What do *you* mean when you say "moisturizing"?

[anon123]

Okay, so the word "moisturizing" is like a black hair care board's favorite word. But what do you mean when you say it? Moisturizing shampoo, moisturizing conditioner, moisturizing leave-in, etc. Are you going by feel? So if something contains a lot of silicones and leaves your hair smoothly coated, will that be "moisturizing" for you? Or are you looking for humectant ingredients like glycerin or honey, that actually draw moisture into your hair? Or you talking about oils that will seal water into your hair (I'm not convinced this actually happens, btw)? Are you talking about butters that will make the hair more supple and pliable? Are you talking about conditioning agents like cetearyl alcohol? I read "moisturizing" all over the place but I'm really not sure what people mean by it.

 

[JustKiya]

I'm talking humectants and products that actually infuse your hair with moisture. Silicones are a fake-out (the appearance of moisture, the actuality of blocking moisture), and sealers - well, butters seem to work for me. I'm not sure if it's 'really' sealing anything in, or if the butter itself is just making my hair feel softer/pliable - I suspect it's the latter.

I expect my hair to feel soft/smooth/flexible/pliable/stretchy when it's properly moist.

 

[loolalooh]

This is a good question, mwedzi.

When I talk about moisturizing, I go by the feel of the hair. If I put a strand between my fingers, then moisturizing = soft, smooth & pliable as opposed to dry, hard & brittle. In my opinion, soft/smooth/pliable are indications of a proper moisture level.

I don't look for products loaded with cones that coat the hair. I go for natural humectants (honey) and oils that attract moisture AND soften the hair. Some oils are combinations of humectants and emollients - e.g., castor oil, safflower oil, etc. Those are the oils that draw my attention. The "sealing" term is becoming a confusing term to me; maybe I'll phase that out of my vocabulary.

Conditioning agents like cetyl alcohol are appealing for detangling, but don't contribute as much to the moisture level of my hair like the above ingredients.

 

[Pheonixx]

Ok, bear with me because I'm STILL a newbie.lol

When I choose shampoos/conditioners, etc... I go by ingredients and I'm revamping my products to include as many naturally based products as possible.

Moisturizing to me means:
a. introducing ingredients/products which contribute to the overall 'health' of the hair
b. introducing ingredients which maintain the moisture levels of my hair. If I didn't do this my hair would dry out.

Sort of like Henna. As far as my research tells me it seems to reinforce the hair (though it is not a protein treatment) while it colors it.

I guess I'm working with a 'dead' strand when it's out of the roots but if certain particles can penetrate the hair to dye it...if they can bond with and strengthen hair--then maybe ingredients can be introduced to the same hair to improve the over all appearance, combat dryness, halt breakage, etc.. imo.

When I say my hair is moisturized I just mean that...it's NOT dry, brittle and snapping off. Basically.

This precedes the application of oils--and I only use oils because I don't like grease. Plus they're cheaper than buying the cremes I'm used to used.
But--oils like jojoba, oilice oil, tea trea and such make my hair soft and supple.

I don't put anything on my scalp.
As far as silicones are concerned...my research tells me that while they soften the hair they only mask hair problems. I do not cowash with conditioners containing them.

 

[AfroKink]

Okay, so the word "moisturizing" is like a black hair care board's favorite word. But what do you mean when you say it? Moisturizing shampoo, moisturizing conditioner, moisturizing leave-in, etc. Are you going by feel? So if something contains a lot of silicones and leaves your hair smoothly coated, will that be "moisturizing" for you? Or are you looking for humectant ingredients like glycerin or honey, that actually draw moisture into your hair? Or you talking about oils that will seal water into your hair (I'm not convinced this actually happens, btw)? Are you talking about butters that will make the hair more supple and pliable? Are you talking about conditioning agents like cetearyl alcohol? I read "moisturizing" all over the place but I'm really not sure what people mean by it.

When I'm looking to moisturize, I use water or aloe juice, or something with a high water or aloe content. I also look for humectant and emollient ingredients like glycerin, honey, and castor oil. I am one of those people that "seals" with oil/butter. My hair is soft for days if I spray with aloe and then cover with shea butter. Either alone doesn't do it for me, but the combo is so great.

The "moisturizer" thing on the boards get confusing. Products say their moisturizing but contain no moisturizing agentsohwell:

Lys

 

[Christa438]

When i say i moisturize, im using something watery or water-based like my leave-in.
When i say Im sealing it, im using something to help lock the moisture in my dry hair such as oil, pomade/grease, thick hair butter/oil moisturizer.
However, when I say "I moisturized my hair last night," I usually mean that I did both of the steps (in this order: added moisture + sealed) because I dont do one step and not the other, almost always do both steps together.

 

[kweenameena]

When i say i moisturize, im using something watery or water-based like my leave-in.
When i say Im sealing it, im using something to help lock the moisture in my dry hair such as oil, pomade/grease, thick hair butter/oil moisturizer.
However, when I say "I moisturized my hair last night," I usually mean that I did both of the steps (in this order: added moisture + sealed) because I dont do one step and not the other, almost always do both steps together.

Ditto to this whole post.

I do believe that oils and butters seal in moisture from water.
For instance, last night I did my daughters hair. Right after I washed and conditioned it, I added shea butter to her wet hair to trap in the water/moisture. Now if her hair was dry when I added the shea butter, it still would've been dry (and greasy) afterwards.

 

[chebaby]

when i say i moisturize, i mean i used a creme or butter and then put JBCO or keracare oil on top. i know my hair is properly moisturized because it will be soft.
on the other hand i make sure i deep condition weekly as well. and when i co wash i make sure its a moisturizing conditioner because i now feel like the HE LTR is just making my hair coated to feel soft but its not moisturized. on the other hand the HH seems to moisturize well.

to moisturize my hair i use keracare creme hairdress and JBCO and keracare essential oils.

 

[Mortons]

I mean like water or humectants. I add honey to all my conditioners for this reason.

 

[anon123]

Ditto to this whole post.

I do believe that oils and butters seal in moisture from water.
For instance, last night I did my daughters hair. Right after I washed and conditioned it, I added shea butter to her wet hair to trap in the water/moisture. Now if her hair was dry when I added the shea butter, it still would've been dry (and greasy) afterwards.

Hmm, now that I think about it, butters and creams do work best for me when added to wet hair. For oil, it doesn't matter on my hair and doesn't seem to seal anything in.

 

[Mandy4610]

Okay, so the word "moisturizing" is like a black hair care board's favorite word. But what do you mean when you say it? Moisturizing shampoo, moisturizing conditioner, moisturizing leave-in, etc. Are you going by feel? So if something contains a lot of silicones and leaves your hair smoothly coated, will that be "moisturizing" for you? Or are you looking for humectant ingredients like glycerin or honey, that actually draw moisture into your hair? Or you talking about oils that will seal water into your hair (I'm not convinced this actually happens, btw)? Are you talking about butters that will make the hair more supple and pliable? Are you talking about conditioning agents like cetearyl alcohol? I read "moisturizing" all over the place but I'm really not sure what people mean by it.

Good question Mwedzi. I am glad you brought this up because I don't even know what to look for in order to say my hair is moisturized . I know..I know...I should know this by now, but I am a little unsure anyway. Before LHCF I used to think grease is moisturizingerplexed. Now I don't know what properly moisturized hair should look or feel like.

 

[CenteredGirl]

Beleive me, you KNOW when your hair is moisturized.

My good friend Samantha Jones taught me the meaning of this word. Sam, I won't out you...yet. Tee hee.

 

[Evazhair]

To me:

Since moisture=water, moisturizing means that water will be added to my hair either deeply or superficially and be retained for the most part. I have come to know how my hair feels when it has it's proper moisture level. The feeling should last up until the next time I wash, optimally.Kenra MC, Alter Ego Energizing cream and Salerm 21 are three that do this for me. That is the standard(feeling) I use when choosing my moisturizing products.

 

[LongHairDreams]

This is a good question, mwedzi.

When I talk about moisturizing, I go by the feel of the hair. If I put a strand between my fingers, then moisturizing = soft, smooth & pliable as opposed to dry, hard & brittle. In my opinion, soft/smooth/pliable are indications of a proper moisture level.

Totally agree. I go by feel.