Is it possible to over-moisturize your hair and cause breakage???

[lovegan]

Hey ladies!

I'm so confused about this; I've read all of the articles and posts about the delicate protein & moisture balance hair needs, but perhaps I'm a bit dim and I'm not getting it. But here's my one question:

IS IT POSSIBLE TO OVER MOISTURIZE YOUR HAIR AND CAUSE BREAKAGE?

From what I'm gathering, it's a matter of too much or too little protein, not TOO MUCH MOISTURE.

or maybe i'm missing it. someone set me straight! my hair's breaking and i know i need protein (gonna try emergencee) but is it breaking cuz i'm using too much moisture? (i'm on a low manip., wet bun, cowash daily regimen.)

oh please help! erplexed

 

[Esq.2B]

Yep it's possible.

If you over condition your hair or over saturate your hair with moisturizer/oil etc you can cause your strands to become mushy or weak/limp, thus causing breakage. I've done it before.

 

[lovegan]

Yep it's possible.

If you over condition your hair or over saturate your hair with moisturizer/oil etc you can cause your strands to become weak and limp, thus causing breakage. I've done it before.

ah,thank you!!!!

damnit, i think that's what's happening. so what's the solution?

cut back on cowashes or use a lighter leave in.....use more protein...or all three?

 

[kiesha8185]

ah,thank you!!!!

damnit, i think that's what's happening. so what's the solution?

cut back on cowashes or use a lighter leave in.....use more protein...or all three?

Just like Esq2b, I have done it before too.

I would say the only solution is learning your hair's moisture-protein balance. Do you have fine strands or thick strands?

I learned from taking note on what type of products my hair responds to, and which ones it doesn't. Look at the ingredients (and what the product claim to offer) and see if you notice a pattern in the ones that do or don't work for your hair.

For example, if your hair can tolerate a lot of protein, then that can be a good indication that you may have thick strands. This will help you to know that using some form of protein on a bi-weekly or monthly basis can prevent over-moisturizing your hair, which is why henna (which is a form of protein) works well for me, and I know the way my hair feels when it's time to henna.

As for the bolded, all of your suggestions are great ways to prevent over-moisturizing your hair I do all three with great success. HTH

 

[Esq.2B]

I saw this message after I received your PM. I responded there before I saw this. HTH

 

[lovegan]

Just like Esq2b, I have done it before too.

I would say the only solution is learning your hair's moisture-protein balance. Do you have fine strands or thick strands?

I learned from taking note on what type of products my hair responds to, and which ones it doesn't. Look at the ingredients (and what the product claim to offer) and see if you notice a pattern in the ones that do or don't work for your hair.

For example, if your hair can tolerate a lot of protein, then that can be a good indication that you may have thick strands. This will help you to know that using some form of protein on a bi-weekly or monthly basis can prevent over-moisturizing your hair, which is why henna (which is a form of protein) works well for me, and I know the way my hair feels when it's time to henna.

As for the bolded, all of your suggestions are great ways to prevent over-moisturizing your hair I do all three with great success. HTH

my strands are thin thin thin (recovering from years of highlighting and relaxing), so protein would overstress thin strands or reinforce them?

thanks so much for your help by the way!!!

 

[FlawedBeauty]

ditto! i used to use wayyy too much crap in my hair and it used to build up cuz i was not clairifying and my strands would snap right off.

Yep it's possible.

If you over condition your hair or over saturate your hair with moisturizer/oil etc you can cause your strands to become mushy or weak/limp, thus causing breakage. I've done it before.

 

[FlawedBeauty]

it all depends...my hair can't handle too much protien, my hair is naturally thin. for protien i use ORS Replenish Pack and leave it on with plastic bag covering for 1-2 hours. My hair can't handle the more powerful protiens like Aphogee, it makes my hair break something terrible.

my strands are thin thin thin (recovering from years of highlighting and relaxing), so protein would overstress thin strands or reinforce them?

thanks so much for your help by the way!!!

 

[FineChyna]

i've done it myself a few times actually since i didn't realize that i was overdoing it.

 

[lovegan]

i've done it myself a few times actually since i didn't realize that i was overdoing it.

it's certainly easy to do...all this co-washing and slathering on leave-in feels and smells nice, who woulda thought?!

 

[Tenacious]

OOh! Yes, that is so true! I've over-moisturized my hair a few years back and that lead to breakage. My hair staying wet all of the time made my strands so vulnerable to breakage. I didn't understand what was going on at first. That's where low/no manipulation are key. Now I at least wait until my hair is semi-dry before moisturizing....

 

[chicacanella]

Yeah, it is possible. I've done it but after I wash it, my hair goes back to normal.

But I can definitely see that someone who is co-washing twice a week, using moisturizer or coconut oil having to do protein treatments like clock work every six weeks.

But how I see it, when my hair becomes over moisturized it is super stretchy and still less prone to break than when it has too much protein. So my thing is, protein equals immediate breakage while too much moisture isn't that big of a problem since you can just put a heavy duty protein treatment on it and it is back to normal.

 

[lovegan]

OOh! Yes, that is so true! I've over-moisturized my hair a few years back and that lead to breakage. My hair staying wet all of the time made my strands so vulnerable to breakage. I didn't understand what was going on at first. That's where low/no manipulation are key. Now I at least wait until my hair is semi-dry before moisturizing....

I think you hit the nail on the head with this one= low manipulation.

Wet hair is weak, squeezing out water puts pressure on already vulnerable strands, playing with it further weakens it and on and on and on.

plus, the sheer weight of wet hair can strech already over strechy strands causing them to break.

I'm doing a medium/heavy protein treatment STAT.