What counts as over oiling?

[Dendra]

I suspect I put on way more coconut oil for DTs than other people; I grab chunk after chunk from the jar until my hair is sodden.

Most of the time it washes out with CSC, but I do have to lather up about five times to truly get rid of the oil. Otherwise I'm left with greasy sections post wash, like now :(

Is this counterproductive?

[MidnightMoon]

Sounds counterproductive to me, hehe, though I've done it, but avoid doing it for the same reason.
I read somewhere here that it's best to apply a tiny bit when your hair is still damp, because it's not really going into hair, but rather sealing it to keep it moisturised. I don't know if that's really how it works, but makes sense. Then, I sometimes apply a couple of drops throughout the week, mostly to my ends. If you want to do a deep oiling, I'd go with a bit less oil and more time for it to "absorb", so that it's not dripping oil which you have to then remove with a lot of shampoo. I think you can also use conditioner to help remove oil.

[Dendra]

Haha, it probably is.

I should've mentioned I leave the oil on overnight and then wash it out, so it has lots of time to work it's magic. After washing I use a leave in spray and then don't feel the need to add anything else until my next wash day.

I should probably use less, I'm just curious to know how much everyone else uses?

I saw torrinpaige oil her hair and she used a tiiiiiny amount compared to me, and she has so much more hair.

[diddiedaisy]

I use quite a lot for overnight oiling, I use conditioner to get it out though. It works so much better than shampoo which in my opinion is a bit rubbish at removing oils. :)

[MidnightMoon]

If I'm oiling right after washing, when I want my hair to be soft, and moisturised but definitely not oily, I'd say about 1/3 of a teaspoon? My main problem is that I have a lot of hair but veeery fine, so it's hard to reach all my hair, meaning, every strand, and not overoil in the process, I'd have to separate in tiny sections and barely put any oil at all in each. But I hate touching my hair when it's wet, it's so knotty and hard to manage...
When it's dry, and again, I'm just going for "a bit of moisture to untangle and keep it soft", Id say like 3 o 4 drops.
If I'm going for "deep oiling, which I'm going to sleep in, but not suitable at all for going out", I can go on an on, say, two tablespoons lol, but then it's pretty much wet in it. Not dripping, but nasty oily.

[Nymphe]

I use quite a lot for overnight oiling, I use conditioner to get it out though. It works so much better than shampoo which in my opinion is a bit rubbish at removing oils. :)

What she said, since conditioner is closer to oil than shampoo is... like gets out like.

There is a long thread featuring heavily-oiled hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=139600).

[Dendra]

What she said, since conditioner is closer to oil than shampoo is... like gets out like.

There is a long thread featuring heavily-oiled hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=139600).

This is a great thread, thank you Nymphe. This is just the kind of thing I was searching for but didn't find. I can't see the photos in it (maybe as it's old-ish) but I bet I use just as much oil as Namratha when I do overnight oilings - my hair looks soaking and black when I'm done!


If I'm oiling right after washing, when I want my hair to be soft, and moisturised but definitely not oily, I'd say about 1/3 of a teaspoon? My main problem is that I have a lot of hair but veeery fine, so it's hard to reach all my hair, meaning, every strand, and not overoil in the process, I'd have to separate in tiny sections and barely put any oil at all in each. But I hate touching my hair when it's wet, it's so knotty and hard to manage...
When it's dry, and again, I'm just going for "a bit of moisture to untangle and keep it soft", Id say like 3 o 4 drops.
If I'm going for "deep oiling, which I'm going to sleep in, but not suitable at all for going out", I can go on an on, say, two tablespoons lol, but then it's pretty much wet in it. Not dripping, but nasty oily.

That's the same amount as me - nasty oily :)


I use quite a lot for overnight oiling, I use conditioner to get it out though. It works so much better than shampoo which in my opinion is a bit rubbish at removing oils. :)

I usually put on a thick coat of conditioner and let it sit for 5 minutes, wash it off and then repeat once or twice, then start with the shampooing. It works unless I miss a bit.

[lapushka]

I suspect I put on way more coconut oil for DTs than other people; I grab chunk after chunk from the jar until my hair is sodden.

Most of the time it washes out with CSC, but I do have to lather up about five times to truly get rid of the oil. Otherwise I'm left with greasy sections post wash, like now :(

Is this counterproductive?

Yes, *very* much so. Washing 5 times is overkill. The key is to put on just enough oil (a minimum) to be able to wash it once and be left with a silky soft smooth texture (not oily). If you want, just put the oil on the lengths, so that way, you won't be bothered with it on your scalp. Easy. ;)

[Andthetalltrees]

I thought my hair hated oil(It wouldn't wash out, Seemed to always look oily), But instead I was just using way too much. Now that I use a tiny bit before my leave-in my hair has been a silky and not hard to wash out anymore. So yeah, Washing 5 times is way too much oil

[Dendra]

Yes, *very* much so. Washing 5 times is overkill. The key is to put on just enough oil (a minimum) to be able to wash it once and be left with a silky soft smooth texture (not oily). If you want, just put the oil on the lengths, so that way, you won't be bothered with it on your scalp. Easy. ;)

Okay, this is good, I feel my stance towards oil changing! For my next deep treatment I will try using way less. I do love the feeling of rubbing it into my scalp though, so I might keep on with that for a while.

Andthetalltrees thank you too :toast:

[MidnightMoon]

You can try to get hold of a syringe to make sure the oil is reaching all of your scalp (if those are your intentions). I sometimes feel I leave patches or end up using too much by just pouring it over my head or trying to make it drop from my fingers to my scalp.

[Kellylee]

I'd use less, I find if I let the shampoo sit on my hair for a few minutes it's helps break down the oil so you save shampoo.

[lapushka]

You can try to get hold of a syringe to make sure the oil is reaching all of your scalp (if those are your intentions). I sometimes feel I leave patches or end up using too much by just pouring it over my head or trying to make it drop from my fingers to my scalp.

Or an applicator bottle, like the ones they use for dye (I saved some from my mom's dyeing sessions, you never know when they'll come in handy). They sell those separately too.

[Arctic]

Maybe aim to pre-poo oil with the kind of quantity that you would get washed off with a single round of CWC. That sounds like a perfect balance, but will need some testing. It does sound like you are currently using too much.

[Cherriezzzzz]

I use quite a lot for overnight oiling, I use conditioner to get it out though. It works so much better than shampoo which in my opinion is a bit rubbish at removing oils. :)

What a great idea.... I'm using conditioner next time I oil overnight! :happydance:

[Shepherdess]

I think coconut oil is the only type of oil that I can over-oil my hair with. It soaks in way too much and it can make my hair brittle and velcro-like, and is hard for me to get out, so I can't use it, though I know most people seem to be able to use it fine. I think it soaks in more than other oils? On oil treatment days (I normally use olive, mustard, castor and other oils) I use a lot of oil throughout my hair, and it usually comes out fine; I use a little bit of shampoo and lots of conditioner to get it out (like others have already mentioned). :)

[sarahthegemini]

You have to wash 5 times to remove it? I don't understand the point of oiling if you have to wash 5x to get rid. I'd definitely only use enough to lightly coat your hair.

[Kaya]

Another vote for trying straight-up CO washing to get out oiling. I've done heavy oiling, keeping it on all day, and washing it out before bed. I find applying a generous amount of conditioner to dry hair, clipping it up while I do my usual bedtime routine, and rinsing at the very end of my shower results in hair that is soft and manageable, with no residual oiliness. Perhaps the trick is a combination of cheap conditioner in generous amounts and letting it sit for a reasonably long time (by which I mean maybe 20 mins-ish). I've never had to do multiple washes, nor even reached for shampoo. One dose of conditioner and I'm good to go.

I reckon the same idea can be applied to any level of oiling, from light to medium to heavy. Just adjust the amount of conditioner accordingly.

[Dendra]

Another vote for trying straight-up CO washing to get out oiling. I've done heavy oiling, keeping it on all day, and washing it out before bed. I find applying a generous amount of conditioner to dry hair, clipping it up while I do my usual bedtime routine, and rinsing at the very end of my shower results in hair that is soft and manageable, with no residual oiliness. Perhaps the trick is a combination of cheap conditioner in generous amounts and letting it sit for a reasonably long time (by which I mean maybe 20 mins-ish). I've never had to do multiple washes, nor even reached for shampoo. One dose of conditioner and I'm good to go.

I reckon the same idea can be applied to any level of oiling, from light to medium to heavy. Just adjust the amount of conditioner accordingly.

This gives me hope! I usually only let my conditioner sit for five minutes so I'll up it to twenty. I guess I was concerned to leave my condish on for longer as I felt some scalp tingles and I didn't know if it was too strong to put straight on dry hair and leave.

[neko_kawaii]

Another vote for trying straight-up CO washing to get out oiling. I've done heavy oiling, keeping it on all day, and washing it out before bed. I find applying a generous amount of conditioner to dry hair, clipping it up while I do my usual bedtime routine, and rinsing at the very end of my shower results in hair that is soft and manageable, with no residual oiliness. Perhaps the trick is a combination of cheap conditioner in generous amounts and letting it sit for a reasonably long time (by which I mean maybe 20 mins-ish). I've never had to do multiple washes, nor even reached for shampoo. One dose of conditioner and I'm good to go.

I reckon the same idea can be applied to any level of oiling, from light to medium to heavy. Just adjust the amount of conditioner accordingly.

Yep. I add some aloe and water to the conditioner in a secondary bottle and treat the oil wash out like a deep treatment. I'd add honey too, but it would have to be heated to mix in, and I'm too lazy to do a full SMT. I've never had a problem washing out gobs of oil.

[VersLaLumière]

I second trying less, and possibly even leaving in the oil for less time rather than a doing an overnight treatment. Just with my own hair experimentation I've learned that more does not always mean better and that there can be such a thing as too much. It seemed counterintuitive to me at first, but I've found that my hair responds better to light-medium oilings than it does to heavier ones. Even more surprising to me was that I seem to get even better results from doing a 3-4 hour treatment than I do from an overnight.

[esfand]

Over oiling is different for everyone. Even just a bit of oil is hard to wash out for some people, while others can take more oil. I never had a problem washing oil out with one wash and one rinse no matter how much oil I put in. It might be because I use warm/hot water and then leave the conditioner in for 10 minutes after shampoo.

[Dendra]

Over oiling is different for everyone. Even just a bit of oil is hard to wash out for some people, while others can take more oil.

You've set me thinking, maybe this has to do with hair porosity? Maybe if hair is low porosity then the oil sits on top instead of absorbing in, which leaves more to be washed off the surface?

Or it could be to do with having fine ii/iii hair - so there's a lot of strands for the oil to stick to, and they're fine so it it's not washed off properly you'll definitely notice (fine hair tends to look more greasy with oil on it).


I second trying less, and possibly even leaving in the oil for less time rather than a doing an overnight treatment. Just with my own hair experimentation I've learned that more does not always mean better and that there can be such a thing as too much. It seemed counterintuitive to me at first, but I've found that my hair responds better to light-medium oilings than it does to heavier ones. Even more surprising to me was that I seem to get even better results from doing a 3-4 hour treatment than I do from an overnight.

Wow this is surprising. Can I ask how the results were better, was your hair more shiny, or did it shed less?

neko_kawaii, do you use a shop bought aloe? What results do you find honey and aloe give you? That's smart to make a treatment of washing out the treatment :cool:

[neko_kawaii]

I use store bought aloe. That combination is called a SMT, short for Snowymoon's Moisture Treatment (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128). It makes my hair very soft.

[Dendra]

Cool, thank you! If I ever get around to using something more sophisticated than plain oil I'll give it a try.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Runs off to warm some oil and oil scalp.

[Alissalocks]

You have great feedback, I'd add that using conditioner first (CWC) is essential for me too to gently remove my pre poo oil treatments. Living in high desert climate, oil is making a huge difference to my annual routines since trying it last year after I joined LHC too. I love a deep oil, overnights for sure (will do one tonight!) but I've even oiled, braided and pinned into a crown braid, and run around all day that way.

In fact, maybe I'll do that today and turn my overnight oiling into a 24+ hour oiling... Hmmm. Enjoy! :flower:

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

You've set me thinking, maybe this has to do with hair porosity? Maybe if hair is low porosity then the oil sits on top instead of absorbing in, which leaves more to be washed off the surface?

Or it could be to do with having fine ii/iii hair - so there's a lot of strands for the oil to stick to, and they're fine so it it's not washed off properly you'll definitely notice (fine hair tends to look more greasy with oil on it).



Wow this is surprising. Can I ask how the results were better, was your hair more shiny, or did it shed less?

neko_kawaii, do you use a shop bought aloe? What results do you find honey and aloe give you? That's smart to make a treatment of washing out the treatment :cool:

I think that whether an oil sits on your hair or is absorbed depends on the type of oil you use together with your hair type.

For me I find heavy oiling with coconut oil is hardly noticeable as it tends to soak into my hair. Heat steeped carrot oil home made tends to get absorbed as well. Therefore I can apply these oils more liberally and it washes out. Where as olive oil and avocado oil tends to sit on my hair.

[Obsidian]

I was a cronic over oiler. My hair is so thick, its difficult to get it completely coated. It was easier just to use a ton of oil.

Like you I had to use multiple applications of cond and poo to get it out. Always left my hair dry so I wasn't seeing any results from the oil.

I was given similar advice: use less oil. Now instead of soaking my hair in a lot of oil, I spend extra time massaging a smaller amount into all my hair.
Takes me a good 15 minutes or more to thoroughly coat all my hair but it's so much easier to wash out. One app of cond then wash like normal, excess oil is gone and hair is soft.

[ghanima]

Maybe it's just I'm weird but I found heavy-oiling overnight to be ultimately more drying that moisturizing to my hair (I shampooed only once after, so it's not about the washing). Like, short term they were soft, but one or two days after washing they were THIRSTY. I gave it a good 2 years of trial as I so much wanted it to work for me. So then I moved to damp oiling with warm oil for 1h, which worked way better. Then I ditched deep-oiling altogether and moved to WCC and CO, which works best for me.

MAybe try indian shampoos? they deep oil a lot. There'a thread of indian hair care.

[Dendra]

I was a cronic over oiler. My hair is so thick, its difficult to get it completely coated. It was easier just to use a ton of oil.

Like you I had to use multiple applications of cond and poo to get it out. Always left my hair dry so I wasn't seeing any results from the oil.

I was given similar advice: use less oil. Now instead of soaking my hair in a lot of oil, I spend extra time massaging a smaller amount into all my hair.
Takes me a good 15 minutes or more to thoroughly coat all my hair but it's so much easier to wash out. One app of cond then wash like normal, excess oil is gone and hair is soft.

This sounds like exactly what I need to do! I do already spend ages massaging the oil into my hair and making sure each strand is coated, but I reeeally coat those strands, I would say I completely soak them. So, now that you use less oil do you find that your hair drinks it up so that it's almost not there by the time you go to wash it out?

It cannot be good to be washing my hair so much trying to get the oil out. Saying that I do still see great results. I'm gonna definitely try letting my conditioner seep in for twenty minutes, and using a little less oil. And ghanima that is an interesting idea about using indian shampoos, I'll check out that thread.

[Simsy]

To be honest, I haven't found my oil limit yet; let alone over oiled to the point where I have to wash. I go fairly heavy on the oil twice a week when I'm braiding it, and it generally feels dry-ish by the time I do the second braiding mid-week. By the time wash day meanders around, I'm usually dry or getting close; then it's just shampoo if required, conditioner and a treatment if required.

I have found that if I do go over a bit on the oil, a couple of hours left loose around the house or outside is enough to dry the hair out and loose the oily feeling. Time it wrong, and I have to apply even more to replace what dried off.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

I found this while browsing. I think they used 3 bottles of oil.

https://youtu.be/BxdppfSgN7Y

[Obsidian]

So, now that you use less oil do you find that your hair drinks it up so that it's almost not there by the time you go to wash it out?

No, oil never soaks into my hair like that. Even just a few drops makes my hair look oily and sits on top.

[SnowDancer]

When my hair is fully saturated the easiest way of getting the oil out for me is to put the shampoo in my hair before I get it wet. The oil is enough to get a lather from and I don't end up washing my hair several times. Once I have a decent lather going I will then get it wet to rinse it out and condition as usual.

[Dendra]

I found this while browsing. I think they used 3 bottles of oil.

https://youtu.be/BxdppfSgN7Y

Wow, well that makes me feel better about using so much oil! I wonder how she gets it all out...


When my hair is fully saturated the easiest way of getting the oil out for me is to put the shampoo in my hair before I get it wet. The oil is enough to get a lather from and I don't end up washing my hair several times. Once I have a decent lather going I will then get it wet to rinse it out and condition as usual.

I could try this too, thanks. I did this once a couple of years ago but I can't remember what happened. It definitely worked better than shampoo on wet hair.

On my most recent wash-out-oil-day I tried Henrietta's 300 second conditioner trick, and then left it on for about twenty minutes like Kaya suggested. The conditioner soaked right in and took a good deal of the oil out. I then cowashed once more and shampooed once or twice. A big improvement!

[reilly0167]

In my experience conditioner works best in removing oil. I recently started doing the rinse out oil method and I use herbal essences cleansing conditioner. You can use regular conditioner but i find this works best for me :) there is a thread on this method, ( usually called ROO, short for rinse out oil method). Leaves my hair sooooo soft. with no oily residue, perhaps because its a "cleansing" conditioner it very low in cleansing detergent ( im no scientist tho, teehee). Just figure i mention this option.:D

[Dendra]

In my experience conditioner works best in removing oil. I recently started doing the rinse out oil method and I use herbal essences cleansing conditioner. You can use regular conditioner but i find this works best for me :) there is a thread on this method, ( usually called ROO, short for rinse out oil method). Leaves my hair sooooo soft. with no oily residue, perhaps because its a "cleansing" conditioner it very low in cleansing detergent ( im no scientist tho, teehee). Just figure i mention this option.:D

That sounds great, thank you! I'll keep an eye out for a cleansing conditioner next time I replace my cheap cowashing one. This herbal essences one sounds good :)

[reilly0167]

Your welcome herbal essences is a pretty good line, a lot of people swear by hello hydration conditioner. I have yet to try it. I think I'll try the travel size and see how it goes, rather than by a big bottle.:) happy hair journey:)

[renia22]

Coconut oil is a penetrating oil & the studies on it have found that it absorbs best when applied to dry hair (adding water hinders absorption), and left on for 14+ hours. I use maybe a finger nail's scraping, if that. If it takes more than 2 shampoos to get it out, I agree that too much was used.

There was also a blog somewhere that I can't find now, but it says when you are ready to remove the oil, add shampoo or conditioner to your hair prior to adding water. Work through, then add the water. Then do a second shampoo as usual. That should help get it out.

[BookishRay]

I found this while browsing. I think they used 3 bottles of oil.

https://youtu.be/BxdppfSgN7Y

That seems to be a very wasteful way to oil a person's hair. I bet a large portion of that oil ended up on the floor under her hair!

For DT, I generally use my fingers apply the oil to my scalp in one inch sections so that I can feel where the oil is going. Then I can either add more or work the excess down my strands as needed. sectioning also make oiling the ends easier than just trying to glooping it on and hoping it works through to all strands which is what I used to do...:) I can say that left me with some pretty patchy results.

[kinnyuu]

I actually do gradual oiling.
Little tiny bit every evening on the ends, rather than one giant glob one night a week.
Washes out a lot easier and also keeps the hair strong and healthy!

[reilly0167]

I found this while browsing. I think they used 3 bottles of oil.

https://youtu.be/BxdppfSgN7Y
I just wanna catch the oil that's dripping with my hands while screaming nooooooo:D