NO DEFINITION!

Help! I used to get extreme definition when just leaving in some Carol's Daughter Khoret amen conditioner. No styling products at all. However, I recently did a second big chop after highlights caused major dryness and breakage and my 3b/3c curls are constantly dry and frizzy and are looking more like 4a-ish. I'm confused because all of my hair now is natural, no highlights left. I have to literally coil each curl around my finger with a heavy gel to define my curls now, and it still feels extremely dry. I let the hair grow out before I chopped and its been a while since I cut it so its about 5 inches in the front and 4 inches in the back. It looks like some weird unidentifiable hair type. Just pure frizz. When I wash my hair, my curls turn into waves but instead of curling up when it dries, it just frizzes into little wiry waves. My hair used to be so soft. Any advice, Ladies?! I feel like I've lost my curls forever.

Do you twist your hair after applying leaving in the Carol's Daughter Khoret amen conditioner? My hair is more defined when I twist it and its wet. Also maybe you need a good moisturizer.

I didn't used to have to twist t at all after using the Carols daughter. ...can you recommend a good moisturizer? I've never really had to use anything beyond leaving in conditioner until now. I've tried shea butter, but that just leaves my hair a sticky, hard mess....

Are you balancing moisture and protein: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/278612/the_fine_art_of_protein_and_moisture.html?singlepage=true&cat=69

http://www.curlynikki.forumotion.com/general-f3/best-leave-in-moisturizers-for-dry-hair-t5531.htm

This post is all about the best leave in moisturizers. HTH!

Ps. Sometimes it's not just the mositurizer, but how you use it. The moisturizer I was using wasn't helping my hair and my hair was still dry after putting it in and after doing reading about natural hair I realized it was dry because I wasn't sealing it with anything. Now I seal with coconut oil using that SAME moisturizer and my hair is really soft and defined after putting it in.

Thx for the tip and the link

Hey Swirlycurls,

Was all of the color removed when you did your second bc? You may have to increase how often you dc your hair and use more moisturizing products until you regain the moisture balance in your hair. Frizz usually indicates a lack of moisture.

Good tips. Thanks. What are some good moisturizers? I heard you should not moisturize with oils because they don't penetrate the hair shaft so what else can I use (other than shea butter, which i hate)?

Coconut oil is one of the few oils that penetrate the hair shaft.

I use Giovanni Products that can be bought at Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, CVS, Pharmaca, and health food stores. Once a week, I use Giovanni Smooth As Silk (SAS) Deeper Moisture Shampoo to poo, SAS Deeper Moisture Conditioner and Reconstructor to DC, SAS Xtreme Protein Infusion or Direct Leave In as my leave in, I set my hair with Giovanni Natural Mousse Hair Styling Foam and/or Giovanni LA Natural Style Gel. I seal with Shea Moisture Curl Smoothie or EVCO or castor oil. When I need a moisture boost I use Vatika oil and Giovanni Direct Leave In.

Have you tried a good Deep Conditioner since you cut your hair? I bet that will revitalize it since it's been hiding behind the longer portion of your hair that you just cut off.

Also, one my fav moisturizers (other than the water, oils, and conditioners that I put in my spray bottle) is Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer. It leaves my hair yummy soft when it dries. I use it on my daughters hair while it's dry since that's how she gets the best results. I have heard many swear by Cantu Shea Butter but that does nada for my hair but build up.

I have a mix of 3c and 4a hair in my head and the moisturizer I use is a mix in my spray bottle that was recommended by Chrsluvbks. She has a Curl Street Journal and I highly recommend you reading it. I had been looking for a commerical moisturizer I could purchase and purchased a few things that didn't work. They all had shea butter in them. Shea butter dries my hair out too.

I've been wearing wash and go's so I cowash and use Giovanni Direct Leave-in and seal with coconut oil. I make sure to DC once a week. I never skip this. I use ORS replenishing conditioner. I also tap a little cocount oil on my ends every night before bed.

The spray bottle includes a little water, aloe vera juice and glycerin. Today I added EVOO because that's what Chrs does and the mix was even better. I've been using the spray bottle for about 2 and 1/2 weeks and my hair is so moist it's lush. I love it. Adding the EVOO today added shine. It's a real winner for me.

Thanx! I'll deffs try this until I find a good product I can purchase. I'm thinking about trying Knot Today.

try deep conditioning twice a week and rinsing with cool/cold water. they should be back to normal in a couple of weeks.

Thanx. I just thought about the fact that I have been just using my daily conditioner and not a DC. Hope all the extra tlc works. My hair has never done this before. Its madness. Is this even a normal hair reaction Lol?
p.s. @ Nessa 101, the "sealing" helped. and @ Naturally Esq, that article is really good.

Renny wrote:
The spray bottle includes a little water, aloe vera juice and glycerin. Today I added EVOO because that's what Chrs does and the mix was even better. I've been using the spray bottle for about 2 and 1/2 weeks and my hair is so moist it's lush. I love it. Adding the EVOO today added shine. It's a real winner for me.

When you use the aloe vera juice, do you use some type of essential oil to preserve it, and with the weather getting cooler, do you see any difference with the glycerin being in it?

Hi Naturalin,

I forgot to add that I use Rosemary Oil as a preservative. I'm new natural. BCed last month, so this will be my first winter being natural. I have no idea what I will do for moisture, but I will have Kinky Twist in once it gets cold. I live in Atlanta and it's 94 right now. LOL. I have a few months to decide what I'm going to do. I might just take most of the glycerin out.

Renny wrote:Hi Naturalin,

I forgot to add that I use Rosemary Oil as a preservative. I'm new natural. BCed last month, so this will be my first winter being natural. I have no idea what I will do for moisture, but I will have Kinky Twist in once it gets cold. I live in Atlanta and it's 94 right now. LOL. I have a few months to decide what I'm going to do. I might just take most of the glycerin out.

Thanks, and congrats on BCing! This will be my first winter being natural as well. I thought about the kinky twists also or some other kind of braiding. I'm afraid that wearing braids all winter, I'll lose the kinks/coils/curls by the time I wear it out. Or worse,hair breakage But, I'll read up and see how others maintained the braids during the cold months.

I'm planning to use yarn instead of hair. I've done some reading and it's less weight so less stress. I plan to really moisturize and do all I can to avoid breakage, including not keep them in more than 30 days at a time and make sure to let my hair rest for two weeks in between braids. I know several naturals that have had success with using twist as a protective style. I'll see how it goes.