Many curlies were curious about whether or not showering and swimming were damaging their hair. Specifically, curlies wanted to know if the water itself was making their hair more brittle and prone to breakage. There seemed to be some confusion about this, so NaturallyCurly.com thought it would be a great topic for discussion, especially in view of the fact that many of us will be wetting our hair more frequently than usual as we swim and sweat our way through the summer months.
To Anon 12/22/10 -4:09 PM: Yeah, I discovered that too (sold at Sephora.com and other places–bummer) For the natural argan oil w/o the industry's junky chemicals (it's costly). Try both texasnaturalsupply.com or camdengrey.com but I understand that Meadowfoam seed oil is very moisturizing and that's sold at the latter mentioned website.
Go to The Natural Haven blog site. She is a certified scientist and have answered this question from a scientific viewpoint. There is such a thing as water fatigue re the hair.
P.S. The original Moroccan oil has silicons in it–I paid $35 during the time I was relaxed and since my natural journey was shocked to find out this pricey stuff is not a natural product because of all the other junk in it!
Something that I found out through my own research is that hard water was my problem. Hard water can coat the hair depriving it of essential nutrients it needs to thrive and can also cause the hair to be constantly dull. The solution to my problem was a GE Shower Water Filtration System…..sounds expensive, nope around $21 at Home Depot or homedepot.com. The filter has to be replaced around every six months or so, I replace mine every 4-5 months. Replacement filters only cost $10. Trust me ladies it pays for itself! The first thing I did after installing the system, oh and you need no tools or a man to install :), I clarified my hair by washing it with Nexxus Clarifying Shampoo twice, letting the second lather sit on the hair for about 3-5 minutes. You can immediately tell the difference. Attention: Please be sure to deep-condition for 30 minutes underneath a warm dryer with a shower cap on or however you prefer, just don't skip this step!!! Rinse the deep-conditioner from your hair remembering to do a cool-shot (rinse hair with cool water to trap the conditioners within the hair cuticle). Afterwards, use a leave-in conditioner and your usual regime. Also, what has made a difference in the health of my hair is using porducts that are sulphate, paraben, phosphate, and alcohol FREE. I use Moroccanoil moisture repair shampoo, morrocanoil moisture repair conditioner, keracare silken seal spray, and carol's daughter black vanilla leave-in conditioner. I hope that someone finds this information helpful. Many blessings 🙂
Branisha said… to Makeda, don't relax your hair. Try to use organic shampoo and conditioner that already have natural oils in it. Use a leave in conditioner and you should see changes. Also you may have to switch up how often you wet your hair….
Hmmm interesting. Now that I read this topic I just realized when I wet my hair at work my hair looks fine but it I try to refresh my curls with water at home it looks dry.
yeah, water is not treating my hair good. or i just dont know what im doing anymore. My hair is breaking like crazy. I've never had this problem so bad before. My hair was always long, natural or relaxed, and now it just isnt growing past my shoulders and is so dry. Ive been doing the constant water thing, and it just doesnt work for me. I was in the suburbs of Chicago, and now I just moved to Qatar where the water is all desalinated. I'm gonna buy some ACV and see what i can do. I def need to cut lots of it off…again… But i hope i can fix this issue or Im afraid ill be at the salon getting it relaxed really soon 🙁
I love this article and would agree with it. Where I live the house is over 75 years old and the it's defintely hard water here. So now I understand what to do from buying a filter to sealing my hair. I have been natural almost 2 yrs and have to cut because of damage and dryness, now I know why.
Salutations,
I think the water issue has more to do with where you live and the process used to purify the water in your area. Please note that buying a water filter for your shower may solve a lot of the issues people are having, and making concoctions with the water from your shower filter. If you really what to get scientific about it, you can even check the ph. In short, moisture is key and water is a curly's girl friend for healthy hair growth. Live, Love, Peace. ~ Sweetsop
P.S. Drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water would also help your hair;)
After reading this article, I have come to this conclusion:
EVERYONE, DO YOU!!!
I am so confused by this article because it is defies everything I thought was true about how I care for me hair. I've read article after article stating that curly hair MUST be moisturized at least once a day and the best way to moisturize your hair is with WATER and then a sealant. I've read about co-washing curly hair, and how it can be done everyday.
I wet my hair every single solitary day, and lately I've been co-washing with Giovanni conditioner everyday and my hair looks and feels wonderful!! I use the curly girl method but I only detangle once a week. Every time I wet or co-wash, I seal with a little unrefined shea butter, and a little aloe vera gel and that is IT! My curls are popping and my hair glistens in the sun.
I love the results… minimum breakage (maybe 10 strands a week at the worst)
Everyone, do what works for you!
I am from the UK where the water is terrible – so hard! I travel a lot and have always noticed a difference in my hair while I am away.
I moved to Australia five months ago and my hair loves it. I think it depends on the water in your area, I use a lot less product now and if I ever move back home I will invest in a filter for my shower.
From what I have gathered, wetting your hair opens the cuticle and unless you apply some product to close the cuticle and seal the water into your hair it will evaporate completely and leave the hair feeling dry and rough. Most oils will aid in closing the cuticle and also form a semi permeable barrier that coats the hair shaft. Cold water rinses, aloe vera juice and ACV rinses also aid in closing the cuticle.
In my personal experience, all of these things seem to make my hair easier to detangle and less dry. Last week as an experiment, I washed my hair, did a coldwater rinse, and used only olive oil and aloe vera juice to moisturize my two-strand twist-out. I had to re-twist everynight, because it didn't hold the definition throughout the day, however it was surprisingly less poofy than I expected.
Luckily where I live the water is okay and doesn't do much damage to my hair. Some days I may simply wet my hands and then fluff my fro with no problems of it feeling too dry afterwards. I think as long as the moisture that I've put on it to begin with is there(shea butter or some type of leave-in), it's okay.
if you have hard water it can cause you hair to dry out. also using products with too high an alkaline ph can cause your hair to soak up too much water. it's like overwatering a plant. apple cider vinegar is a good clarifier/ph balancer for hair.