Leave-In Conditioners

[_bp_rose]

Why do we need leave-in conditioners when we use moisturizers AND seal it with oil? What is a leave-in for? and could we use something like coconut oil or something other than store brand leave-in sprays, etc.?

Should it be protein based or moisture based? or could we just skip it and use our regular moisturizer? :confused:

[little_cherry]

I believe a leave in is to give you the extra moisture...mostly those sprays are moisture based instead of protein based. Lost of people just used coconut oil on damp hair and I believe that has a similar effect.

Ordinary moisturisers may be too heavy for hair. I have used a vitamin E cream on my ends an hour before washing and it was ok.

[GoddesJourney]

We don't. You can use a leave in or oil. Both is overkill. Both work best in my experience on damp to wet hair. I don't use leave in but it's really great on curly hair. If your hair is extremely dry, you can use a leave in on dry hair, but it may require a lot and may leave your hair looking greasy.

ETA: I CO these days, but even before that, I would typically leave just a little of my regular conditioner in my hair after a shower (meaning not quite rinse all of it out below the neckline). This works great. I don't use leave ins and I rarely oil. I have a "hair lotion" with shea butter from Alaffia for my husband's curly hair.

[Debra83]

After I cwc, I use a leave in conditioner to help tame poof and frizz and to "protect" my ends. I use a cream called Mixed Chicks that I found through an add on this site most of the time. The top half of my hair is henna only, and the bottom half is the left over dye and new henna on top of it, so I feel it needs extra help.

By the way, the link on your sig. doesn't work for me.

[_bp_rose]

oh boy! i need to fix that link; it's from the OLD site. i'm been doing shampoo, cond, leave-in, moisturizer and oil... too much by these comments :) i have run out of leave-in and was wondering if i should even bother. probably not ...

[simplysnuggle]

I use leave in if its a day that I haven't washed my hair and it seems to need a little extra moisture. But lately just a little coconut oil after showering seems to do the trick!

[Copasetic]

There is no one way to take care of your hair. Just because other people use a leave-in doesn't mean you need to :)

I use one because it allows me to comb through my hair after I wash and condition.

[GlassEyes]

We don't. You can use a leave in or oil. Both is overkill. Both work best in my experience on damp to wet hair. I don't use leave in but it's really great on curly hair. If your hair is extremely dry, you can use a leave in on dry hair, but it may require a lot and may leave your hair looking greasy.

ETA: I CO these days, but even before that, I would typically leave just a little of my regular conditioner in my hair after a shower (meaning not quite rinse all of it out below the neckline). This works great. I don't use leave ins and I rarely oil. I have a "hair lotion" with shea butter from Alaffia for my husband's curly hair.

Maybe -for you-, but I often use a leave-in AND oil on my hair. I use oil to seal in moisture and add shine, and a leave in for softness, moisture, and reduction of frizz.

[Forever_Sophie]

Maybe -for you-, but I often use a leave-in AND oil on my hair. I use oil to seal in moisture and add shine, and a leave in for softness, moisture, and reduction of frizz.

I do the exact same, with Giovanni's Direct Leave-in.

[Kaijah]

There's about a -60000% chance I could get away without a leave in AND oil/shea butter on my hair. It wants and needs the added moisture from a leave in, and the moisture sticks around longer when I use an oil to seal it. And I've never been able to use a "fingernail scraping" of any oil or butter, my hair just laughs at that puny amount.

eta: I don't use a special leave in, though. I just use some of a regular conditioner, usually Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose to be exact.

If your hair is happy with what you're doing, I wouldn't stop. :) If it feels weighed down, try skipping one of the two.

[_bp_rose]

oh nice! thank you everyone for responding. I guess there are a good amt of no leave-in and oil and those who use both! I think I'd probably stick with using it, I was just wondering about it. Thanks Kaijah for the idea... maybe I would use just a bit of my regular condish....I think someone else said they don't wash it all out either. And yes, my hair also laughs at the dime-sized amt that many people use.

[curlylocks85]

I use both a leave-in and oils. It depends on how your hair responds to each one separately and together.

[pepperedmoth]

I don't rinse out my Mane'n'Tail conditioner all the way, and I also use an oil on my ends about once a week, before my wash day. I, also, couldn't get away with just the 'fingernail scraping.' I OIL that hair!

To each their own.

[Ash]

I use both a leave in and oil daily after washing. I use about a quarter sized amount of leave in (Giovanni) or more, comb that through, and then about 5-10 drops of macadamia nut oil or occasionally jojoba oil and comb that through. Most days I then braid for work but whether my hair takes 8 hours to dry or 1 (on days off when it is left loose) none of the products I leave in make my hair look greasy.

[Jordan S.]

My hair dries straighter and softer with leave ins, not just oil.

[Athena's Owl]

i've been using some of my suave conditioner as a leave in, and i've been not using oils or butters, and this is working ... but that's because I have very low porosity hair and oil's not terribly effective for me. I could probably use it on my ends, but those ends are ten years old, naturally they're going to be more porous

[tcheney91]

I *need* to use leave-ins on my hair. It's curly, dry and frizzy. I'm pretty sure it would start yelling at me if I didn't moisturize it after showering. Right now I use the Dry/Damaged Redken leave in first, then Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship leave in and finally a little anti-frizz serum on the ends. I need all the products to weigh down the poof and calm the curl. But you'll have to experiment to see what works for you. It took me ages to figure out I needed heavy products.