Tips for newbies?

[OilPaint]

When you oil your hair, how much do you use? How do you go about starting? I have to admit I've never done this before but have seen on a lot of discussions about how great it is for your hair... I just have this image of me completely overdoing it and having to spend another hour in the shower getting it out! lol

[SurferB]

What I'm doing:

I'm eating a clean diet (vegetarian), as always. I eat 2-3 organic free range pasture eggs everyday. I eat plenty of fruit and veggies. I only eat Whole Foods Market farmed raised salmon 1/week or white fish and raw goats cheese, keifer. I also use organic extra virigin coconut oil, Juice Organics Shampoo and Conditioner, and I only wash my hair 2-3 times per week. Sometimes I'll throw an egg in my hair...ONLY organic pasture raised eggs! I won't touch the crap eggs from regular stores. Sometimes I'll also put avocado in my hair and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. I also have a special brush that doesn't break my hair and I don't comb it when it's wet nor do I brush it. I also use essential oils to really moisturize my hair, and of course being careful with the protein/moisture balance.

[Glenn]

I hope I can get a few dumb questions answered. Maybe some others can benefit too.

I've never done serious care for my hair before. What should I start off using? What should I avoid? From my lurking I've gathered I should try coconut oil, but where do I get it from? Is there a specific type, or is coconut oil just coconut oil?

I have ridiculously fine hair with a high rate of shedding and split ends.

Good luck on your quest! I'm new, too, but have been receiving advice from my fiance for quite some time now (she's had an active account for quite a while).

From what I have seen (and heard, second-hand) there are a lot of interesting and proper ways to treat hair, and virtually none of them come from traditional, commercial sources. And here I thought all I had to do was wash it...

[Sheora]

When you oil your hair, how much do you use? How do you go about starting? I have to admit I've never done this before but have seen on a lot of discussions about how great it is for your hair... I just have this image of me completely overdoing it and having to spend another hour in the shower getting it out! lol

Hey! That's a question I can actually answer!
Just start putting palmfulls of oil into your hair at a time. You'll be able to feel when your hair is saturated enough. I did my first oil treatment by grabbing the bottle of olive oil out of the kitchen and just going for it. Then I did a little research on which oils are the best for what I wanted to do with my hair and visited a local herb shop. I've got a nice blend now of olive, coconut, and almond that I put into an old dishsoap squeeze bottle (which makes it really easy to put into my hair). Don't worry about having a hard time rinsing it out. It all comes out with ease.

[Ticky]

I think others gave you some great tips, I just wanted to say welcome

[TiffanieJean]

I went to the local herb shop and picked up coconut oil and sweet almond oil (at the clerk's recommendation) but she told me to stay away from castor oil. She used to treat her hair and said that castor oil isn't really good for it and is linked to cancer now. Anyone know anything about that?

I'm now using a mix of olive, coconut and almond oil that my friend scented with lavender oil. I love the scent. It stays in for a couple of days after I use it. I'm also noticing that my hair no longer gets dirty as quickly. Usually I can skip one evening and it starts to look oily and dirty the next day. Now it's two days at least before it really looks like it needs to be washed.

If you get a version that is extracted with chemicals, that could be true. Hexane is very bad for you, but if it says cold or expeller pressed on the bottle and preferably hexane free, there wouldn’t be a problem. The brand I get is Heritage Products.

I do Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil, Tea Tree and Rosemary. Sometimes I add Apricot Kernel, Sweet Almond or Coconut Oil in too. Avocado gave me a bad reaction…

[Crazycatlady]

I went to the local herb shop and picked up coconut oil and sweet almond oil (at the clerk's recommendation) but she told me to stay away from castor oil. She used to treat her hair and said that castor oil isn't really good for it and is linked to cancer now. Anyone know anything about that?

I'm now using a mix of olive, coconut and almond oil that my friend scented with lavender oil. I love the scent. It stays in for a couple of days after I use it. I'm also noticing that my hair no longer gets dirty as quickly. Usually I can skip one evening and it starts to look oily and dirty the next day. Now it's two days at least before it really looks like it needs to be washed.

One important tip I'd like to share regarding oiling...when you're ready to wash it out, cover your hair with cheap, runny conditioner such as Vo5 or Suave and then rinse well. Then you might want to repeat. For some reason, conditioner removes the oil better than shampoo for most people.

[Madora]

"Less is more" applies to hair care too.

Only wash your hair when it needs it. Frequent washing will dry out your hair, leaving it look like straw.

Always detangle gently before brushing!!! Use a wide tooth comb.

How to detangle:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...&articleid=230

Air drying is more hair friendly: Here's how:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...&articleid=223

You might want to investigate mineral oil (also known as baby oil). It is a great detangler plus it helps tame frizzies, is a great conditioner, very lightweight and a very good moisturizer. It rinses out easily and you only need a drop or two. Leaves your hair soft, supple and shiny.

Happy growing!