My Hair Doesn't Take Moisturizer!! What's Wrong With It?

[Kimiche]

When I get my hair relaxed and flat ironed at the salon, maintaining it is cool right afterwards. I could moisturize it with almost anything and it feels good throughout the week. Then I wash my hair and deep condition, that's when the trouble begins with my hair taking any moisturizers afterwards, especially my ends. I have 4a/b relaxed hair. I am also trying to avoid heat, so I haven't blow dried or flat ironed it myself in ages.

I wash using ORS Creamy Aloe shampoo, sometimes Elucence Moisturizing poo, then I condition with Aubrey Organics White Camellia conditioner. I leave in a little Elucence MB conditioner, I even tried Shescentit leave-ins. Then I air dry in an up do using one of these:

Could the problem be my air dry method?

My hair feels great after I wash it, but once it's dry and I put in moisturizer, we have a problem once the moisturizer dries. My hair starts to feel dry and I have to be careful because it feels like it wants to start breaking. I even tried to incorporate Roux Porosity Control recently, but still no luck. I've tried almost every moisturizer natural (Qhemet, Bee Mine, Shescentit, KBB) and not so natural (ORS, Elasta QP Mango Butter, etc). My hair hates glycerin so products like Hawaiian Silky and S-Curl are out of the question for me.

I do seal my moisturizers with oil, recently JBCO. I thought I found a good moisturizer in ORS olive oil moisturizer, but for some reason after awhile my ends stuck together. Any advice ladies? Moisturizer suggestions would be helpful or something to improve my regimen.


Thanks.

 

[yardgirl]

It could be a porosity issue or maybe you need to clarify.

 

[sydaree]

i have the same issue. more responses would be helpful.

 

[westNDNbeauty]

You say the salon products are able to moisturize? What products is your hair dresser using? Have you tried using those at home? What were the results?

 

[Kimiche]

You say the salon products are able to moisturize? What products is your hair dresser using? Have you tried using those at home? What were the results?

After she relaxes my hair with Revlon Realistic, she uses Design Essentials products (shampoo, conditioner and leave-in). Then she uses a hair polisher when she's done styling it. I thought about trying Design Essentials before, but wanted to see if natural products would work out for me instead. When she styles my hair it is smooth because she blow dries and flat irons it, so it's different. I don't mind using heat during that time only. I prefer not to use heat thereafter.

 

[ConstantlyDynamic]

it might be the method. have you ever tried drying your hair in rollers (no heat)? or maybe you do need to start incorporating indirect heat like actually going under the dryer with rollers? if it's not the method, maybe the shampoo that you use is too harsh. isn't ORS creamy aloe a chelating shampoo? a lot of ladies on here use it like once a month so it might not be good to use after every wash. and what protein do you use? can a lack of protein make hair feel dry? that's all i could come up with

 

[Kimiche]

it might be the method. have you ever tried drying your hair in rollers (no heat)? or maybe you do need to start incorporating indirect heat like actually going under the dryer with rollers? if it's not the method, maybe the shampoo that you use is too harsh. isn't ORS creamy aloe a chelating shampoo? a lot of ladies on here use it like once a month so it might not be good to use after every wash. and what protein do you use? can a lack of protein make hair feel dry? that's all i could come up with

Unfortunately, I am extra lazy to do rollersets. I think I saw someone mention once that they do an airdry method that someone on youtube posted, so I may try that. I have to add that I just bought Aubrey Organics GPB, but I don't know if I should use it considering that my hair seems to be hard and gets dry already. Or maybe I should incorporate that into my regimen. I'm scared, don't want protein overload, that's why I've gone awhile without buying conditioners with protein. I'd be happy if that worked out for me though.

 

[Kimiche]

Bumping!!!

 

[naheda72]

Airdry in rollers or braids may be a good option as suggested. I am 4 a/b natural and my hair will airdry rough unless I use rollers or braids.

 

[lea86111]

i used to think the same, but could it be that you just haven't found the right products for your hair? i tried a lot of products before i found something that worked.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

It could be a porosity issue or maybe you need to clarify.

IA w/this Post. One of the main indicators of Porosity Issues is your Hair's inability to attract & retain moisture.

I would also recommend clarifying too. Design Essentials and the Hair Polishers are probably full of 'cones' so they're going to give a different results than you doing it at home. Especially with Heat (as the stylist use).

All those products could possibly just be 'coating' the hair and giving that sleek/finished look because of the silicone laden properties contained in those products.erplexed

You have to give PC a while to correct that issue (if that is the case). It took at least a month or two for me with weekly use to overcome Overly Porous Hair and I was a weekly client at A Salon and suffered from Overly Porous Hair.

 

[Kimiche]

i used to think the same, but could it be that you just haven't found the right products for your hair? i tried a lot of products before i found something that worked.

My dresser is loaded with products that haven't worked for me. I've seriously been trying to find the right products for years now.

 

[MissHoney26]

have you tried clarifying? I used to use the olive oil hair moisturizer and my hair would be dry after just a few minutes and I noticed it had mineral oil in it so I had to dump it since it wasn't allowing my hair to stay moisturized. I'm not sure if that's the one you use, but I'd look out for that. I'm 4b relaxed and staying away from the flat irons/ blow dryers are doing great for my hair. I'm super lazy with roller sets too, but I swear by the ponytail roller sets it only takes me about 15-20 minutes to complete and I air dry overnight because I hate sitting under the dryer. The next day my ends felt super smooth and moisturized unlike they do when I flat iron. Also, have you tried dc'ing 2x a week instead of just once a week? I find that doing it 2x a week when my hair feels dry helps it stay moisturized better.

 

[simone103]

I think you should wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo at least once a month. The ones that I like are Kenra chelating shampoo and Quantum chelating shampoo (they sell Quantum at Sally's). I like Aubrey Organics conditioners, but I haven't found them to be most moisturizing conditioners for my hair. I really like the Joico Moisture Recovery line, and I especially like the treatment balm. I haven't found a conditioner more moisturizing than that. I moisturize my hair with a blend of castor, olive, coconut, and hempseed oils. It's a really nice combination of oils that makes my hair soft. HTH

 

[lana]

I'm a 4a/b texlaxer and my hair will not airdry and feel moisturized. Airdrying was described best to me by a lady on this hairboard, she said it's like washing blue jeans and then airdrying them, they are stiff, you have to use heat to loosen/soften it up.

I use the lightest heat setting on my blow dryer OR my dome dryer on low/medium to dry my hair. That has solved the problem.

I also use moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. I love Keracare Humecto Conditioner and Shampoo. I love Redken Smooth Down shampoo and conditioner. I rotate between the two of those. I hope this helps. For protein I use one protein treatment before and after my chemical process. That's it.

I use Softee Hair Food (just recently) to seal and I finally have shiny hair. Also I make sure that my texlaxer is a LYE relaxer. I avoid No-Lye like the plague (caused dryness, breakage and shedding).

I hope this helps.

 

[Giselle685]

Try castor oil and water mixture for moisturizing.

It may be that your hair actually likes heat, so give it a chance. Blow dry on low heat after moisturizing and using a light sillicone (dodging stones that may be thrown)

Otherwise, if your hair doesn't like heat, steam your hair in the shower, and put the moisturizer of your choice on your hair while underneath the steam. Give it a try!

 

[Prayin4FullWL2012]

I think u should clearify with ACV(apple cider vinger) then do a protein treatment, like Aphogee 2 min. Then do ur Moisturizer treatment. 1 clarify to clean the scalp, 2 protein to retain the moisture ur about to put in. 3. I think u should stay away from shampoo.

 

[Kimiche]

I think u should clearify with ACV(apple cider vinger) then do a protein treatment, like Aphogee 2 min. Then do ur Moisturizer treatment. 1 clarify to clean the scalp, 2 protein to retain the moisture ur about to put in. 3. I think u should stay away from shampoo.

I think I still have some Aphogee in my hair care products stash. I stayed away from it because of being scared of protein overload, but maybe I will try to incorporate this in my regimen. How often do you use the Aphogee? Also, is there a special kind of ACV that you use or will any AVC from the grocery store do the job?
Thanks.

 

[ConstantlyDynamic]

Unfortunately, I am extra lazy to do rollersets. I think I saw someone mention once that they do an airdry method that someone on youtube posted, so I may try that. I have to add that I just bought Aubrey Organics GPB, but I don't know if I should use it considering that my hair seems to be hard and gets dry already. Or maybe I should incorporate that into my regimen. I'm scared, don't want protein overload, that's why I've gone awhile without buying conditioners with protein. I'd be happy if that worked out for me though.

yeah the GPB might make your hair hard. maybe you can add things to it- some oils that are moisturizing. some people will add some to their moisturizing DC. I personally don't like to do that- i like to keep my treatments separate. also i know some people are mentioning clarifying etc. but you wash your hair with ORS Creamy Aloe with every wash and that's a chelating shampoo (and in my searches, many women on here consider chelating shampoos to be clarifiers as well so you are clarifying ). if ACV is less harsh though, i would go with that because maybe your shampoo is too harsh. also idk if porosity is the issue since you already use Roux Porosity Control. how have you been using it btw and for how long? the bottle says to use it after your DC and i did a poll on this a couple of months ago-most women use it as directed but there were women who used it before they DC'ed. personally, using it before my DC worked for me. i would close my cuticle by washing with cold water after all of my treatments

 

[Kimiche]

yeah the GPB might make your hair hard. maybe you can add things to it- some oils that are moisturizing. some people will add some to their moisturizing DC. I personally don't like to do that- i like to keep my treatments separate. also i know some people are mentioning clarifying etc. but you wash your hair with ORS Creamy Aloe with every wash and that's a chelating shampoo (and in my searches, many women on here consider chelating shampoos to be clarifiers as well so you are clarifying ). if ACV is less harsh though, i would go with that because maybe your shampoo is too harsh. also idk if porosity is the issue since you already use Roux Porosity Control. how have you been using it btw and for how long? the bottle says to use it after your DC and i did a poll on this a couple of months ago-most women use it as directed but there were women who used it before they DC'ed. personally, using it before my DC worked for me. i would close my cuticle by washing with cold water after all of my treatments

I used Porosity Control before I deep conditioned and afterwards. I've tried it both ways and I left it on for the amount of time specified. I definitely want to try the ACV.

 

[BillsBackerz67]

My hair doesn't take well to moisturizers at all....the only cure I found was grease.

 

[Solitude]

Aubrey Organics wasn't moisturizing for my hair. I also find that I need to wash & condition at least twice a week; sometimes I co-wash and only use shampoo once a week.

As someone stated earlier, your hair might like heat; helps seal the cuticles. I think my hair likes heat (but not the flat iron), so I partially dry my braidouts under the dome dryer. I also rollerset (dome dryer), and blow dry my hair on low after adding my leave-ins and before moisturizing and sealing.

Hairveda products keep my hair moisturized and shiny. I've been moisturizing with Whipped Cream and sealing with Cocasta. My favorite BSS brand moisturizer is one that you mentioned - Elasta QP Mango Butter. Olive Oil Moisturizer only works on flat-ironed hair for me and I don't like the smell of it.

Don't give up! But, if airdrying isn't working for you, try something else. It may be your methods and not the products.

Lastly, consider STEAMING! It works wonders.

 

[KittyMeowMeow]

Many great suggestions posted here thus far. I want to second the protein suggestion, especially since it feels like your hair wants to break. I think protein helps my hair be more moisturized because the moisture can hold in there better when my hair has enough protein. When I don't have enough protein but lots of moisture, my hair will feel slick and moisturized when wet, but then dry when dry. GPB is the truth for me- it's a light or medium protein and also moisturizing. You've prob seen this thread on moisture/protein balance, but in case anyone hasn't:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=84746

I'd also suggest drying your hair smoothed out rather than clipped up- when my hair has dried in a rough, disorganized way, it feels rough and disorganized when dry. Smoothing has made all the difference.

Here's my reg: After leaving in a bit of conditioner (I add a bit of a gycerin spray here if necessary for slip, you could use more condish or other product), I smooth my hair into 4 braids. Making them smooth is the key. Once my hair is 95% dry, I undo the braids and use moisturizing products (SSI coconut creme on relaxed ends, qhemet burdock root buttercreme on kinkiest regions of natural hair, and the lightest spays of water everywhere) and smoothing these in. Then smooth a small bit of EVCO & rebraid if I'm going to bed.

I hope this helps!

 

[Kimiche]

Thanks for all of your suggestions ladies. I think that I will try to incorporate some protein into my regimen. I had a terrible hair day today. This is the worst that it has been in awhile. I will have to re-wash my hair tonight and see what happens. Wish me luck.

 

[Prayin4FullWL2012]

I think I still have some Aphogee in my hair care products stash. I stayed away from it because of being scared of protein overload, but maybe I will try to incorporate this in my regimen. How often do you use the Aphogee? Also, is there a special kind of ACV that you use or will any AVC from the grocery store do the job?
Thanks.

I believe anyone will do. I use the Aphogee like once or twice a week, to retain th moisture for every Dc and regular moistuzer for the rest of the week.

 

[Kimiche]

I believe anyone will do. I use the Aphogee like once or twice a week, to retain th moisture for every Dc and regular moistuzer for the rest of the week.

I used Aphogee last night and it was nice. My hair feels a lot better today than yesterday, but it could still use some good moisture. I need to stay away from Elasta QP Mango Butter because unfortunately that doesn't work for my hair. I am still on a quest to find a good moisturizer. I really hope I find one soon.