How I Did a Liquid Only (Water and Aloe Vera Juice) Regimen on my Type 4 Hair

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It’s no secret that naturally coily and curly hair types benefit from products that foster moisture retention.  This is particularly true during the dry summer months when natural hair has a tendency to become especially dry and requires regular moisture in order to prevent breakage. One particular option that I learned earlier in my healthy hair journey was the “water only” regimen. The water only method not only recommends using products with water high on the ingredient list of a product, but also using water and nothing else. According to advocates of this method, spritzing or washing one’s hair regularly with water provides hair with needed moisture without the added build up that comes from oils, butters or silicones often included in hair products. I’ve experimented with this method and like many methods, there are benefits and drawbacks.

Water Only

I found that when using the water only method there were two important factors necessary in order for my tightly coiled hair to retain moisture:

1) I need to LIGHTLY mist my hair with water each day.

2) The weather needed to be cool or mildly hot.

Exposure to extreme cold or extreme heat required that I add a butter or oil to seal in moisture. Still, spraying my hair with water each day during very cold or very hot days reduced the number of times I felt it necessary to add a butter or oil. The water only method is a great option for individuals with very fine hair; as oils and butters can weigh down your hair style and/or require that you wash your hair more frequently.  Even if you don’t have fine hair, you may find that a water only (or water mostly) regimen reduces the need for butters and lessens the buildup that you experience each week.

Other Liquid Only Options

While I have found success with the water only method (moisturizing my hair on wash day with a butter and spritzing the remainder of the week), I have found that other liquids had proven to be even more beneficial to my hair. I am a huge fan of aloe vera juice and often look for ingredients with aloe vera high on a product’s ingredient list. Why? In addition to adding moisture to my hair I find that the pH balance of aloe vera helps to smooth the cuticles of my hair making it feel softer. Now, to be clear: Just because my hair “feels”  softer it doesn’t necessarily mean that it actually is softer or that water is inferior to aloe vera. However, if a natural product safely helps smooth the cuticles of my hair, I will use the product often because well, who doesn’t like the feel of soft hair?

Other liquid only options that you might also consider are rose water, glycerin mixed with water or using a homemade spritz with mostly water and a few drops of oil.  If you are in love with fragrances but aren’t crazy about chemicals you might consider infusing your liquid mixture with dried rose petals.

If you have never experimented with a liquid only regimen or find that a water only regimen recommend is lacking, consider the alternatives described and add oils and butters every few days if necessary. You might even find that during late summer and early fall the liquid only regimen serves your hair well.

Tip: If you wear braid outs or twist outs, at night, I recommend adding your liquid of choice to sections of hair you plan to set. If you wear a bun or other up do styles, I recommend spritzing your hair in the morning and tying it with a satin scarf for a round 15 minutes to provide a sleek look.

Have you experimented with a liquid only regimen? What were the pros or cons? What is your favorite liquid moisturizer of choice?