You might be wondering why it’s a bad idea to over moisturise your hair, especially with all the talk in the natural hair community about how important it is to keep your hair well moisturised.
Well, the answer is simple.
Too much moisture can lead to breakage and frizziness because of how hydrated your strands are. It also makes styling difficult as the product can slide off easily and won’t stay in place for long periods.
If you want to keep your curls looking great all day, then make sure that you don’t use too much product on them! The best way to do this is by using a leave-in conditioner or curl cream instead of an oil or butter when styling. This will help with frizz control and give you more definition without weighing down your curls like oils would do.
Keep reading if you want some tips on how not to over moisturise your hair!
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What is Moisture Overload?
Moisture overload is when your hair has excess moisture. This can lead to frizz, greasiness, and breakage of the hair shaft.
In fact, moisture overload has a proper name and that name is hygral fatigue. Over moisturising your hair is considered hygral fatigue. Hygral fatigue occurs when the strands of hair are too weak and therefore cannot support the moisture content. Sometimes, these overly moisturised strands will snap under moderate stress because they are simply not strong enough to withstand the weight. This is what we call breakage.
Breakage is definitely something that you don’t want to experience!
What Causes Hair To Be Over Moisturised?
Natural hair can become over moisturised for a number of different reasons, namely, too many products or the wrong type of product being used on your hair.
There are many things that can cause hair to become over-moisturised. Overusing products like heavy conditioners, hair masks, and oils or using too much leave-in conditioner can lead to this. Anything from the overuse of a product or technique could lead to the overload of your strands with moisture.
Using the wrong kind of product for your hair type or texture can also lead to over moisturising. For example, if you have fine hair but are trying to use a deep conditioning mask daily, you will end up with moisture overload.
This is why it is so important to make sure that you understand your hair and not just know what your hair type is. Natural hair goes way beyond just a simple hair type.
Using too much product in your hair not only causes product build up but can also lead to over moisturised hair.
If you are consistently deep conditioning and using hair masks in your hair without ever taking a break, it can result in moisture overload.
One last reason you might be experiencing over moisturised hair is due to protein deficiency in your hair. If you have a protein/moisture imbalance, it will affect your hair negatively.
Signs of Hygral Fatigue
- Overmoisturised hair is generally frizzy or puffy and may even look greasy to the eye.
- Over-moisturised hair is usually heavy and tends to weigh down your strands. This can lead to breakage in the follicles due to the weight on them from the heavy products.
- Over moisturised hair tends to be dry on the outside but oily on the inside.
- It can also result in a lot of tangling of your strands- as if you are getting a whole bunch of distressed knots throughout your head (single strand knots)!
- Additionally, over-moisturised hair may cause your curl pattern to diminish or change completely!
If you notice any of these symptoms with your hair, it is possible that you have moisture overload:
- A lack of definition and clumping together of your curls
- Hair looking stringy or crispy instead of shiny
- Curls being dry
- Frizz piling up on the ends
- You are experiencing severe breakage
- Reduced elasticity in your hair
How To Prevent Over-Moisturising
If you suspect that you are suffering from moisture overload there are a few things that you can do right away to rectify the problem.
- The first thing to do is limit how often you deep condition or use hair masks.
- You can also cut down on the frequency of using heavy butters and oils on your strands.
- Re-evaluate how often you’re using your leave in conditioner and switch to a lighter product which will probably suit your hair better.
If you continue to notice that your hair is breaking off, try cutting out products like deep conditioners and hair masks for at least two weeks until you see an improvement in your natural hair.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can use a protein conditioner to help balance out the excess moisture. I recommend the Aphogee two-step treatment protein conditioner.
Related post: Why protein overload is a problem for you
Final Thoughts On Over Moisturising Hair
One way to ensure that you are not over moisturising your hair is by limiting the amount of leave-in conditioner and deep conditioning treatments you are doing. While these can be great for softening up dry tresses, they may end up weighing down your strands or making them greasy if applied too often.
It’s also important to find a product that works well with your type of hair texture so as not to overload it with moisture which could cause breakage at the follicles.
If all else fails, try cutting out products like deep conditioners and masks altogether for at least two weeks until you see an improvement in how healthy your natural hair is looking!
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Why your hair needs protein moisture balance!
