What moisturizer/conditioner should I use?

[Alaytheia]

I've been on this forum for ages, I've read tons of posts.... and I've never really paid attention to what type of moisturizer I should be using for my hair. To be honest, I'm not even entirely sure how to search to find the answer.

There is a natural food store just down the road from me that may be closing (I'll know in a couple days), and it will likely be completely closed by the end of the month. When (if) things go on clearance, I'd like to use the opportunity to buy up some stuff for my hair while it is cheaper. I can't afford to try everything out when it's full price.

I had to look up my own info in my account to see what type of hair I have. :p I'm apparently a 2a/M/ii. I barely even remember what that means. My hair is um... gee... I'm not even sure how long it is. I'm almost 9 months pregnant, have a toddler, and I obviously don't pay any attention to my hair at all. Hmmm... It's probably around the tailbone length or slightly longer.

I know the store has things like shea butter, coconut oil, and other health/beauty creams/lotions/oils. Any recommendations for what is likely to work well for me?

[GrowingGlory]

Coconut oil (for ends and length before washing), shea butter (for ends and maybe canopy when damp or dry). Coconut milk can make a nice hair wash. White tea, hibiscus, calendula (marigold), lemon verbena, rosemary, sage, and mint also make good rinses or soaks. A rinse is generally made by steeping ingredients but a soak can be made stronger by simmering ingredients over low heat for a long time, cooling without straining, then using the liquid portion. Once the plant ingredients are exhausted, they can be processed and used on your hair and scalp as a mask.
Hope this helps!
Grab some soap nuts if you can, they are great for household cleaning, laundry, hair and body.

[GrowingGlory]

Oh, and some raw honey and aloe vera gel or juice for an SMT (1 part oil, 1 part conditioner, 1 part aloe and 1 part honey). Good luck!

[Alaytheia]

I did try plain aloe vera gel (made sure it didn't have lidocaine in it for sunburns!) once, and it made my hair feel crunchy. Would mixing it with those extra ingredients change that? And with that list of herbs - do you mean "real" herbs, or essential oils? The store has a ton of essential oils also.

[chrissy-b]

Coconut oil is a good oil to have on hand. Also, I would stock up on Aubrey Organic's conditioners. Their Honeysuckle Rose conditioner gives me consistently good results and is highly rated for many different hair types. Pretty much anything from their line of hair and skin care will be a good bet.

Herbal teas for rinses might be a good idea too. Catnip and chamomile are two that come to mind.

Not sure about the aloe gel, but if it doesn't work for your hair, it's always good to have around for your skin. HTH! :)

[Dani]

Congratulations on your almost-here babe, and your wee toddler baby, too! :D My daughter will be five in a couple weeks.. I don't know how that happened. :p Oh yeah, Time.

Haha, you mentioned coconut oil and shea butter, and those are the two things I love the most, methinks. We have the same hair type, and I love using just a little of either one, or a bit of both mixed together in my palms to apply to my ends and length after a shower. I usually put some on after the shower, but my hair gets a bit pouffy still after it dries, so I generally add a little more to the ends mostly after it dries. Both are fantastic for your skin, too, so they can be used all over, any time! Easy. Have fun, and I hope you are feeling as good as you possibly can be! ;) :)

[GrowingGlory]

If you mix the aloe with the other ingredients you probably won't get a crunchy result. It is a deep conditioning treatment that is rinsed out, and some people shampoo or CO afterwards, too.
Aloe can be mixed with oil to form an emulsion, which can be applied as a leave in conditioner. If the results are crunchy, try more oil next time. Also, aloe vera juice might be less likely to produce crunchy results.
I was thinking of the real herbs. If they aren't sold in bulk, then they might be found in boxes sold as tea.
Essential oils are a great addition to your hair care product collection. A hair refreshing spritz can be made by adding EOs to purified water. EOs have properties besides imparting fragrance, so choose them carefully. Something antibacterial (lemon tea tree), something cleansing (lavender), something clarifying (rosemary) and something moisturizing (rose) would be a good start. They can be added to herbal rinses, shampoo, conditioner, etc.
There are some useful threads about herbs and EOs, and the official recipe for Snowymoon's Moisture Therapy (SMT). There is a huge honey thread,a cassia thread, a henna thread, an indigo thread, and so on.
Best of luck, I think you will save a lot of money.
The Healing Seed is an excellent brand of shampoo and conditioner, so is Crown & Glory.
Happy shopping!

[Alaytheia]

Anyone know if there's a difference between the coconut oil in the health section, and the stuff in the cooking section? The cooking oil is cheaper...