coconut oil, does time matter?

[r3d]

hey all!
I did a lot of digging, but couldn't find anything that gave me a true answer...
I love coconut oil, it has done wonders for my hair, and I have been using it for many many years. I have used Parachute Coconut Oil, and have just recently started using Nutiva which I LOOOVE!
my question is, does it make a difference in how long we leave the coconut oil in, whether 1 hour, 3 hours, overnight ( 5 to 8 hours )?
I always thought the longer the better, but my schedule lately has been very busy and I am wondering if it's okay to do it for shorter period of time, or if it is pointless?

thank you <3

[TreesOfEternity]

I find that leaving it for 2 hours does the trick, any more than that doesn't really make a difference although sometimes I would leave it overnight because I don't have time to wash it out the very same day and it's fine.

[LillyoftheValie]

I think it matters. I notice my hair stays very silky when I leave it in several hours vs. 20 minutes.

[MusicalSpoons]

It can matter, depending on your hair. Some people find better results after leaving it on longer, some find better results after leaving it on for a shorter period of time! The only way to find out how your hair reacts to leaving it on for a shorter period of time will be to give it a go :flower:

[Ylva]

It can matter, depending on your hair. Some people find better results after leaving it on longer, some find better results after leaving it on for a shorter period of time! The only way to find out how your hair reacts to leaving it on for a shorter period of time will be to give it a go :flower:

This precisely! It also depends on what you are trying to achieve with it. If you rather want it to coat your hair temporarily, leave it for a shorter period of time. The more you want it to absord, the longer you leave it on for.

[lapushka]

That's the thing about oil; you don't have to leave it in for a long time if you don't want. You can easily get away with 10-15 min. and that would be enough as a pre-poo. Nothing out there proves that it is actually beneficial to leave it in overnight. I would be worried about hygral fatigue in that case. Do what you have time to do, and that should be enough! :flower:

[Ylva]

That's the thing about oil; you don't have to leave it in for a long time if you don't want. You can easily get away with 10-15 min. and that would be enough as a pre-poo. Nothing out there proves that it is actually beneficial to leave it in overnight. I would be worried about hygral fatigue in that case. Do what you have time to do, and that should be enough! :flower:

Hydral fatigue might become a worry in the case of highly porous hair at least, but I don't know if it's a big worry with normal or especially low porosity hair. Just a thought. :shrug:

[MusicalSpoons]

That's the thing about oil; you don't have to leave it in for a long time if you don't want. You can easily get away with 10-15 min. and that would be enough as a pre-poo. Nothing out there proves that it is actually beneficial to leave it in overnight. I would be worried about hygral fatigue in that case. Do what you have time to do, and that should be enough! :flower:


Hydral fatigue might become a worry in the case of highly porous hair at least, but I don't know if it's a big worry with normal or especially low porosity hair. Just a thought. :shrug:

Hygral fatigue is when water stays in the hair shaft causing it to swell for a long time. That doesn't happen with oil, which is the reason some people use it as a pre-poo to protect the hair from the water when washing. Oil doesn't make the hair shaft swell.

[Spar]

I've been experimenting a lot with this, and I've found that 30 minutes minimum works for my hair. 1 hour is better but 2 hours is a bit overkill. I do it overnight occasionally, but I feel like my hair is a lot softer from just 30min-1hour. I use coconut oil on my mom's processed hair (dye, bleach, highlights), and if the oil is left overnight, her hair feels very dry and rough. 1 hour is the sweet spot for her.

Oh, but I do warm up the oil in the microwave, as hot as I can stand it without burning myself lol. So that might have something to do with faster absorption.

[guska]

I tried oiling my hair a few times with coconut oil in the summer. I slathered it all over my scalp and hair (not so much that it dripped, but almost) and slept with my hair in a shower cap. The oil was in my hair for about ten hours. Washed it out in the morning with conditioner.
I've also done an experiment where I walked around for two and a half days with heavily oiled hair and scalp. I added a bit whenever I felt like my hair and scalp had absorbed some of the oil.

The time didn't matter for me, probably because 10 hours and 2 1/2 days both are a pretty long time. I actually don't oil my hair at all, because oil doesn't make a difference for me. Found out thanks to these experiments :rolleyes:

[r3d]

wow, quite some interesting replies. Before I used to leave it on usually overnight, I will try experimenting and see if the shorter times work just as well, would be awesome if so! =D

Spar, I thought microwaving coconut oil was a big no no? based on what I have read anyways. but i like the idea of a hot oil treatment, hmmmm...maybe I will give that a shot too.


The time didn't matter for me, probably because 10 hours and 2 1/2 days both are a pretty long time. I actually don't oil my hair at all, because oil doesn't make a difference for me. Found out thanks to these experiments :rolleyes:

that is very interesting, it doesn't matter what oil you use, you find it had no benefits for you hair whatsoever?

[Alibran]

I have coconut oil in my hair all the time. I mix it with my leave in conditioner.

[lapushka]

Hygral fatigue is when water stays in the hair shaft causing it to swell for a long time. That doesn't happen with oil, which is the reason some people use it as a pre-poo to protect the hair from the water when washing. Oil doesn't make the hair shaft swell.

Interesting; I was under the assumption that anything "not dry" was "not good" for a long time. :)

[guska]

wow, quite some interesting replies. Before I used to leave it on usually overnight, I will try experimenting and see if the shorter times work just as well, would be awesome if so! =D

Spar, I thought microwaving coconut oil was a big no no? based on what I have read anyways. but i like the idea of a hot oil treatment, hmmmm...maybe I will give that a shot too.



that is very interesting, it doesn't matter what oil you use, you find it had no benefits for you hair whatsoever?

None that I can detect at least, haha (I'm a pretty unobservant IRL). I've only tried coconut oil and EVOO. I'm not sure if oils do anything to my dry scalp, but I have gotten breakouts (sensitive skin :() so I'm not going to try oiling again any time soon. Thank goodness my hair doesn't demand any fancy products/oils. Good o'l CO does it for me :)

[Doreen]

In my personal experience, leaving it on for too long (like overnight) makes my hair crunchy and it feels unpleasant. So yes, it does make a difference. For you, it might be a good difference! For me, it definitely wasn't.

[Ylva]

Interesting; I was under the assumption that anything "not dry" was "not good" for a long time. :)

I guess technically oil is "dry" as there is no water in it. :shrug:

[PixieNixie]

Interesting; I was under the assumption that anything "not dry" was "not good" for a long time. :)

The oil actually acts as a barrier and prevents hydra fatigue. It repels some of the water which would cause the cortex to swell which is why as a person with highly porous hair, I prepoo with an absorbable oil (like coconut) and leave it on for as long as possible so I get the most protection I can. Otherwise I can and have gotten hydral fatigue and breakage due to over conditioning.