I don't know how or when to properly moisturize...

Okay ladies. So as some of you may know that I unwillingly had to trim my hair. Apparently my ends were EFFED UP! So i trimmed and then put my hair in a protective style. When styling I used eco styler gel. So now im wondering how can i possibly moisturize my hair since it has gel in it. I would rather not have used the gel but i need something to hold my hair so that it can last. I am really confused... i want my hair to grow really long and i feel like I'm doing this natural thing all wrong. My hair should be much longer and its not and i just really want to give up and maybe just get it relaxed and in a short cute style. I am so lost.

I am glad you reached out to your CN family.

PS is what helps many curlies retain their length. Try this. Instead of using gel, try a curl cream. Many curl creams also provide moisture and hold. I think SheaMoisture in Target carries a curl cream.

The gel is CG-friendly but not necessarily the best. If you must use gel, try aloe vera gel or gelly (natural) or another natural gel (Kiss My Face, Aubrey Organics Mandarin Jelly, Aubrey Organics B5 gel, etc.)

How often are you cleansing?
How often do you moisturize? What do you use to moisturize?
Do you use a leave in and moisturizer?
Does your hair feel slick and wet after moisturizing?
How often do you apply gel before cleansing again?

Well you are supposed to moisturize your while it is still significantly wet with a leave in and then seal the hair (make sure to give your ends plenty of love) with an essential oil or butter. It really isnt hard, but you need to make sure you do all this before adding your styling gel. I'm transitioning as well. Dont go back to relaxerd you will defeat the whole purpose!

I am trying to cleanse only 1x every 2weeks
I am using a biotin shampoo by natures gate.
Before I used the gel i would moisturize every day but i just started doing that i november. I have been using this castor oil stuff that I bought which someone just told me is probably bad for my hair.
I don't have a leave in

I really dont have the money to buy all of these products for trial and error. I just want something that works that is affordable and that has a whole line of things that work. It is really difficult right now. Like i love or loved my hair but my ends were bad and i just feel like im back at square 1. I am sorry for rambling and venting but i really do appreciate the help and advice

I moisturized with water. The water that was still in my hair after i rinsed out the conditioner. And then I sealed with my castor oil product. I put my hair in big twists to dry and then i came back and put in flat twists using the gel

Hi MissMoriah,

What i usually do is every morning i mist my hair in the shower (bc it's cold i can't go out with a wet head). Then i immediately put Kinky Curly Knot Today leave in conditioner and i will fluff/ detangle my hair as usual. Then I use hair gel (it varies depending on my mood lol) to style . If I'm doing twist out or something, I usual wash my hair and continue the same process. But i use a sealant afterwards (i use castor oil sometimes coconut oil but that can leave my hair a little brittle sometimes) bc my hair is VERY SENSITIVE TO THE WEATHER. But i use gel all the time (not in heavy amounts), so it's easy to continue with other products bc my hair isn't drenched in gel. Especially if you use organic gel it makes other products easier to use.

Ultimately you have to gauge what methods work best for you, don't be afraid to mess things up a bit. The mistakes are half the fun lol

Hello im still in transition but so far this is my routine and i hope this can help you as far as gel is concern i wash my hair every 2 weeks you should try using gel closer to your wash day for me that means i wear my hair in a bun or ponytail maybe 3 days out of 2 weeks the other days my hair is in cornrows under my wigs ,
As far as moisture is concern my hair absolutely does not tolerate shampoo especially now so i wash it with black soap , than i use giovanni conditioner , but i add honey and olive oil to it to DC , you should deep condition your hair , or do hot oil treatments that has help me a lot with moisture , 1 big step in taking care of natural hair i found is our leave in it's our best friend lol i use the kimmaytube leave in recipe with is a creamy conditioner (i use Giovanni direct leave in ) , add some aloe vera juice to it , castor oil , or olive oil. that leave in has help my hair go from DRY to moisturized ... than it's your oils in sealant , the main moisturizer for natural hair is water so use water on your hair and drink plenty of it , than add shea butter or any oil of your choice to seal in the moisture always add your moisturizing products to wet hair that has helped me too
Than protective styling if you want to retain length try a protective style for at least 2 weeks while keeping your hair moisturized with water spritz and oils etc
Hope this help

I'm not sure of the style you have, but I'm in the same position. A while ago I HAD to trim my ends, but instead of doing it all at once, I just dusted my ends twice a week for about 2 weeks. That seemed to help with the shock of having to cut off 1/2 inch of my beloved hair all at once [I kno that's not alot but I feel like my hair has stopped growing so that lil 1/2 inch mattered].

My hair is now in mini twists and I used OO Eco styler gel to twist. I still moisturize n seal my hair twice a day [am and pm]. It seems to be helping. I just mist my hair with some water first, apply leave-in, then seal with Shea butter.

As far as products go, I think you should use what works for you. It's okay to get recommendations from others before purchasing a product [especially an expensive one] but that shouldn't be the only determinant as to whether or not you try it. If the castor oil product works for you , then continue to use it.

I think once you find a good leave-in your hair will do better because it'll be well moisturized.

missmoriah wrote:I moisturized with water. The water that was still in my hair after i rinsed out the conditioner. And then I sealed with my castor oil product. I put my hair in big twists to dry and then i came back and put in flat twists using the gel

mmmm it sound like your missing a water base leave in or conditioner in your process..before you add your oils apply some type of leave in or you can use a lil bit of your conditioner to your hair..then seal with oils..the water alone might not be enough moisture for your hair..

yeah i dont use a leave in. i hear of a lot of products on here but i cant spend that much on products.

rayray19 wrote:

missmoriah wrote:I moisturized with water. The water that was still in my hair after i rinsed out the conditioner. And then I sealed with my castor oil product. I put my hair in big twists to dry and then i came back and put in flat twists using the gel

mmmm it sound like your missing a water base leave in or conditioner in your process..before you add your oils apply some type of leave in or you can use a lil bit of your conditioner to your hair..then seal with oils..the water alone might not be enough moisture for your hair..

I agree! Water alone is not enough moisture...especially for 4 hair type. You need a leave in conditioner.

its not about the products its about using them right , you need a shampoo (any you choose ) preferably one that is sulfate free , conditioner (any you choose ) you will need it to deep condition and to use a leave in adding oils and honey for DC and adding aloe vera juice and oil for your leave in ( that will cost you no more that 8 dollars and will keep your hair moisturized ) than finding a good sealant it can be that same oil you used to add to your conditioners , Water is free lol PROducts that were mention were simply suggestions you know your budgets so you can go forward accordingly

thank you ladies very much. but i think i am gonna throw in the towel. i am gonna try out things for another month or so but then i have to find something that works and is simple.

Hey moriah, I left you a comment on your blog

I love Natures Gate Aloe Vera Conditioner and that was about $5 from whole foods

missmoriah wrote:yeah i dont use a leave in. i hear of a lot of products on here but i cant spend that much on products.

u can simply use any cheap conditioner as a leave in..it doesn't have to be expensive

Make sure the conditioners you purchase have cetyl and stearyl alcohols in them. These ingedients ensure that the condish is thick and creamy. Hello hydration is my fav. Where I am you can get a 32 oz bottle fot $5 at walmart

@misssmoriah i hope you do find something simple that works for you and your hair but ultimately you should do what's better for you or what you think is better for you even if that means relaxing your hair to each's own i do hope you don't but its your hair after all

Curly Honey Bee wrote:I love Natures Gate Aloe Vera Conditioner and that was about $5 from whole foods

i love natures gate aloe vera conditioner. It smells amazing and leaves my hair moisturized. I also really like tresseme flawless curls for the same reason but as far as leaving it in... Is that safe?

CrissyQ wrote:Hey moriah, I left you a comment on your blog

hey crissyQ. yeah i thought everything was all good but obviously it wasn't I will admit it was growing but i don't think that my hair should be where it is after a year.

does the target where you live carry any of the natural lines. If so I really like shea moisture curl and style milk as a leave-in its 9.99 a bottle and it lasts me a while.

Yes its safe to leave in a regular conditioner because they have pretty much the same ingredients as a leave in. Im not even really sure what the difference is.

okay you guys so i wen to trader joes and got their nourishing spa condish. Im gonna give it a try.

I agree with all the CN family on this page. You need more than water to moisturize your hair and believe it or not you can use the same conditioner ur using for your co wash as your leave in. You can buy yourself a cheap bottle of conditioner to use such as Trader Joes Nourish and Spa (3.00) Suave is also a good one (sometimes you can get this for 2.00) or any brand that doesn't carry silicones (If cones r good for you then go for it).

For oil you can use EVOO or EVCO and get those products from your local supermarket. If you need something thick try buying a 5 jar of sheabutter, melt it in the microwave and through some oils in there.

Don't feel bad girl. You don't need a lot of money for your products.