Need moisture assistance

pucelle · #1 10-11-2009, 04:40 AM

So no one responded to my other request so will try here. I am in serious need of moisture and nothing I've tried seems to be working. In some cases it's made it worse. I just moved to a much drier climate with "different" water. I was told the water isn't hard but when I was doing my hair today it definately had a chlorine smell to it.

Today I tried a banana DC but for some reason I wasn't thinking when I mixed it up and so did combined the following: 1T Seabuckthorn Berry Oil, 1T Rosehip Oil, blended ripe bananas and baby food bananas (that stuff SO shouldn't be pink), and greek yogurt. Now the reason I have greek yogurt to begin with is it's high protein content so wasn't really thinking about the fact that I shouldn't be using it. I realized my folly a little to late.

I shampooed with Aveda Sap Moss and then followed that up with an ACV rinse. I then put my mixture on my head & covered with a shower cap. When I took that cap off, my hair was just like it is when I henna. I also hadn't detangled before hand cause usually I don't have to when I moisturize.... yeah... so trying to detangle with a protein treatment on the hair doesn't work so well. So I put my hair into as many 2 strand twists (bantu knots for the short areas) as I could and then rinsed out the banana DC with warm water, cold water, ACV, and then cold water again.

Note to self, when my 4a pen spring curls disappear, do a protein treatment and they'll be fierce. So had I knot put my hair into the improvised twists/bantu knots I'm pretty certain I would have just shaved it off. I undid each a section one by one and put in smaller 2 strand twists. Yeah it took 5 hours, yeah some of them are Medusa looking, & yeah I used a full 1 once bottle of yangu oil to do so.

My hair is still hard :-( the curls are a little too nicely defined (any other time I'd be estatic) so all I can think of is the tangled mess when I take these out in a week. I really need to soften this hair up and I'm at a loss. Most of my homemade products have humecants in them and can't be used here.

**knharde** · #2 10-11-2009, 05:49 PM

do you have any castor oil? most people's hair respond very favorably to castor oil...I've never heard of yangu oil before. Be advised that Aveda Sap Moss shampoo has a sulfate cleanser--sodium coco-sulfate or something like that--which can strip the moisture from your hair. I used to use Aveda Sap Moss, until I switched to all natural shampoo bars. Do you have any herbs to make a moisturizing spritz? Some herbs to use include irish moss, marshmallow root, blue malva, hibiscus, rose buds, etc. Don't use strengthening herbs like horsetail or coltsfoot, etc.
hey did you order any Anita Grant products? I think I just responded to you in that thread too about products!

pucelle · #3 10-12-2009, 05:02 PM

My hair usually likes castor oil but since I've moved up here it hasn't worked. I generally use it as a sealer so once I figure out how to get my hair moisturized under the sealer it should work. I tried the Sap Moss as a last resort as I had already tried a bunch of different natural shampoos/conditioners, commercial shampoos/conditioners, etc.

I did put in an order with AG for some stuff but it won't be in for a couple weeks (mailed out on the 7th). I do have a bunch of herbs though (I'm an Ingredient Junkie). I'll look into that as I was just goign to use them all together and didn't know about the differences. I won't put any horsetail in a spritz I was going to make.... we need a What herbs to do sticky... will see what I can find out.

TikiB · #4 10-13-2009, 04:52 PM

Have you tried using a mixture of shea butter and aloe vera gel? I have also issues with dryness but my shealoe has worked well.

**cerendipity** · #5 10-13-2009, 07:07 PM

have you tried just DC'n with warm honey and olive oil for like 2 hours, Im telling you thats my go to all when I need some ooomp for my hair. I deep treat or prepoo with the mixture for 2 hours, rinse, then clean my hair with some clay... rinse again and then add my leave in and detangle. I put it in big braids to dry, then style the next day.. .good to go...

I know the water might be the problem, can you get a filter?

pucelle · #6 10-16-2009, 03:13 AM

@TikiB - I have tried shealoe in the past but my hair didn't like it. It either drank it all up and asked for more OR just sat on my hair doing nothing. I just found my sample tub of shealoe from FNWL so I'll try it in the morning on my twists after the shower.

@Cerendipity - I have tried SOOOO many times to do that olive oil and honey mixture over the years and it never comes out right for me. The honey and oil just won't mix together so it's like 2 separate things being put on my head at the same time. My hair never really felt all that afterwards, but I suspect my hair doesn't like olive oil (or honey). Can you tell me how to get the 2 to mix together and I'll try it again :-) What's the trick?

Apparently, people think I'm crazy for thinking 50-60% humidity is dry; I'm used to 90% so relatively speaking it is.

pucelle · #7 10-16-2009, 03:15 AM

Oh, yeah I planning on picking up some distilled water for my hair spritz. There's a filter on the fridge water but that's low flow so it takes forever for anything that requires a lot of water.

PatientDykeNYC · #8 10-18-2009, 03:51 PM

i suggest a hot oil treatment before and after you shampoo & i agree with the poster who said that a stripping shampoo may be apart of the culprit. perhaps avocado oil or evoo?

HTH

love,
PDnyc

ajargon · #9 10-18-2009, 05:32 PM

I would try to order or pick up a shower filter. I know home depot has them starting at like $17. I think that this may be able to help you. Then once you have that filtered water, get a chelating shampoo (ie. creamy aloe ors brand) this will clarify your hair and get rid of buildup that comes from "strange" water. I water mine down, b/c you only need a little, and let it sit for 3-5 min. When you rinse, then do a deep condition with a cap and heat. Hopefully you would feel the difference after that. It really helped me out. HTH

ms-gg · #10 11-05-2009, 03:06 AM

BUMP!

How are things going for you hun? I have the same issues in that my hair has a hard time staying moisturized. Especially around this time of year. I feel you on the humidity. I be praising Jesus when it rains outside....never thought I would see that day...