This. It really does seem to work better if you let the conditioner sit in for a bit
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Sorry to hijack but I am a newbie and have a few questions about this too. At the moment I have heavily oiled dry hair with coconut oil and a dash of olive oil.
When I go to wash it out, should I rinse with warm water, then put the conditioner in and let it sit, or should I apply the conditoner over the oil and let it sit, then go and rinse it all out?
I will probably need to shampoo the roots because my hair can get very oily and lank, so if I put conditioner into the ends (either before or after rinsing pending above question) then shampoo the roots with the conditioner still in, then rinse it all out, does that sound okay?
TIA!
Hi vnv, you do NOT wet your hair at all when you are using the CO method (meaning using conditioner only)to wash your hair. You simply apply the conditioner directly to your oiled hair, let it sit for at least 15 minutes, and then you wash it out with a warm shower. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but using conditioner only is actually even more effective in removing oil from your hair than using shampoo. See, the fatty alcohols in a cone-free conditioner will bond very well with the oil molecules, so that when you finally wash it out, the warm water takes out both the conditioner and the oil that is now bonded to the conditioner. However, this bonding process doesn't happen immediately, this is why you have to first allow those 15 minutes for that bonding to happen.
You are free of course to default to using shampoo if that's what you are used to, but the shampoo will dry out your hair. The CO method is a much more gentler method, it will remove the oil from your hair without drying out your hair. In fact, it will leave your hair more moisturized.
:) Thanks ericthegreat. It seems so weird to think about having clean hair without using shampoo, especially considering I have so much oil in my hair right now, but I will trust you :p I can always shampoo if my hair is too oily after.
Im going to wash it out soon, the oil has been in for a few hours now.
Hi :)
Well this is what I do:
I oil my hair with coconut oil the night before, or I oil and bun/plait it in the morning if I'm washing it later that evening.
I wet it with warm water (lukewarm in the summer). I find this helps to loosen the oil in the hair a bit, no need to use hot water.
I use shampoo mainly on my scalp, and gently push the suds through the length before I rinse, I'll repeat the shampoo if need be.
I then put a good amount of conditioner all over the length, focussing on the ends, and any that's left on my hands I smooth over my scalp.
Rinse with warm (or lukewarm) water and if I can stand it, some cold water (strictly in the summer only).
I switch between cones/non-cones.
Warm water doesn't dry out my hair, and works for me, cold water doesn't do a thing except make my hair shiny.
This is what works for me, but keep in mind that everyone is different.
Ah! Maybe this is what I've been doing wrong!! I use coconut oil ALL THE TIME and love it to bits, but I've never been successful with COing it out again, so I CWC, shampooing the roots only... but will give CO another go now - maybe I'm just being too impatient with it!
fingers crossed! & thanks for the tip!
:)
Question: where do you buy your coconut oil? I bought some at Walgreens in the ethnic hair section. When I opened the jar, the coconut oil was very thick and sticky. Is that normal? I was thinking it would be liquid like olive oil....
If your jar says 100% coconut oil (may say refined or unrefined) the thickness is normal but the stickyness isn't: it should melt in your hand and be oily. You might have coconut oil with additives.
As others have said, coconut oil should be solid at room temp (up to around 74-76 degrees F) but melt upon contact with your warmer skin. It comes in refined (no smell) or unrefined (smells like coconuts). The best place to get it locally would be a natural foods store or possibly an ethnic grocery (especially Indian or Asian). It will usually be in the cooking oil section.
Thanks for the info In2wishin. What brand of coconut oil do you use?
I'm going to look for better quality coconut oil next time I go shopping. Mine says 100% coconut oil, but also lists petrolatum as the first ingredient. It smells just like coconuts.
Yeah, that isn't the right stuff. I made that mistake the first time too. My coconut oil isn't organic, but it is 100%. I got it at Kroger.
To get it out, I CWC. The first C is light--I rub my scalp with the conditioner and rinse. Then I shampoo (Sometimes I use a clarifying shampoo--Suave, but most the time I use Lush). The last C is a heavy cone.
Of course, I don't really care too much if it doesn't all wash out--I just put more in after it dries!