A treatment that has more moisture than SMT

[Amber_Maiden]

I've used SMT before, but have not found it to be that moisturizing. Yes, I have played around with the recipe and measurements, but that doesn't seem to make a difference.
Anyone have any other suggestions? I need something packed with moisture to the MAX. Besides putting moisture CO in my hair, what else can I use? No protein treatments please, trying to stay away from that. And trying to use something as natural as possible. Also, if it doesn't have oils in it, that's a plus, since my hair doesn't like much, except it's own sebum.

Thank you in advance!

[Lissandria]

I don't know of any. How are your ends feeling?

[getoffmyskittle]

SMT never worked for me either. Things that do are mayo (smelly) or yogurt/banana/honey (too tasty to put in your hair).

[Amber_Maiden]

I don't know of any. How are your ends feeling?

Still a bit dry, that's why I'm asking :(

[Amber_Maiden]

SMT never worked for me either. Things that do are mayo (smelly) or yogurt/banana/honey (too tasty to put in your hair).

Doesn't mayo have protein it as well as yogurt?

[PixxieStix]

Have you tried a coconut milk and mashed up avocado mask? It can be a pain to wash out, but my hair just drinks it up, as does my fiance's, baby brother's, friends and little sister's hair. I do one can coconut milk to 1 or 2 avocados (usually 1.5 because I end up eating some, yummy!) and use what I need and then divide and freeze the rest for a later date. Not sure about the protein content of all that though.

[|Xei]

I know you want suggestions for other recipes...but have you tried heating up the SMT while it's on your hair (eg, with a heatcap or blowdryer)? I don't do this myself, but heat seems to make other treatments more effective, so maybe the same applies to the SMT?

[Anywhere]

Doesn't mayo have protein it as well as yogurt?

I believe that the proteins in those foods are too big to penetrate the hair shaft.

Have you given Sibylla's Secret Softness Treatment (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8437) a go yet by any chance?


And in my experience mayo leaves my hair dryer and super oily. Be cautious of it if you choose that route.

[Amber_Maiden]

I know you want suggestions for other recipes...but have you tried heating up the SMT while it's on your hair (eg, with a heatcap or blowdryer)? I don't do this myself, but heat seems to make other treatments more effective, so maybe the same applies to the SMT?

Yep, I've tried that. No luck. :(

[Amber_Maiden]

Have you tried a coconut milk and mashed up avocado mask? It can be a pain to wash out, but my hair just drinks it up, as does my fiance's, baby brother's, friends and little sister's hair. I do one can coconut milk to 1 or 2 avocados (usually 1.5 because I end up eating some, yummy!) and use what I need and then divide and freeze the rest for a later date. Not sure about the protein content of all that though.

Worth a shot! Thank you!

[Amber_Maiden]

I believe that the proteins in those foods are too big to penetrate the hair shaft.

Have you given Sibylla's Secret Softness Treatment (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8437) a go yet by any chance?


And in my experience mayo leaves my hair dryer and super oily. Be cautious of it if you choose that route.

I would, but my DR has forbidden me from using clay while I'm pregnant. I believe she said something about breathing in the powder... ah well. :(

[Jessfoz]

How long are you leaving the SMT in for? I usually leave it in for 3-4 hours, as long as I can really. Also maybe try using a totally different conditioner in the SMT, sometimes they produce different effects.

I use Redken All Soft in mine, comes out lovely. Although it has cones.

[getoffmyskittle]

Doesn't mayo have protein it as well as yogurt?

Oh, crap. You're right. Sorry, I missed the line that said "no protein please."

Edit: Our hairtypes seem really similar though... have you had bad experiences with protein in the past? (Mine looks just like yours when I comb it.)

[Amber_Maiden]

How long are you leaving the SMT in for? I usually leave it in for 3-4 hours, as long as I can really. Also maybe try using a totally different conditioner in the SMT, sometimes they produce different effects.

I use Redken All Soft in mine, comes out lovely. Although it has cones.

I leave SMT in for up to 8 hours, at least 4... I've tried about a dozen CO's with it..

[Amber_Maiden]

Oh, crap. You're right. Sorry, I missed the line that said "no protein please."

Edit: Our hairtypes seem really similar though... have you had bad experiences with protein in the past? (Mine looks just like yours when I comb it.)

I don't think I have a problem with protein, but I'm erring on the safe side with my hair right now, because of what it's went though in the last month. :(

[getoffmyskittle]

I don't think I have a problem with protein, but I'm erring on the safe side with my hair right now, because of what it's went though in the last month. :(

Really? When my hair was damaged, protein stuff helped a lot. Your call, though, of course.

[Amber_Maiden]

Really? When my hair was damaged, protein stuff helped a lot. Your call, though, of course.

I might decide to go back to it. What do you use for protein treatments?

[xoxophelia]

Have you tried jojoba oil? It is similar in structure to human sebum. If I put a little of that through damp hair and then bun it, that usually sorts out dry ends for me.

[Amber_Maiden]

Have you tried jojoba oil? It is similar in structure to human sebum. If I put a little of that through damp hair and then bun it, that usually sorts out dry ends for me.

I thought oil only sealed in moisture, didn't add it? Maybe I'm wrong... Thought I read that on the board somewhere...

[Anywhere]

I thought oil only sealed in moisture, didn't add it? Maybe I'm wrong... Thought I read that on the board somewhere...


You are correct, oil does not add moisture.

You can dampen it and oil it to help keep the moisture in, but I'm pretty sure it will dry out eventually. :shrug:

And sorry. I didn't know about the clay thing being an issue. :o

[chelles2kids]

You might want to check JJJ Longhairs site...she does a deep conditioning treatment with coconut oil & some type of coconut conditioner that might help?
Not sure if it contains proteins...I'm assuming coconut oil would but I can't say for sure...

You can just do a search for her site. ;)

[getoffmyskittle]

I might decide to go back to it. What do you use for protein treatments?

Mayo and yogurt/banana/honey. :p

I also really, really like Hask Henna'n'Placenta -- you can get packets of it in drugstores/some grocery stores, and you can get bottles at Sally's.

Apparently coconut oil stops protein loss from the hair. I used to use it religiously. Then I got lazy. :p

chelles2kids, coconut oil doesn't have protein -- oils are all fat.

[jaine]

Maybe you just need a trim?
That always helps me when my ends feel hopelessly dry and nothing seems to soften them up.

[Mina17]

Mayo and yogurt/banana/honey. :p

I also really, really like Hask Henna'n'Placenta -- you can get packets of it in drugstores/some grocery stores, and you can get bottles at Sally's.

Apparently coconut oil stops protein loss from the hair. I used to use it religiously. Then I got lazy. :p

chelles2kids, coconut oil doesn't have protein -- oils are all fat.

I've had great results with the Hask Henna'n'Placenta too. Also avocado masks. I avoided protein for a long time because of the stories I heard here about it making some people's hair more dry but it turned out my hair likes it.

[PaganPriestess]

I did a Hask Henna & Placenta treatment today.

My normal routine for dry ends is I put quite a lot of olive oil through my hair, mostly on the ends, and bun it the night before I wash. I sleep with the oil in my hair, then shampoo and conditioner the next day like normal. I have seen great improvement since I started doing this.

[Anje]

Really? When my hair was damaged, protein stuff helped a lot. Your call, though, of course.
Seconding Skitts here. If an SMT didn't really make a difference for you moisture-wise and oils aren't solving the problem, protein might be exactly what your hair wants. Protein-depleted hair often doesn't seem to hold onto moisture.

[contradiction]

SMT didn't do anything for me either. When my hair is slightly dirty I saturate it in coconut milk leave in for a couple hours or overnight then rinse out in the morning. No oil required and it's not too messy, sometimes you have to shampoo twice though. My hair feels AMAZING when I do this, very soft and manageable. Better than any other treatment.

[Sundial]

You may want to try a caramel treatment. Personally I find it too heavy, probably because of the shea butter. But it sounds like your hair sucks up moisture so this may be worth a shot for you

[DarkSky]

SMT never worked for me or my mom. We both found that our hair felt trashy after (maybe it was the honey?? and/or our dry climate). I tell you though, so far the most moisturizing thing that ive found for my hair is olive oil mixed with coconut oil. It's my HG leave in or wash out moisture treatment.

[CurlyCap]

Try an ACV rinse.

I have very dry hair that never seems to hold onto moisture. (I suspect that it is actually quite porous.)

Anyway, for the last 2 weeks I've been suffering through the most unbelievable "dryness". A gross, rough, dry, almost cracking feeling on my ends and somewhat up my lengths. At first I tried the moisture treatments, even a 24hr oil mask. When that didn't work, I tried to clarify. That made it worse somehow. My hair doesn't like protein so it isn't in any of my products (ie, protein build-up wasn't an issue).

As a last ditch effort I did an ACV rinse, 1/3 cup in 1 gallon of cold water. I co-washed my hair as usual and at the very end just poured the ACV. The volume was nearly 3x what I needed, but I figured wth. Also, I expected it to dry my hair because past experiences with ACV have been drying.

I was sort of amazed. My hair is back to softness and is holding moisture again (as much as it can). The ends are softer, too, which I didn't think an ACV rinse could help.

Just a thought. It's cheap and easy to try!

[teela1978]

Slightly different angle... have you clarified lately? When my ends start to get funky that's what they usually need.

Also, I'd tend to disagree with the "oils are drying" thing. It depends on your hairtype though. If you're willing to go with a bit of oil, a coconut milk soak is pretty awesome imho.

[WaterMusic]

Amber Maiden, you have been all over the place with your hair lately. I've been thinking that every time I see a panicked thread from you, and this one just clinches it. I think part of the problem is the lack of consistency, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. I know it is really easy to panic and try everything (this website overwhelms us all at one point or another, there is SO!MUCH!INFO!), but you really just need to settle down and give a routine a chance to work before you move on to the next thing. It took me six months to fine tune things, and there were some ****ty hair days in there. It doesn't mean that you should scrap what you are doing. Little tiny changes, ok?

That being said, SMTs and oil doesn't work for me either. The only thing that has given me soft and moisturized hair so far is Nightblooming's Panacea, the Winter Blend (because it is protein free and that is bad for me).

[Mountaingrrl]

Have you tried a coconut milk and mashed up avocado mask? It can be a pain to wash out, but my hair just drinks it up, as does my fiance's, baby brother's, friends and little sister's hair. I do one can coconut milk to 1 or 2 avocados (usually 1.5 because I end up eating some, yummy!) and use what I need and then divide and freeze the rest for a later date. Not sure about the protein content of all that though.

I just tried this with some leftover coconut milk, and my hair feels really soft!

[hototogisu]

Could it be that your pregnancy has changed your hair a bit? Perhaps you just need to keep it simple - have a good stern trim and let those pregnancy hormones do their magic, invest in a really great clarifying shampoo, then keep it up and practice a bit of benign neglect.

[julliams]

A lite coconut soak works wonders for me. I soak my hair in lite coconut milk for about an hour, then wash and condition as normal. I'm always amazed at how soft my hair is afterwards.

[WaitingSoLong]

I did a Hask Henna & Placenta treatment today.

My normal routine for dry ends is I put quite a lot of olive oil through my hair, mostly on the ends, and bun it the night before I wash. I sleep with the oil in my hair, then shampoo and conditioner the next day like normal. I have seen great improvement since I started doing this.

I was going to basically say the same only I use coconut oil. I absolutely SATURATE my hair the day before a wash and sleep in it, then S&C as normal. It is really an effective moisture treatment but as others have said, oils help retain moisture not add it, however it seems to help the ends issue.


Slightly different angle... have you clarified lately? When my ends start to get funky that's what they usually need.

Also, I'd tend to disagree with the "oils are drying" thing. It depends on your hairtype though. If you're willing to go with a bit of oil, a coconut milk soak is pretty awesome imho.

And this was the other thing I was going to say. It took me awhile to learn it but when my ends are horrible, I usually just need a clarify. Clarifying can be drying and seems to be the opposite of what you need to do but it is amazing the difference I get after clarifying. Followed by a healthy dose of conditioning.

Funny, all this time and I never heard of usuing coconut MILK on your hair...how have I missed this?

Also, whoever mentioned avacado is right, avacados are super moisture but I refuse to mix up foods and slather them into my hair. I stick with oils. Avacados are also a great facial mask and hand-mask for dried out hands. I keep avacado oil next to my bed and put it on my hands nightly and so far this winter I have not had my skin crack and bleed. It is great for my nails and makes them very nice and even shiny (I don't polish my nails, not even with clear coat or "treatments").

Alas, sometimes the never-ending battle of the ends does indicate a trim is in order, but I always try everything to make sure before I trim. The first time I figured out clarifying was all I needed, I had planned to trim about 4" off if that last resort did not work.

ONE MORE note...SMT always left my hair weird. It seems to be the honey, so I stopped putting honey in it. But the coconut oil soak works just as well with no mixing or heat caps so I stopped doing SMT's. Also, I spritz my hair with diluted AVG and this makes a lovely softness and allows for some awesome braid waves. My daughter has me braid and spritz her hair every night so she can have "curly" hair the next day for school. Braids alone don't seem to work as well. Ahh...I am getting off topic.

[CurlyMopTop]

What about trying out a caramel treatment? There's a recipe somewhere on these boards. I don't have the link but I know it includes molasses, bananas, and some oils. I made/used it once and actually found it to be too moisturizing for me, but it might be perfect for you. I did a google search and found the link:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=454

You'll find a few variations of the recipe in there. Good Luck! :D

[ktani]

I've used SMT before, but have not found it to be that moisturizing. Yes, I have played around with the recipe and measurements, but that doesn't seem to make a difference.
Anyone have any other suggestions? I need something packed with moisture to the MAX. Besides putting moisture CO in my hair, what else can I use? No protein treatments please, trying to stay away from that. And trying to use something as natural as possible. Also, if it doesn't have oils in it, that's a plus, since my hair doesn't like much, except it's own sebum.

Thank you in advance!

You do not need the clay for this to work. See the first post of this page and work backwards in the thread, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8437&page=14

You can add salt to your conditioner.

[Mairéad]

Could it be that your pregnancy has changed your hair a bit? Perhaps you just need to keep it simple - have a good stern trim and let those pregnancy hormones do their magic, invest in a really great clarifying shampoo, then keep it up and practice a bit of benign neglect.

I think this is great possibility to consider. I've never been pregnant but considering all the stories I hear I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. While OP probably will still need an effective moisture treatment I think the less done to the hair, the better.

[Amber_Maiden]

Thank you for the all responses!

I don't think it could be because I'm pregnant, because it has to do my hair ends, not new growth.

I did clarify, last week.

I think I'll probably give the coconut milk a try, or taking the honey out of the SMT. I might also try the banana/avocado hair mask!

[ktani]

Thank you for the all responses!

I don't think it could be because I'm pregnant, because it has to do my hair ends, not new growth.

I did clarify, last week.

I think I'll probably give the coconut milk a try, or taking the honey out of the SMT. I might also try the banana/avocado hair mask!

Both coconut milk and avocado contain protein. Coconut oil and avocado oil do not.

Good luck with whatever you try.

[Vanilla]

Have you gone to a long hair friendly salon to get a diagnosis as far as what's going on with your hair? I know you've been frustrate lately with it. Maybe you need a pro to look at this point.

Also, most salons have great conditioning treatments that penetrate better than anything I can make or do at home. They are not too expensive (maybe like $30) and they do magic on most hair. I really like the kerastase treatments.

[mneh]

I've used SMT before, but have not found it to be that moisturizing. Yes, I have played around with the recipe and measurements, but that doesn't seem to make a difference.
Anyone have any other suggestions? I need something packed with moisture to the MAX. Besides putting moisture CO in my hair, what else can I use? No protein treatments please, trying to stay away from that. And trying to use something as natural as possible. Also, if it doesn't have oils in it, that's a plus, since my hair doesn't like much, except it's own sebum.

Thank you in advance!

My hair really hates protein but I get good, moisturising results from very low fat (1%) natural yoghurt. Sometimes I add a little honey to the pot of yoghurt before I put it on my hair.

I can also recommend an organic product called CURLS Curl Ecstasy Green Tea Conditioner, it has a very moisturising effect on my hair, as does the leave-in CURLS Soufflé Cream. These products are cost-effective for me as a little goes a long way (to save some money on these products one can purchase the versions from the children's range :))

[PixxieStix]

Both coconut milk and avocado contain protein. Coconut oil and avocado oil do not.

Good luck with whatever you try.

AH! Thanks ktani! I will keep that information stored away, I love learning new things!

[Darian Moone]

SMT doesn't work for me either. Coconut milk soaks are great though, and so is honey.

[girlcat36]

I also haven't had good luck with SMT. I don't know why, but it gives me scalp flakes and doesn't seem to moisturize my hair all that well. I really want to try coconut milk after reading this thread!

[jojo]

I find a SMT with a few drops of coconut oil and glycerine as well as all the other goodies makes my hair very moisturised, might just do one of these tomorrow!

[MissAlida]

I second the yoghurt..I don't know if it has protein, but it always helps me with dry hair if I leave it on for 1-2 hours, nicely wrapped. It only did me good, so you should definetly try it. It will be worth it. It's also cheap and natural.:)

[celebriangel]

I modify the SMT recipe so that it is 4 parts very moisturising conditioner (conefree on freshly clarified hair), 1 part AVG, 1 part honey, and 1 part shea butter/coconut oil mix.

For me, this is way more moisturising. I don't get oily residue either.

[Martukita]

I would, but my DR has forbidden me from using clay while I'm pregnant. I believe she said something about breathing in the powder... ah well. :(

So you are pregnant then? :D congrats!!

[Amber_Maiden]

So you are pregnant then? :D congrats!!

Yep! 13 weeks! Thank you! :D

[jojo]

I modify the SMT recipe so that it is 4 parts very moisturising conditioner (conefree on freshly clarified hair), 1 part AVG, 1 part honey, and 1 part shea butter/coconut oil mix.

For me, this is way more moisturising. I don't get oily residue either. that sounds very interesting, i must try this, thanks for the tip


Yep! 13 weeks! Thank you! :D

aww congratulations, thats lovely news xx

[starshade]

I tried banana, coconut milk, ACV and honey and it was really great. Another time I didn't have a banana, so I substituted it with cucumber, and that was really good too. Except with the cucumber, You have to makes sure it's pureed really well, or you get bits stuck in your hair. Not sure if coconut milk is ok in terms of being non- protein?? Maybe instead of it, a bit of whichever oil you like would be good too.

[julliams]

My hair hates protein - goes like straw, but it loves coconut milk.