Hi and welcome! I hope I can be of some help to you Have you tried using a leave in conditioner? A little bit rubbed between the palms and then just smoothed over the hair works very well when my hair feels dry(I use Beauty without cruelty leave-in conditioner then).
Also,I can say that I really didn´t like Nexxus Humectress Shampoo-I used it for some time and my hair was a dry ,frizzy mess (My hair is fine & straight).
Maybe you could try a gentle shampoo like Paula´s Choice All over hair&body shampoo followed by Matrix Biolage conditioning balm,silicone-free,but very moisturizing and I´ve never had any over-conditioning with it.
I hope I don´t sound like a commercial ,but I had been searching for years for the right products,and these two are simply great!
Another option would be oils,like coconut oil etc. as a leave in.They don´t work for me,but many people swear by them

Thanks-and I hope it´ll help a bit!

 When I grew my hair to mid-thigh length, I lived in the Sonoran Desert.  I had to learn some hair-care strategies that were different from the humid southern (and sea-level) climate I was raised in. By the way, my hair has always behaved differently at sea-level than it has on the high plains. My skin, too - I never burned at sea-level, but I burn in less than five minutes at 3000+ feet. I wonder if that somehow could translate to the potential for greater hair damage, too.

The jojoba oil is wonderful to prevent split ends and minimize the dry, frizzy feel.  If I know I'll be washing my hair the next day, I'll jojoba all my hair really well, then put it on top of my head and forget it (I wrap it before going to bed, so it doesn't transfer to pillowcase.)  Shampoo the next day, and voila!  Between times, you can just use a tiny amount of jojoba oil on the very ends before you go to bed (it soaks right in and has never gotten on my bed linens).

Absolutely, bikerbraid, an occasional vinegar rinse helps keep away product build-up and give lovely shine.  My great-grandmother taught me to use cider vinegar since my hair is dark (Guess you'd use white vinegar for lighter?). She taught me to pour about a cup into a large container or pitcher, then dilute with water.   After shampooing, drench the solution into your hair, and gently work it around for a little while.  Rinse and condition.  It really helps bring out any natural highlights, too.

I have had very good luck with shampoos and conditioners from Avalon Natural Products (their Organic Botanicals line).  They are super gentle, contain no SLS or propolene glycol (which can be extremely irritating to skin and scalps), and have left my hair soft and smooth.  The conditioner can be used as a regular rinse, or you can dab extra on the ends after towel drying.  My friend glops it on her damp hair and braids it to let it really soak in, which I have tried with good effect.  It hasn't left me looking stringy or oily, and their products are not cost-prohibitive.

http://www.avalonnaturalproducts.com

It sounds like overexposure might be part of your problem. One of the best things you can do in a dry climate is to keep your hair braided, or put up.  Do not let it whip around in the wind or be overly exposed to the sun. Hats and scarves are your friends.  When I used to braid my hair in the mornings, I would slather on La Maur's placenta cream (which I can't find now) and just leave it on, but the jojoba treatments seem to have replaced it just fine. My hair never saw a blow-dryer unless I had been ill. My ends were trimmed regularly, even if I didn't think I needed it, and this turned out to be crucial to prevent damage from starting at the ends.  I only wore my hair down for big occasions, usually in the evening, and combed good old-fashioned glycerin and rosewater through it just before going out. Many people in Arizona, New Mexico and Sonora remember my lovely long braids...very few people ever saw my hair down in public.

Since I used to be  quite a product junkie(still tempted sometimes) I have tried almost all of Nexxus products:The Vita Tress Biotin Shampoo is o.k. but nothing special,it left my hair slightly stiff & dry (supposed to give the impression of more volume,I guess). The Vita Tress Cysteine treatment (one of the conditioners )is quite another story-the worst conditioner ever (Well,for my hair) It left my hair feeling extremely dry and brittle and sort of bleached out.
I´m sorry I can´t remember the ingredients because I threw it away,but there were several very harsh ones which had no reason to be in something that is supposed to *help* hair!
About the only Nexxus product I liked was their Botanoil shampoo. But that is only my experience,Nexxus might work well for people with coarse,strong hair-for my fine hair it was quite damaging.(and expensive)
If your hair doesn´t mind silicones,I could recommend the L´oreal Kerastase  or Mega Moisture conditioners.I use them in winter sometimes and they work very well for dry,fine hair.

Greetings, Aphrodite!

Thank you for the new information. Your timing is great; lately, I've been wondering what the next step is with my hair.

For how long have you (or did you) use the VitaTress biotin shampoo? Also: were you using the Cysteine conditioner? If so, for how long?

Also: were you using any other of the products in that line?

If you could please outline how you were using the whole shootin' match of products, that would be great!

Thanks much,
Christine

That helps a lot. Thanks!

Christine