A couple of things – dew point can never be higher than the temperature. If the temperature equals the dew point, then lowers, the dew point must lower as well. Also, panthenol is also a humectant, but often is used in minimal amounts in products.
xoxo
questfortheperfectcurl.com 
Ok, this post is awesome and I know I’m like 2 years late… But! I live in Atlanta, and it is almost always humid with high dew points… I don’t even know where to start. my sister is a glycerin junkie and uses the humidity here to keep her hair moist. I just want to find a happy place. I love oyin and Shea Moisture products, both of which use glycerin… Not crazy about gels, but i guess o need to get crazy about them… Any suggestions?
There should be a few QOTDs and products in my HG that do not have glycerin. I have kinda iffy with it myself and can only use it for some of the year.
Thank you, Elle. It makes clearer sense. So basically we want to use humectants with dew points in the midrange between 30-60? Do not use in low dew points e.g. 20 and below or e.g. 65 and above. The IC Fantasia Aloe Leave-in Moisturizer has propylene glycol as 2nd ingredient. I would only be using as a night moisturizer. CJ Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion has vegetable glycerin as the 4th ingredient? Is vegetable glycerin different from regular, pure glycerin? Some of my products are vegetable derived glycerin. The VO5 has glyceryl stearate I assume is glycerin as 6th ingredient. If I am understanding correctly High 5 me! 🙂 Maybe my own suggestion would be buy products containing glycerin lower on ingredient list.
Yes, that is correct, although your comfort dews may vary. *High five!*
great post!
question: if i wanted to simulate this dewy goodness in my shower, should i add a humectant like glycerine before or after a good steam session?
i usually stand in the steam and let my hair soak in the moisture, then seal after w/ some glycerin or oil and cover my hair.
i’m not the best w/ the science processes! thanks, elle!
Well here is the thing – steam and dew are not the same thing. Steam is condensation (the gas phase of water) that forms when hot air mixes with cooler air – that is, the hot air from your shower water mixing with the air in your house. You can have dew even in cold temperatures – it is simply frost. What steam does is open up your hair cuticle to allow moisture to enter it, the same way it opens your pores and gives you that yummy, relaxing feeling. It is also moisturizing because it’s the gas phase of water, and we all know water is the best moisturizer for our hair! Glycerin does not seal moisture into hair. If anything, it would be beneficial to use a conditioner with glycerin when using steam so your hair absorbs the moisture, then seal with an oil. If you use glycerin AFTER steaming/DC’ing, then go outside in dry weather, the dry air will steal the moisture from your hair.
I hope that answers your question!
hmm, that may be why my hair has been drying out soooo much. my ends, i dunno what the deal is. my hair’s past shoulder length and i trim regularly. maybe the glycerin-ing after showers and then walking into dry heat/air in my house is not a good idea. i’ll try a leave-in or a oil.
thanks, elle!
Yes – straight glycerin is very tricky to use and one can easily use too much. I’d use a moisturizer and seal with an oil. 🙂
Great! thanks a bunch for responding. This indeed helped a ton. I have recently found my new bff (lol) deep conditioner its the honeychild “olive you” and honey is the 4th down on the ingredient list. But, I have had excellent ! results with this conditioner I just dont want to give it up (lol). Thanks again for taking the time to respond, Take care 🙂
zainab1
AuNaturale007.blogspot.com
Oooh, I see. Yea, the best thing to do is for you to monitor your hair, but you will most likely be okay. 🙂
Great , great and super helpful post! What is your thoughts on your conditioners with honey 4th ingredient down. During colder months ? do you feel in your personal opinion that styling products with humectants affect your hair more , than conditioners with humectants. I know one is rinsed off ( conditioner) and one normally stays on (styling products) …help ! (LOL)
My hair hates glycerin, but loves honey.
thanks a bunch , take care :))
zainab1
AuNaturale007.blogspot.com
Whew, I’m glad you found it helpful – you know sometimes when you are saying something and it makes sense to YOU, but you don’t know if it makes sense to anyone else? LOL, that’s how I felt! Anywho, the only conditioners I had issues with using i winter were the Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Condish (which is too light for my hair anyway) and the Darcy’s Botanicals Daily Leave-In (used as both a rinse out and LI). I do think that styling products are going to affect your hair more than a condish though – even though the condish leaves a bit of product behind, it’s not nearly as much as when you style with something. When I had issues last year, it was pretty much always with a glycerin product, so I never noticed anything about honey. But, I could use the Oyin Honey Hemp all year round. One product that I think may cause issues with honey is Qhemet’s Olive and Honey Hydrating Balm…only because I know that can easily overmoisturize in higher dews, so I wonder what it would do in lower ones….
My hair LOVES honey, but has a rocky relationship with glycerin. I hope that helps some!