Question. If your hair doesn't "like" oil...

[Faepirate]

... i.e. if your hair goes a little bit straggly and occasionally crunchy when you inflict coconut oil, olive oil or some such thing on it, then does that necessarily make it unbeneficial (to the hair's condition)?

Obviously, aesthetically, it's probably not so great but I'm not really concerned about aesthetics here - although most people seem to use oil because it makes their hair sleek, smooth, soft etc. I personally use coconut oil and olive oil with the intent of protecting my hair a little bit, and I don't mind at all that my hair doesn't look or feel sleek and lovely because it's shoved up in a bun anyway... (and also, I have found oil beneficial as a pre-wash treatment regardless of the crunchiness, soooo... am slightly confused about this.)

Basically, sometimes my hair does well (aesthetically) with oil, and sometimes it doesn't. I'd just like to know: If the hair is going crunchy at all, is that a BAD thing for the hair's health? Or is it just a quirk with no actual ill effects?


People speak of their hair "not liking" a certain oil but I'd like to know what is actually going on between the hair and oil.

I don't really see how coconut or olive oils could be damaging, but I'm open to the possibility that they might be, since I still don't really understand how oils work with hair. And I don't want to ruin my hair accidentally. :) Can oil dry hair out? Can it aggravates splits? If so, how...?


Any opinions?

[BlackfootHair]

For me, I use shampoo almost every day, so the oils wouldn't have a chance to build up, so to say...My hair likes oils, so it isn't an issue for me. Now if the oil made my hair tangle then I'd rethink my options.

I'm not sure how oils would make splits worse, I would think if anything it would temporarily hold the splits together if there was enough oil coating it...but that's just theory.

[Arctic]

There has been some studies of coconut oil and olive oil (propably some others too?) and it has been showed these two have the ability to penetrate the hairshaft: Not all oils can do that because (I think) a too big molecule size. Also coconut oil has been shown to prevent protein loss from the hair, and because protein and water (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/278612/the_fine_art_of_protein_and_moisture.html?cat=69) (moisture) have special relationship in hair chemistry, this might lead to protein overload (aka too little moisture).

That being said I don't have an answer to your question :( How does your hair seem to respond to oiling in long run? It sure looks stunning! Have you seen any change in the number of splits/ damaged ends?


ETA: Here's also a rather interesting article (http://holisticonline.com/Remedies/Hair/hair_article-quench-the-thirst-of-frizzy-hair.htm), but I'm afraid it doesn't take into consideration the special need a long hair has.

[Peggy E.]

My hair does not like oil. It gets all "crackly" and stiff, even with the tiniest amount. I have tried several different kinds of oil and finally tossed in the towel.

I only wash my hair once a week, though, and with CO, so oily-crinkley hair for that long is pretty nasty. And it seemed to make all these fly-aways even worse! I was using it in hopes of taming the wild bunch!

[NurseMama]

Are you oiling on wet/damp hair or on dry hair? Coconut oil on dry hair makes my hair super crunchy. Jojoba oil is the only oil that I have been able to use successfully on dry hair.

[Silver & Gold]

I wonder if the cracky feeling is from using it on hair that is already too dry and then sealing out any environmental moisture? I think if your hair doesn't seem to like oil you might consider applying oil to slightly damp hair and see if you get the same results.

[MandaMom2Three]

I wonder if the cracky feeling is from using it on hair that is already too dry and then sealing out any environmental moisture? I think if your hair doesn't seem to like oil you might consider applying oil to slightly damp hair and see if you get the same results.

That's been my experience. I didn't think my hair liked oils at all, until I tried applying to damp hair. Magic :D

[Heidi_234]

The question is whether oiling is still good even if it make the hair feel no so much. If the oil seals the moisture out, I can't say it's good, But on the other hand oils don't only do that. It is actually a question I was asking myself, whether treatment is good even if there are no encouraging immediate results.

[Faepirate]

The question is whether oiling is still good even if it make the hair feel no so much. If the oil seals the moisture out, I can't say it's good, But on the other hand oils don't only do that. It is actually a question I was asking myself, whether treatment is good even if there are no encouraging immediate results.


Yes Heidi, exactly, this is what I was asking. :) I was under the impression that oils like coconut and EVOO don't seal moisture out, but maybe I'm wrong.
I think it's an important question because my reasons for oiling are to do with the long-term health of my hair...

Well hopefully someone can shed light on this!



I wonder if the cracky feeling is from using it on hair that is already too dry and then sealing out any environmental moisture? I think if your hair doesn't seem to like oil you might consider applying oil to slightly damp hair and see if you get the same results.

I've oiled on both wet and dry hair with similar results. I tend to get better results on dry hair but it does vary...




There has been some studies of coconut oil and olive oil (propably some others too?) and it has been showed these two have the ability to penetrate the hairshaft: Not all oils can do that because (I think) a too big molecule size. Also coconut oil has been shown to prevent protein loss from the hair, and because protein and water (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/278612/the_fine_art_of_protein_and_moisture.html?cat=69) (moisture) have special relationship in hair chemistry, this might lead to protein overload (aka too little moisture).

The protein thing is a good point, something I'll be keeping an eye out for...

The studies about coconut oil penetrating the hair shaft have always intrigued me because I've never been able to find out what exactly the oil does in the hair shaft once it penetrates. ;)



ETA:


How does your hair seem to respond to oiling in long run? It sure looks stunning! Have you seen any change in the number of splits/ damaged ends?
Thanks! :flower: It's hard to say because there are so many other factors in hair condition that I've been changing over the past year. I've been through so many different routines. The only time my hair actually suffered was during WO and I don't know whether it was the tangles, the constantly oiled ends (in an attempt to control the tangles and help moisturise) or the infrequent washing or build-up from pre-WO days that made it start breaking. (I had to cut 2 inches this Autumn after WO - it was quite a mess!)

[Speckla]

My hair likes them as a DT before shampooing. Just alone? Yucky, stiff hair.
________
BUILDING (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Ford_Building)

[rhubarbarin]

Until a couple months ago I couldn't use any oil on dry hair - it would turn nasty, tangly and crunchy almost instantly! The perfect amount of oil on wet hair would give me soft, sleek hair for wash day, but my hair would be stringy the next day. During this time my hair was recovering from severe cone damage, so anything that decreased moisture was an absolute disaster (sulfate-free shampoo, and anything with protein also made it freak out).

Now I can use a little oil (I use coconut and olive) on dry hair and get very good results. I have healthy new growth and my damaged majority seems to finally be moisturized enough to handle some new things.

Anyway I guess what I am saying is that what your hair responds well to can change not only as the condition improves (but your hair looks the picture of health, faepirate) but also from day to day, especially if you have dry, tempermental, curly/wavy hair like mine. It is incredibly dependent on the weather and humidity levels.. products/routines that work great in summer humidity have to be changed completely for dry cold weather..

I do feel that when oil makes me hair super-crunchy/tangly, that means it has a protein overload, and yes it's bad for it. When this happens I will usually rinse and condition it, that almost always leaves it nice and soft.

[Isilme]

Some hairs just doesn't like oil. I have tried oiling on damp, on wet, on dry and with many different oils. If oil makes your hair crunchy, does the crunchy state make your hair feel more fragile? I for example get tangly hair with many oils, and that makes it harder to detangle=more damage. If it feels like your hair will break if you touch it, yes, oil is bad for your hair.

[Darkhorse1]

Oil makes my hair look gross and stringy. So, what I chose to do is use it, but then clarify shampoo right after. I used olive oil on wet hair, let sit for however long I can sit still, then wash my hair normally. Because I have greasy scalp, I use a clarifying shampo but the oil locks in moisture and makes the hair shiny and soft.

So, perhaps that might be an alternative solution? If I just used oil on my hair and didn't wash...oh man. The first time I oiled my hair it was horrid--I didn't wash it all out and my ends were an oil slick and looked as if I hadn't washed my hair in 100 years.

Hope that helps :)

[zen_oven]

I've actually been dealing with this issue recently. I only wash my hair twice a week, and I usually apply oil to my wet hair on those days. It does fine then, and it does fine at night when I apply it to my dry hair before bed. On non-wash days, I just mist my hair with some distilled water and a blast of Kimberlily's defrizz spray. I was putting a bit of additional jojoba oil on it then, but my hair was always turning out crunchy. I'm leaving that step out now to see how it does, and so far so good. My guess at the moment is that it's something with how the dampness of my hair and the oil interact, and/or it could be that over the three days I don't wash my hair it's building up and making my hair freak out. Not really sure if that makes sense or not, so I'm just going by trial and error and seeing what results I get. :shrug:

Don't know if this helps or not, but thought I'd chime in.

[GibsonGirlV]

My hair gets crunchy if i use oil on it when it's too dry.

Coconut oil is my favorite oil right now, and it works best if I apply it when my hair is only 80% dry or damper.

I also have more issues with Olive oil and Jojoba oil making my hair crunchy than coconut oil in general. Coconut oil is the only one I can use if my hair is almost completely dry. With the other two, my hair has to be even more damp.

[Faepirate]

Darkhorse, I do that too, minus the clarifying shampoo. I wash it out with conditioner but yes as a prewash treatment oil works very well for a lot of people I think. :)

I do like to oil the ends on non-wash days if I'm wearing my hair in a braid which isn't a very protective updo (especially when you have layers like mine! I get bits sticking out of the braid everywhere!).


Anyway I guess what I am saying is that what your hair responds well to can change not only as the condition improves (but your hair looks the picture of health, faepirate) but also from day to day, especially if you have dry, tempermental, curly/wavy hair like mine. It is incredibly dependent on the weather and humidity levels.. products/routines that work great in summer humidity have to be changed completely for dry cold weather..

I do feel that when oil makes me hair super-crunchy/tangly, that means it has a protein overload, and yes it's bad for it. When this happens I will usually rinse and condition it, that almost always leaves it nice and soft.

rhubarbarin, I guess this is why it's so difficult to pin down exactly what hair likes/doesn't like, as it varies with so many factors! I haven't really figured out my hair's relationship with the weather yet though.

I have never associated crunchiness in my hair with a protein overload. Crunch for me just says "something on the hair shaft!" whether it's oil or aloe or too much conditioner or some other product... it goes away when I wash it out (unless it's build-up, which is more stubborn). But I've also never had issues with protein in any hair products.


Well I'll keep a close eye on my hair and especially the condition of the ends. I'll continue oiling for now, regardless of crunchy response. ;) If the hair stays happy overall over the next few months, I'll just assume that oil-crunch doesn't necessarily negate beneficial protective/conditioning effects!

[Katze]

I've wondered this too!

Oil does seem to make my hair softer, but also greasier and flatter. For a while, when I was swimming twice a week, I was oiling for the few days before a swim and wash, figuring this would help protect my hair from the chlorine. However, I didn't like the condition of my hair so I went back to (mostly) leave-in.

I do oil my hair when it gets damp in the shower, since I wash infrequently at the moment (every 5-7 days) and focus on oiling my coarser, drier, curlier nape hairs. Also, I use a tiny bit of oil on my length if it is wet.

Too much oil, or oil on the scalp, adds to my scalp's tendency to part weirdly ('scalp cleavage') and the fact that my hair often hangs funny and I can't get it to look good in any hairdo, up or down. But I do feel like oil is beneficial, somehow...