When it comes to hair and water, I have touted that the two go together like fried chicken and french fries. I believe I have even wrote that water alone, with a sealant can be enough to moisturize dry hair. I have found that this may not be true.

"........water is not a moisturiser at least not on its own. Take a moment to digest that statement, I am not saying water is useless, I am saying though that it may not be as useful in plain form. I have looked at multiple studies of moisturisation of skin and hair, it is clear that both will take up water but both will also lose water." From: The Natural Hair Haven Please read the article she wrote, very informative.

What I learned about hair and water and waters effectiveness as a moisturizer when used alone, is that water used alone has no benefit to the hair.

Why is this?

As stated in the article mentioned, hair does absorb water but, it also loses water was well. Hair cannot and will hold on to water. When you spray your hair with water, your hair will get rid of any excess water. Eventually over time, your hair will get rid of all of the water and thus become dry.

This may be why for some, spray in leave ins- which are mainly water, leave the hair dry after a  few hours. How do you remedy this problem and still provide your hair with lasting moisture? Remember, water still is a great moisturizer, when used under a sealant.

• Make sure you are not using water alone. Water sealed with shea butter or another oil is not enough to keep your hair moisturized for days on end but, it will help your hair retain some of the water longer.

"Our hair naturally trades moisture with the air to establish an "equilibrium" moisture balance with the surroundings. One study investigated the absorption and release of moisture on various hair samples treated with oils and compared the samples to non-oil treated ones. Researchers corroborated the fact that oils lower of the diffusion coefficient of water vapor and slow the loss of moisture of moisture from the hair." Taken from: The Importance of Working With Oils as Sealants

• "Oil seals are not permanent, neither are they 100% impenetrable" (taken from above article)

What does this mean for your hair? You may have to spritz your hair daily or even multiple times a day to keep a healthy moisture balance. Thus,why some naturals complain that by the end of the day their curls are back dry and thirsty.

Make sure your moisturizers have great conditioning and moisturizing ingredients. 

"Replenishing moisture is also a primary goal of hair conditioner. This is accomplished from a variety of ingredients, from water to oils. On most conditioners, the first ingredient listed is water. This is because it is the main ingredient in the conditioner. Panthenol and glycerin help bind water to the hair. The next ingredient is usually oil. The best oils for moisture replenishment are lanolin, olive, honey, various seed and fruits. Butters are also used in thicker conditioners for intense moisture." Taken from: Hair Care Ingredients- Conditioner  

 Remember not all oils are moisturizing and not all oils make great sealants so do your research!

So, what do you use to moisturize and seal? How often do you have to moisturize your hair to keep it moisturized? 

 

 

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I can't count how many times I have heard this in regards to natural haircare (natural products, not "natural" hair), health, food, etc. People always have an excuse why they can't do something that they know they need to do. Always. (including me)

You know what I have learned? There is always a way. Always!

I'll take it section by section.

Natural Haircare:

If you buy from WAHMs the prices for conditioners, leave-ins and styling cremes can range from $8-20. For me, I make a budget and stay in it, I don't look at things outside of my budget. For example, I have set in my mind that I am not going to pay more than $8 for a conditioner. I don't care how great it is or what plant's super powers are in it, I am not buying it. All of the products I use on my hair are natural and none are expensive.

Making things yourself also saves you lots of money. Check your health food stores out and see what they have, also check vitamin stores for oils, teas and extracts.

Remember you don't NEED everything, keep it simple. You need to clean, moisturize and seal your hair, that's it. Shampoo, conditioner, leave in conditioner, and sealant.

Skincare:
This has a lot to do with what you put INTO your body. Want better looking skin? Drink more water. A lot of skin problems come from a backed up colon and not properly flushing out toxins. You can't eat junk all day and expect to have glowing skin. Nothing wrong with make-up but, some sunlight and water can help get rid of dark spots and prevent wrinkles.

I am not a fan of a lot of make-up. I like eyeshadow and lip gloss but, I don't like foundation, blush, concealer and all that. To me, make-up is suppose to accentuate not make your features...but that's me.

I am on the outside looking though because I have never had skin problems and when my skin does look "blah" it's because I need to drink more water and get more rest.

Skincare is the same as haircare; clean it, moisturize it and seal in the moisture. If you're taking care of your skin, you won't need 50-11 different lotions and pomades...you could wash your face and go.

Healthy eating:

I don't go overboard with this, at all. Some people make eating a burden and I believe food is meant to be enjoyed. I don't count calories and eat only nuts. Nope, I enjoy cake, cookies, chips, sugar, flour, rice, pasta, ALL THAT delicious stuff. What I don't eat is; pork, seafood outside of fish (fins and scales, anyone?), grocery store milk (hormones and mad cow disease anyone?) and a few other things.

A lot of things are great in moderation and cooking food from scratch is one the key factors to staying healthy.

You also have to stay active, get out and exercise, drink water and get sunlight!

Just balance it out, you have to eat fruits, vegetables, and fiber (things that make you poop). Get what's withn your budget, if you can't get veggies from Whole Foods, try the fresh market or Wal-Mart, something is better than nothing.

So don't stress yourself out trying to buy ALL organic and "healthy", do what you can and make sure you're eating a balanced diet.

Also, Fast Food is the devils spawn...seriously. That stuff will have you fat as a cow and the withdrawals from it are like crack.

Well that's all for now. I plan to do a post about birth soon and wrap up some reviews...

There is a lot of debate about which oils actually do penetrate the hair shaft, if any at all do. So, I did a little digging (and I do mean a little b/c this info was easy to find) and found the answer:

Coconut Oil- penetrates the hair shaft
Jojoba oil- does not penetrate and may/may not have any actual benefit to the hair itself besides being superficial.
Olive Oil- penetrates the hair shaft
Avocado Oil- penetrates the hair shaft
Meadow foam oil- partially penetrates
Sunflower oils- don't penetrate at all

Site where I got this info: The Beauty Brains

So, when looking for a moisturizer you may want to make sure that the oils that are at the top of the list (the ones most abundant in the product) are actually penetrating your hair. Remember, water is the best moisturizer, so if you are looking for moisture make sure water is at the top of the list.

Make sure to do your research and don't just go off of articles like this. Look and find out for yourself why something may or may not work for you. Be an educated consumer. :)