Dry TWA

[toiatoya]

I am freaking out trying to find something for my hair's dryness. My hair does not seem to be receptive to oils: ive tried evoo, virgin coconut oil, jbco, and products containing argan oil. it is colored and it may be that, can anyone suggest something? i think i am 4a/4b and it just seems wiry in the front and not really absorbing anything. the middle and back seems happy though...little ringlets and moist. any help is appreciated!!! Also, how did you ladies find your best products for your hair?? Did you have some idea or did u just become a pj until you lucked up? Thanks guys.

 

[lesedi]

Baggy as often as you can. If you combat over-moisturization then co-wash with protein conditioners more often. when out of braids, i co-wash daily and baggy nightly. if my hair gets a lil mushy, then i wll co-wash for a couple of days with the tresemme protein condish and/or spray with the Aphogee keratin and green tea restructurizer...works for me! my hair is soft and strong

 

[danniegirl]

i have been suffering from dry dry dry arse, after 10 months of being natural i am finally finding some relief. I did not become a product junkie i discovered early that the products were not the problem because i suffered from dry everything all my life so i started treating the problem from the inside out im finally started seeing some benefits with my skin from increasing my water intake and taking my vitamins however my hair was still crunchy and dry every night.

Recently i did a porosity strain test on my hair and low and behold i have low porosity hair that made the most sense to me. Now i am working on opening my cuticles to let moisture in my most effective fix is my 5 min heat fix after moisturizing my hair i put on my hair bonnet dryer attachment mine gets supper hot i cant leave that thing on my head for more then a few min anyway so i let it sit on my head for about 5 min and i tell you my hair soaks up my leave with just 5 min it makes my hair feel so soft and good and my hair has actually been lasting now for 3 days without feeling crunchy. i dont know if you have this problem but products would just sit on my hair i couldnt do a wash and really go because my hair would be white for hours now i do a wash and go and put my bonnet on then i can leave the house after only 5 min i dont have any residue sitting on my hair. i also did a cherry lola treatment that i loved so much. I have also read that adding banking soda to conditioner will open your cuticles i might try that tonight.

 

[kandake]

Do you use a moisturizer before applying the oil?

I like my Qhemet moisturizer I can't think of the exact name right now but it's some sort of heavy cream. It's a little pricey but it gets the job done. A little goes a long way. I've actually over moisturized with this stuff.

 

[toiatoya]

Oh wow thanks to both of you ladies! I have never heard of these two methods and I will be using this info TODAY!!! (Jumping for joy)

 

[toiatoya]

kandake I have not tried any Qhemet products but I have heard great things! Could it be one of the ghee products? I would like to try them. I have really wanted to try the Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercream, has anybody tried this product?

 

[loolalooh]

Do you use a moisturizer before applying the oil?

I like my Qhemet moisturizer I can't think of the exact name right now but it's some sort of heavy cream. It's a little pricey but it gets the job done. A little goes a long way. I've actually over moisturized with this stuff.

Cosign. Try products containing butters (e.g., shea), humectants (e.g., glycerin), and/or water.

 

[kandake]

@kandake I have not tried any Qhemet products but I have heard great things! Could it be one of the ghee products? I would like to try them. I have really wanted to try the Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercream, has anybody tried this product?

I just looked it up. Its the Amla and Olive Heavy Cream.

 

[melissa-bee]

I've been natural for 9 months and the only thing that works for me is making my hair damp with water and then sealing with a butter. Shea butter is one of the most moisturising ones out there. In my opinion is simple but the most effective. If that doesn't work then I don't know what will.

 

[SelahOco]

I always recommend KimmayTube's leave in conditioner recipe:

Anyhow, here are the ingredients:
1 oz Knot Today Leave-In (or 2 tablespoons of YOUR preferred leave-in)
2 tablespoons of (Whole leaf version) Aloe Vera Juice with a pH 4.0 or 4.5
2 teaspoons of Castor Oil
2 teaspoons of Jojoba Oil

A lot of women have been substituting the Knot Today for their favorite leave-in conditioners. What makes this special is the PH balance - the pure aloe juice- which really had a big impact on my hair and helped eliminate dry scalp for me.

 

[*CherryPie*]

NO! If you have low porosity hair, DO NOT USE THIS!

Kimmaytube's leave in messed my hair up! The acid in it sealed my cuticle even MORE, and cause more problems! That's a bad thing. You need to OPEN the cuticle if you have low porosity hair, NOT close/seal them.

I always recommend KimmayTube's leave in conditioner recipe:

Anyhow, here are the ingredients:
1 oz Knot Today Leave-In (or 2 tablespoons of YOUR preferred leave-in)
2 tablespoons of (Whole leaf version) Aloe Vera Juice with a pH 4.0 or 4.5
2 teaspoons of Castor Oil
2 teaspoons of Jojoba Oil

A lot of women have been substituting the Knot Today for their favorite leave-in conditioners. What makes this special is the PH balance - the pure aloe juice- which really had a big impact on my hair and helped eliminate dry scalp for me.

 

[mizspecialk]

It sounds like your hair is dry because you're not using moisturizer. Moisturizer and oil are not the same thing. I think that a lot of women are confused about this issue. The main ingredient in any moisturizer is water. I would suggest applying moisturizer first and then sealing it in by putting the oil over top of it.

You don't have to spend a ton of money either because the store brand products have come a long way. My favorite moisturizer at the moment is African Pride Olive Miracle Lotion. It works very well, does not contain mineral oil or petroleum, and only cost $2.87at the local wal-mart.

 

[toiatoya]

i think i have solved it! after much googling on the basics, I realized that I had one product in the back of my cabinet i hadnt payed much attention to. Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner!!! I tried it for a cowash and my hair slicked like it never slicked before! Then I also used it as a leave-in right after I got out and it curled up I sealed with coconut oil which my hair seems to like. So far so good and it's almost airdry. If it stays pretty moisturized all day, i think i may have a staple product and who wouldve known lol.

 

[kandake]

I'm glad you found something that works.

 

[MsEveMarie]

NO! If you have low porosity hair, DO NOT USE THIS!

Kimmaytube's leave in messed my hair up! The acid in it sealed my cuticle even MORE, and cause more problems! That's a bad thing. You need to OPEN the cuticle if you have low porosity hair, NOT close/seal them.

*CherryPie* so what moisturizer do you use now?

 

[*CherryPie*]

I mainly use Giovanni direct (but I have to seal with oil or my hair will be kind of dry).
I also use all of the Qhemet moisturizers.
Sometimes, I cowash with Vo5. After I rinse it out, I add more as a leave-in.

@*CherryPie* so what moisturizer do you use now?

 

[BraunSugar]

OP, I'm glad the Suave worked for you. Idk if you have a good DC or not, but if you don't I would suggest getting one. I DC's my hair once a week when I BC'd b/c my hair was crispy crackity. It really helped me a lot. I recently realized that I had to go back to DC'ing once a week and it makes all the diff in the world, esp w/color treated hair. My hair has been colored since my 3rd month natural so I know how it can be. Good luck!!!

 

[toiatoya]

OP, I'm glad the Suave worked for you. Idk if you have a good DC or not, but if you don't I would suggest getting one. I DC's my hair once a week when I BC'd b/c my hair was crispy crackity. It really helped me a lot. I recently realized that I had to go back to DC'ing once a week and it makes all the diff in the world, esp w/color treated hair. My hair has been colored since my 3rd month natural so I know how it can be. Good luck!!!

what DC do you use?

 

[BraunSugar]

what DC do you use?

Silk Elements

 

[lovestarr]

I was going to suggest using a thick conditioner as a leave-in after cowashing but it looks like you have succeeded with that method! I would try to invest in a better conditioner if you are going to use it as a leave-in to reap the benefits. Giovanni Smooth as Silk is a good one and popular one that isn't too expensive and you can find at Target. But I highly recommend also using a moisturizer on top of the conditioner to seal that in and then the oil to seal in the moisturizer. Also deep conditioning with a good moisturizing conditioner once a week with at least 30 mins under heat will help but I usually leave mine in for 2-4 hours while choring around the house. Baggying can also help; I am currently at TWA length but since this is my 3rd BC I have learned from trial and error. Good luck!