NATURAL LADIES: How Do You Moisturize Your Hair When It's Dry?

[Sunshine0801]

So I know how to moisturize my hair after I wash it or while it's in a protective style like twists or braids, but I'm still stuck on what to do in "out" styles when it's dry, especially if I'm trying to avoid shrinkage (for example, if my hair is in a blown out fro or puff).

I have tried spritzing it with water etc. and sealing with shea butter and that didn't work. My hair is so dense that it would take a ridiculous number of spritzes to even have much of an effect on my hair when it's in an out, dry style, and by then I'll be battling shrinkage. erplexed Spritzing works wonders on my hair when it's in a protective style, but not an out style.

I have also tried just adding butters by themselves (I've tried pure unrefined shea butter, Qhemet's Heavy Cream, Oyin's Whipped Pudding) and they all just sat on my hair. For some reason, in fact, my unrefined shea butter turns my dry hair a slight yellowish tint. SO not cute.

My hair has fallen in love with Giovanni Direct, but I haven't used it on completely dry hair while it is out, and I'm a little hesitant because of the shrinkage factor.

Sooooooo, yeah, I'm stuck. Can anyone offer any suggestions??? As always, thank you all in advance...

 

[Sunshine0801]

Bump... Anyone?

 

[DreadlockedLady0171]

Bump...I'd like to know too.
s-curl works well for me.

 

[nappity]

I use Jojoba Oil on the ends only when its wet and after its dried- i apply a little more. Jojoba oil should also work because it has the same properties as sebum and can penetrate through to the dryness and not sit on top of the hair as most moisturizers can.HTH

 

[babydollhair]

I think avocado butter moisturized my hair the best, but i am out, so i use ors leave in conditioner, it works pretty good too.

 

[fivetimestwo]

when I wear twist outs, I use Carol's Daughter hair milk to moisturize. In fact that's the only thing I can use this product for b/c it does nothing on wet hair. HTH!

 

[justNikki]

Not being preachy here, but you shouldn't need to walk around all day spritzing your hair to keep it moisturized. If you are doing that, you may need to consider changing moisturizers or something else in your product arsenal.

For me, maintaing moisture starts with a good base. Make sure you're using a decent conditioner for your hair and eliminate cones. I am not against a little conage, but I had to remove them from my routine until I could figure out which ones caused major build up for me, thereby causing dryness. If you've already got that part down, try adding a little oil (I like coconut oil and olive oil, but pick your fav) to your hair just before your add the giovanni direct or mix them together. For me, this dries sooooooo soft. If you use a styler (like gel or a cream), that will lock in the style for your, but that's up to you..bohemian hair is fab too.

For dry hair, two moisturizers have worked really well for me, Abba Nourishing Leave-in (designed to work on wet or dry hair) and more recently, Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave-in (just be careful not to be heavy handed with this or it's greasy city).

I usually add a little oil to the abba bottle so, I don't have to add oil separately to my hair. It absorbs better this way.

Hope that helps.

 

[stinastina]

Do you use a leave in conditioner after you shampoo ? Lacio Lacio works really well for me. My hair is not as dry by the next day if I put that on. Most of the time I don't even wrap my hair at night but always sleep on a satin pillow. If I feel like my hair is really dry, I will put Indian oil on it like Keo Karpin or Vatika. I also use Carol's Daughter's Tui Hair Oil.

I use my home made mango curly pudding for braid outs.

 

[LynnieB]

Sunshine, you're gonna have to try a few products and techniques until you find one or two solutions that work for ya sis. Trial and error should be a natural woman's motto

i make about 4-6 plaits before bed so as i'm separating the hair for each plait, i spritz a bit of vo5/water/glycerin mix then plait it. the plaits keep the hair stretched out, provides moisture and shrinkage is kept to a minimal.

in the morning i undo the plaits, hold the ends in my hand and spritz just the ends to moisten them up then fluff enough to make the ends coil up (the coils themselves protect the ends and keep moisture in). sometimes i'll even mix some of my spritz with a little gel in my hands and just lightly run through the hair.

that's how i did my messy braid-out this morning, no crispy hair or ends here and shrinkage is controlled.

http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/38850/2005654899427213327_rs.jpg

http://aycu14.webshots.com/image/36413/2005687928986408644_rs.jpg

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you'll find a solution, keep trying things!

 

[Nonie]

When my hair feels dry while in braids or twists, I take that as a sign that I need to wash my hair. I might follow the wash with a DC instead of just regular conditioning if I have time. Then an ACV rinse and that's it. I don't use a leave-in, but I do baggy nightly.

When my hair is out, SCurl keeps it very moisturized. I don't care about having straight hair when it's out. Since I discovered the pen springs that my hair is made of, I love it in its shrunken state. Puffs are my new love. So I apply SCurl to damp hair after a wash. I'll admit the day of the wash my hair doesn't look it's best or seem to respond to SCurl as well as I'd like. I usually apply some more at night, before putting hair in single plaits and baggying for the night. On the day after a wash, when I take the baggy off and undo my hair, it combs with such ease and the coils pop. My hair feels oh so moisturized and yet doesn't feel sticky. I usually don't have to apply anymore SCurl till the next wash. My hair stays soft and moist without being wet. I use nothing else but SCurl.

 

[justNikki]

Do you use a leave in conditioner after you shampoo ? Lacio Lacio works really well for me. My hair is not as dry by the next day if I put that on. Most of the time I don't even wrap my hair at night but always sleep on a satin pillow. If I feel like my hair is really dry, I will put Indian oil on it like Keo Karpin or Vatika. I also use Carol's Daughter's Tui Hair Oil.

I use my home made mango curly pudding for braid outs.

After shampooing, I (and most others I believe) DT and then use a leave-in (you mentioned Giovanni Direct, but you're using Lacio Lacio?). If you really like Lacio Lacio as a conditioner (sorry, I don't know a lot about this product), how about not leaving that in, but using your giovanni as the leave-in with your Vatika oil or your tui oil?

Whatcha got in that pudding? If it's butter and curl activator gel and/or oil, I think you're still on the right track.

 

[scarcity21]

i have the same problem...i know how to moisturise in braids(protective styles) but when my hair is out of protective styles...dry and brittle

 

[Poohbear]

I don't moisturize my hair when I wear twists, braids, stretched out puffs, afros, or straigthened. I may apply BB Growth Oil on my hair when I wear protective styles and stretched out styles to keep it soft. My hair seldom gets dry. I only moisturize my hair when it's in its shrunken natural state. I usually wear two shrunken coliy puffs when I wear my hair in my shrunken state, and I just spray and massage African Royale Braid Spray on my shrunken puffs everyday.

 

[Sunshine0801]

I use Jojoba Oil on the ends only when its wet and after its dried- i apply a little more. Jojoba oil should also work because it has the same properties as sebum and can penetrate through to the dryness and not sit on top of the hair as most moisturizers can.HTH

Do you apply jojoba oil daily while your hair is out and dry? If so, does it have the same moisturizing effect?

 

[Sunshine0801]

I think avocado butter moisturized my hair the best, but i am out, so i use ors leave in conditioner, it works pretty good too.

I've never tried avocado butter, I'll have to look into it. How do you apply it? Do you just put a little in your palm, rub your hands together and apply to dry hair? Do you add anything to it?

 

[Sunshine0801]

when I wear twist outs, I use Carol's Daughter hair milk to moisturize. In fact that's the only thing I can use this product for b/c it does nothing on wet hair. HTH!

I have this but for some reason it leaves my hair with white sprinkles when I apply it to dry hair! How do you keep this from happening?

 

[Sunshine0801]

Not being preachy here, but you shouldn't need to walk around all day spritzing your hair to keep it moisturized. If you are doing that, you may need to consider changing moisturizers or something else in your product arsenal.

For me, maintaing moisture starts with a good base. Make sure you're using a decent conditioner for your hair and eliminate cones. I am not against a little conage, but I had to remove them from my routine until I could figure out which ones caused major build up for me, thereby causing dryness. If you've already got that part down, try adding a little oil (I like coconut oil and olive oil, but pick your fav) to your hair just before your add the giovanni direct or mix them together. For me, this dries sooooooo soft. If you use a styler (like gel or a cream), that will lock in the style for your, but that's up to you..bohemian hair is fab too.

For dry hair, two moisturizers have worked really well for me, Abba Nourishing Leave-in (designed to work on wet or dry hair) and more recently, Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave-in (just be careful not to be heavy handed with this or it's greasy city).

I usually add a little oil to the abba bottle so, I don't have to add oil separately to my hair. It absorbs better this way.

Hope that helps.

Oh, I don't spritz throughout the day. If I spritz, it's only before I leave the house, or if I'm trying to moisturize and seal before bed.

I'm now using Kenra MC and my hair loves it. I used it for the first time yesterday on my "out" hair (before, I only used it while my hair was in braids). I'm in the process of letting my hair dry from a rollerset so we'll see what happens in the next few days in terms of dryness.

The issue for me isn't so much finding something that dries soft temporarily. Rather, it's an issue of finding a product/routine that keeps my hair soft on day 4 or 5 after washing it that doesn't require me to re-wet my hair. My hair is always the softest the day after washing it or when it dries from a recent wash, but I'm trying to figure out how to maintain that softness througout the week.

I've never tried leave-in's you suggested. I'll look into them! Do you apply them throughout the week on dry hair and have the same moisturizing results as you would if you were to apply them on wet hair?

 

[Sunshine0801]

Do you use a leave in conditioner after you shampoo ? Lacio Lacio works really well for me. My hair is not as dry by the next day if I put that on. Most of the time I don't even wrap my hair at night but always sleep on a satin pillow. If I feel like my hair is really dry, I will put Indian oil on it like Keo Karpin or Vatika. I also use Carol's Daughter's Tui Hair Oil.

I use my home made mango curly pudding for braid outs.

You know what, I just started using a leave in (Giovanni direct). Yesterday was the first time using it on my "out" hair, but I'm in rollers right now so it's hard to know how my hair feels dry. It felt super soft while it was wet, though.

I'm trying to get ahold of this Lacio Lacio stuff. I tried to find it in a BSS (I hate ordering online if I don't have to) but was unsuccessful so I guess I'll have to order it. Do you apply it on dry hair too?

How do you find that oils work for you in terms of moisturizing your dry hair? For some reason, I haven't had much success with oils moisturizing my hair while it is completely dry (it only works if I wet it first), but maybe I haven't tried the right oils...

 

[glamazon386]

I rarely do this but usually a braid spray. I like the African Royale one PoohBear mentioned.

 

[nappity]

Do you apply jojoba oil daily while your hair is out and dry? If so, does it have the same moisturizing effect?

My hair for the most part stays in twists. On the rare occasion that its out ( like in my avatar) I use jojoba oil and Giovanni Direct. My experience is that it has the same moisturizing effect. I know when my hair is wet that Im styling to wear it out so I start protecting the ends from that point on. I don't rock my hair out very often- my hair doesn't like to be out especially when its cold outside. With a twist out I tried a spritz also the other day from Curls by sister smith called Quick Fix spritz. It was moisturizing to my ends. and didn't cause any reversion because of a high water content. Theres a thread about her products somewhere. If not go to curlsbysistersmith.com. or try good old Humectress. Humectress does dampen your ends though

 

[Sunshine0801]

Sunshine, you're gonna have to try a few products and techniques until you find one or two solutions that work for ya sis. Trial and error should be a natural woman's motto

i make about 4-6 plaits before bed so as i'm separating the hair for each plait, i spritz a bit of vo5/water/glycerin mix then plait it. the plaits keep the hair stretched out, provides moisture and shrinkage is kept to a minimal.

in the morning i undo the plaits, hold the ends in my hand and spritz just the ends to moisten them up then fluff enough to make the ends coil up (the coils themselves protect the ends and keep moisture in). sometimes i'll even mix some of my spritz with a little gel in my hands and just lightly run through the hair.

that's how i did my messy braid-out this morning, no crispy hair or ends here and shrinkage is controlled.

http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/38850/2005654899427213327_rs.jpg

http://aycu14.webshots.com/image/36413/2005687928986408644_rs.jpg

-----------

you'll find a solution, keep trying things!

Yeah, I hear you regarding the trial and error thing. It's kinda frustrating though since I'm not newly natural. Been natural for awhile now, and I still have so much to learn!

Spritzing and plaiting is really the only thing I do when my hair is out, but the only thing for me is that I don't like *having* to wear a braidout/twistout daily for my hair to be moisturized, you know? For instance, sometimes I like wearing a big fro for two days straight, which is something I can't do (without damaging my hair) if I braid the night before. What do you do if you want to rock a fro without the crinkles from the braid out?

BTW: Your hair looks really cute and soft this morning!

 

[Sunshine0801]

When my hair feels dry while in braids or twists, I take that as a sign that I need to wash my hair. I might follow the wash with a DC instead of just regular conditioning if I have time. Then an ACV rinse and that's it. I don't use a leave-in, but I do baggy nightly.

When my hair is out, SCurl keeps it very moisturized. I don't care about having straight hair when it's out. Since I discovered the pen springs that my hair is made of, I love it in its shrunken state. Puffs are my new love. So I apply SCurl to damp hair after a wash. I'll admit the day of the wash my hair doesn't look it's best or seem to respond to SCurl as well as I'd like. I usually apply some more at night, before putting hair in single plaits and baggying for the night. On the day after a wash, when I take the baggy off and undo my hair, it combs with such ease and the coils pop. My hair feels oh so moisturized and yet doesn't feel sticky. I usually don't have to apply anymore SCurl till the next wash. My hair stays soft and moist without being wet. I use nothing else but SCurl.

Interesting. I have never tried SCurl, but I do have Care Free Gold Instant Moisturizer. They are very similar, no? I bought it while my hair was braided, but I haven't tried it since my hair has been out. I'll try plaiting and baggying it and see if my hair stays moisturized throughout the week without having to plait it again. I just don't like having to plait my hair every day, but I don't mind plaiting it once if doing so will give me moisturized tresses throughout the week.

 

[Sunshine0801]

I don't moisturize my hair when I wear twists, braids, stretched out puffs, afros, or straigthened. I may apply BB Growth Oil on my hair when I wear protective styles and stretched out styles to keep it soft. My hair seldom gets dry. I only moisturize my hair when it's in its shrunken natural state. I usually wear two shrunken coliy puffs when I wear my hair in my shrunken state, and I just spray and massage African Royale Braid Spray on my shrunken puffs everyday.

Hmmm, interesting. You don't find that your hair gets tangled when in its shrunken state?

 

[BillsBackerz67]

I used to have this problem too. Now I usually wash and immediately after washing I put product on damp hair...if its too wet or too dry it wont absorb properly. After a few days I spray with some kind of leave in damage spray like Dove or Pantene and then apply some creme over it. It usually works for me. The more product you use the dryer your hair will be so you have to remeber to be lighthanded too.

 

[Nonie]

Hmmm, interesting. You don't find that your hair gets tangled when in its shrunken state?

I know this was directed at Poohbear, but I will chime in. My hair doesn't get tangled when shrunken and I think wearing it in plaits for the night helps to keep it detangled. When I take out the baggy in the morning, it's usually wet and combs as easily as it would with conditioner on. No tangles whatsoever. Perhaps the plaits have a lot to do with it, but ever since I was a kid, I've never gone to bed without my hair being plaited. Mom used to do it for me and herself, and I always have. The only time I never wore plaits for the night was when my hair was relaxed. Even when it's pressed, I wear plaits for the night. I might also mention that I do believe ACV rinses - which are always the last step in my wash - might help with keeping tangles at bay.

I have never used Carefree Gold but I don't see how it would be different. So try it and see. When I joined the hair forum, the curl activator everyone raved about was S Curl, so I just bought that and forewent all others. Oh and I don't know if this was obvious but I use the spray not the gel. I find the gel so sticky and icky.

 

[Sunshine0801]

I used to have this problem too. Now I usually wash and immediately after washing I put product on damp hair...if its too wet or too dry it wont absorb properly. After a few days I spray with some kind of leave in damage spray like Dove or Pantene and then apply some creme over it. It usually works for me. The more product you use the dryer your hair will be so you have to remeber to be lighthanded too.

I think that may really be part of the problem for me. I think I have believed that because my hair type is 4b and dense, I need a lot of whatever creme or butter (usually butter) I'm using to get it to really penetrate and work on my hair. That's one of the reasons I ditched Miss Jessie's curly buttercreme - I felt I needed to use so much of it that by the time I was done, I smelled like a walking peppermint stick.

What type of creme do you use?

 

[babydollhair]

I've never tried avocado butter, I'll have to look into it. How do you apply it? Do you just put a little in your palm, rub your hands together and apply to dry hair? Do you add anything to it?

Yes this is exactly what i do, usually i would use it after i wash my hair.

 

[Sunshine0801]

I know this was directed at Poohbear, but I will chime in. My hair doesn't get tangled when shrunken and I think wearing it in plaits for the night helps to keep it detangled. When I take out the baggy in the morning, it's usually wet and combs as easily as it would with conditioner on. No tangles whatsoever. Perhaps the plaits have a lot to do with it, but ever since I was a kid, I've never gone to bed without my hair being plaited. Mom used to do it for me and herself, and I always have. The only time I never wore plaits for the night was when my hair was relaxed. Even when it's pressed, I wear plaits for the night. I might also mention that I do believe ACV rinses - which are always the last step in my wash - might help with keeping tangles at bay.

I have never used Carefree Gold but I don't see how it would be different. So try it and see. When I joined the hair forum, the curl activator everyone raved about was S Curl, so I just bought that and forewent all others. Oh and I don't know if this was obvious but I use the spray not the gel. I find the gel so sticky and icky.

How are you able to wear your hair in its shrunken state when you plait the night before? Doesn't plaiting it stretch your hair out and reduce shrinkage? Or is it because your hair is so wet the night before when baggying it, once it dries the next day it shrinks?

Also, what styles do you wear your hair in when in its shrunken state? I have a LOT of shrinkage, and I can't imagine that I would have a lot of style options with my hair in its shrunken state. Plus, I'm guilty of loving big hair.

 

[Sunshine0801]

Yes this is exactly what i do, usually i would use it after i wash my hair.

Have you tried shea butter? If so, do you find there is much of a difference in the ways that the shea vs. avocado butter moisturizes your hair?

 

[babydollhair]

Have you tried shea butter? If so, do you find there is much of a difference in the ways that the shea vs. avocado butter moisturizes your hair?

I tried shea butter first, to me avocado is better. My hair seems to stay soft and moisturized longer with avocado butter compared to shea, and after washing it would hold a nice curly/wavy pattern in my hair.