We’ve all been there.
Gotten fed up with our damaged, frizzy curls and decided that we need to add moisture to help create those perfect, bouncing locks.
The problem is that with too much moisture comes heavy, greasy-looking curls. And nobody wants that.
Right around week five of my curly girl journey, I started researching rice water rinsed and became obsessed with the idea.
You can read more about rice water rinse here.
The first treatment I did was a HUGE success! I made a modified rice water rinse (you can see the video recipe on my Instagram), applied, and styled my hair like a pro.
The second time around not so much.
I got a little moisture happy and tried a fermented rice water rinse (see recipe here) which is more potent since it’s fermented.
I’m not sure what I was thinking at the time but I did an oil treatment, then the fermented rice water, and followed up with a deep conditioning treatment. This was a huge mistake.
As soon as I poured the fermented rice water on my hair, I could see it encouraging the curls to clump. I was so excited.
As the day went on and my hair began to air dry, it had perfect ringlets. More than I had seen since I started my curly girl journey.
But then once it was completely dry it looked very oily, heavy, and had zero volume.
How Do I Know If I Have A Moisture Overload?
Telltale signs of a moisture overload are those I mentioned above. OIly, heavy, looking curls that don’t seem to have any volume. Your curls will almost have a limp gummy feeling.
How I Recovered From A Moisture Overload
I Washed My Hair With A Gentle Shampoo
Because my hair felt oily and heavy, the first thing I did was wash it with a gentle shampoo to remove some of the product. I gently added my shampoo and massaged it into my hair being careful not to disrupt the curl pattern.
I did this twice because I could still feel the product in my hair. But I typically would not shampoo twice in one wash.
I Followed Up With A Condition That Contained Protein
After I rinsed my hair thoroughly, I did add a tiny bit of conditioner that contained protein to my hair using the squish to condish method. I hoped to help balance the over moisture situation. Then rinsed thoroughly.
I Used Mouse & Gel To Style
Rather than using a leave-in conditioner and oil to stye (like I usually do) I only mouse and gel.
Mouse because it typically helps add volume to my hair and gel for hold.
In Conclusion:
My case was not to the point of Hygral Fatigue (damaged due to moisture overload) and these few tips did the trick.
If you think you have Hygral Fatigue, I would highly recommend seeing a professional. Protein treatments if done wrong can do terrible damage to your hair.
I’d love to connect! Jump over to Instagram and say hello!
Xoxo
Curly Colleen
