Got moisture overload? What to do if your hair has been over-conditioned?

Got moisture overload? What to do if your hair has been over-conditioned?

What Is Moisture Overload?

Moisture overload is a common problem for curly hair. It occurs when protein levels in hair are too low and moisture levels are too high. This imbalance can lead to hair breakage, frizz, and other problems.

A common cause of moisture overload is over-conditioning your hair. When you wet your hair, it swells and is in a weakened state. If you use a lot of conditioner in an effort to make your curls look better, then you are leaving your curls in that weakened state which makes your hair limp and leads to more breakage and frizziness.

Causes of Moisture Overload.

Moisture overload can happen if you are using too many products, or if you are using products that contain too much moisture. It can also happen if you have curly hair and use a lot of products on your hair, or if your hair has been damaged by heat styling.

It is important to note that it is not just the conditioner itself causing the problem. The main culprit of moisture overload is simply your haircare routine - the number of times per week you shampoo and condition, how often you use heat styling tools, how often you wash your hair, etc.

moisture overload curly hair
Got moisture overload?

Some habits that are causing moisture overload:

  • Sleeping with your hair wet/with conditioner
  • Deep conditioning too often
  • Leaving the conditioner in your hair too long

Common Signs that Your Hair Has too Much Moisture

When you have curly hair, it's important to keep it moisturized. That's why many people are guilty of over-moisturizing their hair. If you're in moisture overload, this means that you have moisturized your hair too much, without providing protein. Protein is what keeps your curls intact and strong. Without it, your curls will start to break down and become frizzy, which also makes it harder for your hair to retain moisture.

Your hair might start to feel dryer even after washing and conditioning your hair. Your hair will start to feel limp and lifeless. For some curlies, their curls will start to get looser, whereas others can experience their curls getting tighter.

How to Fix Your Hair if you have moisture overload

When your hair has too much moisture, then you’ll want to focus on reducing the protein lost.

If you're experiencing moisture overload in your hair, there are a few ways to fix the problem:

  1. Switch to a lighter conditioner for a little while (e.g., every other day).
  2. Use coconut oil as a pre-poo treatment.
  3. Dry your hair with a diffuser or a hooded dryer so your hair won’t stay wet for an extended time.
  4. Use protein treatments to restore the protein balance (speak to a professional first, you can also overdo it with protein treatments)

On your wash day, you’ll want to start by cleansing your hair with our Clarifying Charcoal Shampoo Bar. This will ensure your hair is clean without any product buildup. Next, follow-up with our Restoring Hair Treatment as a rinse-out conditioner. We don’t recommend using this as a deep conditioning treatment since you want to keep your hair wet too long. Incorporating products with coconut oil such as our Get Slick Hair Smoothie will help reduce protein loss in your hair.

Clarifying Charcoal Shampoo Bar
Clarifying Charcoal Shampoo Bar for moisture overload

Coconut oil is a great ingredient to use on your hair if you have moisture overload. It has been scientifically proven to reduce moisture loss and help prevent hygral fatigue. Remember, hair is dead, so once it is damaged you can’t technically repair it. You can however arrest the amount of damage to your hair while changing your hair care regimen to maintain your hair’s integrity.

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