how to know the right amount of oil?

[burny]

so I've been using about a teaspoon per week, but today before washing my hair, decided to experiment a bit, and see how much I could put in before it would start to become greasy/wet. and after about 2tablespoons worth, I gave up that idea, because I didn't want to go THAT much more than my norm.

normally the first dab I put in, is full absorbed off my hands almost instantly, and then for the last dab I have to run my hands through my hair about 10 times to get them completely dry.

when I was near the end of my tablespoon today, I was still able to get all the oil off my hands quite easily, but the creases in my hands would hold a sliver of moisture if I did not squeeze my hair. how can you know how much oil to use?

[DweamGoiL]

This is a very subjective question and dependent on a lot of factors; type of oil, hair texture, condition of the hair, do you use another leave-in, do you use heat on the hair or air dry, is the hair brushed, etc. For example, I have fine hair and can only use minimal oil (usually Monoi Oil because anything heavier Jojoba, Olive, Sesame can easily leave my hair a greasy limp mess). By minimal I mean I cover the bottle with my hand and turn it upside down. Whatever is on my hand is then rubbed into both my hands and then run through wet hair before I apply gel. I then allow the hair to air dry and don't oil again until after my next wash.

When I was first growing it out and had damage from hair dye, I could apply also a minimal amount but every 2-3 days to the length of dry hair and my hair would drink it in. I was able to mostly use Jojoba oil and it would not make my hair too greasy until day 5 or so after a wash. I think it's just trial and error to find what works for you.

[Clarkie]

Hi burny I'm just down the 401 in Kitchener. :)

With regard to the oil, I guess it depends on what you are trying to achieve. I oil from my ears down to my ends at least 3 to 4 nights a week. My hair is about 2 inches from waist length. I use about 1 tsp of Orofluido for this process.
If I am doing a deep oiling/conditioning treatment I can use up to a cup of coconut oil. (see the Champi thread in the Mane forum)
Your hair is waaaaayyy longer than mine so your amounts would obviously be more.
Maybe some of the longer haired folks can chime in on this?

[endlessly]

It depends on a lot of things - the thickness, length, and porosity of your hair and also, the type of oil used since some will absorb better for different hair types. To know for sure, I recommend experimentation. It's easy for someone to recommend an amount, but unless your hair is 100% similar (which is entirely impossible), it might not actually work for you. So, if you have the time, experiment with different amounts and track the results. The nice thing is that the only downside is using too much oil, but a quick shampoo will solve that issue and then you know how much to avoid.

Also, as a sidenote, your oil use will also change with seasonal changes - if you live in a colder or dryer environment, your hair will most likely absorb more oil than in a warm, humid environment. So, even if you do come up with the perfect amount of oil, that might change later on.

[lapushka]

It also depends when you apply it. As part of a pre-poo, the rinse-out oil method, or just as part of the LOC method. In all instances except for the first, use a few drops!

[burny]

thanks Clarkie, I used to live in KW too :). If you use a full cup, then that settles my feeling about "it feels like I could probably use more". At the store a 'hot oil treatment' is like 5$ for 3* 3ml, and they say "you might need to use 2 since your hair is so long", which obviously would do very little for me.

I was just hoping there was some sort of rule of thumb(ie. to know if you used too much or not enough, not a number.. a number isn't possible obviously). I've basically just been going with "if the hair will easily pull the oil off my hand, to make my hand become dry.. then it's not too much", but been apparently VERY conservative about how much to use.