Coconut oil does not penetrate hair........

[Belgravia]

........only when freshly washed according to this PDF i saw on here http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2...175-p00192.pdf

now i always thought coconut oil penetrated hair REGARDLESS apparently thats not the case


So my question is if this is correct what is the point of doing ''oiling' if none of it will be penetrated and just sit on the surface wouldnt that mean you could use any oil for the ''oiling''?.....ie slap some mineral oil on there and keep it moving


it contradicts all what i thought coconut oil was MEANT to do with regular oiling

i LOVE coconut oil and used it exclusively while stretching relaxer for a year and a half and my hair stayed intact surely if the oil was merely sitting on top of my hair strand and NOT penetrating/strengthening my hair would have all snapped off

because in therory if it does not penetrate when used after shampooing its no different to MINERAL OIL

thoughts anyone?

[Lemur_Catta]

Uhm, the pdf actually says that coconut oil penetrates the hair shaft, and that used as a pre-wash treatment it prevents the swelling of the shaft so that the cuticles don't lie upwards and get damaged. I think I don't really understand what you mean?

[BunnyBee]

Well it makes sense that proteins can only penetrate the hair shaft when there is a way for them to get in - such as after washing when the cuticle is slightly raised. However, my purpose for oiling is simply for detangling and softness, which could be provided by mineral oil certainly, if it weren't for the fact that mineral oil builds up on the hair and can be incredibly difficult to remove. Thus my reason for using coconut oil (or olive in the winter). Besides also using it as a body moisturiser and removing makeup!

[ktani]

........only when freshly washed according to this PDF i saw on here http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2...175-p00192.pdf

now i always thought coconut oil penetrated hair REGARDLESS apparently thats not the case


So my question is if this is correct what is the point of doing ''oiling' if none of it will be penetrated and just sit on the surface wouldnt that mean you could use any oil for the ''oiling''?.....ie slap some mineral oil on there and keep it moving

it contradicts all what i thought coconut oil was MEANT to do with regular oiling

i LOVE coconut oil and used it exclusively while stretching relaxer for a year and a half and my hair stayed intact surely if the oil was merely sitting on top of my hair strand and NOT penetrating/strengthening my hair would have all snapped off

because in therory if it does not penetrate when used after shampooing its no different to MINERAL OIL

thoughts anyone?

Welcome to LHC!

Coconut oil outperformed both sunflower oil and mineral oil as a post-wash grooming aid, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...&postcount=594, Page 1 of the pdf.

[Belgravia]

Uhm, the pdf actually says that coconut oil penetrates the hair shaft, and that used as a pre-wash treatment it prevents the swelling of the shaft so that the cuticles don't lie upwards and get damaged. I think I don't really understand what you mean?

i know the post says it used as prewash

however what im saying is many cultures use''oiling''several times a week with coconut oil

so if its not strenghting/penetrating hair in the''oiling''sessions what is the point of using it

if all its doing is sitting on the hair strand AFTER you shampoo .....in theory you could use mineral oil for the ''oiling''

Well it makes sense that proteins can only penetrate the hair shaft when there is a way for them to get in - such as after washing when the cuticle is slightly raised. However, my purpose for oiling is simply for detangling and softness, which could be provided by mineral oil certainly, if it weren't for the fact that mineral oil builds up on the hair and can be incredibly difficult to remove. Thus my reason for using coconut oil (or olive in the winter). Besides also using it as a body moisturiser and removing makeup!

Thanks bunnybee

Welcome to LHC!

Coconut oil outperformed both sunflower oil and mineral oil as a post-wash grooming aid, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...&postcount=594, Page 1 of the pdf.

Thanks for the welome

[enfys]

My phones pdf reader removed all the spaces and even I was able to read that coconut oil was the only oil able to penetrate the hair and prevent protein loss when used as a pre and as a post wash treatment.

What did you read?

[ktani]

i know the post says it used as prewash

however what im saying is many cultures use''oiling''several times a week with coconut oil

so if its not strenghting/penetrating hair in the''oiling''sessions what is the point of using it

if all its doing is sitting on the hair strand AFTER you shampoo .....in theory you could use mineral oil for the ''oiling''

The research was detailing the benefits of coconut oil as a pre-wash and as a post-wash oil exactly because if its traditional use history, in comparison to other oils used the same ways.

It concluded that coconut oil has superior benefits for both applications. Used as a grooming product, coconut oil effectively reduces friction by lubricating the hair.

I think that the reported problems using it this way come from a too heavy and repeated application of it.

Yes, there are other oils that can be used for the same purpose that are not as greasy. Mineral and sunflower oils were not shown to have the same benefits though, used the same way. Mineral oil does have a place in hair care, in my opinion. It depends on what one is using it for exactly (a small amount can be used on the hair to increase shine for example, and has been reported to work well for that).

[aenflex]

I put it in my hair and hours later it's all but gone. So I think it's got to be going somewhere?

I also use it heavily the night before washing and in my leave-in after washing so I think I'm covered either way

[luxepiggy]

i know the post says it used as prewash

however what im saying is many cultures use''oiling''several times a week with coconut oil

so if its not strenghting/penetrating hair in the''oiling''sessions what is the point of using it

if all its doing is sitting on the hair strand AFTER you shampoo .....in theory you could use mineral oil for the ''oiling''

Not true! Have a look at this article from another issue of the same publication: http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2...283-p00295.pdf

From page 294 of the article linked above:

. . . mineral oil does not diffuse into hair because it is nonpolar . . . lack of affinity seems to prevent it from diffusing into hair. Vegetable oils, on the other hand, consist of triglyceride m olecules in which three fatty acid molecules are
naturally esterified to the three hydroxyl groups of a glycerol b ackbone. For example, coconut oil is rich in lauric acid (C-12 triglyceride), whereas in sunflower oil linoleic acid (C-18:2 triglyceride) is predominant. Because of its polar character, coconut oil seems to have an affinity toward protein molecules in the CMCs, and, therefore, this oil penetrates more readily into hair fibers compared to mineral oil.

ETA: As far as I can ascertain, the oil in the linked paper was applied to dry hair, with readings taken immediately after application and then 24 hours later to determine how much, if any, of the oil had penetrated the hair in question.

[Debra83]

Below is the conclusion - it says it DOES penetrate the hair, and it is the only pre-wash oil too that does it. I don't think you read it right. (for some reason that's how it copied and pasted, but if you click on it and go down to the conclusion, it'll be there!)


CONCLUSIONS
This studyh asf irmly establishetdh e superiorityo f the protectivee ffecto f coconuto il
on hair damage in grooming processews hen it is used as a pre-wash conditionera s
compared to mineral oil and other vegetable oils such as sunflower oil. It not only has
a protectivee ffecto n undamagedh air but alsoo n chemicallyt reatedh air, UV-treated
hair, and hair treated with boiling water (i.e., hair in water at 100øC for 2 hr). The
ability of coconuot il to penetratein to hair cuticlea nd cortexs eemsto be responsiblfeo r
this effect.C oatedo n the fiber surfacei,t can prevento r reducet he amount of water
penetratingi nto the fiber and reducet he swelling.T his, in turn, reducesth e lifting of
the surfacec uticle and preventsi t from being chippeda way during wet combing.A
reductionin the WRI is additionale videnceo f its efficacyin decreasinwg ater absorption.
The datap resentedin thisw ork clearlys howt he superiorityo f coconuot il asa hair
damage protectant, in the grooming of untreated or damaged hair.