Since the weather is cooler, we usually change our regimens to add moisture to our hair. The weather causes our hair to become dry, even though curly hair is naturally drier than other hair types. We tend to use heavier leave-in conditioners, butters, and creams to keep our curls hydrated and popping. However, our curls can also lack volume and look flatter due to moisturizing our hair too much. Our curl friend, Jupeadeedupes from Curly Q&A, asks the following:
Question
Recently my hair has just been looking flatter and feels oily. I don’t know how to help it. I’ve been co washing for a few months now.
Answer
The best practice to start with is to monitor your regimen. Are you adding a lot of moisturizing products? What ingredients are in the products that you are using often? How frequent are you using these products? There is a possibility that you are experiencing some product buildup that is causing your hair to feel oily and weighed down, especially if you are co-washing frequently. Keep a journal and write down the products you use and your hair’s reaction to the products. This will help to identify what is causing your hair to lack volume and causes it to feel oily. If it is product buildup, use a clarifying shampoo during wash day to remove the buildup.
Are your products oil-based?
Look at your ingredients in the products you use. Are your products oil based? If they are, try to switch out with water-based products. These leave-in conditioners are water based and can be great additions to your Holy Grail. They are lightweight, which can prevent your curls from weighing down.
- Karen’s Body Beautiful Sweet Ambrosia Leave-In Conditioner
- Curl Junkie Curls In A Bottle
- Camille Rose Naturals Fresh Curl
- Alikay Naturals Lemongrass Leave In Conditioner
- Oyin Handmade Hair Dew
Try limiting your use of oil. With the colder months, it is natural to use oil more frequent than other times in the year. But it may cause your hair to weigh down more.
Use this between co-washes
You mentioned that you have been co-washing for a few months now, is this a new practice in your regimen? If it is, try to not co-wash as much because it is a possibility that you are co-washing too frequently. Are you co-washing to cleanse your scalp but do not want to dry out your hair at the same time? Dry shampoo can be a solution for you. You can use this in between washing and co-washing. Check out these dry shampoos:
- Devacurl No-Poo Quick Cleanser
- Batiste Original Dry Shampoo
- Aveeno Active Naturals Pure Renewal Dry Shampoo
- Living Proof Perfect Hair Day (PhD”> Dry Shampoo
- Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk
As always, a healthy diet plays a role in the health of your hair. Make sure you drink plenty of water and eat fruits and vegetables. If you are still experiencing issues with oily hair, you may want to schedule an appointment with your dermatologist. If your scalp is producing flakes that are oily or greasy, it can possibly be seborrheic dermatitis and it will be best to seek further treatment.
[prodmod]
