Can Oiling Roots Cause Hair Fall???

[susan121414]

I've been using castor oil with some bringraj/lavender/rosemary essential oil (all natural, organic) mixed in, with some msm and vitamin b complex solution, on my roots for weeks now, and since I work at home and don't have to leave the house much, I've just been leaving it in. I've loosely tied my hair up in a bun with a ponytail holder, and have slept with it that way, with a shower cap to keep the oil off my pillow, and it didn't feel like it was pulling my hair--well, not much--but I've had tremendous hair fall for weeks now--like a wad the size of a silver dollar of solid hair each time I shower. I'm worried I won't have any hair left! I don't have any bald spots and am not thinning at the temples so I don't think this is hormonal.

I've heard castor oil can cause the old hairs that are ready to go to fall out, so new hair can grow, but now I'm worried...have I damaged my roots by leaving them soaked in oil for weeks? I usually have dry hair and not much scalp oil on my own. I could go a week without needing to shampoo. Am I just being paranoid? I do see some little baby hairs coming in, so maybe the castor oil is doing good, but I'm worried I've damaged my roots somehow.

How do you long-haired ladies deal with overnight treatments? I think if I don't bun my hair before putting it in a treatment cap, it will come out as I sleep and get oil on my blankets. I slop on the goop, bun my hair, cover it in a treatment cap and then put a towel over my pillow when I do overnight oilings. And because I've been leaving in my treatment for three days at a time between co-washings, I've had my hair oiled and up in a bun for weeks straight, now.

Am I just being paranoid about this hair fall, or is castor oil/eo causing all my hair follicles to die?

I've also been taking biotin and folic acid internally lately, but only the required daily dosage.

[sarelis]

Whenever I oil my scalp, I shed kittens. It seems to be a problem a lot of people here have. It could be worth trying another oil, but with the amount I shed I was reluctant to try again.

[renia22]

Same here, oiling my roots makes my hair shed like crazy. I've tried various oils (lighter ones; heavier ones), including a MSM oil made for hair loss, and it's the same every time..shedding, shedding, shedding...

[jacqueline101]

I oil daily don't shed at all.

[nobeltonya]

The oiling alone shouldn't cause hair fall.. maybe when you're massaging it in, you're causing loose hairs to shed. Make sure that the hairs you're shedding have the little white balls on the end, which means it was supposed to shed anyway. The oiling will also stimulate the scalp and over time will strengthen your hair. I use just regular old coconut oil every other night. Maybe you should try a different oil? See if you get the same results.

[Naiadryade]

Hmm! I've seen a lot less shedding since I started oiling my scalp. Just goes to show that there's no one right way! And yeah, I only wash my hair once a week at most, so the oil stays in. I only use a little though... not nearly so much that it would be glooping up my pillow or anything. I apply one drop at a time, and my whole head takes about 6-10 drops almost every night. I also have a dry scalp and very absorbent hair, so it only starts looking at all greasy after maybe 4-5 days of this (and EVOO on the lengths).

Maybe you're using too much? Or maybe it's one of the ingredients that you're having a bad reaction to, and not the others? You could try just straight castor oil and see how that works. Or straight something else. Of course it's also possible your head just doesn't like oil!

[rowie]

I use coconut oil daily on my scalp and it absorbs it. I guess my scalp is like a cactus but at the same time I'm not the type that produce lots of sebum. Plus I shed a lot of hairs everyday because I have thick hair so I guess it's natures' way of keeping a balance.

[TheMechaGinger]

Maybe leaving it in for such long mounts of time isn't such a good idea? I oil my scalp pretty regularly with coconut oil but only for 8 hours at the most and I don't get any hair loss from it. I hope you figure it out, shedding can be so frustrating!

[UpNorth]

I shed like crazy when I try CO and I've only tried with conditioners that contains lots of oils.

[goldloli]

This definitely has been my experience! weirdly I'm fine with applying conditioner right up to scalp after shampoo, keeps my scalp happy and lessens volume so hair lays better... Yet co washing and scalp oiling results in mass hairfall. My guess is that it clogs the follicles. I can do dry scalp massages just fine, I find a few more hairs fall out than usual (guessing they were ones ready to come out) but nothing like when i co or oil.

Avocado oil in conditioner or neat on scalp gives drastic hairfall for me.

[jeanniet]

I use straight castor oil on my hair after a wash, and with combing and such there must be some getting on my scalp over time, but I haven't had an increase in shedding. I also use conditioner on my scalp, but not a whole lot--and I definitely have more shed if I CO vs. shampooing. If you're oiling your scalp heavily and then leaving it it for days (or even just a couple of days), that might be too much for your hair follicles because castor oil is a pretty heavy oil. I'd just oil overnight before a wash and see if that makes a difference.

[leilasahhar]

I oil my scalp with oils 10 min before I shower and I shampoo it out. I dilute my shampoo so it takes out the greasy look but leaves my scalp perfectly moisture balanced. I never leave oils on my roots longer than an hour, from my experience the folicules don't like it and hair falls. I do use redwood roots mist for my roots mostly during the winter because I have a somewhat dry scalp and the mist is blended with rosewater and aloe that the oil in it is just barely felt. This I can leave on for days without any threat to my roots. But like I said I do a "heavy" oil right before I shower and shampoo it out before any damage is caused to the folicule. :)

[akilina]

I have been wondering this myself. I was oiling every other night but quit for a while and just have not remembered to start again to see what the shedding looks like...It was a test run but I have gotten out of the habit of oiling.

Oiling with castor oil and coconut oil has caused some SERIOUS new growth. Like an unreal amount.

Its interesting to hear replies...It sounds like everyones story is different and that this issue varies from person to person. It seems like its just something you have to learn from trial (and error maybe)for you personally. I am going to see how my oiling goes again soon so I can tell if it does make me shed more or not.

[Lauram]

I shed a TON when oil my scalp. I wish I could do it since castor oil is so good for hair growth but I can't. I get a bunch of extra hair and it continues till I stop oiling. Iused to oil every night and co wash it out in the morning when first started at lhc, I was thinking it was just a time of year thing or a second post pardon shed since I recently weened my son but it continued till I cut out oiling or leaving anything on my scalp, I can co wash without issue and stretch washes. Hmmph

[dwell_in_safety]

Anecdotal evidence doesn't count for much, but I barely shed at all in the shower with a normal wash, but if I ever get oil or conditioner onto my scalp, I will shed buckets. I really don't know why. I tend to oil only from my ears down, as a result, and I am very careful to never get conditioner on my scalp, except for perhaps the unavoidable touch here and there while making sure that most of my hair is covered.

[BrightEyes]

I shed like crazy when I oil my scalp. I also wish I could do it because I hear so many good things about oil and scalp massages. But the shedding scares me too much.

[wendylai]

I also had disastrous shed when I tried oiling. And I tried it a few times.. ouch!

Only oil I use (rarely) on my scalp is castor, and on my temples as I would like to increase growth there. Anyways my scalp has zero dryness issues as it is so not oiling doesnt bother me. However I liked a lot better rubbing this not-very oily basic skin cream on my scalp. Then I didnt shed at all, strange.. I think we can assume that it's something within the oils that causes the shedding as rubbing emulsion didnt have same results. But try that, good thing I read this thread I will go again and buy some cream :) One I use here in Europe is called Humekta.iefly tri

Edit: I also had this shed-problem when I briefly flirted with CO..

[susan121414]

Thank you all for your answers! I do have the little white ball on the end of the hairs that have fallen--not a big white ball (like the follicle itself) but a dry, shrunken bit of almost translucent white material, so I'm hoping that means these hairs were meant to fall out soon anyway. Yes, I think leaving it on for days is too long. I've wanted so much for castor oil to work, because it does make new hair grow at my temples. I got some hair loss there after going off birth control, and castor oil made it grow back. Hmmm...I may lay off for a month, try oiling again (but only for a few hours, or one night) and see if it causes major shed, and that will be my answer. Thank you all again! It's so wonderful to be able to connect with people on these questions!

[maborosi]

I don't oil my scalp but that's 'cause it makes it itchy. Yeah, it seems like quite a few people have issues oiling their scalp. Hm.

~maborosi~

[rock007junkie]

I think the oil just loosens hairs that are gonna fall anyways. I oil my scalp regularly and I think I've seen a decrease in shedding since I've incorporated this into my routine

[kidari]

I shed when I oil my scalp but I don't have issues with CO washing. I shed a ton when I tried castor oil- but I didn't know you're supposed to dilute it with a runnier oil. I have used other oils as well and although the amount I shed is by no means alarming, I just don't oil my scalp anymore. It's just something that I found works best for me.

[renia22]

I think the oil just loosens hairs that are gonna fall anyways. I oil my scalp regularly and I think I've seen a decrease in shedding since I've incorporated this into my routine

I don't know, maybe this is true for people with thicker/ denser hair to begin with? I think when your hair is fine/thin or delicate, with an oily scalp, adding weight/ oils to the scalp can potentially be problematic. In my case, I can handle aloe and roobios tea, but oils give me 3-4 times the amount of hair loss I would normally get, and not just from one time of use. The last time I tried an oil on my scalp (burdock/ nettle) it triggered a shedding and it took weeks for my scalp to get back to normal. I've heard lots of other people report the same problem. Maybe some people are just sensitive to oils or weight on the scalp? And interesting, like others who don't like scalp oils, I also do not like CO washing..

[wendylai]

One thing I've been contemplating is mixing castor oil and something else on a spray-bottle and spraying it onto my scalp. Maybe like few hours before washing it. And skip the rubbing maybe? I'm too scared of the shedding to try this right now. Has anyone got any first hand into if this would do?

[Fantak]

Like everything scalp oilling is very YMMV. I can't leave oil on my scalp too long or CO wash, it causes a huge shed. I do however do a light massage with oil (olive or coconut) on my scalp about 5 minutes before I wash it, but only when it seems extra dry. I oil the length religiously though.

I used castor oil neat on my scalp once a week for a while. I used to pour some on a plate and apply it to my scalp with a light hand using a cotton pad that I'd very lightly brushed on the castor oil plate. I'd then put a shower cap and dry towel on and leave for 20 mins before washing. Unfortunately i didnt do it long enough to see if it made any difference but you could try it if you'd like to use castor oil.

HTH ^.^

[SnowWhite]

Yep, I shed crazy with CO or oiling roots... I don't do it anymore. Plus my scalp doesn't really need it. It produces enough sebum and my roots feel so healthy.

[susan121414]

UPDATE! I've continued oiling my hair with castor and emu oil and EOs like lavender and rosemary and for a few weeks I did keep having heavy hair fall but not it's stopped and my hair is growing like crazy. I've come to the conclusion that I had a lot of hair that needed to come out because it was at the end of its growth cycle. Now that the old ones fell out, new ones are growing in so my hair looks thicker/fuller. I do have a lot of funny 3 inch baby hairs now, but I like how it makes my hair look full and have more body and when they grow out, I'll have a thick ponytail. So for all of you afraid of oiling, you may want to stick with it for 3 weeks and see if the heavy hairfall stops and new growth results. My hair really is growing in twice as fast as before now; not just baby hairs but the long hairs too.

[gthlvrmx]

Well i tried Co washing for a year and yes it caused me to lose more hair so i stopped. oiling also caused A LOT of hair fall but again i did not stick it out :P i only tried it for 4 days and i stopped. maybe i should try it again?

though i am unsure my scalp seems to be unhappy with a lot of stuff on it :( shampoo is a nono. conditioner is a nono. oil is a nono. too much of my own sebum is an ok thing i guess XD depends. if i go too long without showering i suddenly shed more and im sure thats true since ive collected my shed hair before showering at day 5 or 6 the day before washing and then i still had even more shed hair XD i dont know but hey ill give oils a shot again since you had some luck! ;D

[Loreley]

I used castor oil for 4 months. It made me shed like crazy. Then I stopped, and the new growth appeared only 2 months after I stopped using the oil. I was really freaking out that I'll lose a even more hair. It took almost a year the new growth was long enough to disappear in my bun or ponytail. I looked horrible with the halo of new growth, there were even whole locks of it, 2-3" long around my head. :shudder: And my hair didn't grow any faster than usually, I got 3 cms in 4 months... This was the worst thing happened to my hair. I don't think that in my case only those strands fell out that would have fallen out anyway. I don't believe in this.
I sometimes use coconut oil on my scalp but it has never caused shedding.