The Hair Oils Thread

[Cleopatra18]

My favourite hair oils, in order of preference (1 being my all-time favourite) are:

1. Camellia Japonica oil
2. Hemp Seed oil
3. Sesame oil
4. Coconut oil
5. Avocado oil

My hair does not like: Olive oil, Almond oil, Mustard oil.

My scalp no longer tolerates Neelibhringadi oil or Mahabhringraj oil or any of the other Ayurvedic oils

Aw why, what happened??

[Othala]

Aw why, what happened??

This: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=91993

[Ki]

Interesting thread. Interesting to see which oils penetrate hair and which don't. I've been using coconut oil, sometimes mixed with jojoba oil. Last time I oiled just with jojoba before shampooing, now I see maybe it's better not used this way.

[WickedWurlys]

This: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=91993

So sorry...sure hope you can find a way around it!

[WickedWurlys]

Interesting thread. Interesting to see which oils penetrate hair and which don't. I've been using coconut oil, sometimes mixed with jojoba oil. Last time I oiled just with jojoba before shampooing, now I see maybe it's better not used this way.

This^^^me too! I looked up Argan and I THINK it's a poly, so I believe I should use it as a seal, rather than pretreatment and use the coconut for pre instead. It kinda make sense as I have been using the coconut as the seal w/leave in or AVG and have noticed that I'm losing moisture after 1 day and having to co to keep the tangles at bay.

This thread has been SO helpful! Thanx to all!!!

[PolarCathy]

My favorites are (currently in this order):

Castor
Mustard
Red Palm
Sesame
Grapeseed
Almond

[earthnut]

I'm attempting to ditch the shampoo and conditioner and use mainly oils instead.

I've gone through the entire thread and learned a lot! With some additional research, here's an extensive list that I hope will be helpful: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...jY5ZlZyUzVURXc

Saturation is directly related to the penetration ability of oils, though it also depends on your type of hair and other hair products you use. Oils will be more penetrating for squeaky-clean, curly hair than for silicone-covered straight hair. Even though the hair penetration ability has not necessarily been tested for all of these, this should get you in the ballpark of how well your oils might penetrate.
* Saturated oils are able to penetrate the hair because they are simple, straight, rod-shaped molecules. The shorter the molecule, the better it can penetrate the hair. Coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and babassu oil are the most penetrating of all the oils.
* Monounsaturated fats are like saturated fats except they have one kink in the rod, so it's a little harder for the molecules to get inside the hair. The most common monounsaturated fat is oleic fatty acid, found in very high amounts in olive and almond oil.
* Polyunsaturated fats have many kinks in the rod, making it difficult for them to penetrate hair. These "drying" oils form a moisture barrier on the outside of the hair follicle, acting much like silicones. Pomegranate seed oil, flax seed oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil are some of the most drying oils. BTW, "drying" does not mean that the oil will dry out your hair. It means the as the oil dries, it chemically changes to form a protective coating on your hair.
* Waxes are very long, large molecules, making it hard for them to penetrate the hair. Sebum, jojoba oil, and lanolin have a waxy component.
* Mineral oil, being made of hydrocarbons, has no affinity to protein and does not penetrate the hair shaft at all.

Also, I think that it would be very helpful, especially for newbies, to outline some methods for applying oils to the hair. This was the most intimidating part for me as a person new to oiling the hair: I had no idea how much to use or how to apply it, and my first attempts were terrible.

My method for moist or dry hair: I part my BSL hair in two, pulling the hair over each shoulder. Dipping a fingertip in the oil so I get only a drop or two on my finger, I rub all my fingers together so the oil is evenly distributed. I finger-comb one side of my hair, starting at the tips and working upwards. Then I dip my fingertip in the oil as before and repeat on the other side.

Heidi W.'s method for applying oil to dry calf-length hair.
This thread has some links to information about oil use.

There's also a method of saturating your hair with oil, leaving it on for an hour or overnight, then washing out. Penetrating oils are particularly good for this. Read more here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=62757

Other threads to read:
http://archive.longhaircommunity.com...ad.php?t=74214
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=30171

And here is the scientific article that started it all.

[glowm83]

Hi Everyone
I wanted to know, is there any rule to say that you cant use all these oils at once?
Would it have a similar, stronger or reverse affect if doing this?

Also, what brands of oils are people finding they like best?

Thanks so much

[earthnut]

Hi Everyone
I wanted to know, is there any rule to say that you cant use all these oils at once?
Would it have a similar, stronger or reverse affect if doing this?

Also, what brands of oils are people finding they like best?

Thanks so much

You can use as many oils as you like together! Even one oil is made up of many fatty acids. A combo of oils would act like the average of the oils you used.

[CheekAllison]

I've started using goat milk soap (all natural with a lot of those oils in it) and I've just started using a coconut oil on my ends to soften them up.