From what I have learned from this forum, you apply a moisturizer (I use a water based moisturizer e.g. leave-in conditioner or olive oil cream) and then you apply an oil to seal the moisture into your hair (I use castor oil or coconut oil to seal). If you don't seal in the moisturizer that you applied to your hair, it will dry out very quickly, leaving your hair dry and brittle. HTH.