Please help me with moisture retention

lucy

lucy

Well-Known Member
I have been reading up a bit and realize that the newly natural twa phase is usually DRY. But I dont know where to start with creating a regimen to combat this. I thought I was prepared, and would have it down, but now that the time is here, this is more difficult than I anticipated.

I am well on my way to becoming a product junkie, buying everything I see on the forum. I cant figure out what works. Nothing seems to help.

My hair is somewhere between 4b and 4z. If I spray water or a moisture mix, or add any moisturizer it feels nice and fluffy, but when it dries, it is a horrible DRY mess. I have been spraying and finger styling every morning, but so far it is dry dry dry.

How can I start having some form of moisture retention? I am working with very thick 4b kinks/coils. My twa is about 2.5 inches. Please help.
 
I went through the SAME thing, and if I use the wrong products, it STILL happens. And I'm almost one year post bc. :perplexed

So far, the best combo for soft and moisturized (fully dry) hair is Pura Body Naturals Murumuru Lotion and Sapote Oil. OR Pura Murumuru Lotion and TLC Naturals Shea Boabob Oil. I haven't found another combination that's better.

Also, Kyra's Ultimate Cupuacu Curl Cream. It isn't as moisturizing as I'd like, but it locks moisture IN. If you seal with this, your hair will stay damp for HOURS because it keeps the water locked in your strands.

Methods that have helped:

- Steaming twice (or more :sekret: #addict ) a week :love:

- Nightly GHE :love:

- Incorporating ceramides into my regimen :love:
 
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I'm in the same boat, I big chopped about three weeks ago and this is the first time I'm wearing my natural hair out, before that I would bun so this is a new experience for me.

I've been buying products here and there as well. I really like using unrefined coconut oil as a pre-poo and sealant. Hopefully some more ladies will come in and offer some tips :yep:.
 
tiffers, Marie Dean, I found her on Etsy this morning and I did the search here for some reviews and I noticed that you used some of her products, do you still use them and if so how are they?
 
Love Always I do still use them :yep: They're good products, but after this batch that I have is gone, I probably won't be using it anymore.

I'm doing CG routine and all of MD products contain wax. I don't like that at all. :nono:

I really like her conditioners and butters. The butters are so smooth and silky, I love the way they feel! The moisturizers are either "just okay" or "good," none of them have wowed me. The best one is Curly Pudding or something like that. It's really good for retaining moisture. I used it as a leave-in on damp hair and my hair stayed damp almost the entire day.

My favorite conditioners are Seaweed & Rice and the Green Hemp. For protein, I like the Berry & Oat, or something like that.

This is off the top of my head, so I know that I'm leaving some out. :lol:

HTH! :grin:
 
Have you found a wash out conditioner that makes your hair soft? If you had I would start there and use a watered down version of that as a leave in. It takes a while to find the right products and methods to help with dryness but if you stick it out, you'll eventually find the right method.

GHE overnight is good too. I wouldn't put any product on before because wetness can lead to mildew and itchy hair. If you want to use product, use it sparingly because the heat will create condensation even without products.
 
The LOC method (liquid, oil, cream) is what saved my dry thirsty hair. First, I mist my hair with water. I don't use enough to make it dripping wet, just enough to get it moist; then I add castor oil. I've tried different oils, but castor oil helps my hair hold in the most moisture. For the cream, I've been using Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion. The result is shiny moisturized hair that lasts. Hope this helps :)
 
OP in my opinion it's not about specific product recommendations.....it's about finding out what ingredients your hair doesn't like...and unfortunately that may mean becoming a bit of a pj - unless you get it figured out sooner rather than later.
Unlike me, it has taken over 2 years for me to actually 'listen' to my hair and figure out i am protein sensitive and my hair hates glycerin - they both instantly make my hair brittle and dry. Once i figured that out my hair started to feel soft and breakage was greatly reduced.
 
OP, do you seal the moisture in with some sort of oil or butter? I noticed you said that your hair feels good when you mist it, but it later becomes dry. Perhaps sealing the moisture into your hair will alleviate the dry feeling.
 
lol my boyfriend is going through what you are LOLOLOL.
try redken smooth down butter treat.
leave it in, and then seal with castor oil or some other oil.

also we do this every day with his hair
 
Thank you ladies for your responses so far.

I have been sealing with oil though, but I am not even sure I'm doing that properly. Can you ladies describe the actual technique u used to seal when your hair was teeny weeny? I pretty much just put it in the palm of my hand and rub it all over. I usually use evoo or evco. Maybe I'll try the castor oil.
 
tiffers said:
I went through the SAME thing, and if I use the wrong products, it STILL happens. And I'm almost one year post bc. :perplexed

So far, the best combo for soft and moisturized (fully dry) hair is Pura Body Naturals Murumuru Lotion and Sapote Oil. OR Pura Murumuru Lotion and TLC Naturals Shea Boabob Oil. I haven't found another combination that's better.

Also, Kyra's Ultimate Cupuacu Curl Cream. It isn't as moisturizing as I'd like, but it locks moisture IN. If you seal with this, your hair will stay damp for HOURS because it keeps the water locked in your strands.

Methods that have helped:

- Steaming twice (or more :sekret: #addict ) a week :love:

- Nightly GHE :love:

- Incorporating ceramides into my regimen :love:
Click to expand...

Where do you find these products? And what is ghe?
 
manter26 said:
Have you found a wash out conditioner that makes your hair soft? If you had I would start there and use a watered down version of that as a leave in. It takes a while to find the right products and methods to help with dryness but if you stick it out, you'll eventually find the right method.

GHE overnight is good too. I wouldn't put any product on before because wetness can lead to mildew and itchy hair. If you want to use product, use it sparingly because the heat will create condensation even without products.
Click to expand...

So far I've tried HH and one of the Shea moisture lines and they both make my hair pretty soft. But when it dries... Fuhgeddaboutit
 
Philippians413 said:
The LOC method (liquid, oil, cream) is what saved my dry thirsty hair. First, I mist my hair with water. I don't use enough to make it dripping wet, just enough to get it moist; then I add castor oil. I've tried different oils, but castor oil helps my hair hold in the most moisture. For the cream, I've been using Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion. The result is shiny moisturized hair that lasts. Hope this helps :)
Click to expand...

Ok, this actually sounds like what ive been doing but I think I've been doing it backwards. I have been putting the cream before the oil. This helps, I'm gonna try it this way.
 
Bublin said:
OP in my opinion it's not about specific product recommendations.....it's about finding out what ingredients your hair doesn't like...and unfortunately that may mean becoming a bit of a pj - unless you get it figured out sooner rather than later.
Unlike me, it has taken over 2 years for me to actually 'listen' to my hair and figure out i am protein sensitive and my hair hates glycerin - they both instantly make my hair brittle and dry. Once i figured that out my hair started to feel soft and breakage was greatly reduced.
Click to expand...
OMG. I guess I'm just gonna have to buckle up and sit back for the ride. I am praying it doesn't take me as long to figure this out. I don't want to give up. My hair is so thick though, I don't know how I'm going to manage it in the meantime. I feel like I have a lil rug on my head.
 
darlingdiva said:
OP, do you seal the moisture in with some sort of oil or butter? I noticed you said that your hair feels good when you mist it, but it later becomes dry. Perhaps sealing the moisture into your hair will alleviate the dry feeling.
Click to expand...

I thought I was, but now I'm not even sure I'm doing that right. :(
 
Try tepid or cold hair wash with 1 shampooing, apply Humectress, don't rinse it all out, apply a quarter size to hair out of the shower then apply coconut or olive oil over that...or try the Kathy Howse method.
 
It's a phase your fro will grow out of, OP. Until then, I would find a moisture-packed dc (my faves are oyin's honey hemp and tiiva naturals coffee-something) and use that regularly. A steamer is a great investment, if you have the money. Also, start reading the ingredients and you'll start to see a pattern of what your hair likes and doesn't like.

Before you go buying all sorts of products, try those few basic ingredients that most of us try when we first go natural: butters and oils. Try sealing your wet hair with a shea butter mix. My hair loves my creamy shea mix. :yep: When I first went natural, avocado butter was my baby daddy! I'll see if I have any left when I go home and I can send you some, if you like.

If you're not a mixtress, Hairtage Hydration and Saravun (both on etsy) have simple butter + oil moisturizers at really good prices. For my hair, water really is the best moisturizer and I just had to learn how to 'use' it and seal it properly.

HTH. :)
 
I'm in the same boat OP, and I transitioned for almost 2 years so I'm dealing with a whole lotta dry hair! I'm also "shea sensitive" so shea butter is a no-go, and I think tiffers may have just helped me identify an issue with wax and my hair as well! Most of the conditioners I use are pretty good or at least they were when I was tranistioning, but I'm really starting to wonder if the cones and mineral oil are what's missing??? I don't know. I'm sticking to the cone-free, sulfate free reggie for now. I'm also going to take a look at this LOC method, as I've not tried it before, and would have thought the oil would follow the cream. Hmmmm...
 
I also thought my hair was dry but it was just a matter of finding the right combination of products and technique. I bc'd in august 2011 and it's only now that i'm enjoying my hair. By the way my hair is type 4b - by which i mean 4zzz!

Here's what i do:
once a week i saturate my hair with oil overnight. Coconut oil, or olive oil. In the morning i apply a conditioner/baking soda mix and let that sit for one and a half hours. When the time is up i go in the shower and rinse the mix out of my hair and then rinse again with a water/vinegar mix. I apply my leave-in, comb-through each little section and twist and allow to air dry. Once dry, i lightly spray with a water/glycerin mixture - one part glycerin to four parts water. Spray enough to get hair damp but not wet. I very lightly seal with a tiny bit of oil and i'm done. Each night i mist very lightly with the water/glycerin mix, and use cling wrap.
My hair is always in twists or plaited somehow, i dont know how this would work i you wear your hair out every day.

My hair is now always soft and touchable. Be careful with the glycerin because too much will make your hair tacky to touch.
I now love my soft hair and i dont mine people touching it because it never leaves residue of any kind on fingers.

The baking soda removes any build up and the conditioner is so that it doesnt strip my hair too badly. The vinegar rinse stops the basic reaction from the soda and restores hairs pH.


Sent from my GT-I5500
 
I just have a few tips that have helped my hair. My 4abcz hair won't be soft unless I do the things below.

-Keeping the hair stretched: may be more important when your hair gets longer, but even during my very short twa days, I kept my hair in mini twists. Stretched hair, for me, always feels more moisturized and smoother than shrunken hair.

-Heavy sealing on damp hair: I had to experiment with different oils to find what worked for me. For example, Shea Butter, EVOO and Coconut oil were not good for my hair. I didn't realize it at first, but after paying more attention to my hair after applying those oils, they either didn't do anything or they actually made my hair dry and crunchy. My hair loves Caster Oil (and Crisco too) on damp hair. But the benefits of Castor Oil (or Crisco) are magnified 10 fold when stretching the hair while drying. I like to use twists, braids, or bantu knots (rarely).

-Avoid Sulfates like the plague: Now that I've found sulfate-free shampoos, I can't ever go back. When I do, I regret it for a week until next wash day when I DC. They really dry out my hair, no matter how gentle they say they are. Clean hair from shampooing is important for removing any dust accumulated from the heavy sealing if you use a sticky oil like Castor Oil. Cowashes don't do squat for my hair moisture-wise or cleaning-wise.

-Stick to it: Whatever you find that keeps your hair moisturized, don't stop using it.

In general, it may take time to find what works for you. But I believe there is a simple solution out there for everyone.
 
fluffyforever what sulfate free shampoos do you recommend?

It seems like my medicated shampoo leaves my hair softer than some of the sulfate free shampoos I've used.

Sent from my PC36100
 
beana Have you tried shampoo bars? Kyra's Ultimate makes aaaawesome shampoo bars. I've never found a shampoo that didn't leave my hair dried out, but these bars leave it soft and fluffy and happy.
 
You ladies are fantastic. I debated posting for awhile since I don't really post much, but I am so glad I did. There's some fabulous advice here and I'm going to hang in there and keep trying. I am actually going to wash today and try some stuff from this thread.

I can't wait til the day I can come here updating with my soft and moisturized tresses looking fabulous like you ladies.
 
ITA w/the Water-Oil-Butter layering. I use a water-based conditioner (Suave Tropical Coconut), an oil (usually EVOO, Grapeseed or Safflower) and then butter or vaseline to seal it all in. In the summer, I just end with the oil.

I also agree with nightly baggying. It not only increases moisture but I've found that it also seems to increase my growth when I'm regular with it.

Honestly, as long as my hair is loose, I always have to moisturize multiple times per day. Ever since I started doing that, I have not had problems with dry hair. The moisture seems to evaporate when my hair is loose. Once my hair was long enough to braid/twist, I was able to "lock" the moisture in much better.

I think that when I had chemicals, I was trained to only "moisturize" in the morning and be able to go all day w/o doing it again. I had to retrain myself to moisturize it in the morning and again when I get home (or before bed). For MY natural hair, that's what's needed.

I hope you find what works for you! Keep it simple though. Don't go buying all of these "natural", expensive products -- you'll end up frustrated and broke. When someone suggests something, practice using cheaper, similar products. Once you find the technique that works for you, then substitute more expensive products. HTH! :)
 
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