How do you keep your curly hair moisturized?

[Fluffy01]

I feel like I've tried everything under the moon and sun over the years and nothing works. I have fine curly hair but a lot of it. Oils seems to weigh it down and still don't moisturize enough. Conditioners just don't do much. I must be missing something. I'm gentle on my hair. I do blow dry, but it is on low heat.
I've done Conditioner Only, No Poo shampoo with Conditioner added afterwards, Water Only washing.....nada.

I'd appreciate any tips. Thank you!

[Charasy]

I'm a complete newbie, so I'm probably not the right person to give advice, but I just tried clarifying my hair and sleeping with SMT in my hair, wrapped in a plastic bag, and that helped my hair a lot!

Have you tried that? Clarifying followed by SMT?

[Charasy]

Also I should say that I've tried everything to moisturize my hair too, and nothing worked until now. I think it's because build-up was blocking out any moisture I tried to put in my hair :)

[Avital88]

what really works for my daughters curly hair is john frieda root stimulator shampoo and conditioner.. its the only thing that works to moisturize and less frizz, she is a 3b/c and has mbl length hair stretched but shoulder while dry.

[StormVixen]

have you tried "Curl Junkie" or "CURLS" deep conditioners? I find them to be very moisturising...

Curls coconut sublime conditioner (http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/743/cat/all)

Curl Junkie Deep Fix (http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/789/cat/all)

Curl Junkie Curl Rehab (http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/418/cat/all)

[cheetahfast]

Avalon organics is very moisturizing. I use shea moisture smoothie to style it, which helps me as well. A very small amount of coconut oil is great too, though you said your hair doesn't like oils.
My hair is fine too, but I find just adding less of a product and clarifying when needed keeps it from getting weighted down.

[Fluffy01]

I'm a complete newbie, so I'm probably not the right person to give advice, but I just tried clarifying my hair and sleeping with SMT in my hair, wrapped in a plastic bag, and that helped my hair a lot!

Have you tried that? Clarifying followed by SMT?


Well my hair is generally pretty dry to begin with so clarifying just ends up making it drier. Whenever I use my No Poo Deva shampoo it seems to do a decent job of stripping out whatever is in my hair. I had tried SMT awhile back though without much luck. :/

[Fluffy01]

what really works for my daughters curly hair is john frieda root stimulator shampoo and conditioner.. its the only thing that works to moisturize and less frizz, she is a 3b/c and has mbl length hair stretched but shoulder while dry.

Does this have silicones in it? Silicones don't really work for my hair either. I swear I have the pickiest hair ever! :) Thanks tho!

[Fluffy01]

have you tried "Curl Junkie" or "CURLS" deep conditioners? I find them to be very moisturising...

Curls coconut sublime conditioner (http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/743/cat/all)

Curl Junkie Deep Fix (http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/789/cat/all)

Curl Junkie Curl Rehab (http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/418/cat/all)


I have tried these before and my hair got weighed down. They smelled wonderful tho!

[Fluffy01]

Avalon organics is very moisturizing. I use shea moisture smoothie to style it, which helps me as well. A very small amount of coconut oil is great too, though you said your hair doesn't like oils.
My hair is fine too, but I find just adding less of a product and clarifying when needed keeps it from getting weighted down.


Which Avalon conditioner do you use? I think I tried them a long time ago but honestly don't remember.

Also, are you protein sensitive? I'd like to try the shea moisture smoothie, but it contains silk protein, which usually doesn't agree with my hair very well.

[chou]

Which Avalon conditioner do you use? I think I tried them a long time ago but honestly don't remember.

Also, are you protein sensitive? I'd like to try the shea moisture smoothie, but it contains silk protein, which usually doesn't agree with my hair very well.
I also have protein sensitive hair and I've found that the Shea Moisture products with silt protein agree pretty well with my hair relative to other products that contain protein, when used in moderation. Is the rest of your routine protein-free? The best thing I ever did for my dry, wavy hair was to completely cut out all protein. It's like I have a different head of hair now.
This etsy shop has a great protein-free non-build-up deep conditioner that I've been using for a month now with great results: http://www.etsy.com/shop/toadstoolsoaps

[door72067]

I really like this product


http://www.sallybeauty.com/S-Curl-Activator-Moisturizer/LUSTER14,default,pd.html?cm_vc=SEARCH

[Fluffy01]

I also have protein sensitive hair and I've found that the Shea Moisture products with silt protein agree pretty well with my hair relative to other products that contain protein, when used in moderation. Is the rest of your routine protein-free? The best thing I ever did for my dry, wavy hair was to completely cut out all protein. It's like I have a different head of hair now.
This etsy shop has a great protein-free non-build-up deep conditioner that I've been using for a month now with great results: http://www.etsy.com/shop/toadstoolsoaps



I haven't used anything with protein in years. :)

I used to buy from toadstool when she was on Ebay. I'm pretty sure I tried her conditioner before, but I don't know if this is a newer one or not. I'll look into it.

[Kirry-Folk]

My hair is considerably less curly than yours, but it is dry and protein sensitive. I'm a big fan of Jessicurl products and club soda rinses.

[Fluffy01]

My hair is considerably less curly than yours, but it is dry and protein sensitive. I'm a big fan of Jessicurl products and club soda rinses.

Oooooh club soda rinses.....never heard of that one. What does it do?

I have tried Jessicurl before too....I was one of the first customers when she first unveiled the business on NaturallyCurly. :) I wish her stuff had worked for me as well.

Thanks tho!

[Kinkycurlygurl]

I'm trying out a combination of water only and NW/Sebum only now. I'm also using a little bit of wheat germ oil to get things started when I wash my hair. So far my hair is feeling moisturized and flexible.

[MissAlida]

Did you try doing a yoghurt hair mask? ...You probably did, just an idea. It usually helps my hair...

[CurlyCap]

Co-washing helps immensely. Experiment with different weights of conditioners to find what rebalances your hair.

Then after co-washing, the type of leave-in you'll need with change. It won't need to be as heavy to prevent your hair from being dry.

I can't shampoo my hair. If I do, I know that I have several days of deep treatments ahead of me to get it back to normal.

If you are having problems controlling frizz, it's probably due to dryness, and all the above can help address that.

hth

[Kirry-Folk]

Oooooh club soda rinses.....never heard of that one. What does it do?

I have tried Jessicurl before too....I was one of the first customers when she first unveiled the business on NaturallyCurly. :) I wish her stuff had worked for me as well.

Thanks tho!


I wish someone more knowledgeable with hair and chemicals could explain it to me, but whenever I dump club soda in my hair as a final rinse, I get tons of extra slip, extra shine, my curls are springier and they separate better. :shrug: Since it makes a world of difference for me, I'd say it's worth a shot, but you might not even notice.

I'm sorry the Jessicurl didn't work for you. The deep conditioning treatment is very high up there on my list of favorites.

I briefly skimmed across a bit of info that sesame oil (untoasted) is a great oil for hair and doesn't leave the crunchies the way coconut does. Just get your hair a little damp and then gently scrunch in the oil.

CO is another option, but I haven't been doing it for long enough to tell you much.

What is your water like, where you are? Hard? Soft?

[jeanniet]

Club soda will remove mineral buildup, so if you have hard/well water, it's helping with that. It won't really moisturize any more than regular water, though.

When you clarify, you should do a deep treatment afterward, and when oiling, it should be after a moisturizing treatment (conditioning or whatever) on damp hair, not dry. I would keep experimenting with CO, or at least CWC (condition-wash-condition). Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose is a good moisturizing conditioner. I also like Giovanni Smooth As Silk. I've found that if my hair is well-moisturized with conditioner after a wash, a daily spritzing with distilled water mixed with a little oil and aloe vera gel will help to keep things soft. Many people add some conditioner to their mister bottle, but that doesn't work too well for me--might be something to try for you.

[HappyHair87]

How often are you shampooing? I shampoo once a week. Have you ever tried the Honey Hemp conditioner from Oyin Handmade? I LOVE it! I ordered a liter bottle of it and sone of their Hair Dew leave in/moisturizer today.

[lostchyld]

I feel like I've tried everything under the moon and sun over the years and nothing works. I have fine curly hair but a lot of it. Oils seems to weigh it down and still don't moisturize enough. Conditioners just don't do much. I must be missing something. I'm gentle on my hair. I do blow dry, but it is on low heat.
I've done Conditioner Only, No Poo shampoo with Conditioner added afterwards, Water Only washing.....nada.

I'd appreciate any tips. Thank you!

Did you give all of these methods a couple weeks to settle in and make a difference?

I'd go back to conditioner only as a start. Massage it into dry hair and scalp and let it sit for 15-20 minutes before you shower. Once you're in the shower, dunk it and massage again to get a conditioner lather, then clip it up and go about your other shower duties. Rinse just before whatever you do last so your hair has a little time to drip dry. My hair isn't super dry, so I use my co-wash conditioner as a leave in with less than a finger full of coconut oil, which I use to replace gel. With dry hair, you might need a heavier leave in. I'm still experimenting with routines, but this is the one that has worked the best for me. I usually plop in a peacock twist to get waves instead of curls because my curls are really loose and the wavy hair is easier to put up anyways. I never comb while my hair is wet and wait until the curls have relaxed into their second or third day wavies to comb when dry. I've found that my hair gets significantly more dry when I comb when wet and the curls never form right. Once it's dry, finger picking is sufficient to detangle my hair while curly.

[Fluffy01]

I have given all the routines time to make a difference and honestly it seems like my hair is just super temperamental. For example, a new technique will work great for a few days then I'm back to the old hair again lol. So strange. Maybe I just need to switch it up on a regular basis you know? CO-wash for a week then No Poo shampoo with conditioner for a week, etc.

My water is "soft" I guess because we didn't rate as having any hardness when our well water was tested.

I can't use too many leave ins otherwise my hair is weighed down. It's really bizarre. I have a ton of hair, which makes people think it is thick, but it is actually super fine. Honestly the No Poo shampoo gives me more volume up top even though it dries my hair out after awhile. COing tends to make it less volumous but nicer curls. It's a trade off I suppose.

[jacqueline101]

I use coconut oil mixed a creation I made.

[Nordlys]

Have you tried Aloe Vera gel applied on moist hair ? It helps my curls a lot ! Also, you could try to air-dry you hair naturally for a few times (without blow dryer) to see if it makes a difference :)

[3azza]

I guess you have to give up the blow dry thing. It makes my hair super dry no matter what i do to moisturize. No cone CO followed by leave in works for me, and my hair stays clean so no need to clarify. I have to say it took sometime to see results but now i would never bother to try a new method.

[DarkSky]

50/50 coconut oil and EVOO works miracles!!!

[Terra]

50/50 coconut oil and EVOO works miracles!!!
how do you use it? in dry or wet hair?

[dulce]

I love Pantenes "CURLY TO MOISTURIZED "line.It does have cones I think but it has been awesome for my hair,so far nothing has worked as well for me.

[DarkSky]

how do you use it? in dry or wet hair?
Hi Terra,
I use it in wet hair and dry as needed, but mainly in dry hair. I put it in a mini spray bottle and keep it in my purse. I squirt a very little amount in my hands then smooth it in. To prepare it I just melt the coconut oil then add the EVOO. Once mixed it stays as a liquid unless it's exposed to cold temperatures. HTH

It's definitely worth the try!! :)

[Terra]

That sounds really interesting and I have both at home! :cheese:
Thanks, I will try it. :)

[Gilly]

I am currently using Eqyss premier rehydant spray

Deionized water, hydrolyzed mucopoly-sachharides, citric acid, allantoin, cetrimonium chloride, hydrolyzed wheat protein, sodium PCA, propylene glycol, methylparaben, tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM hydantoin, polysorbate 20, polysorbate 80, extract of Aloe Vera & lavendar, fragrance

I know its for horses but I love it!!:cheese:

[sycamoreboutiqu]

>> For example, a new technique will work great for a few days then I'm back to the old hair again lol. So strange<<<

That sure sounds like a build-up issue, even after a few days. If you have super fine hair I would think it would happen faster than with medium or heavier textured hair.

It always seems when what usually works isn't working, it is because of buildup. I CO wash only - but with the thinnest, lightest conditioners (VO5 and Suave seem to fit the bill) - but use no styling products other than some leave in oils and Aloe. I still get build up and need to clarify at least once a month. I have found a combo of baking soda/conditioner left on for less than 1 minute does the trick. I then condition with something heavier - Garnier and then leave in a couple of drops of it.

Have you ever tried the baking soda method ? Most people use it with shampoo, but my hair is much happier and moister when I use it in conditioner.

Have you tried the Kimberlily blend ? It is fantastic and you could alter it to be as light as you needed. Basically it is just a blend of Aloe gel, Water and oils of choice, with the water/aloe being a large part and oils a very small part. I blend it with less water to use as a leave in - then blend it with more water for a spray bottle. Between the two my hair has never felt so moisturized and supple.

[Envari]

I have found a combo of baking soda/conditioner left on for less than 1 minute does the trick. I then condition with something heavier - Garnier and then leave in a couple of drops of it.

Have you ever tried the baking soda method ? Most people use it with shampoo, but my hair is much happier and moister when I use it in conditioner.


What's the scaling on your conditioner/baking soda mix? I'm planning on trying the BS next week but I'm not really sure how much to use, so input would be greatly appreciated :)

[sycamoreboutiqu]

I just put a teaspoon (approx. don't use an actual measure) amount of baking soda in a handful of conditioner. Sometimes I have to make a second batch to get all the hair. I apply it to somewhat wet hair - it would be too hard to do on dry hair and I don't leave it on very long - literally less than one minute. I figure any longer than that and it could be drying, and the chelating process is pretty immediate so no need. I don't massage it or anything to prevent friction, just squeeze the water through to make sure everything is saturated.

There was a HUGE difference in the results of doing this method vs. with shampoo. Much softer and nicer hair afterwards. Plus I don't even have a bottle of shampoo in the house any more.

[Envari]

There was a HUGE difference in the results of doing this method vs. with shampoo. Much softer and nicer hair afterwards. Plus I don't even have a bottle of shampoo in the house any more.

Great! As a CO-head that's very positive news - I'll give it a go tthis week and see what happens. Thank you for explaining :cheese:

[rosance]

I just put a teaspoon (approx. don't use an actual measure) amount of baking soda in a handful of conditioner. Sometimes I have to make a second batch to get all the hair. I apply it to somewhat wet hair - it would be too hard to do on dry hair and I don't leave it on very long - literally less than one minute. I figure any longer than that and it could be drying, and the chelating process is pretty immediate so no need. I don't massage it or anything to prevent friction, just squeeze the water through to make sure everything is saturated.

There was a HUGE difference in the results of doing this method vs. with shampoo. Much softer and nicer hair afterwards. Plus I don't even have a bottle of shampoo in the house any more.
I would love to try this method of removing build up! Gotta buy baking soda...I cannot believe I do not have any :eek:

[long-hair-lover]

Try Aussie dual personality Curl definition Soft feel serum, I have thick curly hair and it's fantastic on mine and only £4.99 which makes it even more awesome!
Let me know how you get on with it:-)

Love from England
xxx

[kitschy]

No cones, no heat, SLS shampoo only once in a blue moon, Leave-in conditioner, and oil seal.

And I re-wet, Co-wash every other, or every third day. I live in a desert and it is dry, dry, dry.

[kdaniels8811]

I am into natural treatments so here is my leave in: Curl-Reviving Lavender Spray

1.Bring slightly more than 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down, cover the pot, and simmer for a 30-45 minutes.
2.Remove from heat and add 1 cup dried lavender buds. Stir well.
3.Cover the pot and let it cool and steep for 12-24 hours.
4.Strain the liquid through a coffee filter into a glass jar or bottle
5.Refrigerate until needed. Will keep for about two to three weeks.

Just be careful about clothing, it will leave "tea spots" on white shirts. This smells wonderful! I have now discovered I have curly hair!