difference when I use all glycerin (and honey) free products.


Moisturize your hands. Quirky I know, but sometimes if your hands are dried out, when you touch your hair, your hair feels worse than it actually is.it's not just the feel of it, it looks all foofy :(


Use a touch of oil periodically throughout the day, as its drying, not waiting until its completely bone dry.ive tried that a couple of times, there is such a fine line with my hair between not enough oil and too much, one drop and it goes from slick to ick :rolleyes:


Try drying your hair down, and not up. Long term slow evaporation of water from hair may leave your hair more dry than you started with. Water itself can be extremely drying, keeping hair wet for extended periods of time (for some) can cause this overdrying problem (I am one of them).Tried that too, all that does is make it dry out faster. When I let it dry up in a bun, it's super silky for about half an hour, if I let it dry down and loose, it's frizzy even before it's fully dry, even if I keep my hands out of it entirely :(


As a last resort, try something with mineral oil. I know I know, alot don't like it, but I love mineral oil products, especially in winter. They tend to break down less fast, and don't evaporate away.I'll try that if I can find something!


Check conditioners and products for high amounts of alcohols, and citric acid. I know the current wisdom that acids are good for the acid mantle... but I find such acids detrimental to my hair's length and very damaging.Now that's a problem, all my conditioners have an alcohol for the 2nd and 3rd ingredients :( . I havn't found any conditioners that work for me that don't.


leave hair soaking wet...don't even pat once with a towel. Take a good dollup of your favourite conditioner and a tiny (I mean tiny) bit of coconut oil and mix it in your hands then work it through the hair...mostly on length ( a little though on the scalp) and let it completely air dry before touching it.

I will try that too!! (I also want to give that Mixed Chicks stuff a try sometime!)


Have you tried repeated heavy oilings? When my hair is dried out, just one heavy oiling makes it better, but doesn't fix it. It takes several tries to fully re-hydrate my hair. When I first found LHC, I did a heavy oiling every week for a year before my hair felt really better!

I do a heavy oiling at least once a week, doesn't seem to help, but I've only been doing that for a couple months, I do hope my hair will be in better shape a year from now!


First thing I'd recommend is seeing if you can skip a CO night every once in awhile. For me, nothing has made as big of a difference in my hair's health than stretching between washes.

I've tried spacing them out, but the hair just gets worse and worse each day!


Next thing would be to try an even heavier conditioner on the length. Any recommendations that would be easily found at any WalMart or pharmacy? Right now I use Aussie Moist, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration or Aussie 3MM for my thick conditioner.


You did not mention which oil you use?

I've used emu, olive, coconut, shea, sunflower, jojoba, sweet almond and probably some I'm forgetting LOL. Emu, olive and jojoba seem to work best for me for a light damp oiling. Coconut seems best for a long deep soak. Nothing works when applied to dry hair, then it just feels liek crispy hair with a coat of oil on it :rolleyes:



Be sure to try an oil with molecules small enough to penetrate the hairshaft..(coconut, camellia, olive oil)
Jojoba will stay on the outside mostly for example. It's better for scalp oiling.

hmmmm, I'll try using olive oil more!


You can also try natural Aloe Vera Gel, it is a humectant, therefore attracts moisture and helps hair and skin to retain moisture longer.Humectants are something I'm trying to avoid with the done dry air we have here in the winter (we have a wood stove). I'll try leaving that out of my SMT's and see if that helps any.

[GlassEyes]

I THINK Shea can help hair retain moisture by smoothing out the cuticle...

[MandaMom2Three]

Ok, I kept the yogurt pack on for an hour and COed out. I can't wait to see what my hair is like dry, it felt AMAZING rinsing!! ALSO, I made a new batch of Fox's shea butter cream and tweaked it a little, I used 1 part shea, 1/2 part jojoba and 4 parts conditioner. The end result was a lot creamier. If my hair is still frizzy when it dries, I'll brush in a little of that and bun for the night.

[Curlsgirl]

Maybe you need a trim? If nothing else works it could just be the damaged ends that won't respond to anything.

[ReddishRocks]

You can also try natural Aloe Vera Gel, it is a humectant, therefore attracts moisture and helps hair and skin to retain moisture longer.
Make sure there is no drying alcohol in it though.

Humectants work by balancing the moisture content of you hair with the air, and if you're living in a low dew point climate, humectants can pull moisture out of your hair. I find any dew point about 35 or below to be too dry for me to use humectants in my leave-ins.

Aloe vera gel is weird though... I've been reading up on it lately, and some folks think that it acts a little differently than other humectants, which is why I'm still using it right now. Seems like glycerine really messes with my moisture though. :)

(BTW - I feel badly about not citing my sources here... I'm kind of a geek that way! I'm on my phone, and it's not possible for me to cut and paste. :o Please forgive!)

[Meli]

Coconut oil only prevents protein loss of the protein that naturally makes up your hair, so it would be impossible to get "overload" this way. The overload would have to come from protein products applied to your hair. If your hair hates coconut oil, it's for some other reason. :flower:

Sorry I wasn't clear enough. I know coconut oil itself does not add protein, and I asked the OP to check for protein in her products. But if there is already an imbalance between protein and moisture, even if it is slight, at least in my experience coconut oil makes it worse without any more protein added. In my case, the protein might have come from egg washes, but I had not done any egg washes (or anything with protein involved for that matter) for three months when the coconut oil started to become a problem, and only an occasional wash before that. I have tried to put the oil on wet, damp and dry hair - doesn't matter - the ends feel the same regardless.

Maybe you are correct about the coconut oil being a problem in another way than messing with the protein/moisture balance. I just don't know what else to believe, as my hair felt and behaved exactly the same with regular light oilings with coconut oil and no protein added, as it did just recently when I experimented with eggs as a regular washing method and ended up with a protein overload. This time, I used no oil at all until the protein overload already was a fact, and the one time I did put coconut oil on the ends in an attempt to fix it, they got way worse. Maybe my hair is just picky - it seems to take very little to set the protein/moisture balance off in either direction.

[Flaxen]

Sorry I wasn't clear enough. I know coconut oil itself does not add protein, and I asked the OP to check for protein in her products. But if there is already an imbalance between protein and moisture, even if it is slight, at least in my experience coconut oil makes it worse without any more protein added. In my case, the protein might have come from egg washes, but I had not done any egg washes (or anything with protein involved for that matter) for three months when the coconut oil started to become a problem, and only an occasional wash before that. I have tried to put the oil on wet, damp and dry hair - doesn't matter - the ends feel the same regardless.
Oh, okay, gotcha. :grin:

Manda, I was just reminded of something else. Do you have hard water? If so, you might find that a final rinse/soak of distilled water keeps your hair feeling softer longer.

[Sissy]

I'm really interested in responses to this one. I'm totally avoiding humectants (like honey) right now so they won't pull moisture from my hair in the really low dew point here in Colorado. On another board, we had a loooooong conversation over whether or not AVG is a humectant too. I'm not convinced one way or another, but I'm still using it.

One thing I find is that if I avoid protein for too long, I'll get frizzy. Too much protein makes my hair feel straw-like, but not enough will mess me up too.

Good luck!

I'm finding this thread very interesting as I too am prone to dry hair, which can also be frizzy if I allow it to air dry.

I am going to give myself a cholesterol (protein) treatment to see if that helps.

Also, I thought honey helped put moisture into the hair (I didn't realise it pulls moisture out??). I thought that's why SMT was supposed to be such a healthy, moisturizing treatment. Am I misunderstanding something here?

[Sissy]

Using a leave in doesn't help.

I know you said leave-ins don't help but I thought I'd tell you about a new one I recently tried that I really think it helping my hair to feel less frizzy and more soft/moist after air drying. I purchased Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner and Giovanni Vita-Pro Conditioning leave-in spray. They are organic products and actually the whole line feels good on my hair. Today, I applied the Giovanni Direct Leave-in after getting out of the shower... I combed it through wet. After my hair air dried (I'm experimenting on not using a blow dryer) it seemed just a tad frizzy so I got the Giovanni Vita-Pro leave-in spray out and misted my dry hair with it and brushed it through. WOW, did that ever help... my husband came home from work and actually complimented me on my hair... said it looks healthier and shinier than usual :)

Just thought I'd mention it in case you'd like to try it.

[Gulbahar]

Now that's a problem, all my conditioners have an alcohol for the 2nd and 3rd ingredients :( . I havn't found any conditioners that work for me that don't.
Wait a second! Ingredients with "alcohol" in the name are not necessarily what you would define as alcohol (like ethanol or isopropyl alcohol which are in fact drying). There are lots of things that work completely differently. For example there is Cetearyl alcohol which simply is an emulsifier and feels like wax. It can be found in many conditioners and moisturizers.

[MandaMom2Three]

Maybe you need a trim? If nothing else works it could just be the damaged ends that won't respond to anything.

I've already trimmed out about 2 inches over the past 2 months, I don't really want to trim out anymore until I get more length.


Humectants work by balancing the moisture content of you hair with the air, and if you're living in a low dew point climate, humectants can pull moisture out of your hair. I find any dew point about 35 or below to be too dry for me to use humectants in my leave-ins.

Yes, I've stopped using humectants for now, I'll try again when summer brings the humidity back.


Aloe vera gel is weird though... I've been reading up on it lately, and some folks think that it acts a little differently than other humectants, which is why I'm still using it right now. Seems like glycerine really messes with my moisture though. :)

I think I'm going to lay off it for a while and see if that makes any difference.



Manda, I was just reminded of something else. Do you have hard water? If so, you might find that a final rinse/soak of distilled water keeps your hair feeling softer longer.

I DO have hard water, but neither using a filter nor washing at my mothers (who has soft water) seem to help.


I know you said leave-ins don't help but I thought I'd tell you about a new one I recently tried that I really think it helping my hair to feel less frizzy and more soft/moist after air drying. I purchased Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner and Giovanni Vita-Pro Conditioning leave-in spray.

I try new ones all the time hoping to find one that works, I'll try to get these!


Wait a second! Ingredients with "alcohol" in the name are not necessarily what you would define as alcohol (like ethanol or isopropyl alcohol which are in fact drying). There are lots of things that work completely differently. For example there is Cetearyl alcohol which simply is an emulsifier and feels like wax. It can be found in many conditioners and moisturizers.

Well that's a relief!

Well I tried that yogurt pack last night. I wanted to wait up until it dried to get an idea about it but got too tired so I just braided and went to bed. My hair is AMAZING today!!! A few flyaways but nothing like before! :cheese::D:cheese::D:cheese: As if that wasn't cool enough, I made a new batch of Fox's Shea Butter Cream and I altered it a little by adding 4 times the conditioner called for. I didn't want to apply it to my whole length because I wanted to see if the yogurt did anything so applie some just to the tassel, BINGO not heavy and greasy at all :D. I'm seriously doing a happy dance over here :) . Next time I'm out I'm going to look for a thick heavy treatment/conditioner with protein and see if that helps too. I'm trilled with the results from the yogurt!:D

[wintersun99]

[................

[RocketDog]

Have you ever tried jojoba oil? My hair is very very fine, and looks greasy even if I touch it too often, but a teensy drop of jojoba oil rubbed into my palms then into the tips of my hair makes a world of difference! Especially with the horrible dry, cold air in Utah right now, I can't live without the stuff! It's a lot 'lighter' feeling than EVOO or coconut oil, at least in my experience.

I also do a conditioner/honey/oil treatment similar to a SMT the night before I wash my hair, and it seems to really help my ends more than anything else. I just take a few tbsp of conditioner, 1tbsp honey and 1tbsp oil, diluted with maybe 1/4 cup distilled water for easier application. I really SOAK my length, and comb a little bit through to my scalp. I leave it in overnight and then CO-wash it out in the morning and I swear my hair has NEVER felt so soft and tangle-free at the ends!

[MandaMom2Three]

Yes, jojoba is my most used oil. I find honey tends to dry out my hair sometimes so my SMT's are 1/4 cup condish 1 tbsp AVG and 1 tbsp oil. Hair is glorious afterwards, but 30 minutes later, different story. I'm going to try leaving out the AVG.

[girlcat36]

Yes, jojoba is my most used oil. I find honey tends to dry out my hair sometimes so my SMT's are 1/4 cup condish 1 tbsp AVG and 1 tbsp oil. Hair is glorious afterwards, but 30 minutes later, different story. I'm going to try leaving out the AVG.


So if you leave out the AVG, and the honey, your SMT's will just be warmed up conditioner with some oil?

[MandaMom2Three]

Yup lol, except that I don't warm them, eventually I'll let go of calling them SMT's as they don't really follow the recipe at all by this point :p

[girlcat36]

LOL, that's what I was thinking! It has become a simple conditioning, especially since you do not heat it.:D

I have been reading this thread with interest. While my hair has never seemed to be a fan of oiling, I am doing a heavy overnight soak with olive oil. Can't wait for the frightful results tomorrow.
Also, I had no idea that using honey in this dry cold air we are having could actually be bad for my hair. I usually mix a dollop of honey in my condish, but I guess I will abandon that for now.
So--no honey or SVG, and heavier oilings is what I am going to try. And maybe a microtrim next month.

[MandaMom2Three]

I'm so bad with names. I used to make some kind of chicken dish, and eventually over time tweeked a little here and a little there and eventually it was made with pork instead. One time I served it to company and when asked what it was I said it ________ chicken :p . I sure got some strange looks and it wasn't until they were gone that I thought "waaaaaait a minute. I guess it really isn't _____ chicken now is it?" SO they probably still think I'm off my rocker :D

[Curlsgirl]

I just thought of one more thing I wonder if you have tried that may help your ends. This is a miracle thing for me. I braid my hair and leave as long of a tassle as I want to "treat". Then I dunk the whole tassle in water, saturating it very well. Then I squeeze it gently with my fingers to get the "drip" out. Then I dip it in coconut oil (if it's solid then just as much as you can possibly get in the tassle). Then I squeeze it again with my fingers gently getting all the drips out again. Then I leave it until it dries totally. What I get is soft, moisturized, silky hair. I guess you could try another kind of oil. I don't like any other oil as well though.

[Melisande]

I have dry ends that are difficult to moisturize.

Deep oilings with monoi before washing help, so do deep treatments with a mixture of conditioner, oil and other goodies like aloe vera, citric acid, wheat protein or urea (only one each time, and only a tiny bit). I don't live in a dry climate so I add honey. I keep my head warm while doing the deep oiling or deep treatment.

I CWC with very diluted shampoo, and it helps. Detergents are drying.

I mist my hair, put in Fox' shea butter (I whip it, it's heavenly), and my ends have improved very much.

I'd say, try monoi and try Fox' shea balm.

[Sissy]

LOL, that's what I was thinking! It has become a simple conditioning, especially since you do not heat it.:D

I have been reading this thread with interest. While my hair has never seemed to be a fan of oiling, I am doing a heavy overnight soak with olive oil. Can't wait for the frightful results tomorrow.
Also, I had no idea that using honey in this dry cold air we are having could actually be bad for my hair. I usually mix a dollop of honey in my condish, but I guess I will abandon that for now.
So--no honey or SVG, and heavier oilings is what I am going to try. And maybe a microtrim next month.

Whaaat... so doing SMT with honey in it during the colder/drier months of the year could actually be drying/bad for my hair? I am not sure if I'm understanding this properly.

[Katze]

Fascinating thread!

I've had similar issues, but SMTs always seem to cure them for me, as does clarifying...I didn't see clarifying or just deep shampooing mentioned as a solution?

Last week (before it got really cold) I was following my weekly sulfate shampooing (after my weekly swim) with SMTS (natural conditioner - Lavera brand - pure aloe, and cheap honey). This has been making everything much nicer - less frizz, less dryness, smoother ends.

Although oiling is usually quite tricky with my hair, since I've been washing less often, I put a bit of my skin oil (wheat germ/castor mix, for my pregnant belly and itchy skin) onto my nape hairs and ends whenever they get wet in the shower or bath. I have my hair up to keep it dry, but parts always get damp, and I use the opportunity to trick my hair into receiving some oil. It also seems to be making my ends softer.

If you have damage, you might just need to trim those parts. I've wrestled with the same issue myself over and over and am committed to slowly trimming the damaged bits - my hair is so tapered and layered anyway that I am (hopefully!) getting thick hair as well as growing it out to virgin.

What really springs to mind, though, isn't a protein or moisture or ingredient issue, but simply that you have buildup! Co-ing every day seems excessive - I know it wouldn't work for me - and going "no poo" made me have dull, crispy, unhealthy looking hair. My hair seems to need sulfates once a month or so. Maybe this is the same for you? I forget your hairtype.

hope you find what works!

Katze

[MandaMom2Three]

I mist my hair, put in Fox' shea butter (I whip it, it's heavenly), and my ends have improved very much.

I'd say, try monoi and try Fox' shea balm.

I'm trying to stick to stuff I can get easily. If it ends up being something that works for me, it's going to be a pain to have to order it all the time :p . I did make up a new batch of Fox's and added about 4 times the conditioner called for and it worked! I can use it now with my hair turning into a stiff yukky mess!!! When my hair finally started to get frizzy again (took MUCH longer after the yogurt treatment than it usually does!) I brushed in a good deal of that, it made my hair look slightly greasy, hardly noticible and the next day (today) it's STILL laying beautifully!!!! I am so happy! Looks like the shea cream will help me to extend the times between washings!


Whaaat... so doing SMT with honey in it during the colder/drier months of the year could actually be drying/bad for my hair? I am not sure if I'm understanding this properly.

Yes, honey works by balancing the moisture in your hair with the moisture in the air. That works nice if the air is moister than your hair, but if the air is dryer than your hair, it will pull the moisture from your hair. We have a moisture sucking woodstove for heat in the winter so the air is incredibly dry.



I've had similar issues, but SMTs always seem to cure them for me, as does clarifying...I didn't see clarifying or just deep shampooing mentioned as a solution?

The weren't listed because I mentioned that they had already been tried to no avail.


If you have damage, you might just need to trim those parts.

Not an option, if cut out all the damaged part I'd be left with only slightly longer than pixie shudder:


I've wrestled with the same issue myself over and over and am committed to slowly trimming the damaged bits

THAT I'm doing, I trim about 1/2 and inch every 2 months.


What really springs to mind, though, isn't a protein or moisture or ingredient issue, but simply that you have buildup! Co-ing every day seems excessive - I know it wouldn't work for me - and going "no poo" made me have dull, crispy, unhealthy looking hair. My hair seems to need sulfates once a month or so. Maybe this is the same for you? I forget your hairtype.

I do shampoo with a diluted shampoo once a week (HE's Degunkify) and clarify once a month with it undiluted. I really don't think it's a build up issue.


hope you find what works!

Me too! But I think I'm on the right track :) Thank you all for the suggestions, my hair looks so nice today and I haven't washed since SUNDAY (it's Tuesday now!) So already I've found ways to keep my hair from frizzing badly for TWO DAYS (a lot better than 30 minutes!!!) I'll see how it looks as the day goes on, I may not even have to wash today!!!! Extending time between washing will probably help too so I'm seriously :cheese:to find a way to stretch out washings! Thanks all! :flower: