Soft hair when wet but stiff and dull when dry? Help!

[tgrowe]

My hair is soft when I wash it and while it's wet. But once that baby dries, it's stiff, lifeless, and dull-looking, and I am at my wits end. I want soft, silky hair (you know, like some of you ladies hair in your siggy and avatar pics.)

So my question is, if you had this problem in the past, what did you do to resolve it? Could it be a moisture problem ( I have noticed that my hair shafts are not smooth like I think they should be)? Could it be protein imbalance? Or do I just need some glosser, give my regimen some time, and stop trippin?
I use:
CON (green label)
DC with Pantene R&N Deep Condish Mask (mixed with shea butter, jojoba and cococut oils)
Sometimes do ACV rinses
Leave-ins: Chi Silk Infusion, Silken Child Moisturizer
For daily moisturizer I usually apply the silken child or UBH moisturizer

Help! Feel free to direct me to previous threads concerning this issue.

 

[Galadriel]

When my hair has felt that way, I would seal with Castor Oil after washing/co-washing and moisturizing. This has helped a lot during the winter.

Also, pre-pooing with EVOO is good as well.

HTH!

 

[sqzbly1908]

Hi Friend - sounds like you may need some Porosity Control and/or a moisturizing protein condish (spraringly) like Nexxus Keraphix, Aphogee 2 minute or ORS replenishing (just to name a few) ...Use the Porosity Control before conditioning...

 

[tgrowe]

Hey Soror! I used the Aphogee 2 min condish last week and had to moisturize like crazy afterwards because it did make my hair stronger and stopped some of the shedding and breakage I am having. Do I need to keep doing this weekly?
Also the porosity control. Have read a some about this on the board. How often do I do this? Can I get it from Sally's?

 

[tgrowe]

Bumping for more answers.....

 

[vkb247]

I have this problem when I use cones. That is why I don't use them. Have you tried eliminating the cones?

If you don't want to do that maybe you can just try clarifying to get rid of build up.

 

[silkii_locks]

Hi, cosigning with the previous posters. I would def try clarifying with something like nexxus aloe rid and then porosity control and deep condition with moisturing condish. Also I would try eliminating some of the add in's your conditioner. I've found that I get my softess, silkiest styles when I use less product. Also when using a shampoo like CON it's a good idea to clarify atleat every 3rd wash or so. And all these products can be found at sally's. Hope this helps.

 

[tgrowe]

Thanks for the tip. I forgot to add that I did clarify yesterday with Pantene Clarifying Poo before I used the CON. My hair has always dried like that. I have never used the Porosity Control and am thinking about adding that to see if it will make a difference.

 

[tgrowe]

I have this problem when I use cones. That is why I don't use them. Have you tried eliminating the cones?

If you don't want to do that maybe you can just try clarifying to get rid of build up.

What products do you used that don't contain cones? I have been on an elimination quest concerning my dd's natural hair but haven't done so for mine.

 

[LaidBak]

That exact thing happened to me when I started using protein rich growth aids. Soft when wet, stiff and brittle when dry. I was blown! I had to lay off of them and DC a lot to regain moisture. It took about ten days to get back to normal.

 

[Dymondz7]

I have this problem when I use cones. That is why I don't use them. Have you tried eliminating the cones?

If you don't want to do that maybe you can just try clarifying to get rid of build up.

I was going to post these exact comments. It took me two years to figure out cones were sucking the life outta my hair. I'm natural, now the only time I use cones is when I straighten/flat iron my hair, which isn't very often.

I was amazed at the texture of my natural dried hair once I removed cones (and oils) from the products I use. Removing them made a world of differnce for my hair.

 

[suburbanbushbabe]

Sounds like silicone build-up or other build-up. One wash with a sodium laureth sulfate shampoo, a deep conditioner, then using products without mineral oils or silicones should keep the build up away in the future.

 

[vnaps]

rollersetting then sitting under the dryer will also help...it will make your hair look glossy...

i air dry and have the same problem...am also going to get prorosity control condish/poo

 

[Sweetyb]

When I had this problem, I wasn't washing with the right shampoos/conditioners, nor was I using the right moisturizers. Not only do I use moisturizing shampoos but I try to deep condition after every wash if possible. This way, moisture penetrates my strands leaving my hair soft when it dries. But before my hair dries, I rub a moisturizing leave in through my hair (a semi-thick and creamy moisturizer) and sometimes follow it with a light oil like Jojoba. My hair doesn't feel harsh once it dries.

Also, from my experience, my hair has felt that way when it wasn't in the best condition. When I used to use my flat iron every day, it did some serious damage to my hair to the point where no matter how much I conditioned my hair it would remain dry. I was left no other option but to be patient and wait for healthy regrowth to come in.

 

[tgrowe]

So I have seen "stop using cones" several times in this thread. What "cone-less" products do you guys use for condish, leave-ins, and moisturizers?

 

[Dymondz7]

So I have seen "stop using cones" several times in this thread. What "cone-less" products do you guys use for condish, leave-ins, and moisturizers?

Hi again Tgrowe Below are a couple of links to no cone product lists. You could also do a web search to find other no cone products. It's unfortunate the search feature isn't working here on LHCF because there are also great lists on here as well.

Removing cones from my hair have made a world of difference, it's worth a try to see if that could be the culprit for you as well. HTH

http://healthycurls.awardspace.com/free.html

http://healthycurls.awardspace.com/cone-free.html

http://ladylonghair.googlepages.com/'cone-freeconditioners

 

[lollyoo]

I have to co-sign with others, elimate cones. Use a chelating shampoo, ORS aloe shampoo is a cheap good one, clarifying shampoo will not work as well as a chelating shampoo.

 

[sareca]

Do you have hard water? You can get a water test kit from any place that sells aquarium fish.

 

[Eclass215]

When my hair felt like that I started using the ORS replenishing pak as a DC. That gave me the soft feeling while it was wet and after it was dry.

^^^^My 2 cents.

 

[vkb247]

Thanks Dymondz...I'm a little late getting back to this thread.

FYI ladies: you can easily search the site using google by typing in any search term (cone free) and then writing site:longhaircareforum.com (or any other site you want to search). This works better than the majority of website's search function.

For example: I put this in the google search box

cone free site:longhaircareforum.com

and these are the search results

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=cone+free+site:longhaircareforum.com&aq=f&oq=

OP: Here is another thread I think will help

Cone free conditioners
http://longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=196051

 

[vkb247]

OT:

Sareca! Long time no see! I love your hoop dancing and I heart yor hair. Nice to see you again.

 

[GrowinLonger]

Haven't read all the prior posts, but it may be the cones in CHI that's preventing your hair from being properly moisturized. Try to clarify your hair and then do what you normally do without the silicone products.

btw- I've had this problem myself.

 

[Dymondz7]

When my hair felt like that I started using the ORS replenishing pak as a DC. That gave me the soft feeling while it was wet and after it was dry.

^^^^My 2 cents.

I had this same problem with ORS replensishing pack. It was actually that product that help me discover my hair's aversion to cones. Of course it wasn't until the large bottle (that I just had to have) was about 75% finished that I discovered why i wasn't experiencing the same bouncing and behaving hair like the other ladies raved about with ORS RP. That experience also cured me of jumping on bandwagons

 

[chokolate miss]

i noticed recently that my hair really does not like oils. i stopped adding them to my DC and i have seen a major difference. i cannot pre-poo with them, seal, or anything.

you also may need a nice leave-in conditioner.

 

[tgrowe]

Thanks for all the replys/suggestions/advice ladies. I lurve my Pantene R&N Deep Condish but it wasn't moisturizing enough for me. So I added shea butter to it for extra moisture and it worked like a charm. Well I ended adding oils to that mixture as well, in trying to do a hot oil treatment and a deep condish in one. When I did it separate it worked great. So maybe it is the oils that is making my hair heavy and weighed down. I clarified but I still used the deep condish mix and got the same results. So...
I also will look into the cone-less products to see if it makes a difference in my hair. Once again thanks.

 

[tgrowe]

I have to co-sign with others, elimate cones. Use a chelating shampoo, ORS aloe shampoo is a cheap good one, clarifying shampoo will not work as well as a chelating shampoo.

Ooh thank you. I have some of that as well.

Sereca,
I remember when I first moved to my city when I first started college (man over 13 years ago) the water here did some DAM-AGE to my hair. My hair actually broke off due to the water being hard. It has either become a little better over the years or my hair is just kind of used to it. Thought about this contributing to my issues but never entertained the thought. Do I just need to place a filter on my faucet to help combat this?

 

[Muse]

Lacio Lacio is a leave in that softens my hair up whether I apply it to wet or dry hair. My hair use to be the same way before this stuff. I also agree with some of the other ladies, too many products piled on one after another can reek havok on your hair. The more I cut out the better my hair felt.

 

[PGirl]

2 words...Castor oil

okay 4 more words....Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1

Sounds like a moisture problem to me and these work wonders for me...

 

[lovleelilie]

That sounds like a porosity issue. Does your hair take a very long time to dry? If so, then it's definately a porosity issue. Look up Sista Slick and her articles about Porosity. That should lead you in exactly the right direction. I fixed that issue after reading her article and then using the Roux Porosity Control Conditioner (for ONLY like 30 - 60 seconds.)