Rethinking Water

[alive]

I'm rethinking this whole theory that "water is moisture" (especially for type 4 hair). I've been hearing alot of people say this lately but I'm starting to wonder whether it's just one of those things that "everybody knows is true"

Just a few years ago, everybody knew that black women couldn't grow long hair. everybody knew that grease was a must. Everybody knew that you must not wash black hair too frequently.

Historically speaking, when "everybody knows" something about our hair it usually turns out to be bull puckey. On top of that, i've noticed that spritzing my hair with water (not just regular water, mind you -- filtered water) does not do squat for my hair.

Why This "Water is Moisture" Theory Might be Stupid
The idea behind this theory is that or hair doesn't produce enough sebum to keep it soft and moisturized. So we apply water to our hair to do what the sebum is failing to achieve. Here's the problem -- sebum does not have any water in it. So how can water (sealed with oil) do the job of sebum? Shouldn't we be looking for something that mimics sebum? Say, oils like jojoba or coconut oil?

The Other Reason Why it Might be Stupid
According to Wikipedia (the most reliable source of information on the internet ), black hair generally HOLDS less water than other hair types (hence, the tendency toward dryness). The problem is, if the actual strand can only HOLD a certain amount of water, what's the point of daily spritzing over the long term? If the hair isn't holding water (to the point that you have to add water every single day) then the problem isn't moisture, it's porosity -- and that's easy to fix.

Where I'm At
I'm not sure why I felt the need to break this down into sub-headers as if i'm writing a research paper Anyway, the bottom line for me is that spritzing and sealing just seems like another old wives tale that has little basis in actual science and doesn't have lasting results. Does it work for some people? Yes. But for those of us that have tried it with little luck -- you might want to do your own research and rethink water


What's your take on this?

 

[Foxglove]

You need to seal the moisture from the water/spritz in with oil/butter or else you'll just end up with dry hair

 

[EssenceOfBeauty]

I personally believe sebum is supposed to act like a oil i.e coating the hair strand to keep any moisture applied in the hair strand.

In my experience, my tightly kinked hair is very dry if I spritz on water without sealing it in with oil or if I just add oils exclusively in between washes. My hair is best moisturised with a spritz of water and some sealing of an oil. My retention increased once I did this faithfully.

Nonie...any thoughts?

 

[Amarilles]

It's not that black hair doesn't produce enough sebum. Curly heads produce sebum like any other (unless one has a dry scalp which could be anyone) but the sebum has a hard time going down the strand, because the hair isn't straight, so it doesn't follow the bends and kinks as easily. It's why we apply oils (sealants - things with no water) not moisture. No one is applying water to replace sebum.

ALL hair has a limit on the amount of water it can hold...when the hair holds too much, it breaks (hygral fatigue). Curly hair is more susceptible to that because of shrinkage, and how water can pull it down so much (as opposed to straight hair, which is already down) and just the cycle of the down/up can make the hair weak over time.

Water is the only thing that moistens, that wets and hydrates, nothing else does. If you're thirsty and feeling very dry, water is the only thing that will replenish. Not juice, not soda...it's the exact same concept.

 

[virtuenow]

The Other Reason Why it Might be Stupid
According to Wikipedia (the most reliable source of information on the internet ), black hair generally HOLDS less water than other hair types (hence, the tendency toward dryness). The problem is, if the actual strand can only HOLD a certain amount of water, what's the point of daily spritzing over the long term? If the hair isn't holding water (to the point that you have to add water every single day) then the problem isn't moisture, it's porosity -- and that's easy to fix.

Porosity is the most important factor you mentioned here. W/o the proper structure to hold moisture, hair would have little reaction to water and other moisturizers as applied. This is why your hair has no reaction to water. It's also the reason why in all my early posts you can see thread after thread where I say my hair hates water; my hair feels at its worst when water is on it, etc. I would never buy into the idea that water moisturizes b/c it felt like water sucked my hair dry.

Now I know It's b/c my hair lacked structure i.e. the porosity to hold on to the water. Now that I use a regular restructuring DC (AO Gpb) and monthly protein treatment, my strands are strong enough to hold water and I use a leave in lotion; then jojoba hemp oil to seal in that moisture-- I can now say my hair loves water moisture! The Reconstructor and Protein treatments help the hair to hold more water instantly quashing your Wikipedia theory that black hair holds less water (I disagree, my hair gets heavy w/water moisture).

It took years to learn how to get my hair to accept water moisture. It sounds like your hair is still rejecting it. Also, a water spritz may not be strong enough for you; a lot of times I use a spritz packed w/nutrients (like Komaza Calfia Moisture Spray).

 

[faithVA]

Let me know what you find out OP. Unless its a bucket full my hair doesn't care for water. Sealing, no sealing, DC or no DC Protein or no protein. Now my scalp loves water, but my hair is not a fan.

But I hope you find something that works for you.

 

[MsDee14]

Water alone doesn't do much for me even if I seal after. I have to mix it with either Aloe Vera Juice or Rose Oil.

 

[yorkpatties]

Personally, spritzing my hair doesn't do jack either. Now, cowashing regularly and just straight up rinsing my hair in the shower do a whole lot though. I've never seen such thickness and length retention until I began adding water (along with finding the right cream and oil) to my regimen. Results vary. Good luck with your journey.

 

[koolkittychick]

I found for me straight water didn't do much for me, even with a sealer, but the right water-based cream moisturizer paired with a light sealing oil on just damp hair is the magic combination for me. My hair dries soft and supple, and will stay that way until the next wash (I wash once a week) provided I follow up midweek (more often if I wear it out) with a light application of moisturizer and sealer. Just try different combinations of water, moisturizer and oils to see what works for you, I'm sure there's one that will do the trick.

 

[McQuay30]

Interesting, bumping for more input.

 

[Vintagecoilylocks]

ALL hair has a limit on the amount of water it can hold...when the hair holds too much, it breaks (hygral fatigue). Curly hair is more susceptible to that because of shrinkage, and how water can pull it down so much (as opposed to straight hair, which is already down) and just the cycle of the down/up can make the hair weak over time..

This is an interesting concept you present. I currently keep my hair "pulled down" as you say. No extreme up down any more and my hair has improved. I wonder if your concept has anything to do with that. I was worried I may be causing damage not letting my hair "go up" or shrink. I will have to really think on this. Thanks

 

[JaneBond007]

There's a stylist saying that sealing in moisture causes dry rot to the hair over time. I believe he's talking about the "sealing method" and not the mixture of oil/moisturizing conditioner. It probably does matter which combination of the two people are using to cause dry rot. Interesting enough, nothing strenthens my strands more than Dabur Amla Gold on dry hair, or infusing hair with an entire bottle of coconut oil, making it feel pliable and moisturized with "water" in the morning. Hair needs oil. Skin needs oil. But for some people, applying too much water-based product causes the hair to dry out faster and hence, the need to constantly reapply it.

 

[Amarilles]

Ladies whose hair dislikes water....how does the hair feel when directly under the shower? Because that's pretty much the epitome of moisture but as soon as we stop the water and it begins to dry, it makes sense that our hair would react differently to the hair drying. Mine is usually fine but it often depends on what I had used on the hair beforehand.

Vintagecoilylocks All that ties into elasticity basically. But I personally don't think it's a coincidence, especially with tighter curls thriving when kept stretched while washing it. I'll always wash my hair in loose braids because it shrinks less this way.

 

[Nonie]

I personally believe sebum is supposed to act like a oil i.e coating the hair strand to keep any moisture applied in the hair strand.

In my experience, my tightly kinked hair is very dry if I spritz on water without sealing it in with oil or if I just add oils exclusively in between washes. My hair is best moisturised with a spritz of water and some sealing of an oil. My retention increased once I did this faithfully.

Nonie...any thoughts?

Yeah, yeah, yeah just put me on the spot... Some friend you are!

OK I'll go OT a bit. This is what I have found about my skin. It loves many splashes with water when I am washing it but hates for water to be left sitting on it. So I no longer use water-based lotions. I found them to look good on application but they would later leave me with dry, lined skin. I stopped using them and did the oil cleansing method or just plain water washes, making sure to dry myself fully. And in time, my combination dry skin became normal/oily. It was like when I stopped applying lotion, I allowed my sebaceous glands to freely produce sebum and now my skin looks better.

Now about my hair, as many of you know, I live in twists and do not use any leave-in products. The downside to this is my hair is not protected by a balm of sorts. But the plus side is my hair is always soft. Baggying encourages sebum production and its spread to every inch of my hair since the heat of the cap causes evaporation and the vapor gets trapped and condenses back onto my hair. I believe the internal strand moisture also gets recycled since my hair smells like the last conditioner I used after baggying.

Now as some of you may also know, since May 2012, I have become very "meh" about my hair. I don't baggy or tie anything on my head before bed or under hats. I did try to keep up with the twice a week washes even w/o the bagging and I trim religiously. Not baggying has me stuck at the same length and I am sure I know why: friction with bed sheets/pillow, hats/headwraps. This month I have let my laziness go through the roof. I have not been washing my hair as frequently as before, and my hair feels very soft and has the moisturized feel as if I have been baggying. I haven't.

That said, oils make my hair hard. But I haven't tried all. I have tried jojoba oil and it didn't seem to do anything to my hair. I may have tried it on wet hair, I don't remember. I have tried Castor oil on damp hair and preferred bare hair. EVOO made my hair hard. I think I used it too over damp hair. The only thing used over damp hair that retains it in its soft state is a cone serum. Methinks the reason for this difference is oils over water just like water-based lotions on skin release the water to the air and leave hair dry. Water moves from places where it is plentiful to where there is less of it, so I wonder whether when the product on hair loses moisture, it doesn't cause whatever is in strands to move out into it to create a balance (osmosis) and in that way, hair gets hard?

I honestly don't know the answer but daily cowashing while it feels good on the hair has always struck me as perhaps not being good for hair and wasteful. I do spritz my hair with an ACV solution if I want twists to hang down and let them airdry.Granted I don't seal but I think my strands feel drier when they dry from that than they do if I spritz then towel dry then style or baggy.

Methinks leaving water on your hair leads to evaporation and drier strands. Washing allows your hair to absorb what it needs. Perhaps applying an oil to dry hair (meaning hair that has been washed then allowed to dry) will leave it soft as it keeps the internal moisture and the oil doesn't come with "holes" occupied by water which need to be filled when that water evaporates or which will leave open gaps for more moisture loss this time from within strands. S Curl has water in it but when applied to dry hair, it doesn't make it drier because S Curl has a humectant which draws in and holds onto water. I think it tends to have more water than strands can hold so there is no competition. The problem comes though when the environment is dry. It tries to steal S Curl's water and S Curl ends up taking your moisture.

OK, I am just musing so no one quote me coz I will deny it and take a leaf out of Jodi's book and claim a fog.

 

[faithVA]

Ladies whose hair dislikes water....how does the hair feel when directly under the shower? Because that's pretty much the epitome of moisture but as soon as we stop the water and it begins to dry, it makes sense that our hair would react differently to the hair drying. Mine is usually fine but it often depends on what I had used on the hair beforehand.

My hair is fine on wash day it is the in between days that are an issue. Perhaps it is the build up of product already on the hair. But trying to go without product on my hair like Nonie has not worked for me as of yet.

It seems like my hair is fine until I spritz it with water. But as soon as I spritz it with water it gets hard. If the water did nothing that would be better than making it harder. And I've tried spritzing and sealing and spritzing, baggying and sealing. It almost seems as if it doesn't get a bucket of water, it isn't happy.

Its a mystery to me.

But like someone else said I do seem to do better with some type of creamy product that has water vs. just water.

 

[4mia]

Yeah, yeah, yeah just put me on the spot... Some friend you are!

OK I'll go OT a bit. This is what I have found about my skin. It loves many splashes with water when I am washing it but hates for water to be left sitting on it. So I no longer use water-based lotions. I found them to look good on application but they would later leave me with dry, lined skin. I stopped using them and did the oil cleansing method or just plain water washes, making sure to dry myself fully. And in time, my combination dry skin became normal/oily. It was like when I stopped applying lotion, I allowed my sebaceous glands to freely produce sebum and now my skin looks better.

Now about my hair, as many of you know, I live in twists and do not use any leave-in products. The downside to this is my hair is not protected by a balm of sorts. But the plus side is my hair is always soft. Baggying encourages sebum production and its spread to every inch of my hair since the heat of the cap causes evaporation and the vapor gets trapped and condenses back onto my hair. I believe the internal strand moisture also gets recycled since my hair smells like the last conditioner I used after baggying.

Now as some of you may also know, since May 2012, I have become very "meh" about my hair. I don't baggy or tie anything on my head before bed or under hats. I did try to keep up with the twice a week washes even w/o the bagging and I trim religiously. Not baggying has me stuck at the same length and I am sure I know why: friction with bed sheets/pillow, hats/headwraps. This month I have let my laziness go through the roof. I have not been washing my hair as frequently as before, and my hair feels very soft and has the moisturized feel as if I have been baggying. I haven't.

That said, oils make my hair hard. But I haven't tried all. I have tried jojoba oil and it didn't seem to do anything to my hair. I may have tried it on wet hair, I don't remember. I have tried Castor oil on damp hair and preferred bare hair. EVOO made my hair hard. I think I used it too over damp hair. The only thing used over damp hair that retains it in its soft state is a cone serum. Methinks the reason for this difference is oils over water just like water-based lotions on skin release the water to the air and leave hair dry. Water moves from places where it is plentiful to where there is less of it, so I wonder whether when the product on hair loses moisture, it doesn't cause whatever is in strands to move out into it to create a balance (osmosis) and in that way, hair gets hard?

I honestly don't know the answer but daily cowashing while it feels good on the hair has always struck me as perhaps not being good for hair and wasteful. I do spritz my hair with an ACV solution if I want twists to hang down and let them airdry.Granted I don't seal but I think my strands feel drier when they dry from that than they do if I spritz then towel dry then style or baggy.

Methinks leaving water on your hair leads to evaporation and drier strands. Washing allows your hair to absorb what it needs. Perhaps applying an oil to dry hair (meaning hair that has been washed then allowed to dry) will leave it soft as it keeps the internal moisture and the oil doesn't come with "holes" occupied by water which need to be filled when that water evaporates or which will leave open gaps for more moisture loss this time from within strands. S Curl has water in it but when applied to dry hair, it doesn't make it drier because S Curl has a humectant which draws in and holds onto water. I think it tends to have more water than strands can hold so there is no competition. The problem comes though when the environment is dry. It tries to steal S Curl's water and S Curl ends up taking your moisture.

OK, I am just musing so no one quote me coz I will deny it and take a leaf out of Jodi's book and claim a fog.

Lol nice to see you in another thread. Hmm I need to rethink this moisture thing.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using LHCF

 

[Nonie]

Lol nice to see you in another thread. Hmm I need to rethink this moisture thing.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using LHCF

Girl I am always all over the place. When I get off the App and go online via a browser, I usually find several mentions so to respond to them, I go from fashion to hair to nails to health...

So as much as I was on OT, I was also in several other threads and PMs multi-tasking galore.

 

[4mia]

Girl I am always all over the place. When I get off the App and go online via a browser, I usually find several mentions so to respond to them, I go from fashion to hair to nails to health...

So as much as I was on OT, I was also in several other threads and PMs multi-tasking galore. :sekrets:

Lol.........

 

[Pinkerton]

I have tried spritzing water and sealing with Castor Oil-both heavier and light applications. I did not care for it. It left my hair feeling dry and hard.

 

[KittyMeowMeow]

My hair used to get dry after moisturizing w/ water or spritzes. What I found works is using just a few sprays of water, and working it in. It's like when you wash your hands- if you leave them in the air to dry, they will dry hard as the moisture evaporates. I work my hands in a downwards motion which also stretches & smooths.

I seal w/ EVCO & a little castor (and avocado butter after washing). This not only seals, but has it's own conditioning benefits- emoillience, shine, CO adds softness, EVCO penetrates the hair shaft to condition.

 

[faithVA]

Pinkerton[/USER];18459059]I have tried spritzing water and sealing with Castor Oil-both heavier and light applications. I did not care for it. It left my hair feeling dry and hard.

What do you do instead to moisturize between wash days?

 

[Pinkerton]

I just went back to M&S with leave in and castor oil.