Oil suggestions for pre-wash oiling

[sarahthegemini]

I've been considering pre-wash oiling. I have very fine (baby fine!) thin hair, 2a. I wash it daily as it gets greasy and itchy (stretching washes never worked) I have a little bit of frizz at about ear level that was never an issue when I was washing less but as that isn't an option, I am looking for an oil that might help. I have tried coconut oil and never experienced any great results. Olive made my hair super shiny but it weighed my hair down a little. Am I right in thinking argan and sweet almond penetrate? I don't even know if I need a penetrative oil just for more frizz control but what do you think? I have argan on hand and have used sweet almond in the past as a leave in oil as it was very light. My only worry with pre-wash oiling is that it may make my hair even slippier but I'd like to give it a go.

Thoughts or recommendations?

Eta: I already use a leave in conditioner which helps everywhere bar the ear frizzies

[shinyspoon3]

I have very fine hair too and the best oil I've found for me is grapeseed oil. It is classified as "somewhat" penetrating (source: science-y hair blog (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/oils-which-ones-soak-in-vs-coat-hair.html)). I use coconut oil only on the very ends, then grapeseed oil along the length and let is set for a few hours before washing. It works wonderfully! My hair is nice and smooth without feeling limp.

[Hibernis]

I've had VERY good luck with Argan oil, specifically this one: http://naturesoil.com/product/fixed-oils/argan-oil/

I like to leave it in overnight and then wash the next day. If you use only a couple drops, rub it between your hands, and then run it through your hair while your hair is wet, it dries very soft. YMMV, and our hair types are different, but nothing works for me quite like argan oil.

[meteor]

With oils, you just need to experiment.

Personally, I prefer penetrating oils as a pre-poo, like coconut, palm, avocado, olive, but I can see how they can overwhelm finer hair.
Check out this article on oil pre-poos, it's really useful :http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/oil-pre-shampoo-or-pre-wash.html

Lighter oils might work for finer hair, like sweet almond, safflower, grapeseed, sunflower, sesame, ... but please pay attention to their "drying capacity" (based on their iodine value), as drying and semi-drying oils can build up by polymerizing and forming a hard-to-remove film on hair:
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2011/12/understanding-drying-capacity-of-oils.html

[Larki]

I use argan oil for everything - pre-poo and light leave-in oilings. I like it.

[Firefox7275]

I wouldn't use anything expensive like argan if you are just going to wash much of it down the drain. My hair likes sweet almond oil and that can be found for cheap in the World Foods aisle at Tesco.

[meteor]

I agree on the importance of price! The only oils that need to be of highest quality are the ones you eat and put on skin and scalp. Hair is dead so all you can do is condition it, so I keep it as cheap as possible (especially since I use palmfuls of oils on my hair each time). If you do want to buy argan oil, I recommend checking out local Lebanese/Middle Eastern grocery stores, because argan is a cooking oil and that's where I found it in large bottles for good prices.

But generally speaking, try to buy new oils only small amounts, because some oils can go rancid super fast (especially the ones rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, like linoleic acid in flaxseed oil and others).

Another thing I wanted to add is this: in dermatology, there is a concept of "artificial sebum" - a blend of oils that is supposed to mimic natural sebum as closely as possible. You might have good results with mixing up something like that for your pre-poo.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19134124
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2010/02/best-oil-to-use-is.html
"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"

[Firefox7275]

There is an artificial sebum recipe on the Sciencey Hairblog.

[sarahthegemini]

Thank you for all the tips guys. By process of elimination, I think sweet almond oil might be the best choice.

The article on drying oils is very interesting meteor I knew grapeseed oil was drying but I wasn't aware of the other drying oils so I will keep note of that :)

[meteor]

Thank you for all the tips guys. By process of elimination, I think sweet almond oil might be the best choice.

The article on drying oils is very interesting meteor I knew grapeseed oil was drying but I wasn't aware of the other drying oils so I will keep note of that :)

Awesome! :D I hope sweet almond oil will work for you! By the way, this oil is quite popular in Middle Eastern cooking, so you can find it at very good prices in Middle Eastern stores.

[sarahthegemini]

Awesome! :D I hope sweet almond oil will work for you! By the way, this oil is quite popular in Middle Eastern cooking, so you can find it at very good prices in Middle Eastern stores.

Thanks for the heads up, I bought it off Amazon last time. Does sweet almond have a short shelf life do you know?

[meteor]

It's not too bad: up to a year. (http://www.gardenofwisdom.com/carrieroils.html)
With oils, a lot depends on how you store them. Fridge is best, especially if the temperature in your fridge is very low indeed. If you really have a ton of oil to store, it's always safe to freeze a batch and use the rest from a fridge. With oils, you'll know if they went rancid (the smell becomes unbearable).

[Jennwith4]

Meteor, I'd like to try artificial sebum. Sounds interesting.

[sourgrl]

Depending on how you used the coconut oil, don't dismiss it yet. I get the best results from coconut oil if I shower just after applying it rather than waiting 30+ minutes before I wash. If I let it sit for any length of time my results are meh :shrug: