A few months ago I discovered that one huge reason why my hair wasn't "retaining" moisture is because it wasn't being properly moisturised in the first place. This is because I have low porosity hair that repels moisture (another recent discovery of mine), and most of the products I was using were way too thick to be able to penetrate my cuticles. With that in mind, I swapped out the heavy, buttery conditioners I thought were best for my dry hair with lighter products like the Carol's Daughter Monoi Repair and Protect Multi-Styling Milk ($22).
Not only does it make for an amazing heat protectant, but it can also be used as a leave-in conditioner that doesn't leave my hair feeling heavy or weighed down after applying.