Six Tips for Locking in Moisture

18 September 2011 ~ 34 Comments

Best of 2011 Natural Hair Care

As winter sets in it’s important to focus on moisturizing techniques as we brave the sometimes unforgiving winter weather. All the hard work done throughout the year can be diminished if one does not incorporate some “winterproofing” into our hair regimens :) Try these tips and tricks to keep your hair supple.

Clarifying

This is an important underrated step that removes excess oils and product buildup from the hair. If you have buildup on your hair the moisturizer cannot get thru to reach the cuticle. You should clarify your hair every other month or 1x a month especially if you use heavy oils. This can be done thru a diluted 25-50% apple cider vinegar wash or half a teaspoon of baking soda mixed in with your conditioner.

Daily Spritz

Your spritz should contain goodies like: essential oils, nutrient-rich carrier oils and water/aloe vera. It will remain fresh in the refrigerator for a week. If kept longer invest in a commercial grade preservative. Spray it on your ends every night and if needed in the morning then seal with a heavy oil.

Sealing with Heavy Oils

This step is important because it seals the cuticle with the moisture technique you have used. Locking in moisture with a heavy nutrient-rich oil like castor (my favorite), wheat germ, mineral oil, etc. can help prevent breakage.

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34 Responses to “Six Tips for Locking in Moisture”

Sandra 18 September 2011 at 4:36 am Permalink

Hello,
I will like to know after the apple cider vinegar wash or half a teaspoon of baking soda mixed in the conditionner,I have to rince it again or I could leave it?

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- Annie L. 18 September 2011 at 8:50 am Permalink
  
  I leave rinses like ACV in without following it up/rinsing out with water and have had a lot of success, no odor etc. No advice on baking soda, the last time I used it (while permed) my hair fell out in my hands.
  
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Stephanie 18 September 2011 at 6:52 am Permalink

I really think the quote under protective styling should be reworded. Who is going to get twists or braids (either natural or with extensions) done for 4 hours, only to take them down “daily to spritz/moisturize and seal”?

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- Black Girl With Long Hair 18 September 2011 at 9:57 am Permalink
  
  I see what you’re saying. I re-worded it :)
  
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Afroholic 18 September 2011 at 7:02 am Permalink

Thanks for the tips, my hair tend to be dry especially since it’s color. I tried Castor oil to lock in moisture and it works wonderfully, I put it in my hair regimen along with Olive oil (for my pre-poo), Rose hip oil and Jojoba oil. I had used apple cider vinegar when my hair were shorter and I’m thinking about going back to use it as a clarifying. My brother uses baking soda for his hair, I thought about trying but then I read an article saying than baking soda wasn’t close to our hair acidic ph nor neutral ph, our hair being ph 4 and baking soda ph 9, it then would tend to dry out our hair or alter our natural texture like other alkaline substances (texturizer, relaxer…) would do. I don’t know if it’s completely true as I haven’t experienced nor used baking soda before but it put me off trying..anyone tried? what were the results? Like I said m brother uses it and he seems to like the result but again he wears his hair short and I have to admit his hair do look texturized.

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Brendita 18 September 2011 at 7:20 am Permalink

@Stephanie: The advice is to take down or untuck braids or twists and moisturize the ends, not to un-braid or un-twist your hair. For example, if you have box braids and you’re wearing them gathered in a bun, you would undo the bun and moisturize the ends.

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LBell 18 September 2011 at 8:51 am Permalink

The clarifying step is a really important one. I see this mistake made by rookies all the time: They load up their hair with all this stuff trying to make it soft only to find that their hair is still crunchy and dry. Too much product can be as bad as too little.

Now that said…sometimes heavy oils can be TOO heavy. If your hair still feels crunchy, and the oil seems to be sliding off instead of penetrating, try using a lighter oil. Conversely, if you apply an oil and it doesn’t seem like it did anything — like the hair drunk it up — then it may be too light. I believe in using the lightest oil that will do the trick. At my current length, that’s olive oil…but for some people that might be too heavy; for others, too light.

Everybody’s hair is different; some experimentation is required. I’ve been natural for a long time so I can usually figure out what’s wrong with my own hair moisture-wise. I’ve tried to explain it above but words only do so much…

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Zyaran 18 September 2011 at 10:35 am Permalink

Naptural85 has a video on
DIY Homemade Natural Shine Enhancing, Moisturizing Deep Conditioner | Detangling Cream Greek Yogurt that might be good to try as well.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p2O33-d154&feature=channel_video_title

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TINA SMITH 18 September 2011 at 10:55 am Permalink

what if you have a twa? like me what are you suppose to do for the winter time. please don’t suggest any type of fake hair because i don’t wear it.

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- Auset 18 September 2011 at 12:55 pm Permalink
  
  Good point. I feel so many articles seem to not take into account TWAs. When I cut my locs, I felt most hair advice did not apply to me, such as protective styling.
  
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- Annie L. 18 September 2011 at 2:12 pm Permalink
  
  I did coils/coil-outs and 2-strand twists/twist-outs when I cut down to 1 inch (stretched), it worked great for me.
  
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  - TINA SMITH 18 September 2011 at 7:13 pm Permalink
    
    thanks!!
    
    Reply
- Lyn 18 September 2011 at 10:56 pm Permalink
  
  I have a TWA (6-7″ of hair, shrunken). I do most of the steps mentioned. I moisturize my hair with a leave-in (after I rinse with cool water), seal with an oil (currently using castor oil) and then I keep my hair braided in plaits. Most of the time when I go out, I will wear a turban or a hat, because of the braids. So I wouldn’t know a protective style to wear besides extensions or wigs. Sorry!
  
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June 18 September 2011 at 3:23 pm Permalink

I am still struggling to understand how twists that take 5+ hours is considered a low manipulation style while wash-and-gos that takes 15 minutes a day (total for 7 days – ~2 hours) is considered a high manipulation style.

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- Melissa 18 September 2011 at 5:29 pm Permalink
  
  Hello June,
  
  I think once your hair is braided or twisted, you can leave the hair alone and just moisterize when needed. I know initially, it takes a a few hours to do but then you just focus on moisterizing your hair. I never tried a wash and go because IMO, my hair texture would get tangled and I do not want detangle my hair again.
  
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- mangomadness 18 September 2011 at 6:05 pm Permalink
  
  I think that twists can be considered high manipulation because of the method of putting them in and taking them down. What would make them protective is the fact that ou can keep them in for a long period of time.
  
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- Tanya 18 September 2011 at 7:23 pm Permalink
  
  Hi, June! I wear twist almost exclusively. There are several reasons they’re low manipulation. Once they’re done, you don’t have to manipulate (with styling)the hair again for at least a week or more. I wear mine for several weeks, and wash my hair with them in as well. Twisting may take a while, but the entire head of hair is not being manipulated during that time. Each twist is contacted for a very short period of time. With wash and go’s, all of the hair is being touched, pulled, scrunched (or whatever different method is preferred) to achieve the desired look, and that on a daily basis. My twists may go up on a bun and get tucked and stay that way for a couple of days, or may just hang loose, but do not need to be heavily worked in order to style. Hope that helps. :-)
  
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- Jc 19 September 2011 at 10:12 am Permalink
  
  Wash and gos do not go well with my hair (fine, 4abcxyz, very kinky, 12 inches).
  
  The reason why twists/braids are low manipulation is that they prevent hair from tangling. If you are doing a daily wash and go, you will be tangling and detangling your hair daily. If you wear twists or braids, you only tangle and detangle at the take down and rebraid stage.
  
  So for example if you are doing a daily wash and go, you have at least 7 tangling and detangling events in that week. If you are twisting you have only one in that week.
  
  Manipulation is not about time but rather about how whether or not you have to handle your hair and if that handling can cause breakage.
  
  People with loose curls and less kinky hair however can get away with more because their hair is unlikely to seriouly knot up or break in the same way tight curls and kinky hair can.
  
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  - June 20 September 2011 at 12:24 pm Permalink
    
    Oops! I guess I have been doing it wrong because I only detangle once a week. I smooth my conditioners onto my hair during the week and rarely use stylers because I hate crunch.
    
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Egyirba 18 September 2011 at 5:50 pm Permalink

She mentions using a commercial grade preservative for the Daily Spritz. Can someone recommend one and where to purchase it?

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- Tanya 18 September 2011 at 7:23 pm Permalink
  
  Vitamin E oil could work.
  
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  - Egyirba 21 September 2011 at 6:00 pm Permalink
    
    Thanks, Tanya. I suppose it could work as a more natural preservative. But I’m wondering about the commercial grade stuff that would work, too.
    
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Chari 18 September 2011 at 10:29 pm Permalink

Great suggestions! When I added aloe vera juice to my water/oil mixture…it made my oil become more solid! Lol, probably because it is cold. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

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Stephanie 19 September 2011 at 11:39 pm Permalink

Isn’t putting baking soda in your hair bad according to kimmaytube, it changes the pH balance of the hair and it is also too abrasive.

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Shay 21 September 2011 at 11:11 am Permalink

my moisture routine and i also do my hair in this order. apply my oil mix (castor oil, shea butter, grapeseep oil & coconut oil)and my conditioner (i use eluecence moisturizing conditioner). Cover with plastic cap for 45 minutues or so. Rinse and proceed with my co-washing (using herbal essence hello hydration). after co-washing i apply a leave in conditioner mixed with coconut oil. This really helps with detangling. after applying the leave in mix i proceed to two strand twist my hair using eco styler gel w/ olive oil and Afroveda curl & define.
i’ve found that the key to moisture for my hair is LOTS of conditioner and oils.

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Shay 21 September 2011 at 11:14 am Permalink

i also enjoyed using the Oyin handmade Greg’s juce mixed with a little grapseed oil. i would use this as a refresher for my twist.

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Dove 24 September 2011 at 4:33 am Permalink

How about just leaving your hair alone. Maybe we are naturally supposed have dry hair? Not a big greasy Afro with a bag over it!

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- M 28 November 2011 at 11:49 pm Permalink
  
  Well, damn. Lol.
  
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- Eboni 9 February 2012 at 7:12 pm Permalink
  
  lol I’ve come to that realization too. Afro-textured hair is naturally dry and will always be that way, but there are ways to increase moisture retension (ACV rinses, protective styling, etc).
  
  Sometimes leaving your hair alone is the best thing, lol.
  
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Wonlia 27 December 2011 at 3:11 pm Permalink

I wish you had more style icons and tips for people with different types of mixed/biracial hair. My friend and I love this website and all of the beautiful hairstyles but find the advice and practicality of the majority of the hairstyles not very useful. We’re black girls too :-)

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hairscapades 27 December 2011 at 8:16 pm Permalink

I find that the cool and seal deep conditioning technique that I picked up from Ouidad (link below) seems to be very helpful in helping my hair retain moisture without weighing down my fine strands. I often only need to remoisturize once or twice during the week if I’m wearing my hair in protective styles.

Shelli

http://hairscapades.com/2011/08/31/deep-conditioning-tricks-cool-seal/

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danni 28 December 2011 at 2:07 am Permalink

okay, so i have something shocking to tell you guys. Yesterday, I had just retwisted my hair after a failed attempt to lock (only able to stick in for 8 weeks).Mind you, when you are in the baby lock stage.. theres no DCing or leave ins. Maybe a a daily water spritz. But theres mostly shampooing and a little oil. For the first month, I couldn’t even wash my hair. For the next four weeks , I shampooed (w/ any shampoo including sulfates) and added coconut oil every two weeks. You would think after this taking my hair out would result in alot of breakage. Well actually, my hair retained more than ever. I gained about an inch-inch and a half. Alot of shed hair came out, and a few broken pieces but nothing that was severe and that was only because I didnt put in a lubricant i when I was taking them down.

So it makes me wonder, is all of this necessary.. by leaving my hair in twists for 9 weeks w/o average moisture (I have 4b hair with specks of 4a) and I retained more than I did when I was putting in extra steps (DCing, Leave ins, Protein), is no manipulation and a dusting all it took for me to have great lengths?.. Even though Im not locing my hair right now , Im going to try this as an experiment for the next two months again.I will post the results if anyone is interested.

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- Eboni 9 February 2012 at 7:19 pm Permalink
  
  Great story :) I love it when we discover something awesome about our hair.
  
  I actually experienced the same thing when I tried to loc my hair last August. I didn’t do anything but oil my hair & spritz with water every couple days. Then when I took them down 1 month later, my hair was SUPER moisturized, lol.
  
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Jay 10 February 2012 at 3:13 am Permalink

Hiiii! :( i need your help! Do you think it is safe to use “Olive Oil Creamy Aloe Shampoo” (Organic Root Stimulator brand) while transitioning?? I’ve been using SheaMoisture line of shampoos but is wondering whether or not my scalp needs clarifying from time to time. Thanks in advance!! #subscriber

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