The battle of L.O.C. vs L.C.O.

Do you ever feel your hair and it feels as though it could break off at any second because it's so dry? If that has ever been the case then you might want to take a look at how you have been moisturizing your hair. Not to scare you off or anything, but moisture can be hard to maintain with natural hair. Although on the bright side, there are multiple ways to go about keeping your hair moisturized. You can start off by using deep conditioning treatments and mask, but the question is... how do you keep the moisture once you finally get it?

When styling your hair, there are a couple ways to lock in your moisture. The first way is L.O.C. and the other, L.C.O. These, in particular, can vary depending on whom you ask. Typically, I let the L stand for leave in rather than a liquid like some people. For my C, I use a moisturizing curling cream instead if a typical cream or butter. Keep in mind, as I say in every article, what works for someone else MAY NOT work for you.

L- Liquid or leave in L- Liquid or leave in

O- Oil C- Cream

C- Cream O- Oil

*Be sure your main concern is whether you spritz your hair with water or not before applying any product. I guarantee you doing this will change your life.*

Whether you use oil before the cream or vice versa depends on YOUR hair. There is no big difference between the two methods, other than the order of course. The way your hair reacts to either of the two methods depends on the order you use the products. I know it may seem a little dumb to think that the order you use your products in can have any effect on your hair. All I have to say in response is, don't knock it 'til you try it. If you start off by trying the L.C.O. method, it might give you the moisturizing feeling you've been looking for compared to the L.O.C. method. Or it could work the other way, you may find that the L.O.C. method gives you the most moisturizing feeling. Personally, I lean towards the L.O.C. method. I find that my hair tends to feel softer when I seal in my leave in before I go in with the cream (my curling cream).

Be aware that in the cooler months, war starts. In midsummer, we complain that the sun is drying out our hair. Then when winter rolls around hit we complain the coldness and winds are stealing our moisture. At this point, it seems as though we can't ever seem to achieve those nice, juicy curls we dreamt about the prevoius night. Don’t let Mother Nature discourage you, just give your hair a little more TLC during those rougher months. To combat dryness, do more hair treatments and wash your hair a little less (especially in winter). When you wash your hair on a regular basis you strip of your hair's natural oils. Those oils might not seem like much, but little do you know. If you think you'll most likely end up neglecting your hair, consider getting a protective style. Doing so may be the better option either way, but I'll save the details for another post. It might even be the next one. With that being said be on the lookout for easy ways to protect your beautiful hair these coming seasons. Until then remember to stay patient with your hair and keep giving it well needed TLC.