Moisturized - How should your hair feel?

Alright curly ladies! I am 3 months post BC and I still battle with moisture and softness. How should your hair feel when properly moisturized. I've read that it should feel like cotton and we shouldn't expect that silky feel we had when relaxed (gosh, feels like I'm talking about the dark ages) LOL!!

Any suggestions because I seem to go from dry to the oily stage too fast!

You are right. It should feel like cotton. You said you go from dry to oily too fast. You know oil does not equal moisture, right?

Give a run down on your wash day.

Thanks Lynnie! I'm still battling and it may be I need to try different products.

I usually wash 1x per week.

Wash - KC Come Clean
Condition/Detangle - HEHH
DT - Giovanni SAS mixed with EVOO, Castor Oil, Peppermint oil and now some Coconut mil.
Rinse with cool water.
Leave-In - Kimmaytube mix with KCKT,
Seal with Olive oil/castor oil mix and castor oil on my edges.

I usually use KCCC for my WnG's and ORS Twist and Lock gel for my twists.

I spritz with a mix of water, aloe vera juice and evoo.

I know oil is meant to seal but it seems like my hair is having trouble staying moisturized and then it seems to get really oily at times which I hate. Especially when i wear it out.

Sometimes I do and ACV rinse as well. Love that!

CurlyChefRobin wrote:Sometimes I do and ACV rinse as well. Love that!

Hi Robin,

When you say you love it, what do you love about it? What is it doing for your hair that you like?

Because EVOO and castor oil are both heavy oils, I would suggest using one or the other or even a lighter oil. Remember too that the Kimmaytube leave in has oil in it too. This could be the reason you are getting oily so fast.

Hi Robin...

I kinda tweaked a spritz mixture that I got from Motown Girl..it really works for me and I mostly use it when I'm wearing braids or twists. I took a couple of my twists down because they were slipping out and my hair was so soft and a felt very moisturized. I used the following:

Mineral Water...no special reason just thought it would be better for my hair
Light Leave-in Conditioner....MTG suggested Suave or VO5. Use whatever light conditioner I have on hand. Right now I'm using something I got from Karen Body Beautiful
Jojoba Oil - excellent for moisture. Not to heavy and not to light
Peppermint Oil - to stimulate growth
Lavender Oil - for a lite scent

This mixture really works for me, and I love the way my scalp tingles from the peppermint oil. I use this spritz in the morning and at night...

HTH

Robin,
You might try to baggy at night with a scarf over the bag. I do this once a week and it helps with moisture. I was having a dryness problem just as winter started and needed a solution quick. Someone suggested trying the baggy with a leave in spritz and oil (I use EVOO) and it has worked wonders on my hair. HTH

I spritz with a mix of water, aloe vera juice and evoo.

I know oil is meant to seal but it seems like my hair is having trouble staying moisturized and then it seems to get really oily at times which I hate. Sad Especially when i wear it out.

I agree with Lynnie, you have a lot of layers of heavy oil in your regimen(I'm counting 3 applications of Olive Oil and 3 applications of Castor Oil if you are using castor oil in your kimmaytube leave-in). Without knowing how much you apply and time elapses between steps, it appears that there is very little time built in for your hair to absorb that volume of oil. There is a finite amount of product that your hair can hold.

Several things jump out at me in addition to what she said.
Is a cool water rinse enough to remove your DT?
Do you really need to seal after applying kimmaytube LIand what oils are you using in your kimmaytube LI?
Is the evoo in your spritz necessary?
If you are using Come Clean what does the ACV rinse accomplish and at what point in your regimen do you apply the ACV?
Other than the soy in the SAS, I don't see any protein in your regimen. Is that by design?

I'm still battling and it may be I need to try different products.

I suggest that you revise your regimen first to isolate the effects of the products that you are already using (I'm counting 3 conditioners, HEHH, Giovanni SAS & KCNT in the kimmaytube) to identify what is working and what is not. The second thing I would examine is the order of your steps.
Perhaps you could DT on dry hair as your first step. It may aid in detangling. You could also experiment with washing 2X per week and split some of your conditioning/oiling applications.

Also, don't forget that changes in weather can affect the amount of moisture that your hair retains. Depending upon your indoor environment, a humidifier may help.

Just some things to consider. Keep tweaking & be patient.

I was having this same problem. It looks as if the oils in your routine could be reduced down a bit. When I was using the Kimmay mix, I had to reduce the amount of oil used due to excessive oiliness versus moisture. Not sure why you are using ACV, but I had to start using ACV to eliminate an itchy scalp due to product build-up/eliminate fungus . So I finally just left all of the oils/concoctions alone and simplified my routine. I poo/condition or DC and only apply KCKT leave-in [has great slip for detangling] and seal with Shea Moisture smoothie - it has enough oils to seal and the first ingredient is water [moisture] so it doesn't weigh my hair down. My hair is left feeling soft n cottony. Not sure if you've tried the Shea Moisture line, but if you just want to go with what you already have, try scaling back on the oils in the Kimmay leave in and see if that helps.

P.S. When I had dry hair issues, I tried spritzing with aloe vera juice/oil too and my hair didn't like that either - made it dry/crunchy and oily. My hair only likes to be spritzed with water alone.

My hair feels soft, for the most part, when it's moisturized, that's the only way I know how to tell. After reading on Hairveda she described fine, normal or coarse hair (and is backed up elsewhere). I have coarse hair, my hair could be drenched in water and rubbing my hair (or a strand...ok maybe not lol) together gives a "crunchy" sound and rough feel. I kinda thought my hair wasn't supposed to do that and that it meant it was dry, but now that I know otherwise, I can accept that my hair isn't going to look or feel a specific way no matter what.

I think the ladies have given great suggestions, so good luck moisturizing your hair!

Hi Robin,

How does your hair feel when you use the KC Come Clean? I ask because I've noticed that this particular shampoo can sometimes leave your hair feeling stripped and very dry. Also do you have a problem with protein since the Giovanni SAS does contain protein?

Renny wrote:

CurlyChefRobin wrote:Sometimes I do and ACV rinse as well. Love that!

Hi Robin,

When you say you love it, what do you love about it? What is it doing for your hair that you like?

I don't do the ACV rinse all the time but I notice my hair is shinier and the curls seem to clump better and are bouncier when I do and ACV rinse.

Lynnieluve wrote:Because EVOO and castor oil are both heavy oils, I would suggest using one or the other or even a lighter oil. Remember too that the Kimmaytube leave in has oil in it too. This could be the reason you are getting oily so fast.

I think you are right Lynnie. I'm going to try laying off the sealing and see how that helps. I think I may also try the Giovanni Direct Leave-In to see if I get better results than the KCKT.

KinkyNappyHappy wrote:Hi Robin...

I kinda tweaked a spritz mixture that I got from Motown Girl..it really works for me and I mostly use it when I'm wearing braids or twists. I took a couple of my twists down because they were slipping out and my hair was so soft and a felt very moisturized. I used the following:

Mineral Water...no special reason just thought it would be better for my hair
Light Leave-in Conditioner....MTG suggested Suave or VO5. Use whatever light conditioner I have on hand. Right now I'm using something I got from Karen Body Beautiful
Jojoba Oil - excellent for moisture. Not to heavy and not to light
Peppermint Oil - to stimulate growth
Lavender Oil - for a lite scent

This mixture really works for me, and I love the way my scalp tingles from the peppermint oil. I use this spritz in the morning and at night...

HTH

Thanks! I have everything except Lavender oil!

curlya wrote:Robin,
You might try to baggy at night with a scarf over the bag. I do this once a week and it helps with moisture. I was having a dryness problem just as winter started and needed a solution quick. Someone suggested trying the baggy with a leave in spritz and oil (I use EVOO) and it has worked wonders on my hair. HTH

I do baggy at times. The problem I'm having now is it's very cold and I'm trying not to leave the house with a wet head and most mornings I am up and moving!

FalconTress wrote:I spritz with a mix of water, aloe vera juice and evoo.

I know oil is meant to seal but it seems like my hair is having trouble staying moisturized and then it seems to get really oily at times which I hate. Sad Especially when i wear it out.

I agree with Lynnie, you have a lot of layers of heavy oil in your regimen(I'm counting 3 applications of Olive Oil and 3 applications of Castor Oil if you are using castor oil in your kimmaytube leave-in). Without knowing how much you apply and time elapses between steps, it appears that there is very little time built in for your hair to absorb that volume of oil. There is a finite amount of product that your hair can hold.

Several things jump out at me in addition to what she said.
Is a cool water rinse enough to remove your DT?
Do you really need to seal after applying kimmaytube LIand what oils are you using in your kimmaytube LI?
Is the evoo in your spritz necessary?
If you are using Come Clean what does the ACV rinse accomplish and at what point in your regimen do you apply the ACV?
Other than the soy in the SAS, I don't see any protein in your regimen. Is that by design?

I'm still battling and it may be I need to try different products.

I suggest that you revise your regimen first to isolate the effects of the products that you are already using (I'm counting 3 conditioners, HEHH, Giovanni SAS & KCNT in the kimmaytube) to identify what is working and what is not. The second thing I would examine is the order of your steps.
Perhaps you could DT on dry hair as your first step. It may aid in detangling. You could also experiment with washing 2X per week and split some of your conditioning/oiling applications.

Also, don't forget that changes in weather can affect the amount of moisture that your hair retains. Depending upon your indoor environment, a humidifier may help.

Just some things to consider. Keep tweaking & be patient.

I don't usually do the ACV rinse when I shampoo, only when I co-wash. I don't seem to have a problem with detangling, as the HEHH works very well. I am looking at my products and I think that the KCKT may not be as moisturizing for my natural hair as it was for my relaxed hair. I noticed a changed once I BC'd. I will try the dry DT though - I just worry about having to use so much product.

I also should have pointed out I normally wash once a week and co-wash bi-weekly, unless I have twists which I usually keep in for 4 days and then I wear them as a twist out for 2-3. Thanks for the advice!

curlsntwirls wrote:I was having this same problem. It looks as if the oils in your routine could be reduced down a bit. When I was using the Kimmay mix, I had to reduce the amount of oil used due to excessive oiliness versus moisture. Not sure why you are using ACV, but I had to start using ACV to eliminate an itchy scalp due to product build-up/eliminate fungus . So I finally just left all of the oils/concoctions alone and simplified my routine. I poo/condition or DC and only apply KCKT leave-in [has great slip for detangling] and seal with Shea Moisture smoothie - it has enough oils to seal and the first ingredient is water [moisture] so it doesn't weigh my hair down. My hair is left feeling soft n cottony. Not sure if you've tried the Shea Moisture line, but if you just want to go with what you already have, try scaling back on the oils in the Kimmay leave in and see if that helps.

P.S. When I had dry hair issues, I tried spritzing with aloe vera juice/oil too and my hair didn't like that either - made it dry/crunchy and oily. My hair only likes to be spritzed with water alone.

I've wanted to try the Shea Moisture line but I've been trying to keep my PJism under control. LOL!!

ChrsLvsBks wrote:Your moisturized hair should feel as close to the way your hair feels when completely wet after conditioning or DCing.

Thanks!

Treece wrote:My hair feels soft, for the most part, when it's moisturized, that's the only way I know how to tell. After reading on Hairveda she described fine, normal or coarse hair (and is backed up elsewhere). I have coarse hair, my hair could be drenched in water and rubbing my hair (or a strand...ok maybe not lol) together gives a "crunchy" sound and rough feel. I kinda thought my hair wasn't supposed to do that and that it meant it was dry, but now that I know otherwise, I can accept that my hair isn't going to look or feel a specific way no matter what.

I think the ladies have given great suggestions, so good luck moisturizing your hair!

Thanks!

krazy coils wrote:Hi Robin,

How does your hair feel when you use the KC Come Clean? I ask because I've noticed that this particular shampoo can sometimes leave your hair feeling stripped and very dry. Also do you have a problem with protein since the Giovanni SAS does contain protein?

The KCCC actually doesn't leave my hair feeling stripped. When I tried the Giovanni SAS Poo my hair felt like straw. I do think I may need more protein in my regime. Two weeks ago I did a DT with coconut milk mixed into my condish and my hair was sooooo soft and seemed to stay moisturized longer. Maybe I need more protein. I've also heard of ladies putting some into their spritz.

Thanks for all the advice ladies! I'll try some suggestions and get back to you!

I will try the dry DT though - I just worry about having to use so much product.

I apoligize if my suggestion was not clear. For the DT on dry hair you are simply changing the order in which you apply the prodfucts, not adding a step so you would not be using addtional product.

I look forward to reading about your results.

FalconTress wrote:I will try the dry DT though - I just worry about having to use so much product.

I apoligize if my suggestion was not clear. For the DT on dry hair you are simply changing the order in which you apply the prodfucts, not adding a step so you would not be using addtional product.

I look forward to reading about your results.

Thanks! I was actually thinking of how much more of the DT you need to use to cover the dry hair as opposed to the wet hair. I tried it once and I felt like I had to use half the bottle! LOL!

Let me also add, the spritz is for everyday use - not for use right after I wash my hair.

CurlyChefRobin wrote:Let me also add, the spritz is for everyday use - not for use right after I wash my hair.

That's right

Some of the best advice I got was to really pay attention to the products that worked for my hair and the ingredients in them. That is how I was able to narrow down products/product lines that worked for me. I haven't had too many fails since. I have learned (and still learning somewhat) the key ingredients to look for and use, like Aloe Vera Juice/Gel, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (BTMS)/Cetearyl Alcohol and some others.

I went through a really bad dry hair spell early summer and once I did the product challenge and started stickingn with products for at least a few tries that helped me figure some things out. It took some time so hang in there and document what does work so you'll know.

Good luck!

Check out my CSJ for an update!!!