seal then moisturize

[Natural Hair Stylist]

I oil first then I put my shea butter mix. I have tried several times to do it the other way around but I like it better this way. And when I do it this way only once a day do I have to do it. Not several times. Do some of you do it this way as well? Why?

 

[iri9109]

what oil do you use? and to me shea butter is a sealer too, so i just view that as sealing twice.

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

what oil do you use? and to me shea butter is a sealer too, so i just view that as sealing twice.

Yeah, what she said^^^^^^^^.


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[Theresamonet]

If you are using an oil that penetrates the hair shaft, such as coconut oil or olive oil, then you ARE moisturizing and sealing.

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

If you are using an oil that penetrates the hair shaft, such as coconut oil or olive oil, then you ARE moisturizing and sealing.

Okay.



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[ANUBIS]

sounds like double sealing to me....but if u were in fact using a moisturizer after applying oil your moiturizer wont be able to penetrate the hair shaft and seal out the moisture from getting to your hair. Also coconut oil and olive oil are not moisturizers, they nourish the hair only. Using oils in this way will not help with correcting dry hair.

 

[tropical-punch]

If you are using an oil that penetrates the hair shaft, such as coconut oil or olive oil, then you ARE moisturizing and sealing.

What? That's like 2 for the price of 1

 

[faithVA]

I put an oil on first, like sunflower oil, something really light and then will follow it with a butter or something else. It doesn't work the other way for me either. With the oil first my hair will feel soft and moisturized. Skipping the oil and just using the butter, or putting the butter first doesn't work. My hair will be oily and hard.

Not sure why but I have experimented a few times and the oil first is key for me. Butters don't seem to be good sealers for my hair, not by themselves.

 

[iri9109]

If you are using an oil that penetrates the hair shaft, such as coconut oil or olive oil, then you ARE moisturizing and sealing.

how do you moisturize without moisture aka WATER?

 

[Amoreofcurls]

If you are using an oil that penetrates the hair shaft, such as coconut oil or olive oil, then you ARE moisturizing and sealing.

Penetrate ≠ moisturize.

 

[lilsparkle825]

Where is the moisturizer?....

 

[SmilingElephant]

I usually wet my hair first and then seal it in with a butter and an oil.

 

[greenandchic]

^^^
What she said. I moisturize with a water based leave in like Oyin Hair Dew or something similar then seal in the moisture in with oils and butters.

 

[Nonie]

I'm with @Theresamonet: I've always thought of coconut oil as a moisturizing oil too. It is my skin moisturizer. I know all the talk about water being a moisturizer (Heck I've even said it myself) but ironically, ever since giving up water-based moisturizers, my skin has been better "moisturized", less lined, and doesn't require repeated applications. I've sung praises of coconut oil as the best skin moisturizer in the skin forum...and so while I am yet to use it in my hair, I have seen it supplement sebum on my skin better than water.

Come to think of it, sebum, our natural moisturizer doesn't contain any water... Hmm... :scratchch

A few interesting articles:

This article mentions some water content in coconut oil: http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/properties-of-coconut-oil.html

This one talks about it as a conditioner/pre-poo: http://factoidz.com/how-to-use-coconut-oil-as-a-hair-conditioner-and-a-skin-moisturizer/

The next two articles talks about it as a moisturizer and DC: http://www.healthy-oil-planet.com/coconut-oil-for-hair.html
http://factoidz.com/how-to-use-coconut-oil-as-a-hair-conditioner-and-a-skin-moisturizer/

This article talks about it as a sealant (which IMO could mean seal in moisture from conditioning or just prevent moisture loss from inside the strands, since I find it doesn't work well if applied to wet hair or wet skin): http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/coconut-oil-for-hair.html

The next two articles talk about how the method of preparation determines how much moisture it will have or how moisturizing it will be:

http://www.tiana-coconut.com/coconut_oil_skin.html
http://www.cocotherapy.com/difference_cocotherapy.htm

 

[L.Brown1114]

my hair turns oily and hard when I moisturize and seal too!! hhhmmm maybe I will try coconut oil and then some shea butter and see how that goes!

and I always thought coconut oil, EVOO, and castor oil were moisturizing. if it works for YOUR hair then go on with yo bad self!

 

[lilyofthenile]

Did you add a leave in and maybe some moisture in the form of water to your hair beforehand?

Shea butter is a sealant, it's an oil when melted down.

 

[*CherryPie*]

I agree with Theresamonet and Nonie. There are some oils that can actually penetrate and moisturize. A few are Coconut, Olive, and Avocado oils. They can do double duty as an sealer or moisturiser.

 

[faithVA]

I looked up the definition of moisture and it is "condensed or diffused liquid, especially water". So by definition, moisture can come from water but it also includes other types of liquids. Of course other liquids may not have the percentage of moisturizing ability as water, but other liquids can't be ruled out as having the ability to moisturize as well.

Considering that all plants have some degree of moisture in them unless they have been completely dried, then items produced from those plants will probably also still contain moisture.

So perhaps it is possible that certain oils may have a percentage of moisture in them that can be transferred when used.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Your Cheeziness]

OP if your hair is doing fine, I wouldn't worry about the technicalities. March on with what's keeping your hair happy.

 

[faithVA]

OP if your hair is doing fine, I wouldn't worry about the technicalities. March on with what's keeping your hair happy.

Agreed. Concepts are nice but results matter.

 

[CurlsBazillion]

I think oils seem moisturizing because they reduce water evaporation and a penetrating coconut oil to me is more conditioning because it reduces protein loss and is full of fat. If I used oil as a moisturizer instead of a leave in then sealed with a butter I'd have less vibrant or coarse hair, been there done that.

 

[pookaloo83]

If I used Qhemets AOHC, will that be considered a water based moisturizer? I'm not home so can't see the ingredients. Thinking about moisturizing with this and sealing with Shea butter. Also, after I seal, I can't moisturize until next wash day?

 

[faithVA]

If I used Qhemets AOHC, will that be considered a water based moisturizer? I'm not home so can't see the ingredients. Thinking about moisturizing with this and sealing with Shea butter. Also, after I seal, I can't moisturize until next wash day?

I don't see the full ingredient list on their website. So someone with a jar will have to fill in that part.

Most things we seal with don't block moisture completely, they just help to hold the moisture in. So you can moisturize as often as you feel the need to. Of course you will have to see what works with your hair. I moisturize and seal on wash day but I don't do much sealing after that. I do apply a moisturizer from every other day up to 2x a day depending on whats needed.

 

[Nonie]

pookaloo83 and faithVA

tailormade84 posted the ingredients previously in a thread. Here's her post:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showpost.php?p=8563908&postcount=1

 

[Theresamonet]

I believe there is a difference between moisture ( pure water) and a moisturizer. A moisturizer is to aide in preventing the evaporation of moisture. It's not hard to get hair wet with water. But water evaporates so quickly that it's up to your moisturizer to keep it in longer... If a product can do that on an internal level the way coconut oil can, I would consider it the ultimate moisturizer.

If moisturizing was only about the water, most people wouldn't need products at all. Penetrating oils work because hair is comprised of at least 10% water. It will get moisture anyway, from your body, from the air, etc. We don't have to walk around with our heads in a puddle of water to get moisture. Keeping it in long enough to thrive is another story.

I remember reading a post by a very popular board member/hair guru a few years ago who said something along the lines of "coconut oil will not moisturize your hair, it will however, soften, nourish, and increase your hair's pliability". I was like :scratchch that sounds like moisturized hair to me, and if it's not, then who needs moisturized hair!

This is all obviously just in my opinion though...

 

[halee_J]

Sometimes, on freshly washed hair I apply hempseed oil, then later apply S-curl. Works for me.