Best essential oil for damaged hair?

[mdrew]

Best essential oil for damaged hair?

I am interested in adding an essential oil to my henna mix and would like to find the one best suited to repairing hair damaged by chemical dyes.
If there is one which can emphasis the red and not the orange of the henna that would be great!

Thank you!

[Kome]

Ummmmmm..... no. Henna is going to be orange no matter what when you first put it on. After 3-5 days it will oxidize and turn redder. The more frequent you henna, the redder and darker it will become.

Lavender is a good essential oil for the hair, but it is meant for greasy hair and too much of it will dry your hair out. Tea tree oil is also good. I tend to use the cheap hair oil version of this though and not my essential oil as it is much stronger.

[mdrew]

Ummmmmm..... no. Henna is going to be orange no matter what when you first put it on. After 3-5 days it will oxidize and turn redder. The more frequent you henna, the redder and darker it will become.

Lavender is a good essential oil for the hair, but it is meant for greasy hair and too much of it will dry your hair out. Tea tree oil is also good. I tend to use the cheap hair oil version of this though and not my essential oil as it is much stronger.

tea tree is also drying. I am looking for a nurishing, repairing oil.

Thank you though :)

[Love23101]

Coconut oil is very good for dry and damaged hair, at least for me it is.

[GrowingGlory]

Triple Moon Annointing Oil has helped to restore my hair to good health after three seasons of daily clarification without conditioning, a run-in with sea salt spray, and about a month of shampoo and conditioner made for hair much oilier than mine. I did also have my hair cut twice to remove the damage but this oil blend has made all of the difference. It is available through NightBlooming's shop on Etsy.

[mdrew]

Coconut oil is very good for dry and damaged hair, at least for me it is.

what is your method for using coconut oil?

[Roscata]

I got this info from naturallycurly.com:

"Guidelines for choosing essential oil:
Dry or coarse hair: sandalwood, lavender, and geranium.
Chemically damaged hair: sandalwood, lavender, frankincense, or geranium.
Blond hair: lemon, geranium or chamomile.
Gray hair: sage, rose, lavender or geranium.
Hair loss: rosemary, juniper or lavender.
Dandruff: rosemary, eucalyptus, tea tree or cedar wood."

*edit* Coconut oil is great for:
- overnight heavy pre-wash oiling
- post wash length oiling on damp hair
- dry hair oiling
Coconut oil is known for being able to condition hair, especially damaged hair. But it's not 100% it depends on your hair. Other light oils could be beneficial if that one does not work: extra virgin olive oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, shea butter, etc.
You might want to check out these articles:
The uses of coconut oil (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53786&highlight=coconut+oil)
Carrier Oil Comparison (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=66)
Oiling Tutorial (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71)
Herbs and Essential Oils for Hair and Skin! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=25)

[McFearless]

Use coconut oil! Don't mix it in with your henna but instead lightly oil your hair with it before application. It will make henna removal and dye uptake much easier. Good luck!

[bumblebums]

You should post a question about this to the Henna thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=45).

NB: coconut oil is not an essential oil. Essential oils are highly concentrated oils that carry strong scents; Roscata's post lists a few examples. I don't really know if people add coconut oil to henna mixes--I've never heard of that, but then I am not a henna user. OP--using henna alone will likely fix some of the problems with your hair, but there are some potential problems to be aware of; for example, some people find henna drying. They do add yogurt to henna, and there are other things you can do--see the thread I linked above.

[Roscata]

You should post a question about this to the Henna thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=45).

NB: coconut oil is not an essential oil. Essential oils are highly concentrated oils that carry strong scents; Roscata's post lists a few examples. I don't really know if people add coconut oil to henna mixes--I've never heard of that, but then I am not a henna user. OP--using henna alone will likely fix some of the problems with your hair, but there are some potential problems to be aware of; for example, some people find henna drying. They do add yogurt to henna, and there are other things you can do--see the thread I linked above.

Exactly what bumblebums said!
Coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, jojoba oil and avocado oil are carrier oils. Shea butter is a butter. Carrier oils and butters are great for hair conditioning and you "could" use some of them with henna (especially olive oil) but they are usually used separately.

If you want to use henna for conditioning you can always do a Moisturising Henna Gloss (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=154).

[PrincessTieflin]

When I henna'd my hair I added some EVOO to the mix, and now I just do a mix of Cocnut and sweet almond when I oil (i do it daily because of damage and it helps control my curl)