66% of natural women are dissatisfied with their moisturizing routine!
so according to a BGLH poll, 66% OF NATURAL WOMEN ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THEIR MOISTURIZING ROUTINE!
That is nearly 7 out of 10!
As you know, the completion of that poll is step 1 of the moisture diagnostic that j and i are working on.
Here’s step 2: Please respond to the following questions in the comment box…
1. why do you think so many natural women struggle to find a good moisturizing routine?
2. what aspect of moisture (retention, curl definition, softness, safe ingredients, etc, etc) do you struggle with the most?
***update @ 11:34 p.m. … also, feel free to talk/dialogue amongst your selves in the comments section. perhaps you’ll find a hair twin (someone with a similar texture) who has the same issues as you. being natural is always easier when you have someone to bounce ideas off of.***
I’m dissatisfied because I have multi-textured hair, and what may work for one section, doesn’t work for the other section as far as retention goes. My hair is 3c-4a, with a patch of 4b in the middle, and that patch is the harddest to keep moisturized. The 3c portion, which goes from the back of my head to the 4b midline, is the easiest to keep moisturized, and the 4a is all in the front to the 4b midline…not easy but not hard. Also, living in an environment where the weather changes every other day, it’s hard to keep up because what may work in this temperature, doesn’t work in the other temperature.
Let’s not get into daily routines of our lives, stress, personal health, etc. that makes it even more difficult.
I didn’t get to answer the poll (it closed before I got to it… *sad face*), but for me, it’s hard to find a good moisturizing routine because I’m still trying to figure out what “good moisturizing” looks and feels like. What end result are we looking for?
Is it super-soft with a tight curl? Is there a sheen to it? Should there be a tangible, slightly oily feeling, or does that mean I put TOO much on?
To answer your second question, I struggle most with retention, second most with curl definition. Find me the one thing that moisturizes AND clumps and I will give you the soul of my firstborn child.
…okay, not really… but you get my point.
I STILL haven’t figured out my hair texture completely yet. I’ve got 3c-4b areas all over the place and it seems like they pack up and MOVE to a different part of my head every time I moisturize.
I split my time between two coasts which nearly polar climates and that only adds frustration because what works in one area may not or does not work in the other.
Currently, I’m focusing ONLY on retention. I wear a hat every day (it’s freezing!) so curl definition doesn’t really matter. But I guess with retention and health you get definition so…..
I think so many of us struggle b/c very few of the products are truly geared towards our hair’s health. I have met a lot of success with natural products. I actually dilute Aubrey Organics condish w/ water and use it daily. I also seal with a natural oil. My hair used to be dry ALL THE TIME, now it’s so much better…it’s like I have a new head of hair. Oh, also bagging my hair has made a big difference
1. They haven’t found the right moisturizer yet. Some women get stuck using products with not-so-good ingredients, like mineral oil. Others are going through the trial-and-error phase. It takes a little time.
(That’s my guess, anyway.)
2. I struggle with curl retention the most. As a 4a/4b with very dry hair and scalp, I struggle to keep it moisturized without messing up the curl pattern. That’s why I do twist-/braid-outs so much.
1. why do you think so many natural women struggle to find a good moisturizing routine?
Heads of hair are rarely ever identical, so what works for one girl probably won’t work for the next: which means you have to go through your own trials to find out what works for you. Finding the perfect moisturizing routine for you takes trial and error, which takes time.
2. what aspect of moisture do you struggle with the most?
I’d been struggling with the retention part for a while, and trying figure out how to keep the hair moisturized while my hair was in a twist out… but I recently figured out exactly what works for me so I can’t even say I’m struggling anymore :]
I think its because all of us try to help each other with suggestions and we forget that what works for someone else might not work for us. Thats frustrating but it cant be helped, so we kind of do a “pass or fail” test with loads of product, sometimes failing more then passing some times.
my problem is softness sometimes because of the climate i live in, sometimes its harder to retain moisture even when i do protective styling. But i am trying out a new shea product from oyin and i think it will work better.
My hair is moisturized..I don’t have any issues with moisturizing it until I start piling on unnatural products. I’ve been playing in my hair for almost 6 years now so maybe that’s done me some good lol. Overall though, I’m satisfied with the moisturizing routine I have goign on.
1. I think many have different ideas of what moisture is.
2. I used to struggle with retention the most. But after years of experimenting, I finally found what was right for me. =)
My problem is lack of consistency. I only moisturize when I remember to and thankfully my hair hasn’t suffered yet.
1. lack of knowledge. I’m almost 30 and I had no idea about moisture until December when I made the decision to go natural. I always assumed hair oil was all the extra product I needed to add to my hair after shampoo and conditioning.
2. all of the above. Since I’m new and still learning I am not sure what the right moisture balance feels like in my multi textured, still transitioning head of hair.
I think we struggle because we don’t take time to find out what works well with our hair. Although we may all be natural, there are still different types. And I know for me, I’m so busy, I’ll read what someone on a blog or forum say worked for them and magically think it’ll work for me. I notice that some natural women take the time out to research, experiment with natural oils and ingredients and take the time out to try different products and have excellent results. If I slow down, maybe I could have those same results.
3 months ago I moved from Mississippi to East Tennessee. Back in MS, I knew how the weather (mainly the humidity) would work with my hair and ROCK IT!! Now, I’m in the foothills of the mountains and afraid that this dry air will murder my strands. So right now I’m struggling with moisture retention, even in protective styles like 2-strand twists. I no longer have a desire to show my natural curl defintion. I’ve found it to hard to define my curls. Softness…I’m still on a quest for that as well. I guess that goes back to my first answer of experimenting more :/
I personally struggle because I’m a newbie and I have yet to figure out what my hair likes…
I struggle with dandruff/softness… It’s my first winter after my BC this summer!!!
I think black women aren’t satisfied because they don’t know what combination of moisture vs protein. For instance I spent months thinking something was wrong with my hair cutting my ends like crazy because it wasnt responding to EVOO and then I found that it responds better to water based moisturizers not oil.
I am looking for more curl definition. My hair is that deal when its wet and full of conditioner, but once it dries it’s a poofy tanglely mess.
1. I’ve found it difficult to find which products are going to work best for different styles. And it seems like the products that work the best on my hair leave a residue that my scarves pick up and eventually rub onto my face. I want something that’s actually going to moisturize my hair…not only sit on top of it making it appear shiny.
2. It’s been hard trying to find affordable moisturizers with safe ingredients. I need to check into p.j. rehab!
I think many natural women struggle to find a good moisturizing routine because they don’t know which ingredients work best for their hair.
Continued softness is what I needed most, but I think I’ve finally found the one product that gives my hair that without having to reapply it daily.