Correct way to oil

[Martha]

Hi Everyone,

I was just reading on another thread about oiling and wondered what the correct way to oil is.

Do you first wet the hair and then apply the oil (I have some pure organic coconut oil, for example)?

Or do you oil the dry ends on their own?

Thanks so much!

[pariate]

I would advise against oiling dry hair. Oil does not moisturise on its own, it helps to lock in moisture... but can also lock moisture out! So always apply oil to damp/wet hair.

[Arctic]

You'll have to experiment a little, every head of hair is different. Some like to oil dry hair, some like to oil damp hair. Other than that, be gentle, use only little (unless you are going for deep oiling) and concentrate on the ends.

I personally havent even tried oiling dry hair, because I get so good results with damp hair.

[socks]

Like Arctic said, you really just have to experiment. You could even try mixing the oil with something else. I like to mix melted coconut oil with aloe vera gel. :D

[thankyousir74]

Hmm, I always oiled dry hair, usually on the ends, I never considered they possibility of what pariate said... Hmmm note to self, try oiling on damp hair... Yeah I'm still learning how to oil correctly :rolling:

[Dulci]

Here's the link to heidi w.'s Oiling Tutorial (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71), hope this helps!

[Merkaba]

Thanks for the link Dulci!

In addition I wanted to say that I find it much easier to do on damp hair, and think a mister is a good idea to get a light coating of oils all over (since when I rub it in with my hands I always miss spots).

[Faepirate]

I don't think there's really a "correct" way to oil - everyone has slightly different techniques.

I find I have to treat each oil differently and so far the only thing that works well for me is putting olive oil on DRY hair and then dampening it a little with wet hands, and then smothering it in several scrunchies while it dries (= smooth, no frizz, soft ends, apparently). I have no idea why but if I dampen the hair first it just goes crunchy. Fussy hair!

The only oil that I can get to work on hair that's already damp is jojoba oil. Oh well. :)

[NurseMama]

Reading the tutorial, I can tell you that my hair would be a frizz ball with crunchy coarse ends if I did it that way. Perhaps it is because the author's hair is super fine and straight and my hair is wavy/ curly?

I have finally figured out how to oil my hair in the last few weeks!

I must get my hair at least damp if not wet everyday. That doesn't mean that I wash it (I CO) everyday, but it must get wet in the shower or damp through a mister. After a thorough wetting I plop it for about 30 min while I accomplish other things. After plopping or after getting it damp with a mister full of distilled water, I then section my hair out into 5 or more sections help by clips or in little buns. I take a drop or two of jojoba oil rubbed over my hands per section. I have a lot of hair and this is the only way that I can get to it all! I do this everyday! There is no way that I can use a BBB on my hair everyday. The only way that I can distribute this oil is through my hands.

I was using coconut oil everyday and that was just too heavy for my hair. I lost all of my curl, clumps, and body. I do do a deep coconut oil now the night before a wash and just scrunchie bun it until morning.

[beyondcute]

Everyday I find more and more info on this site! ** off to read the tutorial**

[xrosiex]

I oil after I wash. I use my oil as my leave in. But I also oil my ends when my hair is dry, It makes it soft and shiny. And sometimes I mist then oil. I just love to oil I guess.:shrug:

[QueenBea]

I would advise against oiling dry hair. Oil does not moisturise on its own, it helps to lock in moisture... but can also lock moisture out! So always apply oil to damp/wet hair.

See, I've *read* this a lot. But I seem to have the best results with oil when I rub palms coated with coconut oil over my frizzy, damaged hair at the end of the day, or oil before bedtime and braid.

If I put it on wet hair, I don't notice a big difference when it dries.

Must be differences in hair. It does good things on my dry hair.

Bea

[Kirin]

Regardless of what the reports and stuff say, I do think oils get absorbed by the hair. At least mine anyway. I always oil dry, and it gets sucked right in as long as I don't go overboard. the only oil to work for me is a blend of Carrot, safflower and tea tree oils. Go figure.

[enitsirk]

When I'm being good to my hair, I oil it wet.

Lately I've not been treating my hair so kindly, and mostly been using oil to prevent braid frizzies and give my hair some fake shine :rolleyes:

[alligatorbaby23]

I personally wet my hair down in about 6-8 sections and then apply coconut oil. I use approximately 1teaspoon on my whole head, but alot of it goes on my dry hands too! I do this after washing up in the morning, and my hair and hands love it!

If I apply it dry, it looks dry and greasy. Wet, fullness and shine! YES! Jojoba did nothing for me sadly.

In case you didn't look @ my type <<<< I am a 2c/3a. HTH.
Experiment, after you find the routine, it is so easy!

[starla_zero]

I always oil dry, if I do it on my hair when it's wet I just look greasy.

[heidi w.]

Reading the tutorial, I can tell you that my hair would be a frizz ball with crunchy coarse ends if I did it that way. Perhaps it is because the author's hair is super fine and straight and my hair is wavy/ curly?


Here's the link to heidi w.'s Oiling Tutorial (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71), hope this helps!

I have in the Tutorial the note about spritzing on wet/damp hair.

I may be able to find a way with MODS help to amend and add a sentence about those with CURLY HAIR will likely prefer oiling damp hair using a spritzer bottle method. Many, many curly hair folks report better results than doing it dry. I would not recommend CURLY HAIR folks use a Boar Bristle Brush UNLESS, if they want to, do so before bed or when they don't plan to go out very soon (brushing curly hair separates curls and creates frizz)!!


I was using coconut oil everyday and that was just too heavy for my hair. I lost all of my curl, clumps, and body. I do do a deep coconut oil now the night before a wash and just scrunchie bun it until morning.

Generally, I have never oiled on a daily basis. I oil after a fresh hair wash on my air dried hair although easily the past 2 years I have barely oiled at all! Nevertheless some do have success oiling the teensiest amount daily, on patches or sections or zones of hair. Different hair types will respond to different oils -- and methods --, so if one doesn't work, try another. I know that a lot of CURLY HAIR folks really like SHEA BUTTER (which is also not mentioned in this article, and should be updated to do so). FOX's Shea Butter recipe is a fave for some. I think Snowymoon's Treatment also utilizes Shea Butter, but these are more for deep conditioning, I believe. (It's been a while since I read these offerings, so I'm working from memory here.) These would be under the RECIPES section of this site.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

I would advise against oiling dry hair. Oil does not moisturise on its own, it helps to lock in moisture... but can also lock moisture out! So always apply oil to damp/wet hair.


hmmmm.

I did it on my hair when dry for decades, and there's a clear difference in moisture level.

Do what works for you, but in my experience oiling my hair and others, whether wet or dry, is aligned with hair type, not whether the oiling will work.

The oil is absorbed if you use it sparingly on dry hair (or wet hair).

The next hair wash the oil will come out and not block the uptake of conditioner nor water, for example.

I wrote the OILING TUTORIAL quite a few years ago, before I was on LHC. I wrote in response to a given thread on TLHS when this site was still active, and when that site came down, it was moved over here. Many others have contributed to this article meanwhile. I want to be sure those other authors who have input get credit; however, I'm not sure who those people are!!


heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Regardless of what the reports and stuff say, I do think oils get absorbed by the hair. At least mine anyway. I always oil dry, and it gets sucked right in as long as I don't go overboard. the only oil to work for me is a blend of Carrot, safflower and tea tree oils. Go figure.

When I've given the demo at long hair gatherings, most see how little I use and a common response by those who had trouble oiling is that they realized they were using too much.

Take it easy. It's easy to add more; a real pain to have to wash the hair again!

heidi w.

[mira-chan]

The times I have oiled wet or damp hair did not give good results to say the least. I oil dry hair.

It also depends what you want to oil to do. If you want to keep the hair moisturized with it then yes damp oiling is the way to go. My hair seems to hate water so that is not what I aim for. I use oil for detangling, protection and shine. Oil reduces the effect of friction from clothes and combs on the hair. My hair doesn't produce sebum that moves down the length so I need to supplement it. Also coconut oil protects hair from protein loss when washing so I pre-wash oil.

Interestingly I usually use more than the recommended amount with coconut oil that I've literally dipped the last few inches of my ends into in the evening and it's gone in the morning. Other oils I use a lot less of.

[ChloeDharma]

I think oiling is quite a complicated subject really because the different oils will have different compositions so their effects are likely to vary....add to that each person seems to find different results, even those with the same hairtype....and it's easy to understand that there is no one size fits all.
Lots of people prefer to oil damp, some dry, and some like me are just oilaholics who don't care if it's damp or dry as long as it's oiled.

The question of oils locking out moisture is a bit misunderstood too....and while some like mineral oil do form a film that will do that, others like coconut allow moisture in and out of the hair just at a slower rate than if the hair had no oil on it, which in effect makes it moisturising.

The best thing to do is just experiment and see what your hair responds well too.

[thankyousir74]

I just got my first tub of coconut oil today! I just had to share! I'm so excited :rolling:

[Just_Isabel]

I fell in love with heavy oiling with coconut oil. :crush: - But I only do it when I know I won't have to go out of the house! :lol:

[heidi w.]

I fell in love with heavy oiling with coconut oil. :crush: - But I only do it when I know I won't have to go out of the house! :lol:

Crackin' up. Righty-o to that

Hi-5!

heidi w.

[EmpressRi]

I oil dry. If I do so on damp or wet hair, I have the most hellacious time getting a comb through my hair. I use vatika oil, and I start at my scalp and work it down to my ends, because it's a thinner oil. It's one of those strange oils that actually moisturizes my hair as well. And it's so weird, it almost has water properties, because I remember after doing a deep oiling this past winter, and going outside in the freezing cold, my hair froze into shape!! It was the funniest yet weirdest thing.

But I digress. After oiling, my put my hair into a bun, wrap a satin scarf around my hair and then go to bed. Usually I'll wash the next day.

[walkinglady]

I find my hair changes it's mind so I switch things around as necessary. I use oil on wet, damp, or dry hair. Sometimes coconut oil, broccoli seed oil, or jojoba. I like shea butter on the very ends once in awhile. I don't think there are any rights or wrongs, just go with what your hair needs on the given day.

[Opal25]

I find oiling on damp hair helps my hair stay soft longer since it locks in the moisture.

I use to oil on dry ends & for the longest time thought my hair did not like oils, because it caused my ends to be extremely dry & crunchy (even on freshly trimmed ends). It finally occurred to me to give oiling one last chance, but this time on damp hair & that was exactly what my hair needed --it worked wonderfully & since then I only oil on damp hair & when I do use heavy/thick oils I only focus on the very ends of my hair.

Hope this helps somewhat.... ;)