Soft Hair

Hi! I am new to posting but I've been stalking for quite awhile!lol I am 2 months natural and I have yet to feel my hair soft when it dries. Then I started to think, maybe it is soft and I just don't realize it. When my hair was permed, it felt silky and soft and I think I expect my natural hair to feel the same.....I dunno. What is it supposed to feel like after washing? I Use Giovanni hair products to wash and condition with Giovanni Direct as a leave in. Then, depending on my mood, I continue to moisturize and seal with Qhemut's AOHC mixed with Jojoba oil and Shea butter. Or, sometimes I use the S-curl moisturizer. After that, I brush with my denman to make sure it's distributed evenly. Lastly, I style with Aloe Vera gel or I just leave it brushed out and put flat twists in the front. My hair is in the 3c/4a,b,c category with a patch of scab hair on the top and front.

I dampen my hair every morning prior to my routine and co wash maybe twice a week. I deep condition on Sundays.

Around 1045 I spritz with Giovanni Direct, Jojoba, and water and again at around 5ish.

Is it normal to have to moisturize and refresh through out the day? My hair feels soft when it's wet and damp but when it dries......that's a different story. What do you think?

KinkyCo,

How long have you been using Giovanni Direct Leave-In? Is that only leave-in you have tried? I ask b/c my hair does not like Giovanni Direct Leave-In. It made my hair super hard. My hair also does not like gel (just figured this out); it also makes my hair hard and dry. :-) My hair seems to love Herbal Essence Hello Hydration and Curls Souffle. This is the first combination that I have used that does not require me to moisturize during or throughout the day. I am able to moisturize at night only. I have learned through trial and error that a lot of the products that work for so many other women on CurlyNikki.com do not work for me. Not really sure of my hair type (maybe 4a with 3c at crown -- maybe.

You may have to play around with your combination a bit to see if your hair likes something better. A lot of people love Kinky Curly Knot Today. Not trying to turn you into a product junkie. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] (Obviously I am one).

At any rate, HTH.

Hey KinkyCo - Sunbaby may be on to something. My hair does not like the Giovanni Direct Leave-In either. It makes my hair feel very "weak" if that makes any sense and it does make my hair feel a little rougher.

Also, what are you DCing with? And how is your hair styled? For my WnGs and my puffs, my hair stays pretty moisturized with a mix of HE HH and just water. When I twist, I use Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter on semi-damp hair and my hair is pretty moisturized.

My hair is extremely soft (genetics) so I'm pretty good at assesing if a product makes it softer or harder. Good luck!

Hi, just wanted to chime in. i have a TWA and I tried Giovanni products and I dont know if my hair did not like them or i just did not like them. i did not see the WOW factor everyone else was seeing. The only thing hat i see results with is HEHH, love it! I used it for about a month with the HETT, I needed a change so i just bought Yes to Cucumbers, after one use i can say that i love this one too.

i might try to use the three together some kind of way, like Sunbaby said eerything is not for everybody, its called trial and error.

KinkyCo,

Like BlakButterfli, my hair loves CD Healthy Hair Butter. A lot of other people don't like it so as you can see, it's a bit of a saga. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks everyone for trying to help a sista out!

@sunbaby I have been using Giovanni since before I BCed but I have others that I've tried. I am very much so a product junkie already! My list iof conditioners nclude Aussie Moist, HE HH, Suave Naturals Coconut, KKKT,and VO5 Hair milks. I've used them all at some point!lol
I may have to revisit He HH.

@BlakButterfli I use either Giovanni 3 minute protein or Yes to Carrots deep condition mask. I have ried Carol's Daughter hair milk but not on damp hair. On my hair dry, it leaves a greasy film. It works well on my son's 3C hair though. I'll have to try the butter next time. Right now I just WNG. I have about 3"s of hair when stretched.

@Rosebud I think I just figured since it worked well on my permed hair that I'd have the same results with natural. That has to be the culprit because it is the only product I have been consistently using.

@ KinkyCo, I feel the same way about my hair, except the difference is my hair feels extremely soft when I've finished washing & conditioning. My problem comes in after I've sealed the moisture in my hair and it dries. Once the curls set it's almost as if my hair turns into another head of hair. It's not hard, but the curls are dry, not crunchy unless I use a styling product. This drives me crazy.

Not to mention that my hair is super thick. The roots are soft, but tightly packed so it seems pretty dry as well even though I know it's not. It takes my hair a long time to dry at the root so that's a plus.

KinkyCo, I'm not trying to hijack your thread Just need help too. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated on this 3c/4a medium fine, dense, normal porosity hair...I have been at this for a little over a month and if I can get this under control I'll be one happy camper!

@sunbaby :Where do you buy the Curls Souffle and what is the brand?

Your hair maybe protein sensitive. It is important to balance the moisture and protein in your products:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/278612/the_fine_art_of_protein_and_moisture.html?singlepage=true&cat=69.

Here are some links to this website to help you:

http://www.curlynikki.forumotion.com/general-f3/major-confusion-protein-vs-moisture-how-to-properly-dc-t3044.htm?highlight=protein


http://www.curlynikki.forumotion.com/stylin-and-profilin-f2/how-do-you-know-when-your-hair-is-protein-sensitive-t2497.htm?
highlight=protein

My hair is 4a/b fine texture, hates gels, loves protein and Giovanni products. It took a while for me to make this discovery. I am sure that you will find the products that work for you.

HTH

KinkyCo - CD Hair Milk did nothing for my hair, from when I first BC'd to now. And the Healthy Hair Butter is starting to leave a slightly greasy film on my hair, so I've taken to running my hands over all my hair lightly, with a little HHB on them.

One Giovanni product that is EXCELLENT is the Smooth as Silk conditioner. There is a shampoo, but I have not tried it yet. But the conditionre leaves my hair extra soft and it makes it so easy to detangle with.

Aloe Vera gel tends to dry my hair, but I'm going to try it mixed in with some other stuff like some of the ladies do and see how that helps.