Saturday, August 18, 2012

Moisturized

How does moisturized natural hair look and feel? 

After reading a few questions posted on Natural Beauties I wanted to give advice, but pulled back. I can only speak on what has worked for me for nearly ten years. My hair is moisturized by rinsing it with water and applying a leave-in moisturizing conditioner.  Come cooler months I will add a little jojoba oil.

How does it feel?
When I rub my hand over my head, it feels clean, soft, sort of like puddle fur.  My hand is not wet or coated with butter, oil, or other products.  When I look at the lists of products that people use along with their regimens, I can't help but wonder how their hair feels.  Is her hair damp all the time?  Is her hair greasy?  Are her oily finger prints on everything.

How does it look?
Mine looks fine.  Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.  There are nice coils some looser some tighter. A little frizz can be found.  A few pieces stick up out of place.  It has a little sheen, shine, and dullness throughout.  

Too much moisture?
Now when my hair has been slathered with products, there's no frizz, most curls are perfect, and it shines. But it feels heavy, greasy, and never fully dry to the touch.  If I ran my hand over my head, I would have to wash them.  I always give products the skin test.  If it feel slimy, sticky, greasy, and doesn't readily absorb then I will not use it on my hair.

What's the goal of moisturizer?
I thought it was to add water back into the hair and keeping it there.  Hair over the course of a day dries.  That doesn't necessarily mean that it is DRY.  My hair from wet to dry shrinks, the coils get tighter, it gets a little frizzy too.  I'm fine with that.  Other people aren't.  They want that wet look all the time and hide behind the word moisturized.  If the hair is growing and isn't breaking, then why keep fighting it with the idea that it's supposed to be shiny and not shrink or frizz.  After all it's natural hair, that's what it does.


5 comments:

Unknown said...

This blog was very helpful, and it was a huge eye-opener.Thank you for the information. What kind of leave-in conditioner works best for you?

Carmennc said...

Hey Nikki! Thank you for reading! You know I wrote a post about it, lol. I rotate between Jamaican Mango Lime Cactus leave-in conditioner and Fructis Garnier Sleek & Shine leave-in conditioner. I don't no-poo because my hair is so short. When it was long, I used a variety of conditioners along with a leave-in. In winter months I would oil my scalp with jojoba sometimes mixed with rosemary and peppermint essential oils.

Unknown said...

I have to admit, mine is growing. I wish I knew more about how to maintain it myself between appointments with the stylist I see. I like my hair to feel and look clean, not greasy and weighed-down. I'll begin my research into leave-in conditioners and I'll research the best place to buy the jojoba and essential oils.

Carmennc said...

Nikki, since you have a stylist, ask her/him what they suggest for your hair. If your hair is dry and you don't want to go through wetting it all the way, then try a water spritz. Some people add eos, glycerin, or steep rosemary leaves. A good one if you want to buy it straight out is Oyin's Juices & Berries.

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