Hair does NOT like coconut oil - time to play

[MamaSwanky]

Surprisingly, my hair does not like coconut oil. It took me 2 years to finally realize it because coconut oil is the holy grail for most and I just kept applying it without paying too much attention to the results. I just figured it was the other stuff I was doing. It gets crunchy and unmanageable. I impulsively bought $40 worth of other oils to play with - sesame, avocado, grape seed, castor, neem, and sweet almond. My hair responds well to olive oil so I'm excited to play around. Only I'm paralyzed with too many choices! Give me your best oil recipes. Time to get nerdy and keep a log!

[Andthetalltrees]

My hair hates coconut oil too. I just don't use oil anymore because it doesn't make much difference

[Cherriezzzzz]

I'm going to try Nightshade's Fractionated dragons blood coconut oil. (nightblooming on etsy) I wonder if out being broken down will help with absorption?

Also Babassu oil is on my radar!

Apple Valley naturals has the BEST argan oil I've ever used!
Wish I could get paid for the clients I sent to buy it hahaha I loooooove it!

[Obsidian]

Add me to the list of those who can't use coconut oil. I tried for awhile and it just made me crunchy. Now I use avocado, almond or argan. Sunflower is the next on my list to try, its supposed to penetrate the hair as well as coconut does.

Cherriezzzzz, I didn't notice any difference between regular coconut and fractionated. Have you asked nightshade if she would make a batch of dragonsblood with a different oil?

[Cherriezzzzz]

Add me to the list of those who can't use coconut oil. I tried for awhile and it just made me crunchy. Now I use avocado, almond or argan. Sunflower is the next on my list to try, its supposed to penetrate the hair as well as coconut does.

Cherriezzzzz, I didn't notice any difference between regular coconut and fractionated. Have you asked nightshade if she would make a batch of dragonsblood with a different oil?

Oh my hair loves coconut oil, so no need to ask! I am wholly unfamiliar with the Fractionated type, thanks for clarification! I still will buy it. I'm going to make my first order of some of her products this month... I'm a bit too excited haha

[meteor]

I impulsively bought $40 worth of other oils to play with - sesame, avocado, grape seed, castor, neem, and sweet almond. My hair responds well to olive oil so I'm excited to play around. Only I'm paralyzed with too many choices! Give me your best oil recipes. Time to get nerdy and keep a log!

I'd just play around with what's already there. ;)
Of the oils you mention, I think neem oil is particularly nice to have on hand IMO. It's anti-bacterial and anti-fungal and moisturizing. It's nice to have for managing random irritation, scars, acne, etc... It's one of the more reliable natural lice treatments, too. It's quite potent, so you could dilute it in grapeseed or sweet almond oil or in any other mix, but you don't have to dilute it, since it's not an essential oil.

Grapeseed oil is light, runny oil, nice for achieving a glossy look, but it's a drying oil (its iodine value ~ 131), so it can polymerize (if it's not regularly removed) on surfaces, creating dry-ish, sticky build up from long-term exposure of thin layer of oil to oxygen.

Castor oil is rather thick and viscous so I'd mix it with other, runnier oils for ease of application.

If your hair does well with olive oil, sweet almond oil might be a nice choice, as well, I think, since its composition is ~ 60-75% oleic acid (vs. oleic acid makes up ~ 55-83% of olive oil).

You also could experiment with using these oils in skin care, e.g. a few drops to boost moisture or in OCM as the first step of cleansing, especially neem, grapeseed, castor oils...

Other than that, I'd just play around and see how it works.

[Obsidian]

Oh my hair loves coconut oil, so no need to ask! I am wholly unfamiliar with the Fractionated type, thanks for clarification! I still will buy it. I'm going to make my first order of some of her products this month... I'm a bit too excited haha

Thats good to hear. I actually really like fractionated for other things, especially the skin and cooking. Its lighter and not as greasy as regular coconut, I use it in a DIY dry oil scented spray.

You know, I never though about using neem on my head. I wonder if it would agree with my SD? I'll have to oil up tonight and see how it does.

[meteor]

^ Strong anti-fungal oils can work (but I'd always do a patch-test first), but oils rich in oleic acid are best avoided with SD, since oleic acid is known to trigger Malassezia fungus (much like sebum does), which is directly linked with SD flare-ups:
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Malassezia_and_Human_Skin_Diseases
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18004291
http://ehrs.org/conferenceabstracts/2002brussels/researchabstracts/P-59-dawson.htm

[Obsidian]

^ Strong anti-fungal oils can work (but I'd always do a patch-test first), but oils rich in oleic acid are best avoided with SD, since oleic acid is known to trigger Malassezia fungus (much like sebum does), which is directly linked with SD flare-ups:

Thank you, this is info I've not seen before. What would you consider a high % of oleic acid? Seems like most oils hair likes are high in oleic except coconut.

[MamaSwanky]

Thank you! I knew there had to be someone with this wonderful knowledge out there! I bought the grapeseed oil mainly for a frizz serum I saw on Steph Arizona's YouTube channel so I'll have to keep the fact it's drying in mind.

Fun!

[Jo Ann]

I only use coconut oil on my hair immediately after it's washed--it's too "heavy" for my hair when it's dry.

Your thought to use a journal and see how your hair reacts with each oil is a good one! Great way to see how your hair reacts.

After a while, you can also try blending oils, like an avocado/grapeseed/sweet almond blend. If you found any of the oils didn't work well for you on it's own, mixing it with one, two (or more) oils might be a good way to use up the so-so oil.

Good luck!

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

^ Strong anti-fungal oils can work (but I'd always do a patch-test first), but oils rich in oleic acid are best avoided with SD, since oleic acid is known to trigger Malassezia fungus (much like sebum does), which is directly linked with SD flare-ups:
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Malassezia_and_Human_Skin_Diseases
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18004291
http://ehrs.org/conferenceabstracts/2002brussels/researchabstracts/P-59-dawson.htm

Wow I never knew that but no wonder my SD has been flaring up so badly. I've been using a neem, amala, bhringraj, and fenugreek infused into a few different oils on my scalp with my scalp massage before a wash as a pre poo and I think that's exactly what triggered my recent flare... I'll have to avoid my scalp then I guess.. I made SO much though.. maybe I can power through. Lmao.


Also OP if you're interested you should find out to see if you're low or high porosity. I'm low porosity and my hair HATES coconut oil by itself, it likes it more when it's mixed with other oils. My hair does love EVOO like yours does. I know that porosity can affect how the hair responds to oil: low porosity needs heat for the oil to penatrate so you mighty benefit more from HOT oil treatments.

[diddiedaisy]

Sunflower oil is a good replacement for coconut as it penetrates the hair shaft. It’s cheap as well. With regards to babassu you will need to go very light, it’s extremely heavy. :)

[school of fish]

...
Grapeseed oil is light, runny oil, nice for achieving a glossy look, but it's a drying oil (its iodine value ~ 131), so it can polymerize (if it's not regularly removed) on surfaces, creating dry-ish, sticky build up from long-term exposure of thin layer of oil to oxygen
...


This is a bit off-topic but THANK YOU for this explanation! I used to used grapeseed oil in my diy skin oil blends and always ended up with a hard sticky buildup on everything it transfered to - bottles, light switch plates, door handles... I had been using it specifically because it was reputed to be a good choice for sensitive and easily irritated skin, but when I researched the buildup issue I found zero information out there - I was starting to think I was the only person who ever experienced it! Your explanation has been incredibly helpful and makes me feel less crazy :p

As to the topic at hand - I really can't use oils at all on my hair. They just sit on top of the surface and never penetrate, just make my strands look and feel unpleasant - some are better or worse than others and coconut oil was particularly bad for me in that regard. I *can* use a few drops of mineral or jojoba oils as an oil-rinse, which I do in super dry winter weather to counteract static, but I get no other benefit from it than static reduction. I've experimented enough to understand that oils just aren't for me - actually a fair number of widely practiced LHC techniques don't work for my hair, as my signature indicates... ;)

As has been suggested by others here, trial and error is probably your best course of action, using the oils you already have in hand, going one at a time and recording your results :)

[lapushka]

Not many people can deal with coconut oil. I get dry and crunchy ends even if it's fractionated oil. The only oil that didn't do that to me (as much) was the Dabur Vatika coconut oil (it is infused with herbs). Still, I have to be *very* careful with that oil. I have some Monoi oil that is largely coconut oil based too, but I think it is going to waste in my cupboard.

I do like baby oil (and the great thing is you don't need to use a lot of it because it's mineral oil). Do NOT get this near your scalp though, because you will regret it (far too oily), but on the ends it is amazing! And you only need a few drops of it, so perfect for an after wash serum.

I also like macadamia, sweet almond, jojoba, and olive (but that's up there with baby oil for me).

[lapushka]

Wow I never knew that but no wonder my SD has been flaring up so badly. I've been using a neem, amala, bhringraj, and fenugreek infused into a few different oils on my scalp with my scalp massage before a wash as a pre poo and I think that's exactly what triggered my recent flare... I'll have to avoid my scalp then I guess.. I made SO much though.. maybe I can power through. Lmao.

If you have SD, please keep all oils off of your scalp, because that (for me and for a lot of people) exacerbates the condition. The thing is to keep your scalp as squeaky clean as possible and oils don't figure into that! :)

[lunalocks]

My hair hates cocoanut oil, too. I have tried just about every oil there is, excepting ostrich and emu.

What works for me, and here i am one of the ecological beings around, is generic baby oil. it IS mineral oil, but thinner that what you get if you buy mineral oil, and the generic scent is less overwhelming than Johnson's baby oil. One small travel bottle lasts me forever since I only use 2 to 3 drops after washing, and one to 2 at night before bunning, if I remember. I put it in a tiny spritz bottle and just spray a little on my hand. Cost is less than $2. per small bottle.

[Cherriezzzzz]

This is interesting ladies...

Bestie and I have opposite hair. I'm higher porosity, hers lower, I'm coarser, she's finer, I'm thicker, she's thinner... etc.

She's great on olive oil, sunflower, but not coconut.

I'm the exact opposite in oils.

The only thing our hair agrees on is argan. But mine had to be unrefined, virgin argan oil, where hers can be the cheaper stuff.

[Cherriezzzzz]

Sunflower oil is a good replacement for coconut as it penetrates the hair shaft. It’s cheap as well. With regards to babassu you will need to go very light, it’s extremely heavy. :)

Yes! This is exactly what my bestie and I found!

Oooh you just made me want to buy babassu even more...:run:

[diddiedaisy]

Yes! This is exactly what my bestie and I found!

Oooh you just made me want to buy babassu even more...:run:

I’ve got a mix at the minute made up mostly sunflower, olive oil, a bit of argan oil and a tiny bit of babassu. They all penetrate apart from argan and my hair loves it.

I have found babassu used on its own is way too heavy and difficult to wash out, but using the others as a carrier does the trick. :)

[Obsidian]

Wow I never knew that but no wonder my SD has been flaring up so badly. I've been using a neem, amala, bhringraj, and fenugreek infused into a few different oils on my scalp with my scalp massage before a wash as a pre poo and I think that's exactly what triggered my recent flare... I'll have to avoid my scalp then I guess.. I made SO much though.. maybe I can power through. Lmao.

I've decided to try low oleic oils to see how my SD reacts. I made a 50/50 mix of hemp (low oleic) and neem (mid oleic) last night, coated my hair and scalp overnight. Washed out with sulfate free this morning and so far, absolutely no itchies. Normally, oil only has to be on my scalp for a couple hours to start it itching.
I'm really wanting to use the neem more, since sunflower is very low oleic (so is babassu) I want to try them with the neem.

As a side note, my hair seemed to really like the neem/hemp mix. I've used hemp alone before but it didn't soak in as well as the blend does.

[pailin]

My hair hates coconut and also castor oil (crunchy ends). Sunflower or olive are much better (I don't allow them near my scalp though). A little coconut in a silicone serum is fine though.
However I'm suspicious I get some crunchiness with any level of penetrating oil (including sunflower). I used to use sunflower religiously when braiding, but right now I'm really liking mineral oil as a post-conditioner rinse out oil- I put a few drops in wet hair, rinse a little with water to help spread it well, then wrap up in a towel. It really is surprisingly moisturizing and de-frizzing,and I think my ends end up softer.
I also have a combination of shea butter and some lanolin (mostly shea butter) that I use on my hands at night; sometimes I use a little of that in my ends before braiding because it keeps my braids a little neater. But have to do that after detangling because it would make combing harder.

[lapushka]

I've decided to try low oleic oils to see how my SD reacts. I made a 50/50 mix of hemp (low oleic) and neem (mid oleic) last night, coated my hair and scalp overnight. Washed out with sulfate free this morning and so far, absolutely no itchies. Normally, oil only has to be on my scalp for a couple hours to start it itching.
I'm really wanting to use the neem more, since sunflower is very low oleic (so is babassu) I want to try them with the neem.

As a side note, my hair seemed to really like the neem/hemp mix. I've used hemp alone before but it didn't soak in as well as the blend does.

You're braver than I am. After all these years struggling with SD, I am no longer prepared to take any risks with my condition. Let us know how it goes down the line. :)

[meteor]

I've decided to try low oleic oils to see how my SD reacts. I made a 50/50 mix of hemp (low oleic) and neem (mid oleic) last night, coated my hair and scalp overnight. Washed out with sulfate free this morning and so far, absolutely no itchies. Normally, oil only has to be on my scalp for a couple hours to start it itching.
I'm really wanting to use the neem more, since sunflower is very low oleic (so is babassu) I want to try them with the neem.

As a side note, my hair seemed to really like the neem/hemp mix. I've used hemp alone before but it didn't soak in as well as the blend does.

I bet it's the anti-fungal neem that does the heavy lifting in that mix. ;) I add a tiny bit of neem to my shampoo & water mix (in a separate bottle, enough for 1 use) if I get itchy scalp and it calms it down immediately. One could also try anti-fungal tea tree oil, since it smells so much better than neem, but tea tree can be pretty drying and it needs to be diluted quite a bit, obviously, for example to 5%, like in this study - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12451368. But in any major flare-up of SD, I'd simply go for ketoconazole shampoo, like 2% Nizoral, since there is a lot of research to support ketoconazole's effectiveness, but it's pretty drying, so I don't abuse it. And I think it's really important to keep SD-prone scalp very clean from anything, other than topical anti-fungals, if needed. Oils are generally very risky, and oleic acid and sebum are well known triggers for Malassezia fungus.


This is a bit off-topic but THANK YOU for this explanation! I used to used grapeseed oil in my diy skin oil blends and always ended up with a hard sticky buildup on everything it transfered to - bottles, light switch plates, door handles... I had been using it specifically because it was reputed to be a good choice for sensitive and easily irritated skin, but when I researched the buildup issue I found zero information out there - I was starting to think I was the only person who ever experienced it! Your explanation has been incredibly helpful and makes me feel less crazy :p

No problem! :thumbsup: I noticed the same thing with my skincare oils :agree: : I get this sticky, resinous, hardened residue on droppers and bottles when they are almost empty, since the layer is thin enough and has been exposed to oxygen for long enough to polymerize. Many of the more popular skincare oils are definitely drying or at least semi-drying oils, rich in polyunsaturated fats (*), e.g. borage, rosehip, sea buckthorn, raspberry seed, grapeseed, etc... I think it's probably fine for skin, since we wash it so frequently and since skin keeps shedding anyway, but hair is quite different (no shedding of outer layer, much larger surface area to cleanse, detangling and manageability can be compromised by stuff sticking to surface...).

Unfortunately, there isn't any research that I'm aware of into how polymerizing drying oils can affect specifically hair, so this is just guesswork on my part, but properties of drying oils are very well known for all sorts of oil paints, varnishes, wood finishing, etc...:

(*)
- Iodine value < 100 : Non-drying oil (Contact with oxygen does not cause any appreciable drying.)
- Iodine value 100 - 130 : Semi-drying oil
- Iodine value 130 - 190+ : Drying oil (They dry, oxidize, polymerize fairly rapidly on contact with atmospheric oxygen and can leave resinous or hard thin layer on the surface.)

The iodine value is a measure of the amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the oil. A fatty acid that is missing any hydrogen atoms is classified as unsaturated. The higher the iodine value, the greater the amount of "unsaturation" and the less stable the oil is and the more vulnerable it is to oxidation and free radical production with time and heat. Oils rich in polyunsaturated fats tend to have higher iodine value.

If anybody wants to know more about which oils are drying vs. semi-drying vs. non-drying in reference to hair, ktani wrote a blogpost with a link to this info: http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2011/12/understanding-drying-capacity-of-oils.html, http://soapcalc.net/calc/OilList.asp

[marvel-lover]

My hair also hates coconut oil. But since I'm allergic to coconut, I can't say that this comes as a surprise :) my favorite oils are argan, jojoba, and Rosemary EO. Seriously, rosemary is in everything I use! My shampoo, my conditioner, my oil blend, my vinegar and rose water hair rinses, even my conditioner spray bottle (featuring chamomile tea, VO5 conditioner, and rosemary EO). My oil blend is mostly jojoba with about 30% argan oil and lots of rosemary EO. I don't what it is, but rosemary gives my hair shine, prevents frizzies, and stimulates my scalp!

[alittleprincess]

Similar experience here - just kept applying coconut oil assuming it would work! Luckily my skin likes it so it's not going to waste. In terms of your list of oils, my hair likes olive oil, too, so perhaps we are similar. Give the avocado oil a try! My hair loves a blend of avocado and olive. I've been experimenting with sweet almond and castor, but caved and bought a new bottle of avocado. I'm learning to stick with what works! I wish my hair liked the nicer smelling oils with the pretty names, but alas, seems like it's salad ingredients for me!

[GalaMoon]

The first time I ever tried coconut oil on my hair I bought a high quality one and I was pleased with the results. After using up that jar, I got a cheaper one thinking it should work the same. I was wrong, on dry hair it makes my ends crunchy, I can barely make it work on damp hair. I guess you can't really compromise with coconut oil. I use extra virgin olive oil too, I get the cheapest version I can find, and it does the job. Avocado oil is amazing for my hair, but the smell is too much for me.

[valkyrie90]

Lucky me coconut is the cheapest hair oil here where I live as we have a region where they grow a hella lot of coconut and it works wonders on my hair. I just got a 500ml jar of cold-pressed coconut oil for less than 7$. I did a bad thing to my hair . I kept using up the coconut that already gone rancid which resulted my hair to feel itchy and smell bad . This time I use a new jar and no itchy whatsoever. Yayy. My hair also looks crazily shiny and straighter. But I still wanna experience with more oil once I have more money to spend :)). I'm dreaming of those gorgeous Indian hair . Ahhh