View Full Version : Absorbing moisture?
isabelx
November 4th, 2011, 08:34 AM
I'm in need of some help on how to get moisture into my hair, as it's very dry, dry = tangles = split ends.
I know some people swear by coconut oil, but it doesn't seem to penetrate my hair, just sits on it making it crunchy and then I have to use a harsh shampoo to get it out, defeating the point of doing it. I'm also aware oils don't moisturise the hair, just seal the moisture in, which is rubbish because I have none! :p
I've considered an SMT, but I'm worried the honey will lighten my dark coloured hair, and I can't seem to find AVG for a reasonable price anywhere.
I'm prepared to give honey a go though, would conditioner with honey do the trick just as well? And to what extent does it lighten hair?
I've also considered Fox's Shea Butter Conditioning Cream, but can't find unrefined shea butter anywhere. (I swear the UK is rubbish for finding LHC supplies! plus I don't want to order online).
The only way I can seem to get my hair to feel soft and un-tangly is by clarifying and using a coney conditioner, although I know the cones aren't actually moisturising my hair, but I often resort to doing this as I can't find another solution :(
Any advice would be appreciated LHCers! :blossom:
haibane
November 4th, 2011, 08:43 AM
I mist my hair with a mix of water and a little bit of conditioner and coconut oil. Seems to need all three for maximum moisture.
Amber_Maiden
November 4th, 2011, 09:15 AM
Sounds like you might need to clarify... also honey never worked for me, neither did coconut oil. Try leaving in you CO for longer.
isabelx
November 4th, 2011, 09:18 AM
haibane, that sounds like a good idea, I do have a spray bottle somewhere I might dig out.
Amber_Maiden, I do clarify quite often, less now I've stopped using cones as much. I do apply my conditioner onto dry hair and leave it for as long as possible which seems to have done some good but it's still often very dry.
chou
November 4th, 2011, 09:26 AM
Oils make my hair crunchy, too. I tried mixing a bit of coconut and olive oil in a mister with some conditioner and water and I found that this still made my hair crunch. Since you can't find pure shea butter, have you tried any products that contain it? It's the only thing that makes my ends feel soft and springy all day. I use a Shea Moisture brand leave-in from Target that doesn't have any nasty ingredients that would build up and cause more dryness. I don't know what's available to you, but don't give up on shea butter yet. It's definitely worth a try if even if you can only find it premixed products.
haibane
November 4th, 2011, 09:34 AM
Sounds like you might need to clarify... also honey never worked for me, neither did coconut oil. Try leaving in you CO for longer.
Yeah, honey and other humectants are really hit and miss for me. And especially around winter time when the air gets drier I avoid them.
Amber_Maiden
November 4th, 2011, 09:48 AM
haibane, that sounds like a good idea, I do have a spray bottle somewhere I might dig out.
Amber_Maiden, I do clarify quite often, less now I've stopped using cones as much. I do apply my conditioner onto dry hair and leave it for as long as possible which seems to have done some good but it's still often very dry.
Are you using moisturizing CO?
isabelx
November 4th, 2011, 09:51 AM
Are you using moisturizing CO?
It says it's for dry and damaged hair, but it's very cheap and basic and I know many commercial products just shove that on the label so people buy them. I'm not too sure about the moisturising properties of the ingredients though if that's what you mean.
Amber_Maiden
November 4th, 2011, 09:56 AM
It says it's for dry and damaged hair, but it's very cheap and basic and I know many commercial products just shove that on the label so people buy them. I'm not too sure about the moisturising properties of the ingredients though if that's what you mean.
hhmmmm... I don't know if it will work for you, but I used to have the same problem as you.... I stopped oiling my hair, went back to cones, and used only organic products, and that helped...
spidermom
November 4th, 2011, 09:56 AM
My stylist does a really nice deep conditioning treatment on my hair when I see her. She applies it, covers with plastic, and puts me under the hood dryer. It's called Joico KPak Reconstructor and gives both protein and moisture. Of course, I don't know if it's available where you are, but I would bet they have something similar.
mora
November 4th, 2011, 09:56 AM
For me, even just using plain conditioner with the SMT technique (wash, squeeze out excess water, apply SMT or conditioner, leave in under heat cap or warmed shower cap or similar for an hour, rinse out), adds a lot of moisture to my hair. This even improves the moisturizing ability of Suave Naturals, which normally is not sufficient for me as a conditioner on its own.
If your conditioner is made for dry and damaged hair, it might have a lot of protein in it, which for some people makes hair feel dry and brittle, but you can always look at the ingredients to determine if it has proteins.
ETA: I've also used the SMT technique with a conditioner that has protein in it (it had reconstructor in its name) and that was also still very moisturizing.
Anje
November 4th, 2011, 10:34 AM
Normally, you won't get lightening from an SMT. There's too little honey in there, for one. But if you prefer, you can use a different sugar syrup, like treacle. It'll still work, and won't have any peroxide in there for you to concern yourself with. I often blend conditioner with corn syrup and let it sit for a while in my hair, myself, and get good moisture from that.
If coconut oil is making your hair crunchy, try olive oil instead. Some people have luck with one and not the other. Try putting it on dampened hair, and maybe bun it so the moisture sticks around longer and absorbs. (Damp bunning in general tends to be good for dry hair.)
isabelx
November 4th, 2011, 05:17 PM
Thanks all!
I think I'm going to try adding honey to my conditioner, and try and get my hands on some cheap aloe vera gel if I can :) and anje, I have tried olive oil, it seemed to do nothing to my hair either. Either I'm doing something wrong or my hair is just very picky! :p
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