Oil every day?

[DarleneH]

I've seen some of you mention that you oil your hair EVERY DAY, and I'm really curious about that as it seems excessive. Are you applying it to dry or damp hair? Are you doing it as a pre-wash or leave-in? How do you keep it from getting too greasy? Is your hair extra dry, curly, fine, etc? Does lots of oiling reduce tangles? Doesn't it straighten and flatten waves? What oils are you using (coconut oil seems to be the majority)? How much of it?

I know, a lot of questions, but I'm really intrigued by this and want to try it on my fine textured, wavy hair but don't want to overdo it because I'm doing water only, and that as seldom as possible, which wouldn't wash excessive oil out too well. So that leads to another question: do any of you do WO, SO/NW, or some combination of that, and also add oil every day?

[Firefox7275]

If you are a sebum fan you might look at the Sciencey Hairblog oil blend recipe than mimics its composition.

[Rio040113]

I've seen some of you mention that you oil your hair EVERY DAY, and I'm really curious about that as it seems excessive. Are you applying it to dry or damp hair? Are you doing it as a pre-wash or leave-in? How do you keep it from getting too greasy? Is your hair extra dry, curly, fine, etc? Does lots of oiling reduce tangles? Doesn't it straighten and flatten waves? What oils are you using (coconut oil seems to be the majority)? How much of it?

I know, a lot of questions, but I'm really intrigued by this and want to try it on my fine textured, wavy hair but don't want to overdo it because I'm doing water only, and that as seldom as possible, which wouldn't wash excessive oil out too well. So that leads to another question: do any of you do WO, SO/NW, or some combination of that, and also add oil every day?

Oh me, me, I do that! Okay, here goes...

I do both, I apply avocado oil and vit. e oil on ever so slightly damp hair, post wash. I apply coconut oil on dry hair, as a pre wash. Right now I'm also doing the LOC method, layering a tiny bit of shea butter over my post wash oils on the ends of my hair, to great success!
My hair is both thin and fine and it tends to get greasy easily/quickly. I don't apply oil directly to my roots (unless it's a pre wash or overnight deep treatment) but rather I apply it ears down and any residue left on my hands after gets very lightly smoothed over my crown. My hair/scalp is on the oily side, very silky/slippery and fine.
I find oiling (even lightly) gives me amazing slip and tangles are virtually non existent.
I'm 1a anyway so I don't notice any real changes in my texture.
I use avocado as a post wash, 3 -4 drops works well for me and leaves me looking shiny without being weighed down, I follow that up with 2 drops of vit. e oil, which gives me great slip.
Pre wash I use coconut oil and I apply that until my hair is bordering on stringy looking, it's usually pretty well soaked in by morning.
(Not an oil but for the shea butter I use a pinky finger nails worth).

I've never done WO, I CO (with the odd shampoo whenever I feel that I need it), so I'm not sure how WO or SO/NW would play with oils/butters etc.

[ladyfey]

I do it every other day. My hair is fine and straight. I put it in dry hair at night and wash my hair in the morning. I also sometimes put a bit in my damp hair after showering as well. It doesn't get greasy or cause me any problems. It helps with detangling in the shower like you wouldn't believe, soooo much easier to detangle after oiling overnight.

[ErinLeigh]

I've seen some of you mention that you oil your hair EVERY DAY, and I'm really curious about that as it seems excessive. Are you applying it to dry or damp hair? Are you doing it as a pre-wash or leave-in? How do you keep it from getting too greasy? Is your hair extra dry, curly, fine, etc? Does lots of oiling reduce tangles? Doesn't it straighten and flatten waves? What oils are you using (coconut oil seems to be the majority)? How much of it?

I know, a lot of questions, but I'm really intrigued by this and want to try it on my fine textured, wavy hair but don't want to overdo it because I'm doing water only, and that as seldom as possible, which wouldn't wash excessive oil out too well. So that leads to another question: do any of you do WO, SO/NW, or some combination of that, and also add oil every day?

I have thin fine hair and oil daily and it never looks greasy.
I have my routine down to make oil look like cones.

Pre wash. Coconut oil. Ince a week I will use something different just for variety. Hemp, avocado, emu or olive.

Post wash.
I combine on a mister bottle - grapeseed oil, avocado oil, hemp seed oil, emulsifier, a leave on conditioner, water, drop of glycerin( sometimes) and aloe.
Spray on hair and blow dry as usual.

Follow with a drop of hemp seed oil or sometimes sesame
I apply those like a silicone serum. Drop rubbed between palms and ran over canopy.

I swear my hair doesn't look the least oily, greasy or weighed down. If it did I wouldn't do it as I like my hair light and fluffy. :) I am happy to post a picture I can take directly after doing routine so you can see it.
My signature pic is zero product, oils, leave ins etc. That is natural look. When I oil it looks the same but a little sleeker and smoother.

I use use oils because I stopes using cones. I still wanted somethkng for the coney shine and oils for me keep my hair in better condition. I like them. I still clarify monthly as I don't want buildup.

As far as tangles. Nonexistent. Hair is shorter so not a huge issue for me. the oils prevent any I woukd get. My hair used to be dry but now is "normal" but still way closer to dry than oily if I had to choose one or other. I bleach and color the crap out of it so oils to me keep it feeling nice. My hair has natural wave that I can still get when I want it. I just prefer it blown straight. I have left it alone and left it wave with the oils and it didn't effect waves at all. Still there :)

I think my the reason mine doesn't get greasy looking is because I apply it mixed like I do.
It just acts like a coney leave on spray done that way. And the oils post spray are light and only drop used. Now when I do the ore wash oiling...I saturate and there is no way I could go out in public with that !

[samanthaj08]

When I was in India, the humidity was too much that I had to dab coconut oil in my hair daily. I was washing maybe twice a week, but still applying daily. When I got back and had unoiled hair, it was the SOFTEST my hair has been. Ever. It was amazing.

[DarleneH]

OK, you guys are inspiring me! Especially the comments about how tangles are greatly reduced!!!!! That's the biggest battle I've been fighting lately. :( I have some rosehip seed oil in the fridge that I bought to use on my face but I'm going to try it in my hair. Thanks for your tips!

[sarahthegemini]

I've wondered myself how can people apply oil daily (whilst washing say, once a week) w/o ending up a greasy mess! I'm a fine haired wavey and if I oiled on dry hair/non-wash days, I'd end up with stringy hair.

[Wosie]

I use coconut oil on my ends every other day or so (chin length and downwards). The key is to take just a little bit (well, depending on how long hair you have). I take about one-two drop's worth of coconut oil and rub it into the palm of my hands for ~10 seconds and then run my hands through my hair. I've already noticed a difference in shine and smoothness (I've only been doing this for about a week). My hair is pretty dry towards the ends, so I'm really hoping this will continue to work, but I have a hunch it will! Good luck with your oiling. :)

[meteor]

My hair is wavy, thick and quite dry on ends. I follow OSCO method (heavy prewash with penetrative oil - shampoo - conditioner - a couple drops of light oil to seal).
In winter (it's dry and cold here), I sometimes add a couple drops of oil every day, usually just to the tassle of my braid.
I prefer doing it this way to applying a considerable amount of oil all in one shot, because oil sinks in and disperses way better if I build up tiny amounts slowly. It's harder to go overboard this way.
I probably wouldn't oil my hair at all if it was shorter than BSL.

I like coconut oil (and other oils rich in saturated fat) best for pre-wash, especially Ayurvedic or infused oils, like Ratmirth, Cocoveda, Vatika - usually just on hair, but sometimes on scalp if it feels consistently dry.
I like something light for post-wash: mineral, argan, camellia, grapeseed... Light oils don't penetrate much (if at all), but give better shine.

The biggest challenge with oiling for me is: LINT/DUST! I absolutely hate how oiled hair attracts everything. The only semi-solution for me is to keep it up and out of the way.

You might find this information on "artificial sebum" useful for your oiling experiments: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2010/02/best-oil-to-use-is.html
"In experiments, scientists can use artificial sebum (sebum is the naturally occuring oil found on the hair) International Journal of Pharmaceutics , pg 37-43, 2009.. Artificial sebum mimics natural sebum and involves combining several different types of oil and oil related compounds.

The main components include:
1. Squalene (around 15%) - If you google it please check out the safety information from WHO, it is naturally occuring and safe.
2. Wax esters (around 20-25%) - Sadly this comes from spermaceti in research but there are plant derived wax esters such as jojoba oil
3. Triglycerides (around 40-60%) - You can find these in olive oil, coconut oil , cotton seed oil. Typically ALL these oils will be added, not just one
4. Fatty acids (around 0-15%) - Coconut oil is a good source
5. Cholesterol and related esters( around 3%) - Cholesterol can be bought "

[Kaya]

I'm one of those who oil daily! :) I actually use extra virgin olive oil and compared to most, I do the equivalent of a heavy oiling each day. My hair looks oily, though the average onlooker probably thinks I'm using lots of product to achieve that slicked-back, wet look. I feel comfortable going out with a head of oil and never had any problems. Though I do wear it pulled back into a bun/braid, so there's no fear of attracting lint or other junk. Keep in mind, olive oil is a pretty heavy oil, and a lot of people don't like it!

I oil everything, length and scalp. Doing my scalp has actually helped my dandruff; when I don't oil for awhile, it gets itchy and flaky. I used to use coconut oil, but it tended to make my hair crunchy. :( But extra virgin olive oil! Wow, this stuff is a miracle for me. I oil in the morning on hair that's borderline dry from being up in my shower-damp sleep braid. Oil everything, put it up and forget about it until I CO-wash that night, using Suave clarifying conditioner. After putting it into my sleep braid, I apply a smidge of camellia oil to the tassel.

On the days I don't oil, whether by choice for a special occasion, I'm being lazy, or it feel like it's needs to be left alone and CO-washed on it's own, my hair is so incredibly soft and silky and manageable! My dream hair! :inlove:

[sumidha]

I oil more or less every day with coconut oil, and as long as I keep it away from my scalp it's not noticeable at all... In fact it's pretty necessary to keep my hair in line. :)

I also have wavy, coarse, thickish, moisture loving hair that likes to poof if it's touched at all, so that might have something to do with it as well, lol.

[diddiedaisy]

I use argan oil everyday as my hair just soaks it up. I have fluffy hair if I don't use it.

Oils such as coconut though just sit on my hair and it looks obvious that I'm oiled up!!! So I just use this as a weekly overnight treatment and wash it off in the morning.

[jacqueline101]

I only oil as needed in modest amounts on my scalp I part my hair several places. I apply mine by spraying it to my fingers apply it to my scalp. I use a cony spray on my length from ears down. The cony serum keeps my hair soft and tangle free. I've found that if I use a lot of oil my scalp gets oily. I find it as I need it the best.

[lapushka]

I've wondered myself how can people apply oil daily (whilst washing say, once a week) w/o ending up a greasy mess! I'm a fine haired wavey and if I oiled on dry hair/non-wash days, I'd end up with stringy hair.

Fine haired wavy here as well, and oil is just too much for me (wash once a week). Oil or a serum only goes in my hair on wash days, in damp hair.

[swearnsue]

I only oil my hair by putting oil in my mister bottle. My favorites are argan and Doo Gro. If I sleep in braids I will put a little rose hip oil on the tassels. If my ends feel dry the day after a henna I'll put a little olive oil on the ends.

I wish I had hair that soaked up oils but I don't think I do. Except the minute amount in the mister bottle misting.

Maybe I need to clarify so that my hair is able to absorb the oils? IDK.

[~honeyflower~]

I only use 2drops for my waist length hair. In the past when I had bsl, I only used 1 drop.

No not everyday, but when the weather was rough. In the summer, I hardly use it. Wintertime I use it more often.

[Bombadillo]

two finger tips in the coconut oil jar with about a q-tip's bulbed end size of goop on each finger applied to my ends after every wetting keeps my hair free of split ends. any left-overs go into my extra curly nape of the neck hair. if i'm extra frizzy for those rare humid days I will use some argan oil on the top from my part to my ears to keep things in line. Best wishes in your experiment to find what works best for you.

[Berlie]

I've seen some of you mention that you oil your hair EVERY DAY, and I'm really curious about that as it seems excessive. Are you applying it to dry or damp hair? Are you doing it as a pre-wash or leave-in? How do you keep it from getting too greasy? Is your hair extra dry, curly, fine, etc? Does lots of oiling reduce tangles? Doesn't it straighten and flatten waves? What oils are you using (coconut oil seems to be the majority)? How much of it?

I know, a lot of questions, but I'm really intrigued by this and want to try it on my fine textured, wavy hair but don't want to overdo it because I'm doing water only, and that as seldom as possible, which wouldn't wash excessive oil out too well. So that leads to another question: do any of you do WO, SO/NW, or some combination of that, and also add oil every day?


I rub a dime size amount of coconut oil into my dry hair every other night before I go to bed. I concentrate most of it from mid-ear to the ends. I then give myself a scalp massage with what's left on my hands.

[spidermom]

Only pre-wash coconut oiling for me once or twice a week. I used to apply a bit of oil to clean, damp hair, but it attracted too much lint, dust, and ??? to my hair, making it tangle up like crazy.

[Anyuta]

I oil often, usually hours or day before washing. My hair is thin and gets stringy if oil sits on it for quite sometime. When that happens I usually avoid going out so I have to plan when I can oil. But during the weekdays I use argan oil which helps a lot with frizzes and baby hair and does not at all make my hair look oily. It's so absorbent, even on thin hair. When on vacation at home I walk and sleep in oil 24/7 ;) But you're right, I could not do WO with frequent oilings. I use cleansing shampoo when I wash it off because organic one does not wash it off completely.

[glittergloss]

I put oil on my hair everyday and it makes my hair feels so soft and shiny. After I wash my hair, my hair feels really dry and I put oil on my hair while damp.

[animetor7]

I oil every day BUT right after my wash. Here's what I do:
Before bed I rub a VERY small amount of coconut oil all over my palms, just enough to make them shiny, then I apply that to my hair from about chin length down, focusing on my ends. If I need a bit more oil than that I take a second "helping" as it were, but it is still a very small amount of oil overall. I then brush this in thoroughly with my boar bristle brush. I then secure my hair in a sleep style (usually some form of braid) and when I wake up in the morning it has all absorbed in my hair.
On wash days I put a leave-in conditioner on my ends while they are still damp and leave it to dry without oiling afterwards.

[Lissandria]

I oil heavily pre-wash, a shiny palm amount on damp hair post wash and most nights before I put my hair up for bed. I use coconut oil or occasionally EVOO. My hair just drinks it up and even if I apply a little too much it never stays greasy long. I have fine, curly, dry hair very prone to breakage.

[fairylover46]

I think the key here is to experiment with different amounts/types of oils and see how your hair likes them. I use sweet almond, olive, coconut, castor, vaseline, cocoa butter,pure lanolin either alone or in various concoctions I mix up. But I always have some kind of oil on. With the castor, lanolin and other thick oils like that I put a few drops or so into another, lighter oil so it spreads easier and doesn't get sticky or gunky. Just a little smoothed on a braid paying special attention to the ends is all that is needed. The night before I wash (once a week) I oil from scalp outwards heavily and clip it up overnight, then wash the next day. Oiling prevents splits very well. Speaking of which, over the holidays I got slack about oiling everyday for about two weeks but was still wearing protective hairstyles. Well, I checked my ends a week ago and got an unpleasant surprise. WHITE DOTS and tiny SPLITs starting. After only two weeks! And it doesn't even get icy cold where I live (Georgia, US). Before then I had gone for years and years without a split or dot. I immediately tipped off the ends and oiled. So, due to that experience, I think oiling is very important and beneficial. But again, different hair types tolerate oils differently, so experimentation will help get the right oil, mix, and amount for any given individual.

[spirals]

I oil my ends most days with a greasier oil like olive or castor (or even petroleum jelly!) because they are damaged. For all-over oiling I use almond. It absorbs really well, but I can stand to over-oil a bit because 1/3 of my hair is coarse. I only ever use 2 to 3 tiny drops at a time. I usually use my BBB to apply it, but I have been known to use my hands when away from home.

[breezefaerie]

I oil, both before washing and after.

I'm also a daily washer, so YMMV.
Before washing, I oil the length with coconut oil. After washing with diluted shampoo and conditioning the length, I oil the length with mineral oil while wet from washing.
Works for me. :)

[Zebra Fish]

I have fine hair and wash my hair once a week. I oil on damp hair after washing, and every evening when I go to bad - I do a braid and oil the tessel. Never tried WO tho, so can't say about that one.

[Anje]

I oil after washing, and sometimes before. (Haven't really seen that a prewash oiling benefits me, annoyingly, but I'm known to it anyway out of wishful thinking.) In between, only if my hair seems like it needs it, which isn't frequent. For me, that's every couple of days, but it might be daily for someone with a different wash schedule.