Coconut oil & breakage: oh no could this be possible!?

[tbonita]

I am (was) an avid coconut user (oil mostly, and milk), and noticed on my last 2 overnight coconut oilings my hair broke off in little 1/4 inch sections all over! I have a pixie and lofty length goal... This cannot happen! I am very protein sensitive, when I noticed virtually all of my hair products had protein in them the same thing was happening (luckily this doesn't happen with my beloved henna)... I know coconut oil isn't a protein but I heard something about how it can act like one (?? I don't really understand that) but why else could this be happening? I wet hair first and apply to damp hair. Other DCs and oils do not cause this. Any thoughts? I'm sad because I just received henna sooq's cocoveda hair oil in the mail and now I think I should send it back!! :(

[Anje]

I haven't heard of it causing breakage, but coconut oil has a bit of a reputation for making some people's hair feel crispy, so I can see being possible. If I were you, I'd lay off the overnight oilings or switch to a different oil. Another thing that you can try is putting coconut oil over damp hair instead of dry -- for some people it makes a difference in the crispies.

Is there anything else in your hair history that might have caused damage that'd make bits break off? Heavy heat use? I have a hard time imagining that coconut oil alone on healthy virgin hair would cause breakage.

[dreamingstar]

It may just be old damage breaking off or the buildup of all the protein in your other products. I've not heard of coconut oil acting as a protein, but that may be true. I do a heavy coconut oil treatment on dry hair once a week and I've not had any increase in breakage. Although, I don't really have any heavy proteins in my other hair products either - I co-wash with suave and garnier. Try eliminating or reducing other products you use to narrow down the list of what it could be. One of them may be the straw that broke the camel's back, if it's protein. Hope you're able to figure this out!

[Tini'sNewHair]

I never had this problem with coconut oil either, theres always olive oil you could try, my daughters hair responds very well to that :) Sorry im no help, good luck.

[Bruiser]

I sweat coconut oil made or at least didn't help my hair with the crunches, I used it a lot as a pre wash treatment and as a leave in, I was finding lots of splits and dots. I started using argan or jojoba oil instead and my hair is much happier, no crunches and no new splits since. My advice is try a different oil.

[tbonita]

Thanks girls... My hair did have a chem dye underneath but never broke until the Great Protein Overload, and with these last 2 oilings. I'd chemically dyed for like 14 years (all that hair is gone now of course) and my hair never broke like that. I definitely eliminated all the offenders; and of course I have olive oil and just got jojoba so I'll give those a try! Thanks for your speedy responses! I think I'll keep my cocoveda on hand since hair tends to change... Once I get a good moisture balance back I'd love to try it... My hair LOOOVES moisture!!!

[tbonita]

It's nice getting to know your hair finally!

[Flor]

Are you absolutely positive about your hair breaking? How could you tell? Was there 1/4 blunt on both edges hairs on your pillow when you woke up? How many were there?

I'm asking because I hear people talk about breakage all the time, but in most case it turns out to be something to do with shedding or new growth.

For overnight oiling I apply coconut oil on completely dry hair. But I rarely do it anyway, because after shampooing it off, my hair gets WAY too soft, stripped and fragile. My hair is already fine and it turns into silk. I'm guessing it's because normally I don't wash off all the sebum (I only shampoo roots) and I need to shampoo all the length after overnight coconut oil mask and sometimes twice. So in the end, it's counterproductive for me. I think it works a lot better for medium-to-coarse hair. Than that softening effect is actually welcome.

[Tail Feathers]

i used to have some heat damage only on my ends (cut it off, no longer there),
and the coconut oil would make just those damaged ends crispy

once the damage was gone,
it has been the best thing ever for my hair

but
i do imagine it might not be if
1. you have very fine hair
2. you have any serious damage
3. you are Very protein sensitive

and yes,
i would just try a different oil for a while,
maybe e.v.olive oil ?

good luck and speedy growing !

[SamEatsBrains]

Is this why my normally silky hair is feeling crispy and brittle? I've been plucking strands I don't like all day (I know I shouldn't.)! Maybe I'll try a different oil!

[tbonita]

It's definitely blunt, no bulb pieces found all over my hands when I just gently smoothed them over my head the next am. This doesn't happen any other time! :(

[therese_anne]

I had breakage when I used coconut oil as a general leave-in conditioner in the wintertime, albeit just on older dye damaged ends (the last 3-4 inches of my hair are dyed.) I still use it as a pre-conditioner in the summer, and haven't had any problems.

[julee]

I had an experience a month or so ago, I slightly over oiled my hair with coconut oil, pre co wash and soon after it dried I noticed white dots. My theory was coconut oil overload as I never heat style or colour my hair. I'm not exactly sure ( someone with more experience/ knowledge might be able to explain this better:) ) but I understand coconut oil penetrates the hair shaft and maybe this led to some kind of moisture overload. Anyway it hasn't happened since- I am more sparing when I oil my hair now. The strange thing is my hair used to love coconut oil- maybe not so much anymore?

[tbonita]

I had an experience a month or so ago, I slightly over oiled my hair with coconut oil, pre co wash and soon after it dried I noticed white dots. My theory was coconut oil overload as I never heat style or colour my hair. I'm not exactly sure ( someone with more experience/ knowledge might be able to explain this better:) ) but I understand coconut oil penetrates the hair shaft and maybe this led to some kind of moisture overload. Anyway it hasn't happened since- I am more sparing when I oil my hair now. The strange thing is my hair used to love coconut oil- maybe not so much anymore?
My hair used to love it too! It's weird really getting to know your hair (for me), on this long road to growing out a healthy mane all these crazy things pop up! But that is exactly why I'm keeping my bottle of Cocoveda around... I doubt my hair will hate the oil forever.

[spidermom]

When I had flat-iron damaged ends, coconut oil made them feel terrible and look worse. I had a lot of breakage also, but I blame the damage, not the coconut oil.

My hair responds beautifully to coconut oil now, also olive oil, but I don't like the scent of it.

[alishaxmarie]

Is it cold where you live? Perhaps the coconut oil solidified in your hair and then your strands snapped, similar to when one has dropped a rose that's been frozen with dry ice

[Kaelee]

I've read that coconut oil prevents protein loss, so if you are protein sensitive, I can see how coconut oil could compound the issue.

I've never had that experience with it but I always lightly oiled on wet hair, never did overnight/deep treatment oilings.

[tbonita]

Is it cold where you live? Perhaps the coconut oil solidified in your hair and then your strands snapped, similar to when one has dropped a rose that's been frozen with dry ice

Yes it is in fact... Interesting thought... I do try to keep the head warm with a shower cap and 2 kerchiefs though...

[shutterpillar]

Coconut oil did this to my hair too (and I noticed it over the summer and early fall, so it was not a coldness issue.) It made it extremely crunchy at the ends and brittle enough to where it would break sometimes. I switched to sweet almond oil a couple months ago and my hair seems to like that much better. No more breakage and I have soft, silky ends. :)

[tbonita]

Coconut oil did this to my hair too (and I noticed it over the summer and early fall, so it was not a coldness issue.) It made it extremely crunchy at the ends and brittle enough to where it would break sometimes. I switched to sweet almond oil a couple months ago and my hair seems to like that much better. No more breakage and I have soft, silky ends. :)
Mmm... Sweet almond sounds yummy... I'll have to check that out!! Thanks! Sorry it happened to you too

[tbonita]

Well I tried jojoba oil last night. I did a delicious scalp massage with jojoba and some alleged growth-enhancing EOs, oiling down my (2 inch) 'lengths' and I woke up to find my hair LOVES it! Not only was there NO breakage, but the oil actually was completely absorbed into my hair... It doesn't even feel oily! And it was soaking! What a wonderful oil this will be for me even during the day...

[cowgirllong]

I would definitely keep the cocoveda oil around. My hair used to get really crunchy when I used coconut oil, but now it loves it. What my hair loves best is sweet almond oil, though. My hair sucks it right up and feels great afterward.

That's great that you have found something that is making your hair happy!

[tbonita]

Thanks cowgirllong! I wonder why the hair reacts differently like that... I guess it just has different needs at different times (just as we do ;))
I just love how the cocoveda has all the herbs... So I'm infusing my own blend right now into jojoba/EVOO. I made a strong brew! After a few days ill strain it and give it a go! I used bhringraj, amla, and brahmi powders.