Why doesn't coconut oil work for my hair?

[Fresco]

I heard so many great things about coconut oil, I'd really want to use it a lot more. The thing is, when I use it, it makes my hair crunchy and dry.

I used coconut oil before shampooing my hair and it made it crunchy.. I used a coconut oil conditioner (inecto) for a few weeks and it made my hair double crusty :(

So what am I doing wrong here?

[Stiria]

Welcome to LHC! :waving:

Coconut oil is great for many people, but not for everyone. Coconut oil helps prevent protein loss so if your hair is sensitive to protein, that may be why your hair feels crunchy. Save your coconut oil for cooking or your skin, and try another oil for your hair.

[chen bao jun]

Some people's hair doesn't like it. I use it only occasionally as it can make me crunchy, too. Try sweet almond, grapeseed, argan maybe, or if your hair can take heavy oils, avocado is a good one. I use olive for pretreatment before a wash and Jamaican black castor mixed with burdock root daily but I have dry curly coarse hair that soaks up oil.

Many people have good luck with baby oil or mineral oil, there are threads on that.

[Islandgrrl]

Coconut oil can make my hair crunchy feeling, too.

You are not doing anything wrong. Coconut oil doesn't work for everyone? My preference is for a drop or two of jojoba on the rare occasion that I need it. Other than that, I don't really use oil anymore.

[Doreen]

Coconut oil specifically out of other oils is able to penetrate the shaft of the hair, while other oils merely sit on top of it (and there's nothing wrong with that). Your hair may already be moisturized enough in the shaft without the oil, which is why adding the oil on top of it all makes it crunchy... at least that's my understanding of it... Keep on experimenting with different things to find what does work for you! I find that coconut oil works best when my hair is very, very dry as opposed to just moderately dry.

[arr]

Or possibly you are using too much of it? Try using the tiniest bit rubbed between your palms so that there is the slightest sheen of oil on your hands, then work it through your hair. Remember, less is more. Some people do this on dry hair but I have better success using coconut oil on damp hair after washing.

[Anje]

Coconut oil is funny stuff. Some hair loves it, some doesn't. Bizarrely, mine didn't like it when I first joined here, but it thinks it's pretty cool now -- I'm thinking different hair health must have somehow played a role? (Not necessarily that healthy hair likes it and unhealthy doesn't, either. Plenty of healthy hair hates the stuff, and I've seen tons of folks with horrible damage who think it's the bee's knees.)

I had better luck with olive oil, with the caveat that it's REALLY easy to add too much and end up with greasy piecey hair with olive oil and straightish hair, more so than coconut. (I suspect this is a function of viscosity?) I also do better applying oils to wet or damp hair, or at least hair that's been washed fairly recently so its moisture content is fairly high. Oil on hair that's been subject to 2 days of forced-air heat in winter while worn loose just takes my hair from dry to dry and oily.

[door72067]

I can't go near anything coconut...my hair reacts like yours, horrible, crunchy, dry, etc

I do nicely with argan oil or plain old baby oil (aka: mineral oil)

[bumblebums]

Of all the hair oils, coconut is also more likely to be solid at "room temperature". If your usual environs stay at 60F or thereabouts, that could contribute to the crunchiness. It might work better in the summer.

Coconut oil works okay as a moisturizer on hands and shins, but I wouldn't put it on your face or any other areas prone to acne--it's quite comedogenic.

[sarahthegemini]

Some people's hair just doesn't like it :shrug: I don't get amazing results from coconut oil, it doesn't do anything for me.

[Nadine <3]

My hair likes it depending on the season. I can't use it in the winter, but it's great when it's really hot!!

[lunalocks]

My hair also reacts with the crunchies. And I get more splits if I use coconut shampoo and /or conditioner.

[Jorja]

I'm the same too. It makes my hair feel awful, same with any conditioner with cocounut. I use mineral oil after washes, and also have good results with argan, olive, sweet almond and jojoba.

However, it's lovely to stir fry with, and I even like it on toast, so it wasn't a complete waste of money the big jar I bought :D

[Candy88]

the same happens to me with sweet almond oil. In fact my hair doesn't like oils that much, but I recently realize that if I wash the oils with co-wash, the results are amazing :)

[renia22]

Or possibly you are using too much of it? Try using the tiniest bit rubbed between your palms so that there is the slightest sheen of oil on your hands, then work it through your hair. Remember, less is more. Some people do this on dry hair but I have better success using coconut oil on damp hair after washing.

I second what arr says, is it possible you are using too much? Barely a finger nail's scraping is usually what I use, maybe half the size of a grain of rice? Melted in the finger tips and very lightly worked into dry areas only. You've probably heard that studies show penetration happens in the hair after 14 hours, so leaving it in as long as possible is the important thing. I'm wondering if the crunchy feeling may in fact be residue, I can attest to the fact that coconut oil residue feels down right disgusting. And although I'm a fan of plain coconut oil, I have not found a coconut oil conditioner that I like, the ones I gave tried have been waxy & heavy. Desert Essence coconut used to be good but that one is thick and waxy now too since they've changed it. I think thick/ dry haired people like it, or people who like heavier butter & oils. At any rate, hope it ends up working out for you, or you find one that you like.

ps. Also I'm the opposite of arr & can only use it on dry hair, or I can't wash it out. Others like it on damp or wet hair. Maybe play around with that also?

[GRU]

When I first started here, my hair was horribly damaged after years of abuse with shampoo and regular brushes, and coconut oil gave me the crunchies, too.

Now that my hair is healthier (after five years of LHC living!), my hair is fine with coconut oil. I think there's something about coconut oil that accentuates damaged areas of the hair shaft's cuticle. Now that my cuticle is pretty much completely intact, the coconut oil doesn't make my hair wonky.

[meteor]

I agree with pretty much all the explanations here. Use of oils is individual and you absolutely don't have to stick to coconut oil if you don't like it.
I'd only add that it might help to consider:
- how exactly you are using coconut oil (straight on dry hair as leave in, as pre-poo treatment, in LOC, added to conditioner, mixed with other oils...);
- temperature (it solidifies in hair in cool temperatures, potentially adding to crunchy/stiff feeling; apply with a plastic cap/greenhouse effect method if in doubt);
- amounts you are using: the more you apply, the more likely the crunch, especially if you don't distribute it extremely well (see how little can be used even on super-long hair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjVwPKMQDYk);
- your hair porosity (high porosity hair on average tends to do better with penetrating oils like coconut) and possibly thickness/coarseness (coarser hair might need to be weighed down more?);
- individual aesthetic preferences (some like a light sheen/shine on top of hair - from lighter oils, while others like oils to absorb into hair and make hair feel heavier - penetrating oils like coconut are better for that).



Coconut oil helps prevent protein loss so if your hair is sensitive to protein, that may be why your hair feels crunchy.
I often see this idea mentioned, however, the protein (hair keratin) loss prevention is damage prevention, and that is desirable for absolutely everyone, protein-sensitive or not. The thing is: it prevents the loss of your hair's own protein (keratin), it doesn't deposit any external proteins (oils are 100% protein-free), so protein sensitivity will not be a concern here. :flower:

[Stiria]

I often see this idea mentioned, however, the protein (hair keratin) loss prevention is damage prevention, and that is desirable for absolutely everyone, protein-sensitive or not. The thing is: it prevents the loss of your hair's own protein (keratin), it doesn't deposit any external proteins (oils are 100% protein-free), so protein sensitivity will not be a concern here. :flower:

Yes, you are right of course.
I did not mean that coconut oil deposit any protein (because it's oil and oils are fat). I suppose protein sensitivity will only be a consern if one uses other products that contain protein.

And thanks for the link to that video! (such gorgeous hair! :crush:) I always use waaay to much oil. I know people keep saying they only use a few drops of oil, but I keep thinking that a few drops won't do much good. If a little is good, then more must be better. So I add a bit more, and a bit more. And then I look like I haven't washed my hair in the last year or so. When will I learn...

[meteor]

And thanks for the link to that video! (such gorgeous hair! :crush:) I always use waaay to much oil. I know people keep saying they only use a few drops of oil, but I keep thinking that a few drops won't do much good. If a little is good, then more must be better. So I add a bit more, and a bit more. And then I look like I haven't washed my hair in the last year or so. When will I learn...

Oh yes, I suffer from the same! :D It's so easy to overdo it, so I now try to do "gradual oiling", adding a drop or 2 every other night or so as I braid hair for bed. And I think lots of people report that they used to over-oil when they just started on the long-hair journey, slowly learning the sweet-spot amount of oils that their hair actually likes.
I know some ladies with natural kinky-curly hair who use tons of oils and butters and their hair just drinks it up, but heidi w.'s video above shows how little may be needed for other people. It's very individual. :)

[MINAKO]

pass me the oil bucket, i have the ki d of hair that loves being drenched for days, lol.
i agree with the other members, find out what works for you by expirimenting and certain hairtypes definitely do better with less product.

[red-again]

My hair hates coconut oil. Hated it when I first started here with bleach damaged ends. Still hates it now my hair is all healthy. I henna so maybe that has something to do with it. My hair does love castor oil though. Can use a teeny bit or a lot and my just drinks it up. Definitely worth trying various oils.

[Ambrielle]

like everyone else has said it is not for everyone. I have learned my hair likes it in moderation, if i go overboard i get the crunchy and bent ends too, it seems to do better when i mix it with other oils though. You will find what works for you eventually :) Perhaps try a lighter oil such as almond oil or camellia and see how it goes.

[Stiria]

Oh yes, I suffer from the same! :D It's so easy to overdo it, so I now try to do "gradual oiling", adding a drop or 2 every other night or so as I braid hair for bed. And I think lots of people report that they used to over-oil when they just started on the long-hair journey, slowly learning the sweet-spot amount of oils that their hair actually likes.
I know some ladies with natural kinky-curly hair who use tons of oils and butters and their hair just drinks it up, but heidi w.'s video above shows how little may be needed for other people. It's very individual. :)

Good advice! I will try tonight.:D One drop. One drop only, no matter how little that may seem.
I find it so fascinating how some people can drench thair hair in oil, and the hair just drinks it.. Not for my hair, that's for sure!

[Seeshami]

My hair would rather be shaved then use coconut oil. It's just not for everybody