Moisture HELP for Newbie with extreme shrinkage!!!!....(Pic heavy)

[Bina24]

Thanks ladies for all the comments and suggestions! I think I might have to become a pj now.

Try avocado butter. It will change your life.

Oooh this sounds good and tasty . Where do you get your avocado butter? how long does your hair stay moisturized after using it?

have you tried deep conditioning overnight?

for me, it wasn't until I started doing that did I notice a change in my hair. It was so moisturized that my curls hung a little lower than usual.

I DC with silk elements mega silk moisturizing treatment from sally's. When I'm looking for an extra boost I add honey (maybe some olive oil and coconut oil).

Silk Elements?! My sis has some. Maybe I can pry some off of her hands. I've never tried an overnight dc. But I think I will try it sometime this wknd. And let you know how it goes.

Have you tried aloe juice and glycerin spritz? Or using your favorite moisturizing DC or conditioner as a leave in? I use AOWC as a leave in on freshly cleansed hair and refresh my hair daily with the aloe glycerin spritz. I also love castor oil, but it may be too heavy for your hair if you prefer lighter oils.

HTH

What is AOWC? I'll look into the aloe gylcerin spritz. Does it matter which brand of aloe juice to get? Does aloe vera juice moisturize and shine or is it the combination of the glycerin and aloe vera juice?

You didn't list a DC. Do you use one?

My hair is very fine, too. Joico Moisture Recovery Balm is a great DC!! Keeps my hair moisturized for days. You should try it.

I actually don't use a dc smh (smack my head right?) . I did in the past but then i got lazy and reallllllly cheap . You have fine hair too! AWESOME! I can buy joico moisture recovery balm at Sallys right?

1st, your hair is so lovely! Have you tried Jane Carter Nourish & Shine? I use it after spraying her leave in. Works for both me (fine/fragile/dry hair) and my sister (thick/coily/DRY hair, that shines despite the dryness!)

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using T-Mobile G2

Thank you!! No, I haven't used Jane Carter Nourish and Shine. Your sister's hair description sounds like my hair compared to my sisters.

Lovely hair! I'm team ceramides over here and may I suggest a different oil to seal with like grapeseed oil? its not as thick as evoo to me plus I don't put alot on my hair. I also wanna cosign with tucking your ends away and DCing over night. Also do you do mild protein treatments regularly? I hope these are things that can help you out with your beautiful hair.

Thank you! OOOH grapeseed oil? Can I get that at any whole sale food place? I'm definetly gonna tuck my ends.
What is considered a mild protein treatment? Does that involve any leave-in (ie. infusium 23) that has protein in it or does the product have to say it is only for a protein treatment? How many times should I do a protein treatment?

 

[Evolving78]

you don't need any protein right now. you need moisture

 

[allmundjoi]

Amazing hair AND shrinkage!

AOWC=Aubrey Organics White Camellia Condish, $8.99-11.99 11oz, Vitamin Shoppe (cheaper here), Whole Foods. AOHSR (Honeysuckle Rose) condish is great too!

Jane Carter Nourish & Shine (butter)=$24.99 Target, Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe

Be careful w/aloe vera and glycerin. Some ladies love, some hate it. Glycerin is a strong humectant (draws water to your hair), but if the climate is dry (low humidity) it will dry your hair out. Aloe vera juice/gelly should be pure. Stay away from Banana Boat brands. Aloe vera has low pH, will lower the cuticles of the hair strand-hair appears smoother and shinier and its also a little stronger.

Bad girl for not DCing! I bet regular dcs will be the key to your success. I've retained so much since dcing my hair regularly.

Is you hair mushy when wet? At first it sounded like you needed a lot of moisture, but it could also be that you may need protein. Google how to tell if you need moisture or more protein. I bet you need both. Sistaslick, I think her real name is Audrey Sivasothy has EXCELLENT articles regarding hair care (not to mention a new book out I have yet to order).

Sent from my DROIDX

 

[prettynatural]

I sent you a pm.

You have beautiful hair.

Sent from my SCH-I400 using SCH-I400

 

[MzSwift]

Your hair rocks, girl! I love your deceitful shrinkage!
GL with the new DC search and I hope it turns things around for you.

 

[virtuenow]

I had the same prob as you for years- until recently, and buying more conditioners didn't help b/c most work the same. the 1st thing that helped me was OIL RINSES (i use castor oil). They help the conditioner you already have to take better in your hair: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=150965

Second, it sounds like you have porous hair that just sucks moisture out, and its hard to hold and maintain moisture. You need to balance your moisture & protein in order to get your porosity (i.e. dryness) in control. Aubrey Organics GPB (AO GPB) conditioner is a great moisture/protein balancing deep conditioner. I use it w/every wash now and it has done wonders for retaining moisture. You should notice the difference w/these 2products immediately. You also may do better, like my hair, w/more organic products that arent watered down like most conditioners.

Third, when you wash, you should do a pre-poo treatment to make sure the shampoo does not dry your hair out. Poos are very harsh on the hair and designed to strip. Here's a thread on an awesome "moisture drenched" pre-poo I use w/every wash. I actually started just washing my scalp only w/diluted shampoo in a color applicator bottle- but still use this pre-poo b/c i love it: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=509482&page=3 . So you should consider this pre-poo treatment or shampooing w/diluted shampoo in a color applicator bottle, or both!

 

[candycotton]

If you shampoo with Kinky Curly shampoo, that may be dying your hair..Elasta QP is a sulfate free shampoo that's very moisturizing..if you don't mind sulfates, HE HH in the blue bottle is soo moisturizing (this is what I use)..I also detangle my hair before I wash with Kids Organic shea butter detangler or a cheap moisturizing conditioner so that my hair is alreayd moisturized before I wash..

You could also try a weekly DC, probably any moisturizing DC with no protein would help..my fave is Silk Elements Mega Moisturizind Deep Treatment..sometimes I add coconut milk, honey and EVOO to my DC and seal with EVCO..

You could also try an oil that penetrates the hair shaft like , EVOO, EVCO, or avocado oil..my faves are coconut oil and JBCO..JBCO softens my hair very well..

 

[Fhrizzball]

I don't know if it's been suggested already but for me kinky curly shampoo was too stripping for my hair and acted more as a clarifier. I would either dilute, change, or shampoo less frequently. Also invested in a quality DC would be a good suggestion as well as finding a more moisturizing leave in.

 

[Legally Natural]

The SHRINKAGE is a beautiful thing and your hair is just gorgeous.

I use the moisturizers from Shescentit.com and I love them!!! They are very moisturizing. However, the spritzes that many people are recommending work well too.

I like Kinky Curly Knot Today, but I don't think that it is the most moisturizing leave-in that I have tried out of the bunch. Also, shea butter is not a moisturizer, but it does do a good job at sealing in moisture.

 

[january noir]

I hate to sound like a broken record (and I'm not natural but...) Wen Fig.
That is all.

 

[geejay]

have you tried oil rinsing? Co-washing combined with oil rinsing (olive oil worked for me) helped my hair retain lots of moisture and cut down on tangling.

Co-sign! I use grapeseed oil mixed with a little castor oil for my oil rinses. I skipped the oil rinsing a few days to see if I could remove a step from my regimen. No Ma'am! Oil-rinsing goes hand-in-hand with co-washing for me.

Also I baggy every night.

 

[virtuenow]

Co-sign! I use grapeseed oil mixed with a little castor oil for my oil rinses. I skipped the oil rinsing a few days to see if I could remove a step from my regimen. No Ma'am! Oil-rinsing goes hand-in-hand with co-washing for me.

Also I baggy every night.

Also, oil rinsing is only an extra minute or 2 to your routine. Its so easy to try it out and add in!

 

[growinghealthyhair]

westNDNbeauty gave great advice!! I can cosign the coconut oil/olive oil to really help condition and moisturize.

I have an area that would NEVER EVER EVER stay moisturized. Thats my nape. My stylist suggested Carefree Curl (I think thats the name of it) and I seal with HairDrenalin. The hairdrenalin has really been the only oil that keeps my moisture back there sealed in. So i'm finally starting to see growth in that area!

 

[growinghealthyhair]

Cosing oil rinses too Seriously, I think thats probably one of the first things you should do. Because that is one thing that made a big improvement in my hair as far as dryness etc.

 

[curlyninjagirl]

Thank you for sharing your spritz! Do you spritz throughout the whole day? I'm not familiar with all the acronyms what is AO HSR conditioner and where can I buy some?

@Bina24 I only spritz once at night and tuck my ends away and I'm good for 24 hours! From what I remember, it took a couple of weeks for my hair (and my brother's hair) to really start retaining moisture for that long but man! what a complete 180! Another reason I like the Aubrey's is because it's my DC and my co-wash conditioner and my leave-in--not to mention all natural/organic, so no scary chemicals left in your hair! Errrr....yah, I kinda love this stuff LOL

 

[loshed]

Love your hair! I'm thirding and fourthing the recommendations for the glycerin/aloe vera juice/water mixture and deep conditioning with AO HSR conditioner. But I also think you should try a shot of protein for the breakage. I used to have breakage everyday even when my hair was crazy moisturized but since my hair still grew I wasn't that concerned about it. But then I had some eggs that I needed to get rid of so I figured it was a good time as any to see how my hair reacted to hard protein and it stopped the breakage instantly. For the longest time I was scared of protein overload because of how naturals aren't supposed to need that much of it but now I could kick myself for waiting so long to give it a try.

 

[Curlykale]

I always take oil rinsing for granted because I cannot live without it. I co-sign. Olive oil works great for that purpose, and a good cheap conditioner to rinse it out. Cosign on honeysuckle rose as a leave in as well. I DC the length on towel dried/t-shirt dried damp hair, braid, wear a shower cap and then I seal with a certamide oil or avocado butter instead of rinsing it out, and air dry. it never fails (white camellia is more smoothing but the smell is not as nice).

 

[Bina24]

Update!
Thank you everyone for all the suggestions! You ladies are soooo nice. I'm just feeling the love ! It was a bit overwhelming at first reading everything. I mean I honestly didn't know where to start but then impulsiveness kicked in and I ran out and bought about 35 dollars worth of hair care products ! avocado oil, some shea butter, and the Talia Waajid mist bodifier.

Last night I did an oil rinse, followed by a conditioner wash, the Mist Bodifier, and avocado oil to seal my ends. This morning I woke up and my hair feels better/ softer!!!

Now I've never tried avocado oil before but i'm kinda giving mine the side eye cuz it's so clear. Is that how it's supposed to look? I bought it from my local BSS and it didn't list the ingredient (s) but said Jamaican avocado oil. Does anyone purchase theirs from a distributor that they know is 100 percent avocado oil?

Okay so I have three more questions:
A. Oil Rinses

1. Are you supposed to rinse out all of the oil or most of it?
2. i received some great advice from prettynatural, but i was wondering if anyone has great results mixing the oil in their conditioner and then just doing a co-wash? Also after the oil, rinse and conditioner wash, do you ADD a moisturizer in your hair and then seal with oil again?
3. Is it possible to do daily oil rinses along with daily co-washes? Or would that just cause build up? I'm planning to use avocado oil or coconut oil. And if I do an oil rinse do I need to add oil to my ends after i moisturize?

B. Moisturizer/shea butter

Okay so I understand that shea butter is a sealant and not a moisturizer....
1. Does that mean when you mix it with other products you can
use it as a moisturizer?
2. Since it is a sealant, can you only apply it to your ends or can you apply
it on top of the moisturizer all over your head?

C. Would this regimen seem like too much product for daily use?
1. oil rinse -> co-wash -> moisturizer (bodifier mist or aloe vera/glycerin)
-> Shea butter or oil for sealing.

Regardless,

I've decided to dc once a week, do the protein shots (AO GPB) , aloe vera glycerin mix, oil rinses, and the shea butter mix that Xaragua recommended. Also Valerie advice i will save in the future for a heutiful steamer. Now I just have to sit on my hands until my products arrive. I think I'm definitely going to look into ceramides now. Never even heard of it before I posted this thread.

And I'm definitely kicking the kinky curly shampoo to the curb it has done nothing but literally strip my hair raw.

I'll try to add some pictures later if I can, but right now my camera is acting up.

I'm soo excited and I can't wait to start using these products and seeing some hopeful results fro my new regimen!!

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions!

 

[candycotton]

Your best bet would be to buy your avocado oil in the oil section of a grocery store to ensure that it's 100% avocado oil..it would be by the olive oil and other cooking oils..sometimes the oils that are sold in the BSS are not pure..the oil is just one of the many ingredients in the product..

 

[virtuenow]

Okay so I have three more questions:

A. Oil Rinses

1. Are you supposed to rinse out all of the oil or most of it?
2. i received some great advice from @prettynatural, but i was wondering if anyone has great results mixing the oil in their conditioner and then just doing a co-wash? Also after the oil, rinse and conditioner wash, do you ADD a moisturizer in your hair and then seal with oil again?
3. Is it possible to do daily oil rinses along with daily co-washes? Or would that just cause build up? I'm planning to use avocado oil or coconut oil. And if I do an oil rinse do I need to add oil to my ends after i moisturize?

I usually intentionally leave some of the oil [castor] on-- but at different levels depending on the style I plan to do. I actually condition 1st, then do the oil rinse as my last step. So I rinse more thoroughly if I plan to flat iron. I rinse less if I am doing a wet n go bun. Either way, I'm rinsing it pretty well, and at the same time I don't use as much oil as I did in the beginning b/c I learned a little goes a long way and the oil spreads well under water-- 1/8-1/4tsp per quadron of hair.

Daily oil rinses would be the best way to undertake this new reggie. I believe many do it that way. I oil rinse everytime my hair is wet (whether co washing, washing or just rinsing, its great either way)

The moisturizer question again depends on the style I plan to undertake. This routine gets my very moist, so usually I don't NEED to add anything else to my hair afterwards. I most certainly do not add anyth if I plan to flat iron. But when I do, its a creamy moisturizer (water based usually) and seal LIGHTLY w/a thick oil or butter; or mix w/my oils n butters.

As far as mixing your "oil rinse" into the conditioner, it doesn't work nearly as well-- in my opinion as doing them separately. I tried it that way before I ever tried (or heard of) the oil rinses and my hair was still hard and dry(which was the norm, it just wasn't as hard). It didn't take true effect until I actually separated the two steps. You may need to try it to see the difference (??). Oh, and you may also want to explore w/different oils if that oil didn't work-- it should say 100% (if it doesn't then I don't believe its pure). I'm not familiar w/avocado oil but its probably very far down the ingredient list if u got it at the bss and it didn't say 100% pure.

 

[prettynatural]

Thank Bina!

To answer your question
"C. Would this regimen seem like too much product for daily use?
1. oil rinse -> co-wash -> moisturizer (bodifier mist or aloe vera/glycerin)
-> Shea butter or oil for sealing."

It wouldn't be bad but be sure that you are using some sort of shampoo regularly to avoid build up. Remember to keep it simple as possible.

I do an "oil rinse" every wash. After I shampoo, I use olive oil and massage through my hair then twist up. Then I add my conditioner and do a final rinse and it has improved my dryness. At first when I did oil rinses, I needed the conditioner but now since my hair is in better condition, I could do a shamppo and oil rinse and be finish and follow up with a leave in conditioner. The main thing is getting a routine down pat. Sounds like you are on your way.

Also, you may want to incorporate a light protein monthly to avoid over moisturizing. When I got my regimen down, I had gotten over moisturized and having a light protein worked well. I use Lekair Mango Shea Cholestrol Conditioner.


ETA: Be careful of watering your hair too much with water especially if you have hard water. I use to use water spritz or co-wash or water of some form almost daily and my hair was still dry. Water can dry your hair out. I replaced water from the tap with aloe vera and it made a huge turn around and it made the oil rinsing and products work much better on my hair. Using water for moisture caused endless splits, incomplete splits and dryness! It took me a while to get use to not having water on my head daily but I am making my hair goals and much less splitting.

 

[Harina]

Hi and welcome! i have crazy shrinkage as well. Knot Today is just a leave-in. it is not going to give you enough moisture that your hair needs. you need a moisturizer, like a creamy one.
I would suggest Shea Organic Curly Smoothie or the Deep Treatment Masque to use daily.
plus, you can use a moisturizing spritz like Taliah Waajid Bodifer Mist. you can water it down a little bit to make it easier to spray.

as far as deep conditioning, you need to do this once a week after you shampoo wash.

I would recommend Silk Elements deep treatment in the Green jar. leave on your hair 30-60mins and you don't have to rinse all of it out.

I just want to make sure I have something correct: a leave-in conditioner and a moisturizer are not the same thing?

 

[FindingMe]

Pretty, pretty hair!!! Shrinkage off the chain-

my hair is SO dry. I like Afroveda Curl Define sealed with KBB Super Silky. I usually add these and then do a twist-out to air dry overnight. These two seems to have the thick butter consistency my hair needs to stay moisturized without being too greasy...

They aren't cheap, though-

 

[Platinum]

You and your hair are beautiful.