oils: how do you KNOW it's doing anything?

[intothemist1999]

Over the months I've seen people post, "my hair LOVES _________ oil!" What should one see if it's doing something beneficial? Sounds like a dim question, I know

Point in question, I use coconut oil on the length, regularly. I had tried other liquid oils but they made my hair look oily but it still seemed dry and "fly-away".

I use coconut oil because it doesn't make my hair oily and I figure it can't hurt....maybe add some protection. However, I can't say I notice anything different about my hair.

I figured if my hair was well moisturized to begin with, it wouldn't soak up the c. oil and it might look oily (which it doesn't). I figured if my hair was dry it WOULD suck up the oil -- maybe it does, since the hair still looks dryish and frizzy.

Hmmmm, maybe I've answered my own question (?) Maybe I should be adding more? I've been sticking to the "fingernail" amount, sometimes a bit more.

I've always just assumed that ultimately the hair should look/become better moisturized. I've been doing this for many months now, so I figured I should have seen something by now.

[Blueneko]

I know olive oil and coconut milk worked on my hair because my hair has a richer, softer and shinier look.

BUT, I think the big secret to my success was ditching the blow dryer and every day washes.

I have never tried coconut oil. Olive oil was wondrous, however. It was an instant difference, but I did over oil at first and looked like an emo kid.

[Hypnotica]

Coconut oil could bee too light for your hair. You could try a mix of coconut oil and olive oil (thebeautybrains says a mix of these oils provides the best protection against protein loss). Have you tried to do a pre-wash treatment?

[ChloeDharma]

Normaly you can tell your hair likes oil if you can feel a difference in some way after using it. Like for me with coconut oil my hair feels softer and smoother after using it.

You don't have to stick to the fingernail amount, you can play around with it to see what you like. It might also be an idea to try a heavy oiling to give the hair a good soaking overnight in it. I use a light oiling to add a bit of shine and to protect my hair....but for actual conditioning i smother the oil on and leave it soaking as long as possible.

HTH

[FrannyG]

Your question is not dim at all. There were a couple of oils that I tried in the beginning that did nothing for me. I don't even remember what they are now.

I know that jojoba oil and EVOO work for me, because my hair is softer and shinier when I use them.

[Future CCC-SLP]

I noticed a huge difference after using jojoba oil and coconut oil. I find that my hair is easier to manage, doesn't tangle as much, looks shinier and feels super soft especially after my heavy oil treatment.

[walkinglady]

Are you using the oil on dry or wet hair? I cannot use coconut oil on my hair unless my hair is wet or damp. If I do my hair gets drier, almost brittle. This does not happen with other oils, only coconut. Maybe your hair rebels like mine.

[talullah]

I say that my hair loves sweet almond oil because I like the way my hair feels when I apply it. It's as simple as that for me.

When I say my hair doesn't like a certain oil, it usually means that my hair feels like crap when I apply it. Jojoba does this to my hair--it turns my hair into a crunchy, dry, crappy mess.

As far as what sweet almond (or any oil that I "like") actually does for my hair, besides making it feel nice: Well, I know it doesn't have the same protein-loss prevention qualities that coconut oil has, so it doesn't do anything there. What it does do for me is provide slip, which makes my hair much easier to detangle than it would be without. It makes my hair more supple and soft, which I believe helps to prevent breakage. Because I apply it to wet hair, I believe it helps seal in moisture. And all oils are full of essential fatty acids, which are supposedly good for the hair's health. You can argue that most oils don't penetrate the hair enough for these EFAs to actually have any effect--honestly, I don't know the answer to that, nor do I care. I'll still use oils either way just because they make my hair feel wonderful.

[aisling]

Before I started oiling my ends lightly after washing, my ends were really, really dry and I trimmed regularly because they got so bad, I never managed to grow my hair past BSL. Now I've oiled the ends for over 2 years and my hair has grown to almost tailbone length without the ends drying out as bad as before. That's proof enough for me that my hair likes coconut oil.

[Stagecoach]

I say that my hair loves sweet almond oil because I like the way my hair feels when I apply it. It's as simple as that for me.

When I say my hair doesn't like a certain oil, it usually means that my hair feels like crap when I apply it. Jojoba does this to my hair--it turns my hair into a crunchy, dry, crappy mess.

Talullah put it well. Except I use Coconut oil. I honestly don't know if it benefits my hair, but I LIKE my hair much better with it on!

On the amount... I use more than a finger nail.... probably 2-3's worth, but my hair is classic length, so that might be why?