Airdrying leads to Hard Hair- Disaster

[virtuenow]

After seeing all the good results members post on their wash-n-gos, I just took a big step and attempted to airdry my 4b natural hair. This is a big plunge b/c I have nearly 100% shrinkage.

Results: my hair is harder than ever. I did the whole process in twists: I used a clarifying shampoo (b/c i had buildup), then moisturizing shampoo, then conditioned w/my most moisturizing mix-- under heat (Aussie moist mixed w/Nexxus Humectress, Nioxin Therapy, honey, olive oil, & castor oil). Followed up w/Roux Porosity Contrl and Fermodyl 619 leave in. I added a generous amount of shea butter, elasta qp mango butter & coconut oil mix to my hair as it dried.

I hear all the stories about people airdrying in twists and how soft hair is after wash/cond. I don't get it, my hair feels at its worst after wash/cond and dry. Matted, tangled. Now Blowdrying my hair, that's a different story. It feels soft and can be eaisly styled.

I must be a special kind of 4b since everyone else seems to be able to airdry!

(I know someone just posed a similar topic but not really the same issue as min)

 

[RedVelvet310]

That's quite odd.. hmm, I've never used the fermodyl leave in, but what is the consistency of it? I've realized that when I air dry I cannot use the same products I would use if I blow dry. Like I can't use a leave in that's too liquidy or it would just be swallowed by my hair and end up in a brillo mess! I find when air drying thicker, creamier leave in's work best for me, and even thicker oils (coconut oil is what I'd use on my straightened/blow dried hair, I'd use castor oil when blow drying) and shea butter just leaves my hair hard in general so I only use that to hold my twists when I do them. Before completely knocking air drying try using leave ins (that work for you of course) with a thicker, creamier consistency

 

[virtuenow]

thx! whaat kind of creamy leave in do u rec???

 

[RedVelvet310]

My favourite leave in is Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 and a good sealer I like castor oil It took me a while to find the right leave and sealer and I sometimes add random leave-ins to my hair... and if I'm really adamant about using a liquid leave in I'd use it on towel dried hair BEFORE I add the creamier leave ins and seals

 

[virtuenow]

Is there any way to soften my hair up now-- I wonder. I can't go thru the agonizing wash again in one day!

 

[westNDNbeauty]

ever tried KCCC??

 

[havilland]

my hair is 3c and i have the same issue. my hair hates air drying. everyone else seems to get good results, but the only time it works for me is if i soak my hair in leave in. i like garnier sleek and shine leave in conditioner and then put it in a bun slicked back and tie it down with a scarf.

i wear the bun all week. i don't get to take it out and have soft hair. for me the benefit of the wet bun is low manipulation. i don't even bother to take it down.

one more thing, i know that sometimes, like with any other styling method, you have to get your products down and it could be many atttempts before you find what works for you.

i quit before i got that far. LOL!

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I just did mini twists in my hair, washed with them in using trader joe's nourishspa, used aussie 3 minute miracle, then added aussie moist as a leave in and it dried ridiculously soft....how big were your twists? Maybe you should try air-drying in tight medium sized braids....like ten of em.

Another product you should try is this: (It leaves my hair moisturized and soft)

 

[virtuenow]

ever tried KCCC??

Not yet, but KCCC is on my hair butter/cream wish list. I plan to try that once i run out of my current product stash.

i wear the bun all week. i don't get to take it out and have soft hair. for me the benefit of the wet bun is low manipulation. i don't even bother to take it down.

one more thing, i know that sometimes, like with any other styling method, you have to get your products down and it could be many atttempts before you find what works for you.

i quit before i got that far. LOL!

Yes, I can see why u quit-- I'm about to as well! I was also looking for a low maintenance type style -- and I know some people have done wash and gos in their twists-- so I thought, hey, good idea. Now If I don't figure something out, I'll be stuck in a "bun" for the week. I think my hair may be too hard & shrunken to stretch into a bun, however!

I just did mini twists in my hair, washed with them in using trader joe's nourishspa, used aussie 3 minute miracle, then added aussie moist as a leave in and it dried ridiculously soft....how big were your twists? Maybe you should try air-drying in tight medium sized braids....like ten of em.

My twists are the next size up from mini-twists. I tried stretching the twits out by braiding them into 4-6 big braids as they dried. No good, now my hair is even more shrunken appearance. That Aussie Miracle leave in sounds good - plus I think your texture is pretty similar to mine. Did u still get "hang time" with your twists after the wash? Any pics?? Thanks!

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

yea they're hanging and swinging but I'm not happy with the way my layers look shrunken so no pix as of yet

 

[Lola Laughs]

That's quite odd.. hmm, I've never used the fermodyl leave in, but what is the consistency of it? I've realized that when I air dry I cannot use the same products I would use if I blow dry. Like I can't use a leave in that's too liquidy or it would just be swallowed by my hair and end up in a brillo mess! I find when air drying thicker, creamier leave in's work best for me, and even thicker oils (coconut oil is what I'd use on my straightened/blow dried hair, I'd use castor oil when blow drying) and shea butter just leaves my hair hard in general so I only use that to hold my twists when I do them. Before completely knocking air drying try using leave ins (that work for you of course) with a thicker, creamier consistency

IA @ the bolded. I use Trader Joe Nourish Spa Conditioner as a leave-in for WNGs, to air dry twists, and daily moisturizing for non-straight styles. It's pretty thick and keeps my hair moist all day.

I only use shea butter/coconut oil (or any other that solidifies when it cools) after a blow out or flat ironing. When I use shea/co on wet hair I get that hard, dry feeling you're describing. HTH

 

[virtuenow]

Thx, where do you all get the Trader Joe products? It may test run this creamy route when I work up courage.

 

[fluffylocks]

I would do like 6-10 tight braids, and try a moisturizer like hawaiin 14, carefree, or one of the juices and wrap in a silk scarf and some more when its dry.

 

[Lola Laughs]

Thx, where do you all get the Trader Joe products? It may test run this creamy route when I work up courage.

I get it at the Trader Joe market near my office. I think you can get it through amazon for more (only $3 in the market). If there isn't a TJ near you, let me know, I can send you a bottle. I keep a stash and can spare it

 

[fluffylocks]

IA @ the bolded. I use Trader Joe Nourish Spa Conditioner as a leave-in for WNGs, to air dry twists, and daily moisturizing for non-straight styles. It's pretty thick and keeps my hair moist all day.

I only use shea butter/coconut oil (or any other that solidifies when it cools) after a blow out or flat ironing. When I use shea/co on wet hair I get that hard, dry feeling you're describing. HTH

Me too.....

 

[virtuenow]

I just did mini twists in my hair, washed with them in using trader joe's nourishspa, used aussie 3 minute miracle, then added aussie moist as a leave in and it dried ridiculously soft....

I just reread your post BMP, what kind of Aussie did u use as the leave in? I have Aussi conditioner.

I would do like 6-10 tight braids, and try a moisturizer like hawaiin 14, carefree, or one of the juices and wrap in a silk scarf and some more when its dry.

Thanks, I think you're the second person to mention Hawaiin 14. Is that a thick leave in? I really need to do something today or start all over. I should note, my hair always dries hard-- I have let it dry before w/nothing in it or regular watery leave in- and it always dries hard as a rock (like if I have errands or fall asleep; and I just re-wet then blowdry). With that said, I don't think its the shea butter thats making my hair hard, it's just my hair! My hair is not as hard as usual w/the shea butter added and its definitely shinier. But its still hard!

I get it at the Trader Joe market near my office. I think you can get it through amazon for more (only $3 in the market). If there isn't a TJ near you, let me know, I can send you a bottle. I keep a stash and can spare it

Aw, thanks, ur too kind - That Nourish spa must be something special!

 

[anon123]

My air dried hair never feels as soft as my blow dried hair. Even if I use a really softening product, like a shea butter or castor oil based one. It may be softer than it would have been using another product, but it won't be as soft as if I had used that product on blow dried hair.

I like Trader Joe's Nourish Spa, but that doesn't change things for me. No product does because it's not about the product. It's about the fact that blow drying stretches your hair out so it feels smoother and thus feels softer, not having a bunch of hard bends and kinks in it.

Fortunately, I don't care that much about having super soft hair. It doesn't buy me much to have very soft hair.

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

I'm 4a/b and when I use braid spray or "da juice" on towel dried grass, it hair dries pretty soft. In the 2.5 months I've been completely natural I've only used a blow dryer on med-low heat once. I hated the way it made my grass feel. I get better results air-drying. Granted I don't have as much length, but right now simplicity serves me well. The more stuff I put on my hair, the more it hates me.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

/\ TOTALLY agree with iluvsmuggrass Glycerine based moisturizers like curl activators and sprays like Hawaiian silky are amazing on type 4 hair...it leaves it soooo supple and soft.

I just reread your post BMP, what kind of Aussie did u use as the leave in? I have Aussi conditioner.

I use Aussie conditioner as a leave-in when I'm air-drying...also I changed my mind about my micro twists they grew on me I really like them now and I'll be posting about them really soon

I think you should switch to more creamy thick leave-ins and see if that can make a difference watery leave-ins on my hair are a joke unless I'm blow-drying.

I recently styled a little girl with 4b hair and when she came over I immediately whipped up a mix of aussie moist (nourishspa conditioner would work just as well), eco-styler gel, curl activator gel and a teaspoon of EVOO and it made her hair feel absolutely amazing with light hold and amazing sheen.

Try braiding your hair in 10-12 braids tightly (possibly while its still blowdried prior to a wash to make things easier and avoid tangles) while the braids are in....use whatever shampoo and DC that makes your hair feel soft and supple then one by one unbraid add that mix I just told you about then rebraid and see if it makes a difference....it made a world of difference on her hair

 

[fluffylocks]

I just reread your post BMP, what kind of Aussie did u use as the leave in? I have Aussi conditioner.



Thanks, I think you're the second person to mention Hawaiin 14. Is that a thick leave in? I really need to do something today or start all over. I should note, my hair always dries hard-- I have let it dry before w/nothing in it or regular watery leave in- and it always dries hard as a rock (like if I have errands or fall asleep; and I just re-wet then blowdry). With that said, I don't think its the shea butter thats making my hair hard, it's just my hair! My hair is not as hard as usual w/the shea butter added and its definitely shinier. But its still hard!



Aw, thanks, ur too kind - That Nourish spa must be something special!

Its not really thick at all. But Its the glycerine. I think a glycerine product would really work well for you. They have thicker ones though-gels. I just make sure that the color is cear or its kind of transparant, that glycerin is at least in the top 4-5, and that their arent aot of ingredients. Thats a real gycerin product IMO.

My hair used to dry hard, rough, or tangley alot also.

I have to make sure I use really moistuizing products that give my hair slip and make it feel soft when they are on there (or its dry/tangly/rough hair) If I dont feel softness or anything, then I know right away my hair is going to dry horrible. I thought it was normal untill I found a few product that changed it.
(I have only found cream of nature shampoo, ors paks conditoner, silcion mix coditoner, design essentials conditoner, and just recently sakla conditoners)

And make sure my hair is smooth when its drying in some kind of form, like a bun or braids

And if I dont use heat, use a glycerin product, usually by the time my hair dries with the glycerin product, its still alittle dry (but not nearly as dry as it would be with something else), so i put alittle more-and when that dries its really really soft hair.

And a oil I found that really works if I dont want to use a glycerin product that softens is wild growth oil.

ETA- Sometimes airdrying takes a while for me to get the results I want, so I wash in time for my hair to dry before I go to sleep, then take down each braid, or make sections, moisturize, and put it back in braids or a bun or something, and in the morning it will be good.

 

[virtuenow]

My air dried hair never feels as soft as my blow dried hair. Even if I use a really softening product, like a shea butter or castor oil based one. It may be softer than it would have been using another product, but it won't be as soft as if I had used that product on blow dried hair.

I like Trader Joe's Nourish Spa, but that doesn't change things for me. No product does because it's not about the product. It's about the fact that blow drying stretches your hair out so it feels smoother and thus feels softer, not having a bunch of hard bends and kinks in it.

Fortunately, I don't care that much about having super soft hair. It doesn't buy me much to have very soft hair.

Yeah, I knew it wasn't the "product" making my hair haqrd but its the nature of my hair. Water just dries it out! Despite the fact that everyone says water is the most moisturizing thing for hair... I hope there is a product out there to soften it. It wouldn't bother me so much If it was hard and can still be handled -- but I can't touch or stretch or manipulate it. It is altogether stuck together! How can you even begin to style it? I've added alot of product and still nothing. I'm afraid I'm snapping my hair off.

I have to make sure I use really moistuizing products that give my hair slip and make it feel soft when they are on there (or its dry/tangly/rough hair) If I dont feel softness or anything, then I know right away my hair is going to dry horrible. I thought it was normal untill I found a few product that changed it.

Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I have learned that I can tell whether a product will be moisturizing or softening as I'm putting it on. I can feel it adding moisture immediately. That is how I fell in love w/mango butter, shea butter, coconut oil & jojoba oil. However, I have not felt anything yet that feels like it will soften my airdried hair. I just read the ingredients for Hawaiian silky 14 and it has mineral oil--->which my hair rejects. I'll need to "touch" it at the bss and really feel whats going on w/it that makes our lhcf go bazooks over this "juice"!