Mct vs Coconut oil?

[LittleOgre]

I tried coconut oil multiple times hoping it would do good for my hair mainly because from my research its technically the best oil for hair penetration but it makes my hair hard brittle... Not soft and spongey like how i like it. Has anyone tried mct vs coconut oil and seen a difference. Like since mct is sort of similar to coconut oil.

[lapushka]

A lot of people have the same issue with coconut oil. Maybe try a different oil.

What is mct?

[Zesty]

I also don't know what MCT is. I looked it up but most of it seems to be keto/paleo diet stuff?

You might be interested in this list of hair oils and how well they penetrate: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/oils-which-ones-soak-in-vs-coat-hair.html

[Ylva]

While it contains no protein, coconut oil tends to mimic protein. Another good penetrating oil is babassu oil, perhaps you want to give that one a shot instead.

[Obsidian]

I've used fractionated cooking coconut oil which I guess is a type of MCT and its about the same as regular coconut oil on my hair. If coconut makes your hair crunchy, try something with more oleic acid. I like sunflower or avocado, both add elasticity to my hair.

[Longlegs]

While it contains no protein, coconut oil tends to mimic protein. Another good penetrating oil is babassu oil, perhaps you want to give that one a shot instead.

Protein really gives lots of people hair problems. Argan is a good one too.

[Emma Rose]

My hair doesn't like coconut oil at all, Argan oil works much better for me. However, it varies from person to person.

[illicitlizard]

Mmmm coconut oil makes my hair feel really weird. I prefer jojoba :)

[Joules]

Olive oil is great too, and it's by far the easiest oil to find :D (at least here where I live)

Coconut oil does make my hair crunchy, but I think I've found the solution: I dilute a small amount of it in a different oil (olive in my case), and only use this mixture every other or every third oil treatment, if that makes sense. Since I oil my hair approx. once a week, I would add coconut oil to olive once every two to three weeks. It works great and makes my hair amazing.

BTW it started working when I started to use sulfate shampoo regularly. I guess there might be a correlation there. It never worked when I was 100% sulfate-free. Maybe it leaves behind some sort of a residue if not washed out properly?

[lapushka]

Can someone please explain what mct is? Obsidian, you seem to know.

OP, could you explain, please. Kind of hard to answer a question like this. :shrug:

[Joules]

That's what I found via a quick google search:


What Is MCT Oil?
MCT stands for medium chain triglycerides or medium chain fatty acids. They’re types of fat most often derived from coconut oil but sometimes made from palm oil.

MCT oil is colorless, odorless, and stays liquid at room temperature, making it the perfect fat to add to food, smoothies, and coffee for extra energy and brain-boosting benefits.

But before we jump into the benefits of MCTs, let’s talk about how MCTs work in your body.

How do MCTs work?
There are several types of fatty acids in coconut oil, but only four strains of MCTs:

Caproic acid (C6)
Caprylic Acid (C8 )
Capric Acid (C10)
Lauric Acid (C12)
MCTs are known for providing you with quick energy and a sharper brain. They’re absorbed more quickly than other fats and easily converted into energy. Or at least three of them are.

[lapushka]

Looks like I might not want that in my hair, though... Maybe that's me. Thank you, Joules. My Google-fu must have let me down.

I prefer oils like sweet almond, macadamia, jojoba and such. I am now using a neem blend by Dr. Hauschka and it is a lovely oil.

[Joules]

lapushka, well, if you think about it, all oils are basically a mix of various fatty acids with a couple of vitamins thrown in, all diluted in fat. MCT sounds like a concentrated version of coconut oil. Idk, if it was readily available in any supermarket, I'd probably try it, but it's not, so I'll pass :shrug:

[Zesty]

lapushka, well, if you think about it, all oils are basically a mix of various fatty acids with a couple of vitamins thrown in, all diluted in fat. MCT sounds like a concentrated version of coconut oil. Idk, if it was readily available in any supermarket, I'd probably try it, but it's not, so I'll pass :shrug:

I found multiple brands in the pharmacy section at our local health food store just now while hunting for a new oil to try. I don't think I would have even noticed it except for this thread! But my thought would be, if it's like coconut oil and coconut oil didn't work for OP, maybe a different route would be more fruitful.

[lapushka]

I found multiple brands in the pharmacy section at our local health food store just now while hunting for a new oil to try. I don't think I would have even noticed it except for this thread! But my thought would be, if it's like coconut oil and coconut oil didn't work for OP, maybe a different route would be more fruitful.

My thoughts exactly.

I would also go an entirely different direction.

There's plenty of other oils still out there to try, olive, sweet almond, macadamia, jojoba, neem, castor, mineral/baby, etc.

[Zesty]

My thoughts exactly.

I would also go an entirely different direction.

There's plenty of other oils still out there to try, olive, sweet almond, macadamia, jojoba, neem, castor, mineral/baby, etc.

Olive oil especially would be cheap to try, and is supposed to have decent penetration. Not that penetration is necessary for an oil to work well, but if that's what you're going for.

[Obsidian]

Looks like I might not want that in my hair, though... Maybe that's me. Thank you, Joules. My Google-fu must have let me down.

I prefer oils like sweet almond, macadamia, jojoba and such. I am now using a neem blend by Dr. Hauschka and it is a lovely oil.

All it really is, is fractionated coconut oil thats been purified so its edible. If you ever see liquid coconut oil in the cooking oil section, its pretty much the same thing. Of course there will be a bit of difference but not enough to justify paying extra for the name MCT.

[LittleOgre]

I might skip mct then