How long to leave oil in?

[apollosdrawer]

I put oil on my ends before washing my hair, and since my hair is very fine, I only leave it in for thirty minutes or so. Much longer than that, and my hair will be too oily the next day. I suppose I'm just concerned 30 minutes isn't long enough to get any benefits from the oils...what do you think? I think it has helped with my dry ends, but I'm not sure if I could be doing better. I use sweet almond oil by the way!

Also if I want to let my conditioner sit for a while before I rinse it out, can I put it on in addition to the oil, or will I not see much benefit from doing that. I've tried that as well and liked it, but there's a point where one soft and shiny is the same as any other soft and shiny lol...don't worry, I wait a few weeks before judging results on any of these things!

[leayellena]

30 min to an hour is a pre-wash oiling. you can also leave oil in for more if you're going to wash your hair that day anyway. it's good, it protects your hair from SLS/SLES (sulfates) in shampoo. I have fine hair too and sometimes I leave oil in for few days and I oil my hair every day because it protects my hair while I sleep. when I wake up my hair is not a tangled mess. fine hair doesn't need oil on the scalp because scalp is already oily. as for heavy oiling on your scalp idk I heard that may lead to heavy shedding. can't give you tips about this because I don't oil my scalp.

[Bri-Chan]

My hair is extremely fine but I leave coconut oil in for hours, sometimes for a day. Are you sure to not use too much oil? Because I always used a very little amount.
Sometimes I massage my scalp 30 minutes before washing (for helping head circulation)

[Kalamazoo]

Are you happy with the results of what you're doing? It sounds like you are. "Soft & shiny" sounds good. Your ends are no longer dry. Your length isn't overly greasy. You have not one, but TWO methods of getting there: oil and/or conditioner. It sounds like you've found your HG (Holy Grail) solution.

This is all about finding out what's best for you, today! (Your hair will be different tomorrow, because of what you did to it today, so if it seems to want something new tomorrow, that's O.K.) Just avoid thinking you really ought to be doing things exactly like anybody else, because your hair's unique.

ETA: Welcome to the forum! :waving:

[lapushka]

I think even 10-15 minutes should be enough, personally. But I don't really "believe" in more time = more benefits. I also don't leave my masks or conditioners when washing longer in than 2 minutes. I just... don't buy it. If the conditioner or mask is good, it will work in a short time, IMO. Unless the bottle says otherwise, but there are *never* directions on the bottles as to how long to leave it in for.

[erebus]

I think even 10-15 minutes should be enough, personally. But I don't really "believe" in more time = more benefits. I also don't leave my masks or conditioners when washing longer in than 2 minutes. I just... don't buy it. If the conditioner or mask is good, it will work in a short time, IMO. Unless the bottle says otherwise, but there are *never* directions on the bottles as to how long to leave it in for.

I would just say that if you leave it for longer maybe it'll have time to reach strands that might not have had it directly applied to them (depending on how thorough you were). With oil I find that even if you separate out a small chunk of hair and apply it, some strands in the middle might be 'dry'.

[AmberWillow]

I leave fractionated coconut oil on overnight, as I'm convinced it soaks through all of my hair better. Like erebus said, I believe it reaches other strands of hair, as it seems to 'spread' through my hair overnight and it looks more oily in the morning than it did the night before! However, if I'm using a heavier oil, like castor oil, I leave that on for an hour or two max, especially if it's on my scalp, as it causes my hair to shed a lot more than it normally would otherwise. :)

[MusicalSpoons]

Yes, you can try leaving conditioner on longer, anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours ;)

Through making tweaks to my routine over a few years, I've landed on what keeps my hair happiest for longest: heavily oil my whole lengths a day or two before washing, then a few hours before washing put conditioner on, then (hours later) shampoo, followed by the rinse-out-oil method, then another conditioner which sits for several minutes while I do other showerly duties.

So for me, extra stuff each came with its own benefits rather than cancelling anything else out or not doing anything - but ultimately, like Kalamazoo said, it's about finding what works best for you :) soft and silky is good; if you find conditioner for longer makes it even better then great! And if you find it doesn't, well then you'll know there's no need. It's always worth testing these things out :D

[Kat]

I put oil on my ends before washing my hair, and since my hair is very fine, I only leave it in for thirty minutes or so. Much longer than that, and my hair will be too oily the next day. I suppose I'm just concerned 30 minutes isn't long enough to get any benefits from the oils...what do you think? I think it has helped with my dry ends, but I'm not sure if I could be doing better. I use sweet almond oil by the way!

Also if I want to let my conditioner sit for a while before I rinse it out, can I put it on in addition to the oil, or will I not see much benefit from doing that. I've tried that as well and liked it, but there's a point where one soft and shiny is the same as any other soft and shiny lol...don't worry, I wait a few weeks before judging results on any of these things!

Well, you say leaving it on for the length of time you're leaving it gives you good results, and leaving it for longer gives you results you don't prefer, so I'd say you're doing it right! As far as the conditioner, again, here is the answer in your own words:


I've tried that as well and liked it

Sometimes in hair care the only "right" answer is, "does it work for me or not?" There is no one rule that works for everyone.





Are you happy with the results of what you're doing? It sounds like you are. "Soft & shiny" sounds good. Your ends are no longer dry. Your length isn't overly greasy. You have not one, but TWO methods of getting there: oil and/or conditioner. It sounds like you've found your HG (Holy Grail) solution.

This is all about finding out what's best for you, today! (Your hair will be different tomorrow, because of what you did to it today, so if it seems to want something new tomorrow, that's O.K.) Just avoid thinking you really ought to be doing things exactly like anybody else, because your hair's unique.

ETA: Welcome to the forum! :waving:

This!

[Firefox7275]

I do lengthy treatments - hours to days - with penetrating oils on dry hair in line with the published research (primarily on coconut oil). However I have very porous colour-treated hair, so not the 'average' or 'standard' hair type on LHC.

[LadyMikaelson]

This is all about finding out what's best for you, today! (Your hair will be different tomorrow, because of what you did to it today, so if it seems to want something new tomorrow, that's O.K.) Just avoid thinking you really ought to be doing things exactly like anybody else, because your hair's unique.

ETA: Welcome to the forum! :waving:

I totally agree! This thread is really motivating me to start pre-wash oiling! :stirpot:

[Natalia_A00]

It's a personal preference, you have to find out what works for you. 30 minutes might be more than enough for you, it's fine! In that timeframe your hair will be able to absorb all the beneficial properties. Don't compare yourself with people who leave it overnight, for example. That's what works for them, but might not work for you. Personally, I leave oil for 2-3 hours or so, and my hair feels super smooth afterwards. If I leave it overnight, it starts feeling kind of crunchy, I don't like it. My goal is that my hair feels smooth and sleek, so that way I'm not getting the results I want.

[Dark40]

I have fine hair too, and since I wash my hair 2 or 3 times a week, and apply a little oil after every wash my hair is never that greasy after 4 days. :)

[Lucy McLucyFace]

The morning before wash day I put a bit through the length of my hair and then some more at night and keep it on a loose braid all day and night. I've learned through trial and error that it's very hard to rinse it out if I apply any oils on the wash day itself and if I apply 2 days before wash day it gets too heavy.
Otherwise I only apply oil to the very tips of the ends when they seem dry.