Coconut oil treatment? // any advice for caring for/styling fine hair?

[SergeantCookies]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and thought this would be a perfect site to get good info on hairstyles, products, techniques and so on! I normally don't do anything to my hair (style it or... Anything really) but I'm ready to start taking care of it and flaunting it! I have long fine hair and have some breakage due to it always being up in a pony tail or bun with a hair tie. I recently came to the conclusion that I wanted to treat my hair a little better by not using those tight hair ties and possibly start a new conditioning treatment process that I can do once a week or every other. I mainly hope for it getting thicker. Id like to hear from any of you who have tried conditioning treatments and what results you have seen, or if you just have any knowledge about it! I watched some YouTube videos about coconut oil conditioning (because I have that on hand, which I use for cooking) but I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice before I dive in to this new journey head first! :)

Here are are a few questions that are floating around in my head:

-Does it weigh hair down? Or make it oily faster than normal? (For me normal is 1-2 days :()
-what kind of results come from this?
-Is organic Ok or should it be refined?
-Whats the best amount of time to leave it in before washing?
-What kind of shampoo do I use to get it out?

any other information would be great!!

thanks guys!! :heartbeat

[maborosi]

Hi, SergeantCookies!

I've got fine hair, too. While coconut oil isn't the main oil I use, I like to use it for deep treatments, especially after washing my hair with shampoo.
I'll answer your questions in order:

-Oiling too close to the scalp can definitely make hair oilier. I only oil from the bottom of my ears down.
-Coconut oil is one of the only oils that can actually penetrate the hair shaft and prevent protein loss. Most oils sit on top and lock in moiosture. For best results, coconut oil should be applied over CLEAN (shampooed) hair
-I don't really know if it makes much of a difference, but I just use coconut oil you get in the baking aisle.
-I usually leave it in for as long as I can. Preferably overnight, but at least a couple of hours before washing my hair.
-I've found conditioner-only washing can get it out just fine.

Coconut oil is one of my oils I use if I'm washing my hair. So what I do is use a strong shampoo to remove any buildup, rinse, let the hair dry as much as I can, then slather coconut oil on, wrap my hair up in seran wrap, and let it sit overnight.
Light oilings are fine, too, but I personally just use mineral oil if I'm going to just do a light oiling, or if I want the detangling benefits.

It can also be used under conventional dyes, bleach, henna, and cassia to prevent dryness and mitigate any damage (From peroxide or other conventional chemicals) and it does NOT affect the color at all.

I hope that helps!

[meteor]

Welcome to the boards, SergeantCookies! :cheer:
I think I answered you on the wrong thread, so sorry about that! :oops:

I'm just going to post it here, if that's OK :)



Here are are a few questions that are floating around in my head:
Does it weigh hair down? Or make it oily faster than normal? (For me normal is 1-2 days :()

It shouldn't, it should just reduce the water uptake, buffer harshness of shampoo, help with slip and manageability, but it depends on a lot of things... If you don't use too much for your hair and if you use adequate washing products and techniques, your hair should come out shinier, but not lank or anything. But since your hair is fine, I would recommend starting with smaller amounts of oil and building up from there, if needed. Generally speaking, the longer, thicker, dryer, coarser, more textured, more damaged the hair is, the more oil it can take, but this is a big generalization.
If you have doubts or if you feel like you might have over-oiled, just coat the length with conditioner, let it sit for a while (10-30 min) and then wash it out with a clarifying shampoo. Many people wash oil out, by using more shampoo or shampooing twice or three times, but I would suggest not using so much oil that it would necessitate harsher cleansing. Try smaller amounts first and add more next time, if needed. Oil is easy to overdo.


Is organic Ok or should it be refined?
This is just my opinion, but I see no difference. Organic is important for consuming internally, but hair is dead matter and can't absorb nutrients of a good quality oil.
As for the refined and fractionated oils (the ones that stay liquid at low temperatures), I really don't know, but they might actually be even better for topical use on hair, because the molecular size is smaller, so it might be able to penetrate more. :hmm: I'm not sure, though.


Whats the best amount of time to leave it in before washing?
Ideally, and especially if you don't apply it on scalp, pretty long (e.g. overnight), because penetration increases with time. However, oils attract lint, dust, etc... so it's impractical to leave it that long in many cases. If you don't have much time, you could warm up the oil up, slap it on for just 30-60 minutes (or however much time you have), comb/brush it through thoroughly, and put a plastic wrap/cap and a warm hat on to trap heat and really speed up penetration.
The studies that were done on coconut oil that demonstrated its great protective abilities were done on oil left on hair for 14 hours and for 48 hours.
Here are the studies:
Effect of coconut oil on prevention of hair damage: http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc1999/cc050n06/p00327-p00339.pdf (coconut oil left in hair for 48 hours)
Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage: http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2003/cc054n02/p00175-p00192.pdf (coconut oil left in hair for 14 hours, to simulate overnight application)


What kind of shampoo do I use to get it out?
Try any shampoo or other cleanser that you already use on hair. You shouldn't need a special shampoo for this, but of course, there are some who need a harsher, more clarifying formula. I think if you can't wash it out with your normal cleanser, you are probably using too much oil or the oil may simply be too heavy for you.

And remember that everything that pertains to oiling (amounts, types of oils, the way you use it - pre-poo, post-wash, oil rinse, added to conditioner....) is very Your-Mileage-May-Vary and can change over time, too, so it requires some experimenting to figure out what your hair responds best to.

Best of luck! :D And happy hair growing and experimentation! :cheer:

[Sweets]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and thought this would be a perfect site to get good info on hairstyles, products, techniques and so on! I normally don't do anything to my hair (style it or... Anything really) but I'm ready to start taking care of it and flaunting it! I have long fine hair and have some breakage due to it always being up in a pony tail or bun with a hair tie. I recently came to the conclusion that I wanted to treat my hair a little better by not using those tight hair ties and possibly start a new conditioning treatment process that I can do once a week or every other. I mainly hope for it getting thicker. Id like to hear from any of you who have tried conditioning treatments and what results you have seen, or if you just have any knowledge about it! I watched some YouTube videos about coconut oil conditioning (because I have that on hand, which I use for cooking) but I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice before I dive in to this new journey head first! :)

Here are are a few questions that are floating around in my head:

-Does it weigh hair down? Or make it oily faster than normal? (For me normal is 1-2 days :()
-what kind of results come from this?
-Is organic Ok or should it be refined?
-Whats the best amount of time to leave it in before washing?
-What kind of shampoo do I use to get it out?

any other information would be great!!

thanks guys!! :heartbeat


I inadvertantly use coconut oil about once or twice a week - DH and I use it as a massage oil (organic virgin cold pressed from Trader Joe's) about twice weekly. We work hard in the hospitality industry - long hours for me as a casino beverage manager, and long hours as a casino restaurant manager for him. We deserve a little indulgence when we aren't too tired, plus we cook with it and it keeps our Reno skin hydrated and our muscles happy. I always massage some into my hair before bed. I dont use it on my scalp, I just gently run it through my hair and work it into the ends. I currently have shoulder-ish length fine, straight hair, because I'm growing out a pixie without trimming. I shampoo with Suave with sulfates the next morning, and my hair has never felt better. It keeps my whole head so, so soft, and I love it. My hair is 5-8 inches all over and virgin, so YMMV, but I would go ahead and splurge on the good stuff so you can also use it for other things like a luxurious body lotion and for sauteeing/cooking. It really is worth it. Best of luck to you!

[spidermom]

I like to apply coconut oil the night before I plan to wash my hair. Usually I start about 4 inches away from the scalp to apply it because my scalp still produces plenty of oil.

The next morning, I wash the scalp area with diluted shampoo, then apply conditioner over the coconut oil and let it marinate while I do everything else I want to do in the shower, then I rinse the conditioner out while finger-combing or using my shower comb. Yes, there's still a bit of oil left in my length with this routine, which I can tell by the shine and smooth texture; it doesn't look oily.