Ok, I tried to handle this myself...

[DarkJoy]

Arian, you have such lovely hair! Thought I'd share my story because some things ring similar:

And if I'm not mistaken, those look like fine strands. Fine strands are a beast unto themselves and IME, a different animal to work with altogether! It is not the same as dealing with our thicker stranded cousins.

You mentioned you had your hair colored. IDK if anyone has brought it up, but that could be the problem. Fine hair and dye can be..well... . Even with a dark color. I tried last winter to cover some grays and my hair gave me the finger. Nothing worked. Everything made it hard. It got brittle. Started breaking. I had to mini-chop.

That's when I decided to use natural concoctions and came to LHCF to bring her back from the near-grave. It seemed using chemical stuff to fix a chemical problem might cause these skinny babies more problems. She is feeling better now and on the mend with henna, amla, and tea and DCs.

All DCs and Leave Ins, I get off the shelf. I also keep a regular shampoo to remove product build-up because my hair now likes heavy heavy sealing. These fine strands HATE protein in every incarnation. Reading the labels is important cuz most things do have a tiny tiny amount of protein. Glycerin is great as long as there isnt too much in whatever product. Off the shelf, the curl sprays are mostly glycerin when my fine hair says...nooooo...just a teaspoon or 2, please. lol

I'd say it took about 4 months to recover and the length is retaining once again. woohoo!

Perhaps you are experiencing something similar from coloring your hair...? Was just a thought.

Good luck!

 

[Arian]

Supergirl, I did clarify when I washed my hair on Sunday. I did not, however, follow up with a moisturizing shampoo. This could have been my downfall.

HanaKuroi, I think this is going to be my next course of action, along with a dusting of my ends. My hair likes AO GPB too.

DarkJoy, thank you! But I'm not sureif my hair is fine. It is super thick and coarse. But I think you are absolutely right, it needs super moisture now because of the color. And I am definitely going to start looking for ready made leave ins. Any that you can recommend?

 

[Arian]

Update: So I spritzed my hair with water and sealed with Qhemet and my hair said It was dry and greasy, and hard in some areas. Which is strange because when I use the Qhemet after washing my hair, it dries quite soft.

So I think I am going to use tonight and start over. I am going to dust my ends, and do a protein/moisture DC. I will then twist my hair for a twistout this weekend. I may be up all night, but it will be worth it in the morning.

I will report on my moisture retention over the next few days.

Thank you all so much for your help, suggestions, etc. I appreciate all of you!

 

[KiWiStyle]

Arian What's worked best for me is spritzing my hair with water then applying a little coconut oil to the lenth and ends.

I've just started this daily regimen with. DD's hair and so far it's working well. I do this in the morning before school and again at bedtime. Her hair feels "cool" to the touch after school, I just get all excited that something is working now. I did apply a nice amount of leave-in and moisturizer after washing and twisting,

 

[Arian]

@Arian What's worked best for me is spritzing my hair with water then applying a little coconut oil to the lenth and ends.

kinkycurlygurl, I tried this too. But my hair doesn't respond to oils unless they are being completely washed out of my head.

 

[DarkJoy]

Does that Qhemet have protein? Wheat Germ, soy, milk? All those are proteins. Your hair is protesting!

I thought your hair was fine looking at the pic in your siggy. Fine is just skinny strands. My hair is a wiry and nappy 4b AND 4c in the crown (ugh!) but the strands are finer than paper, I swear.... draws to the scalp when drying from washing too. Watta mess! lol. Oil didnt work wwell on my hair when she was b***chin from color damage either. She needed creamy. Now that she is better, oil is ok and she will soften just a little--but creamy is just better anyway. Oil is for shine for us and not much more.

My recommendation is Giovanni Direct Leave In, if you have a whole foods (and now I see its at Target!) near you. It's really creamy.

You might wanna go old school as much as people hate it and try soaking your hair down with water and putting just a teensy tiny grease (yes, i said it). But these are desperate times, and it may call for a desperate measure! Perhaps even a lighter pomade... my hair loves COCO BUTTER and pomades (without petroleum). been using them both for the last few weeks on soaking wet hair and she is lookin lovely. The compliments have been rollin in and I havent received compliments on my hair since the dye near killed her. lol The weighted down feelin goes away overnight (which is when I do put it on). Just another thought, missy! Nothing else is workin...couldnt hurt to try. Just wash it out if you dont like it...

 

[LoveCraze]

Have you tried curl activators at all? I mean not only the sprays, but the gels as well? I've found that after henna (which can be drying) or anytime my hair is feeling extremely dry (which is not often), I apply curl activator gel and I immediately have moisturized soft hair. I'm sure the same can be said if using the sprays. I just prefer the gels.

 

[Arian]

My recommendation is Giovanni Direct Leave In, if you have a whole foods (and now I see its at Target!) near you. It's really creamy.

..

I tried this when I first went natural. My hair was not in love with it. Do you think it would be different now that I have color? It seems that the things my hair used to like before the color don't work now, maybe there is an opposite effect for the things that it did not like.

 

[FoxxyLocs]

I didn't read all the responses, but how much conditioner are you using? My mix is 5:1 water/conditioner and just a dime sized amount of oil. If your ratios are off, that could be an issue.

Also if you don't DC often enough your hair will be dry even with using a leave in.

 

[Arian]

I didn't read all the responses, but how much conditioner are you using? My mix is 5:1 water/conditioner and just a dime sized amount of oil. If your ratios are off, that could be an issue.

Also if you don't DC often enough your hair will be dry even with using a leave in.

FoxxyLocs, I don't use a lot of conditioner in my mixes. I think I'm going to shoot for just using something pre-made. I can't get it right.

 

[Royalq]

have you tried maybe a protein treatment and then moisturizing dc? I remember when i first went natural i kept putting moisture, moisture, moisture and my hair was still dry. For my hair I found that it will never except moisture if i dont do a protein treatment. After a nice Aphogee treatment my hair would be soft and moisturized for days.

 

[HairPleezeGrow]

Cowashing for me with condish actually helped along with some protein. I also leave a little of the con in when I do my cool water rinse

 

[Evolving78]

try Scurl or Wave Nouveau and seal. Wave Nouveau has a Moisturizing Mist that you can keep in your purse and spray as needed. the only cream that really did wonders for my hair was Qhemet Coco Detangling Ghee. everything else was too heavy and coated.

 

[Arian]

have you tried maybe a protein treatment and then moisturizing dc? I remember when i first went natural i kept putting moisture, moisture, moisture and my hair was still dry. For my hair I found that it will never except moisture if i dont do a protein treatment. After a nice Aphogee treatment my hair would be soft and moisturized for days.

This was my plan today! I'm thinking with my color, this is my main problem.

 

[Arian]

try Scurl or Wave Nouveau and seal. Wave Nouveau has a Moisturizing Mist that you can keep in your purse and spray as needed. the only cream that really did wonders for my hair was Qhemet Coco Detangling Ghee. everything else was too heavy and coated.

I'm going to look up the Wave Nouveau ingredients. Thanks!

 

[Arian]

UPDATE: So I am in the process of looking for a leave in conditioner (pre-made) that my hair likes. I am slowly going through my products under the bathroom sink, testing them out for this purpose. Anything that doesn't make the cut has to go!

I have a couple of staple products: a shampoo (KeraCare Hydrating Detangling Poo), a moisturizing DC (Alter Ego Garlic), and a protein one (s) (ORS Hair Mayo and AO GPB). But I am still in need of a leave in.

Last night, my hair was feeling kind of dry. So I washed my hair and used my Alter Ego to deep condition. I found that it is extra moisturizing when used without heat. (Which it doesn't say to do anyway--reading is fundamental, I guess)

Then I let my hair dry for about 15-20 minutes, then while it was damp, used Yes To Cucumbers (which I had lying around) as a leave in. Sealed my ends with a very small amount of Qhemet AOHC.

FAIL...hair was great before the leave in, but the YTC made my hair a little dry and hard. So I start again and the YTC goes to the chopping block. On another note, I ordered another pre-made spritz of rosewater/glycerin, so I guess we'll see how that goes.

So now I'm wondering--can I rinse my hair and get rid of the YTC or will that deactivate the wonderful deep conditioning session that I had yesterday? My hair just feels yucky with it in my hair.

 

[Honey Bee]

Arian, I think it would be okay to rinse out your leave-in because the effects of a dc, by definition, are supposed to be internal. I can't say whether you should co-wash, whether you should use moisture or protein, or whatever. On that subject, you should probably wait for an expert to chime in, so....

Bumping!

 

[Arian]

Honey Bee, I think I am going to cowash....and do a quick rinse. It's summer time, so it won't hurt to cowash often if needed.

 

[Arian]

Honey Bee, I think I am going to cowash....and do a quick rinse. It's summer time, so it won't hurt to cowash often if needed.

 

[gorgeoushair]

You could be adding too much glycerin to your mixes...

 

[bride91501]

Not sure if this has already been recommended, but

have you tried sealing with castor oil? I have yet to meet a type 4 natural in real life (my daughters, sister, friends) who were strugggling with moisture retention, who didn't discover the softest hair in the world after incorporating it into their regimen

I too sometimes make my own moisturizing sprays, but unless you're sitting there measuring each ingredient, it can be too much work sometimes and too easy to mess up. Buy something pre-made --- try SheaMoisture Restorative Conditioner (makes my hair super soft) and seal with castor oil. Don't be too heavy handed or you'll end up with a greasy mess lol....just a touch to seal your ends, and maybe a bit on the length if that's what you normally do.

ALWAYS moisturize and seal damp hair (I've found this works best for some reason), even if you have to spritz your hair with a bit of water before you moisturize.

If this don't work nothing will! Good luck!

 

[FearlessNik]

Op I didn't read through all the posts. Sorry if this had been mentioned. Have you tried a homemade Shealoe mix? It consists of avg and Shea butter. It's a moisturizer and sealant all in one. If you like I have a recipe that I love.

 

[FearlessNik]

Oh yea, and for a leave in I love HE LTR.

 

[amwcah]

Aloe vera juice/olive oil works well for me.

 

[Arian]

Not sure if this has already been recommended, but

have you tried sealing with castor oil? I have yet to meet a type 4 natural in real life (my daughters, sister, friends) who were strugggling with moisture retention, who didn't discover the softest hair in the world after incorporating it into their regimen

I too sometimes make my own moisturizing sprays, but unless you're sitting there measuring each ingredient, it can be too much work sometimes and too easy to mess up. Buy something pre-made --- try SheaMoisture Restorative Conditioner (makes my hair super soft) and seal with castor oil. Don't be too heavy handed or you'll end up with a greasy mess lol....just a touch to seal your ends, and maybe a bit on the length if that's what you normally do.

ALWAYS moisturize and seal damp hair (I've found this works best for some reason), even if you have to spritz your hair with a bit of water before you moisturize.

If this don't work nothing will! Good luck!

bride91501, thanks so much! I was using castor oil, and it worked for a while, but I think I started using too much. Maybe just a dab will do. Would you say a dime sized amount of the conditioner per section of hair?

Thank you. I will add it to my list of leave ins to try.... I almost have all of my staples.

 

[Arian]

Op I didn't read through all the posts. Sorry if this had been mentioned. Have you tried a homemade Shealoe mix? It consists of avg and Shea butter. It's a moisturizer and sealant all in one. If you like I have a recipe that I love.

Aloe vera juice/olive oil works well for me.

Unfortunately, aloe vera never plays well with my hair. I wish that it did.

 

[Arian]

UPDATE:

Ok, so I co-washed with Trader Joe's Nourish Spa and got rid of the Yes to Cucumbers from my hair. I used Silk Dreams Destination Hydration as a leave in and sealed with a bit of Qhemet. This ALMOST worked, but my hair is still missing something.

So I've been thinking..Perhaps it is the Qhemet that doesn't play well with other products. I think it works best alone. But I am going to try the Silk Dreams again, on damp hair, but instead of sealing with the Qhemet, I am going to seal with a dab of castor oil. *crosses fingers*

I hope this works! (Although oils don't play well with my hair generally, castor oil and I have been good friends in the past.)

 

[Evolving78]

UPDATE:

Ok, so I co-washed with Trader Joe's Nourish Spa and got rid of the Yes to Cucumbers from my hair. I used Silk Dreams Destination Hydration as a leave in and sealed with a bit of Qhemet. This ALMOST worked, but my hair is still missing something.

So I've been thinking..Perhaps it is the Qhemet that doesn't play well with other products. I think it works best alone. But I am going to try the Silk Dreams again, on damp hair, but instead of sealing with the Qhemet, I am going to seal with a dab of castor oil. *crosses fingers*

I hope this works! (Although oils don't play well with my hair generally, castor oil and I have been good friends in the past.)

you need to just start spraying your hair with something throughout the day. i think the rosewater and glycerin will do. it seems you use a lot of heavy products too. have you clarified lately? have you thought of trying some lighter products for the summer? how is your water intake? do you take vitamins? if your water intake isn't so hot, try drinking water for the next 30 days. nothing but water. see how that helps?

 

[Arian]

you need to just start spraying your hair with something throughout the day. i think the rosewater and glycerin will do. it seems you use a lot of heavy products too. have you clarified lately? have you thought of trying some lighter products for the summer? how is your water intake? do you take vitamins? if your water intake isn't so hot, try drinking water for the next 30 days. nothing but water. see how that helps?

Yes, I have clarified. I was thinking of trying some of Darcy's Botanicals conditioners. I remember using the transitioning creme and it was great for my hair. I think I am going to try that and her pumpkin seed conditioner. My water intake could be better and I take vitamins.

 

[Arian]

Heritage Products Rosewater/Glycerin spritz>daily spritz> yes....absolutely!