help!!! so i figured out that my hair needs moisture

[angela123]

how do i achieve more moisture in my hair.. im guessing from where i flat ironed so much... what product can i use that will put moisture back in my hair... my hair breaks and falls out so much to the point where its growing cause i can see my virgin roots but not gaining length... if you have followed my other post you can see that im getting so fed up with it im about to chop it off.

[Yozhik]

I'm not sure about what your current routine is -- knowing that would allow me to advise you better, but there are some tried and true methods that should add moisture.

1) oiling, specifically coconut oiling, but really whatever oil you have on hand/want to use
2) conditioner only shampooing or condition-wash-condition hair washing (are you using SLS-based shampoos? you might want to switch them out for something less drying)
3) SMT (snowymoon's moisture treatment)

I hope this helps! Don't give in to frustration and cut!

[Cleopatra18]

Honestly if it's damaged, I think the best thing is to cut it. However if you don't want to do that, I highly recommend cowashing, with overnight oil prepoo (leaving it overnight will leave you with very light oil residue that will easily wash off with COwashing).
Also, start deep conditioning your hair. It was a must for me back then when my hair was heat damaged. Apply the deep conditioner in sections and leave it as long as you can (overnight covered with plastic cap gives the best results).
Another thing is try to add some ceramides in your regimen. It basically helps smooth the cuticle of the hair and helps it retain moisture better. An easy source for ceramides would be sesame, rice bran, wheat germ and hemp seed oil. Using any of these oils as prepoo or as a leave in will really make your hair much more managable and responsive to the various treatments you'll do to your hair.
SMTs are great though they didn't work that great for me and they were too messy, but they have worked for many people. I don't think you should do them if you're living in a dry area as it can have the reverse effect.
Finally, don't use sulphate shampoos (or any shampoos) whenever you can. Balance your use with the amount of products, especially coney ones, you put on your hair. Personally, I can easily go without shampoo for two weeks, sometimes longer. My hair behaves so much better this way.
BTW don't forget to clarify before you start the moisture regimen, to make sure there isn't any buildup that's causing your hair to behave like this. Also look into heat free styles,there're so many you can find here. Wrapping your hair or using large rollers are GREAT ways of straightening your hair without heat and gives so much volume. Hope this helps :)

[jojo]

when my hair needs more moisture any coneless conditioner mixed with some honey sorts it out! or add some AVG and make a SMT!

[Lianna]

I would suggest to start with clean damp hair and put about 2 tps of olive oil, leave it for a few hours and CO wash it out.

It's a safer bet than coconut oil, because it can make hair crunchy. I thought this wasn't normal at all, but I keep reading more and more about people who have crunchy/dry hair after coconut oil. I personally need 2-3 clarifying washes to heal it.

[Kathie]

I’ve found glycerine has really helped my ends, which were bleached and heat damaged. I dilute it to 10% in a mister that contains distilled water, sweet almond oil, aloe vera, and a little bit of ylang ylang for fragrance.

[lapushka]

I recently tried the Ice Queen method (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/69033-oh-clumps-icequeen-method.html). Excellent at getting moisture into your hair. I had zero frizz for the first time in ages!

Basically you wash, condition well once, rinse, condition again (lightly or heavily depending on your needs, and probably also considering your hair type) and leave that in.

[Cleopatra18]

I recently tried the Ice Queen method (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/69033-oh-clumps-icequeen-method.html). Excellent at getting moisture into your hair. I had zero frizz for the first time in ages!

Basically you wash, condition well once, rinse, condition again (lightly or heavily depending on your needs, and probably also considering your hair type) and leave that in.
Won't leaving a rinse out conditioner in the hair make it brittle?

[krissykins]

Won't leaving a rinse out conditioner in the hair make it brittle?

Nope! A lot of people have success leaving rinse-out conditioners in their hair. The ingredients in leave-in condish and rinse-out condish are usually quite similar. If it has protein, that may cause brittle hair.

OP, I will also have to recommend an oil soak and a deep treatment like the SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128). Humectants like honey or glycerine in your regular conditioner will also work wonders.

[Kathie]

Won't leaving a rinse out conditioner in the hair make it brittle?

I thought lots of leave in conditioners are just watered down rinse outs :shrug:
For me I've found that it doesn’t make my hair brittle... I just have to be careful to get the balance right or it can end up looking lank.

[Cleopatra18]

I thought lots of leave in conditioners are just watered down rinse outs :shrug:
For me I've found that it doesn’t make my hair brittle... I just have to be careful to get the balance right or it can end up looking lank.
Honestly I have no clue. I just saw a youtuber before saying they make hair brittle if left in. I know there's alot of LHC-ers who do this regularly and that's what confuses me :confused:

[Kathie]

Honestly I have no clue. I just saw a youtuber before saying they make hair brittle if left in. I know there's alot of LHC-ers who do this regularly and that's what confuses me :confused:
I wonder if the youtuber was using a protein rich conditioner as a leave in when their hair didnt need protein... that would help explain it.

[julliams]

Everyone has given you great advice. Don't expect to do a few SMTs and see improvement right away. I did SMTs twice a week for several weeks before I saw an improvement in my hair. It was gradual and suddenly I noticed that I didn't have dry hair anymore. There wasn't one defining moment so it kind of crept up on me.

If your hair is that damaged at the bottom I would recommend going and getting a one inch trim. It's going to make your ends feel nice and fresh and it's a good place to start. Watching your ends break off for the next few months is going to be hard and might make you feel like all your hard work has been for nothing when that hair just simply needs to go.

Once you have done a trim, I would recommend getting it trimmed every 3 months until breakage is not a problem for you anymore. This way you will maintain your length but it will just become healthier and healthier and you should gain a little if you don't get too much cut off.

Once you don't have breakage, you can give the trimming a rest but I would keep doing SMTs weekly.

Another good moisture infuser is a coconut soak. You take lite coconut milk (must be lite) and put it through your hair (a third of a can is enough for my thick waist length hair). I use a bowl that I put in the bath and tip my head over it. This way I catch the drips and can reapply into my hair. Once your hair is soaking wet with coconut milk, put it up in a bun and leave it for about an hour (I go for a walk). Once the hour is up, wash and condition your hair as normal. You should notice a difference when you do a coconut soak - softer and more moisturised hair.

Best of luck - let us know how you go.

[Lazy Loop]

Hello, I know this thread is old, but incase anyone new is reading this:
I started with heavily damaged/neglected hair here! The ends of my bangs looked singed. I had thought I had to trim that off. But now I wish I would have known about all these helpful tips! I could have saved length!! My damage is from neglect, shampoo, blow dry, straightener, color, bleach, sun, abuse!
1. I clarified and found my hair doesn't like protein, so all those went out.
2. I oiled, heavily, with coconut oil, let it soak.
3. Then I put coconut oil in and on everything. So, when I shampoo, I mixed coconut oil. When I conditioned, I mixed coconut oil. When I needed a leave in, I used a shmeer of CO! After letting hair dry natural, I used CO to take the dry ends.
4. SMT
5. No Poo, use baking soda wash, vinegar rinse.
Miraculous results (for me, anyway) I adjust this routine to suit my hair. Sometimes it feels saturated, so lighten up. When it feels dry, add back some oil. Softened the crispy ends of my bangs.

[spidermom]

I've tried a lot of the above but I find I get the best results from buying a deep conditioner and following the directions, except I usually end up leaving it in longer.

[AutumnLocks]

I would only add one more thing to what everyone else has said. Stop using heat on your hair! It is the most damaging thing you can do to it. Don't be a slave to what everyone else out there thinks you should do. Don't follow a path. Be the one who makes the path!;)

[littlestarface]

I've tried a lot of the above but I find I get the best results from buying a deep conditioner and following the directions, except I usually end up leaving it in longer.

What is your routine spidermom? You have such beautiful hair,I want to do what you do.

[goldloli]

I've tried a lot of the above but I find I get the best results from buying a deep conditioner and following the directions, except I usually end up leaving it in longer.
another case where spidermom's routine works well for myself... I think our hair must behave the same.

but yeah, coconut oil prepoo oiling. leave in conditioner. going overkill with homemade or store bought deep conditioners pretty much kills all dryness, i used to use deep dishes in place of regular conditioner but now im in love with adding castor oil to any regular moisturising conditioner.

[goldloli]

What is your routine spidermom? You have such beautiful hair,I want to do what you do.

2nding this. i know some aspects but would be great to know if you use rinses and such

[CurlyCap]

If the hair is damaged from the ironing and not just dry, you have to cut it off. You can wait a while until you have some new length up top, but damaged hair never magically heals. It'll be a nightmare trying to get it to behave like the healthy new growth.

Other than that, a nice easy place to start is to co-wash with a cone-free, protein free conditioner every night until your hair starts to seem moisture replete. To "seal" in the moisture, put some oil or conditioner on your hair after you get out of the shower. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's a relatively quick, easy thing to do everyday. I much prefer to co-wash everyday rather than go through the time and effort of deep treatments once a week.