Attention, Attention, Oil does NOT moisturize the hair; oil coats the hair and seals in moisture!
Moisturizing your natural hair can be somewhat of a challenge for most, but it does not have to be! Once you find the right products for your texture, guess what? The steps remain the same! Follow these steps and be on your way to healthy, moisturized, natural hair. This 3 step process has changed my life, without it, I can almost promise this blog would be titled “RemyHairFanatic”
1. Apply Water-Based Moisturizer
Moisture is the first step in combating dry hair. Hair needs water to maintain its elasticity. The best moisturizer for natural hair is water. YES good ole H2O! When searching for a good moisturizer, look for “water” as one of the first few ingredients, these are referred to as water-based products. I prefer the following:
-Giovanni Direct-Leave In (Target, Wal-Mart, Ulta, Vitamin Shoppe)
-Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-In Conditioning Cream (Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens)
-Africa’s Best Kids’ Organics Detangling Moisturizing Hair Lotion with Shea Butter & Olive Oil (Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens)
NOTE: Beware of cheap moisturizers that may contain filler ingredients like lanolin, mineral oil, or petrolatum for these products are sealants that SEAL OUT MOISTURE.
2. Seal in the Moisture With an Oil
In order to properly moisturize your strands Oil should be applied to seal in the moisture, if not, the hair will eventually soak in the moisture and the hair will return to its dry state. Oils like Castor Oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, etc…l all work great when sealing in moisture.
NOTE: It is important to follow these steps by applying a moisturizer first then use an oil to trap in the moisture if not if you were to use oil first it will block the moisture out of your hair.
3. Seal again with a butter- based product
The 3rd step depends upon your hair porosity (how fast moisture escapes from your hair). If you have very porous hair sealing with a butter-based product maybe just what you need to ensure your hair stays moisturized longer. I personally seal with a butter-based product (Shea Moisture Enhancing Smoothie). It makes my hair feel soft, it helps to define my curl pattern, and my hair definitely stays moisturized longer than if I would have just sealed with an oil.
Alright ladies, I hope this helps! I find that it works best to first moisturize and seal on freshly washed hair, then moisturize and seal the ends of your hair daily.
naturalhairfanatic 
Candace
September 29, 2012 at 7:42 am
My mom and I have been using this moisturizing strategy for a couple of months and we love it! Thank you so much for your help.
naturalhairfanatic
October 2, 2012 at 9:50 pm
Ohh great!! I always wonder if my advice is really helping someone. I’m glad you and your mom are enjoying your natural hair. Thanks for visiting my site.
kenya
October 3, 2012 at 12:43 am
Thank you so much for doing this…..its very helpful.
naturalhairfanatic
October 28, 2012 at 7:47 pm
No Problem Kenya! I love sharing the little that I do know.
Beauty Talk With LaRonya B.
June 24, 2013 at 10:48 am
Thanks for sharing! This is so helpful to me:-)
naturalhairfanatic
November 9, 2013 at 12:28 am
No problem glad I could help!
Charlotte Quevedo
October 27, 2013 at 1:14 am
I disagree with most of the stuff you posted here but I do understand that this works for you. I just want to throw it out there though that this will not work for everyone. I used to moisturize my hair daily and even bumped it up once to twice daily then three times even…my hair was really weighed down and greasy and at the end of the month, I saw a bunch of tiny new splits on my ends as if I had just left my hair dry the whole time.
I learned from Ktani Hair Sense (she corresponds by email) that reapplying products can dry the hair further because they build up and can be tough to rem0ve without harsh clarifying…which also exacerbates dryness. The additional applications are blocked by the first one especially in the case of oil and butter.
Furthermore, even shea butter is only documentes to keep less than 20 per cent moisture. The only thing that can help your hair maintain 99 per cent moisture is mineral oil but no oil “seals” moisture in or out because as Ktanisays in her blog, if oils sealed moisture then hair would not have the capacity to get wet when water is spritzed on and it would not be able to frizz in high humidity.
Finally….Shea Moisture smoothie…while it does have shea butter in it, it is a water based product because the first ingredieny is h20.
naturalhairfanatic
November 9, 2013 at 12:36 am
Hi! You should never over moisturize your hair, I agree especially three times a day. So I definitely agree with you. I repeat on my youtube videos that what works for me may not always work for the next, everyone’s hair is different. Also you should always use a clarifying shampoo at least once a month to remove buildup. LAstly Shea Moisture does contain water but it’s still considered a styler, a butter, a creme therefore I’ll continue to use it as such. It has been known to work well not only in my hair but other naturals but again everyone is different, sorry it didnt work for you. Good luck to you!
Donna
December 31, 2013 at 4:57 pm
So glad to come across this! I can say I’m proud to use giovanni products since starting my natural hair journey. I would ask questions but folks had me going in circles!
naturalhairfanatic
March 3, 2014 at 4:24 pm
lol. GREAT!!! I’m glad I could help:)
Shana
April 1, 2014 at 7:39 pm
Wow thanks for all this great info. I came across your blog because I was looking for treatments for thinning edges. I have never had a problem with my edges until I had to take medication for and extended period of time. I have locs and my edges are noticeably thin. I will try your secret weapon and see how it works. Do you have before pictures of your edges?
Rae L
June 9, 2014 at 2:39 pm
Hi there. I recently began using Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. I read somewhere online that it was a moisturizer so I use it as my water based moisturizer then I apply my oils to seal it in. Can it be used in this way as well (this is the first I’ve seen it referred to as a butter) or is that counterproductive? Thanks!
naturalhairfanatic
June 19, 2014 at 8:26 pm
It can be used as a moisturizer also but I’ve only used it as a cream. I’ve been using it this way since 2010. I tried using it a moisturizer but it did not respond well to my hair. Try it both ways to see what works for you. Good luck and HHG!
Mary
August 18, 2014 at 12:22 pm
Love this post. Great article. Very helpful. Thanks for the tips. Take care! 🙂