Truly moisturizing products?

[DarleneH]

In another thread we were discussing cones and how you are fooled into thinking they are conditioning your hair, when really they could be blocking out real moisture getting to your hair strands. Can some of you help me compile a list of products and ingredients that actually moisturize? Then those of us experimenting with this can try a bit of cones on top of that to seal IN the moisture instead of sealing it out.

Lilli said "I look for conditioners where there are several moisturizers (cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol) listed before any cones. Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship fits this bill." So that gives me a couple of ingredients and an exact product to start the list with.

[longcurlygirl<3]

Anything that had humecent, butters, I.e, I <3 kinky-curly line, shea moisture is amazingg!! Ganier sleek and shine and triple nutrient. Theses are some I find moisturizing :)

[1hunky5monkeys]

Aloe Vera Gel (the clear kind, like Fruit of the earth brand) is great for moisture.

[dawnss]

I second aloe vera gel and shea moisture products. In fact I like to mix the two together! Also I like to seal in moisture by applying heavy butters (my hair likes shea butter) and then styling.

[redcelticcurls]

For heavy moisture, I like Curl Junkie Curl Rehab. I also like Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose and White Camellia. Now, for me, these are strictly moisture products. I don't use them for slip or for detangling. For slip and detangling, I love Kinky Curly Knot Today.

I also oil seal since I have porous hair. I seal with castor oil on top of my leave in conditioner and under my gel. It helps me retain moisture and helps reduce environmental effects on the hair.

ETA: behentrimonium methosulfate is moisturizing on my hair.

[julliams]

I just posted this on another thread so sorry if you have already read it...

Try either or both of these:
1) Coconut milk soak - soak hair in lite coconut milk for an hour, then wash and condition as normal
2) Heavy olive oiling - slather Extra Virgin olive oil through you hair so that it is super oily all over. Braid it and leave it overnight. Then in the morning, put a cone-free conditioner through your hair, wrap it up in cling film and put a heat pack/hot towel on your hair for 30 - 60 minutes. Take a shower and rinse it out, wash again with conditioner taking care to massage the scalp as you would with a shampoo. Rinse out and then dry and style as normal.

Both of these methods give me noticeable moisture and have contributed to the health of my hair.

[DarleneH]

Thanks, I have written all these ideas down and will go shopping today. :)

[ktani]

Silicones come in different weights and can most definitely condition hair withought causing dryness.

The alcohols you mentioned are waxy and too many of them can be more occlusive or a barrier to moisture than many silicones.

[DarleneH]

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol (and) PEG-40 Caster Oil (and) Stearylkonium Chloride, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazoline, Disodium EDTA

Does this look like a good formula for a moisturizing conditioner? That cetearyl alcohol is not the same as the ones I mentioned in my first post above (which as ktani said may not be best anyway), and I think I've seen stearylkonium chloride mentioned here as a good conditioner.

Is there a list or "cheat sheet" anywhere, whether on Long Hair Community or somewhere else, of the best conditioning ingredients to look for? Maybe I need to get Paula Begoun's hair care book? If her book is not a good one to reference, is there another you'd recommend?

[ktani]

In another thread we were discussing cones and how you are fooled into thinking they are conditioning your hair, when really they could be blocking out real moisture getting to your hair strands. Can some of you help me compile a list of products and ingredients that actually moisturize? Then those of us experimenting with this can try a bit of cones on top of that to seal IN the moisture instead of sealing it out.

Lilli said "I look for conditioners where there are several moisturizers (cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol) listed before any cones. Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship fits this bill." So that gives me a couple of ingredients and an exact product to start the list with.

The only thing that can really come close to sealing hair off from moisture (ETA atmospheric) or sealing it in is too much product and residue, which is not what you want. Hair becomes dry and brittle, ETA:2 based on a lot of reports here.

Neither silicone, mineral oil, or conditioners seal in moisture or prevent moisture from the air accessing hair. They can slow down the process both ways, with mineral oil doing that best according to research - which is in my blog below and here, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225.

Ideally, you want a product that can condition the hair or be an aid to conditioning, while helping to rehydrate dry hair by helping to keep needed moisture in the hair, or preventing a good hair moisture level from being depleted by low humidity.

Mineral oil/baby oil or cosmetic mineral oil drops can do just that and does not from reports and my experience, need to be reapplied between washes, which means no build-up, that can choke off moisture both ways, leading to dry hair.

[DarleneH]

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, Garnier Triple Nutrition, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration: from all my reading, those seem to meet this requirement (along with others you guys mentioned above). Is that correct as far as your knowledge?

[maskedrose]

Garnier Triple Nutrition AND Sleek and Shine both fit the bill for me. After nearly 6 years of growing, these two conditioners from Garnier work best for me. They both give me the moisture and slip that I love, and both are cone free. For added moisture and protection, I've also found that Nightblooming's Triple Moon Anointing Oil works wonders as a leave in. With it being so cold up here, I've taken to heavily oiling my hair every evening, and by morning most of the oil has been absorbed.

[SnowWhite]

I second the shea butter / aloe vera mix.. It's incredible!
And coconut oil does the job for me!

[natural_shine]

cocoa butter as leave-in.

or as treatment, used in larger quantity, left in hair over night.

[lapushka]

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, Garnier Triple Nutrition, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration: from all my reading, those seem to meet this requirement (along with others you guys mentioned above). Is that correct as far as your knowledge?

Seconding the Garnier Triple Nutrition & the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration. Love those!

[ravenreed]

Is it just me or has there been a LOT of thread necromancy lately? :couch:

[DarleneH]

Is it just me or has there been a LOT of thread necromancy lately? :couch:

And your point is.....? If information is still relevant, it doesn't matter how old it is.

[ravenreed]

I find it discouraging to answer someone's question and realize they posted it over a year ago. It has been happening a lot lately for some reason...


And your point is.....? If information is still relevant, it doesn't matter how old it is.

[hippie girl]

I'm happily reading this thread as if it were new, so I guess it was worth it for me that it was revived.

I've been shopping for a new conditioner for months. I am so used to my old standard and literally have not bought anything different in several years, maybe more.

I just last friday bought Aussie 3 Minute Miracle as well as Garnier Triple Nutrition Shampoo, both on sale. I wanted the Aussie, and I thought I would give the Triple Nutrition a try. It smells great, by the way.

I'm going to pick up the Triple Nutrition Condish, too, but someone just gave me a giant, Costco-sized bottle of a Pantene condish, so I thought I'd hold off.

Yes, I am going back to cones, BTW.

So, all in all this thread was 100% relevant to my week. Thanks! :)

[DarleneH]

I find it discouraging to answer someone's question and realize they posted it over a year ago. It has been happening a lot lately for some reason...
How on earth is it discouraging to answer a thread??? Why don't you simply look at the date if it bothers you?

[bunnylake]

New to me, so I appreciate it!

[renia22]

Which one do you guys think would be better for moisturizing (say to leave on overnight & then wash out in the morning)?

Jessicurl Oil Blend:
http://www.curlmart.com/product/jessicurl-oil-blend-for-softer-hair/

Gleau Nourishing oil:
http://www.curlmart.com/product/gleau-nourishing-oil-blend/

[imaroo]

I'm happily reading this thread as if it were new, so I guess it was worth it for me that it was revived.

I've been shopping for a new conditioner for months. I am so used to my old standard and literally have not bought anything different in several years, maybe more.

I just last friday bought Aussie 3 Minute Miracle as well as Garnier Triple Nutrition Shampoo, both on sale. I wanted the Aussie, and I thought I would give the Triple Nutrition a try. It smells great, by the way.

I'm going to pick up the Triple Nutrition Condish, too, but someone just gave me a giant, Costco-sized bottle of a Pantene condish, so I thought I'd hold off.

Yes, I am going back to cones, BTW.

So, all in all this thread was 100% relevant to my week. Thanks! :)

I've just gone back to cones, too, after not using them for three years. I've discovered that I really really need the slip they provide since my hair is so fine and breaks so easily. But, before I went back to cones I slathered my hair in coconut oil every night, and washed it out in the morning. I'm still doing that, but kind of wondering if it's a waste of time. Can the coconut oil be absorbed with a layer of cones on my hair? Or, should I change up my routine?

[DarkCurls]

I believe the general consensus is that cones don't coat your hair "that way." By that I mean that they don't stop everything from penetrating. It's not like coating your hair in plastic. I went cone-free for a couple months, with oil. Now I use oil, and cones (not deliberately, but I've stopped avoiding them so they usually end up in my products), and no shampoo -- and the oil is definitely absorbed.

But, I'm one of those who believe that cones are not TEH EVIL. :p

[bunnylake]

Here is an article that talks about silicones and penetration of oils:
http://imabeautygeek.com/2012/01/06/f-is-for-frizz-busters-oil-is-nice-but-crazy-cat-lady-hair-needs-silicone/

[bunnylake]

Another interesting article on hair conditioning http://thebeautybrains.com/2013/01/21/does-silicone-really-nourish-hair/

[renia22]

I've just gone back to cones, too, after not using them for three years. I've discovered that I really really need the slip they provide since my hair is so fine and breaks so easily. But, before I went back to cones I slathered my hair in coconut oil every night, and washed it out in the morning. I'm still doing that, but kind of wondering if it's a waste of time. Can the coconut oil be absorbed with a layer of cones on my hair? Or, should I change up my routine?

Just curious, were you sulfate free as well? For a while I went sulfate/ silicone free and was experiencing a ton of tangling (my hair is fine too). I went back to sulfates (but not silicones) and the tangling stopped. Although I have had a few instances when I used silicones (staying at a place that had hard water) and it helped with the dryness from the water.

[littlestarface]

I use aussie 3 min miracle sometimes when I need the slip and man on man does that stuff really moisturize my hair,no product ever moisturized like this before. Though im not into cones so I only use it once in a while.

[hippie girl]

I use aussie 3 min miracle sometimes when I need the slip and man on man does that stuff really moisturize my hair,no product ever moisturized like this before. Though im not into cones so I only use it once in a while.

I used it many many years ago and remember really liking it. I've had it in the house several days and still have not found three minutes to use it! Pft! On the plus side, my SO used it and said he loved it, so I imagine it is as I remember it.

I have used the Triple Nutrition shampoo, and so far, so good. I'll have to check which Pantene I was given, but used that too and so far so good.

I used to use pantene products every so often in the early and mid 90's and liked them, but then tried to lay off them to try and get away from cones. My hair is just too fine though and need to get back to them, hence the major decisions on what to buy! The pantene came as a gift in the mail from a friend who was moving and she didn't use it. It was purchased by a BF and left at her place... and was purged in the move. I think it has something on there about damaged and dry hair, but I will have to check exactly what it is later.

Maybe today I'll make a three minute miracle happen, and report back!

[hippie girl]

Which one do you guys think would be better for moisturizing (say to leave on overnight & then wash out in the morning)?

Jessicurl Oil Blend:
http://www.curlmart.com/product/jessicurl-oil-blend-for-softer-hair/

Gleau Nourishing oil:
http://www.curlmart.com/product/gleau-nourishing-oil-blend/

Renia22, have you considered plain Jojoba? That is what I decided on.

When I decided to start oiling I took the advice from a friend who wears a partial hair replacement system and is always looking for serious moisturizing and smoothing products. Human Hair systems are obviously a completely different thing than natural scalp hair, as they not only do not have natural sebum to coat them but are also highly processed to match the purchasers specifications for color, curl, etc..

She uses various oils and heavy silicone products designed for human hair system care, and suggested that jojoba might be best for me. I am a little weird about oil… I can't stand the feel of anything oily on my hands at all, phobic, even. I cringe at the idea of oiling my hair. The thought of oil on pillowcases, etc. makes my brain spin. I know, perhaps unfounded, but I still can't get past my phobias, for the most part.

Anyhow, I purchased a small bottle of Cococare 100% Jojoba oil. http://www.cococare.com/product.php?productid=16168&cat=310&page=1

I haven't bee using it religiously, but was for a little while and plan on trying to use it with more regularity.

So far I like it. It isn't heavy and I only need to use a tiny bit. It seems like good stuff and is less expensive than those suggested above.

I purchased mine for even less than the link above, $4.69, off the shelf at a retailer near me appropriately named…. Hairtown. :)

(Said friend in post was also the friend who sent me the giant bottle of Pantene! She has also given me Wen products. They were not really for me, but hey, gotta love a friend who forwards hair products no matter what they are!!! She is my bestie! :love:)

[renia22]

hippie girl, do you find that once the jojoba is washed out, the benefits of having used it are still there? So far my favorite has been coconut oil, but like you, I hate the feel of heavy oils and probably don't use it as often as I should because I can't stand leaving it on overnight. I do have some Aubrey Organics camellia oil at home and I recently ordered a bottle of jojoba oil to use on my skin. I like to use it after the shower & it's been a while since I tried it on my hair, but maybe I will try it again or even mix it with some coconut oil.

[Carolyn]

And your point is.....? If information is still relevant, it doesn't matter how old it is.Yes. I think people are searching for threads on their chosen topics and replying to those threads no matter how old the thread might be. The information is still relevant. I would prefer to find info added to an existing thread rather than to find a boatload of threads on the same topic. This, of course, does not pertain to personal issue threads where is issue has probably been solved months or years ago.

[hippie girl]

I'm not sure I can really say, renia22. The times I have used it I have left in in my hair and not washed it out afterwards. For example, I've washed and let dry, waiting till it was just damp, then used a small bit of oil down the length/ends. I'd then put it in a bun and go about my business for a day or whatever, including sleeping with it in and left it in till next wash, maybe a couple/few days later. There were some evenings I let my hair down totally dry and ran some thru and let it be… slept on it and washed it out whenever I next washed, either a day or so later.

I have not done any heavy oiling and then washed out later in the evening or a couple hours later, if that is what you mean. I've used it essentially as a "leave in" I guess. I think this might be a little different from what others on here do.

I pretty much work from home and my studio (read: alone) so it does not really matter to me if the oil remains in my hair for any length of time. No one really ever sees me if I don't want them to, and I don't care if the peeps at the coffee shop above my studio see me with oiled hair. :) They have seen me dressed in my fabric dyeing rags (uh, I mean outfits!) on numerous occasions, so they wouldn't bat an eye at oiled hair. My fancy work clothing and my dye covered hands take center stage to the oil in my hair I am sure! :)

Having said that, I can't say that you can really tell my hair is oiled anyhow. It seems to absorb in (or I like to think so and that it is not on my pillows, shirt, face, etc…!).

I use it pretty lightly. I turn the open bottle over with my palm on top of the opening and flip it back. The opening is small, 1/2 to a 1/4 inch across. Small. Whatever is in my palm after the flip over and back, I use. It is pretty minimal. The last few times I did a flip-over like that twice to try and work my way up to using a bit more. Just the most minimal bit cause I am so not into oils, but enough to still get some benefit from it. It seems to spread well enough and I have not felt like it is migrating to places that I don't want it. I could certainly be using way too little of it, but I have fine hair and want just a touch to try and protect what I do have.

When I do this, my ends seem a little nicer for the time being. They lay a little flatter with a bit more weight to them, but my hair is light and breezy that is not a bad thing. I would not say they are weighed down or heavy though.

I have not been using it with too too much regularity so I can't say if the effect is long lasting and cumulative. Others here would say that it can be. Perhaps I will be able to confirm that once I start using it with more regularity.

I have not found that my hair seems greasy, but I use very little at a time.

Part of the reason I stopped using heavy conditioner with cones was because I was sure that it was causing my back to break out (yuck! I hate to even admit I had that problem!!) I was fairly certain that the cones were causing my skin to get blocked up. I stopped cones completely and started only using VO5 no cone condish, and was careful to always keep it hanging off to the side in the shower and not on my back. I think that it really helped with that issue. Part of my hesitancy on oiling was the fear of blocking pores on my face or back and causing breakouts. Some clean their facial skin with oil, but that would be a disaster for me and I am not willing to give that a go at all. So far I have not notice that the oil has had an ill effect in that regard, so I am happy about that. I have had the sensation of an oiliness on my face once or twice and thought it had to be migrating oil from my hair, but I think that was more paranoia on my part, or I hope it was!

I do on occasion use this Neutrogena shower oil: http://www.neutrogena.com/product/body+oil.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search
mostly in the dry winter months. This is sesame oil and I found that it agreed with my skin just fine, though I didn't use it on my back, most of the rest of me though. I had not thought of the jojoba for my skin, I have a couple select moisturizers that I use that I know do not make me break out and stick with them. I think some people here use sesame on their hair. I never tried it.

I'm going to try and use the Jojoba more frequently. A couple of my "flip-overs" on damp hair after washing and conditioning and maybe every so often on dry hair. I'll have more insight into how this works out if I can stick to it. I'll be doing this in conjunction with my journey back into cones, so we'll see how it pans out used together.

[spidermom]

I really haven't evaluated the ingredient list (the print is too small for me), but Regis Designline hydrating balm has made my hair feel and behave so much better. I love it!

[hippie girl]

The Pantene condish I was given is called "Pantene Medium-Thick Hair Solutions, frizzy to smooth", by the way. Has Dimethicone.

It proposes the following: "Tames unruly hair for soft, sleek styles"

I am neither medium nor thick, and not really frizzy. Fairly smooth till about butt/classic length, though tapering. I then start to change into maybe dry, perhaps frizzy, tapering into just below the knee/calf at the finest ends. Had two pretty significant sheds in the past few years, stress related, so getting the hemline all in order is quite a task. I will admit I have never bothered to try, however.

My goal is to try and grow the bulk of my fine and thin hair a little longer so that my hemline is better, but not blunt. Just not as transparent around thigh length. I have always had natural taper. I think it would be a bit much to ask of my head, given it's propensity to grow fine, breakable, straight-as-can-be hair, to have a truly blunt knee length hemline. I would like to try and work on the most damaged ends down there and keep them alive (hence the new oiling and cones interest). I can maybe eventually trim back slowly to around knee and have some "thickness" and not just the renegade bunch of hairs that seem to be able to hang on to the bitter end. (HAha! Get it? Bitter ends to the bitter end?!? Okay, not a good joke.)

it is going to be a lot to ask of my hair, and will take a great deal of time (years I am sure). It is truly a miracle that my fine hair has gotten to where it is at all really, with my system of mostly benign neglect. Given it's fine and thin nature, it's been a lot to ask of it already. But, I've got nothing to lose and hopefully a lot of time.

[renia22]

hippy girl- how you describe using jojoba sounds pretty much how I use the AO camellia oil. I also happened to have some Mountain Rose Herbs facial oil under my sink and I figured why not try it on my ends today. I used only a tiny little bit. It's rose hip oil, carrot oil, olive oil infused with calendula & a few other herbs. Let's see how it works for hair. And I love Neutrogena sesame oil! It has been one of my favorites since the 80s, I remember when it was first introduced. I've never tried it on my hair, though. Your hair does not look thin in your picture, btw, it looks like you have a good amount of pretty shiny hair.

[hippie girl]

Thanks, renia22! I will admit, that was a particularly pretty bun, hence taking the picture. I hardly ever take pictures of my hair. I have three length shots, all pretty bad with mirror haze, unflattering as all get out PJ and "just came in from the garden" outfits, and not so clean hair. I keep meaning to try and have SO take a picture for me and always forget. Too much else to do!

Thanks so much, I do appreciate it. My hair is okay pretty far down, but as I said, leaves a bit to be desired otherwise. So, oiling it is! :)

I love the Neutrogena body oil too! I've used it on and off over all these years, too... but one thing keeps me from using it 24/7. The oily bathtub issue!!

I swear, that stuff can be lethal if it builds up in the tub. Doesn't take much either. I put it on wet before I get out of the shower (which is a bathtub w/ a wall shower). If I am not careful and too much runs of or ends up dripping into the tub... I could kill myself! Or worse.... I have visions that my SO doesn't know I used it and isn't ready for a slippery tub. It can get slick pretty quick, even just after a couple uses!

If not for that I'd have it around much more.

The rose oil sounds very pretty. I'd be curious how it ends up working for you.

I've been eyeing the oil at the grocery store, and have been considering grape seed oil. If SO can cook with it, I'd try it.
His dad BTW, used to use olive oil in his hair. SO said it was wonderfully thick and well behaved, but I don't think I am going there. Just too thick for me. I can't even stand picking up the olive oil bottle in the kitchen cabinet... just gets, well, funny after awhile. Drips down the side if ya aren't careful and feels blech. Yuck.

Coconut is not really a friend of mine either. Sometimes I don't mind the smell, other times it is just way too overwhelming.

Me and oils, it's a hard relationship.

[renia22]

Yes sometimes when people with thick or 'good' hair report good experiences with oils or certain products I have to remind myself what type of hair they have. I tried olive oil back in High School and pretty much hated it, but that was before I realized fine hair like mine doesn't really do well with oil on wet or damp hair, and I can't really use it the way thick haired people do. I pretty much swore off oils for years after a few more bad experiences, until a few years ago. My hair was pretty much trashed after some failed experiments with shampoo bars/ ACV rinses, which I tried to 'fix' with henna. Since I was out of cassia, which I normally mix it with, I used henna straight for just a brief amount of time, but it still came out too dark. So then I lightened it up with a peroxide lightener, but I was a little over zealous with an 'extra strength' one. When all was said & done my hair looked like straw and I thought it was damaged beyond repair. That's when I decided to try coconut oil, and after sleeping with it in for several nights, my hair was so much better. The texture was amazing. I do hate doing that to my hubby though (sleeping next to him with smelly, greasy oils in my hair), even though he is a saint and doesn't complain. Avocado oil is supposed to penetrate the hair shaft also, but I have never tried that one. Maybe if I ever run out of anything that I currently have, I will try the Jessicurl oil blend. That one has avocado, coconut & jojoba, and I actually like the small little bottle since I use so little as it is.

That's funny about the oils in the bathtub, don't hurt yourself :)

[Stagecoach]

I did a Coconut Milk soak last night, beefed up with gelatin, cassia and regular conditioner. It seems to have done a lovely job remoisturizing my hair.

I've developed an allergy to straight coconut oil which used to be my standby moisturizer but coconut milk doesn't seem to have the same reaction.

Maybe for those who find oil very heavy, using lite coconut milk would be a good way to go?

[imaroo]

Just curious, were you sulfate free as well? For a while I went sulfate/ silicone free and was experiencing a ton of tangling (my hair is fine too). I went back to sulfates (but not silicones) and the tangling stopped. Although I have had a few instances when I used silicones (staying at a place that had hard water) and it helped with the dryness from the water.

Sorry, I just saw this. Yes, I was sulfate and silicone free for about 2 1/2 years. But I found that my hair just never felt very clean, and I saw no noticeable difference in the amount of breakage I had after all that time. So, I tried going back to shampoo with milder sulfates. It felt cleaner, but was pretty tangly and flyaway. So, it's been very recent that I went back to silicones, and I am definitely happier with my hair with silicones than without.

[jacqueline101]

I have a feeling my cholesterol cream with shea butter and mango in it will be good.