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View Full Version : Do you oil dry hair?



andrea1982
March 27th, 2008, 08:06 PM
Why or why not? I oil my hair damp after washing, but I also add a little daily when my hair is dry. My hair seems to like this, but I'm worried about sealing moisture out. I haven't tried misting, I'm scared of bringing back more frizzies.

JillieRose
March 28th, 2008, 05:24 AM
I do. I oil, oil, oil to help keep the split ends away. My hair is very dry naturally, so I use heavy ones like EVOO after washing (when damp) and even when totally dry (just a couple of drops). It makes my hair smoother and the frizzies don't bother me as much.

florenonite
March 28th, 2008, 05:27 AM
I put a little bit of oil on the ends daily, regardless of whether or not I've washed that day.

peachy.pudding
March 28th, 2008, 06:18 AM
Dry hair because:

1. I can see the effects straight away
2. If its wet i over oil
3. I put less in when dry
4. Takes my hair ages to dry if i oil when wet
5. I can see which parts need oiling when dry
6. It dosnt drip off when dry

FrannyG
March 28th, 2008, 06:25 AM
I only oil my hair when it's dry. That's the way I was taught to do it. There's a reason why we're not meant to oil wet hair, but I'm darned if I can remember why. :shrug: Hopefully an expert can answer this.

icydove
March 28th, 2008, 06:25 AM
If I oil dry hair, my hair gets superdry. Not a good thing :rolleyes:

levelek
March 28th, 2008, 06:33 AM
I oil it when it feels dry, which is neary every day. I wash my hair about every 5 days, and I sometimes oil it when it's damp. My hair seems to like it both ways.

Shell
March 28th, 2008, 06:35 AM
Different people are different, and different things work for them.

I oil dry as a dressing--to calm fly aways or to make smooth updos. I sometimes do a light oiling before braiding/bunning before bed.

I do heavy oilings before Indian herbal washings on dry hair.

I also like to oil on damp hair. When my hair is almost dry on wash day, I oil lightly. I don't ever oil on very wet hair, because, as has been said, it would never dry.

So, my hair wetness depends on what I'm trying to accomplish. If I want to trap a bit of moisture in my hair--I oil damp. If I want smooth updos, I oil dry. If I want to herbal wash--I do a heavy oiling dry.

I think it also matters what oil you use. I only use coconut oil, shea butter (which works very well on dry hair), and an olive oil based pomade.

The only way to figure this out is to try various techniques.

harley mama
March 28th, 2008, 07:00 AM
I oil my hair while it is soppy wet, right out of the shower. And then I oil it daily as needed (when dry) to help keep the frizzies calm and to aid in detangling.

ChloeDharma
March 28th, 2008, 10:08 AM
I'm happy to do both.....i normally oil dry as i'm lazy with the misting, which i MUST get back into....but anyway. If you are concerned about oiling your hair dry in case it locks out moisture then use coconut oil. That acts more like a moisture diffuser, preventing water rapidly leaving the hair and rapidly entering so on balance it maintains hydration well.

Otherwise, as has been said, just play around and see what your hair likes either way, i leave my hair soaking in oil most of the time.

Franny.....i've not heard oil shouldn't be put on wet/damp hair before......i'd love to find out the reason for this, could it have been something simple like oiling wet hair makes it harder to tell how much you have put on?

Islandgrrl
March 28th, 2008, 10:33 AM
I oil a little when it's wet (very little) and then again on the ends when it's either barely damp or dry. And then again any time it seems like it's really dry.

Meli
March 28th, 2008, 10:59 AM
I only oil dry hair. My hair is difficult to please - a little bit too dry = breakage. A little bit too moisturized = breakage... I have found that oiling damp hair gives too much moisture. However, no oiling at all makes the ends too dry. Coconut oil on dry ends works just fine, thankfully...

EvilPigeon
March 28th, 2008, 11:03 AM
What is oil misting?

I used to use jojoba oil,usually when damp.

lora410
March 28th, 2008, 11:05 AM
I oil both wet and dry. I oil when it is dry to get that satiny softness and ass some moisture. When wet (at least with coconut oil) I get the grease's. So when its wet I use sweet almond oil

FB
March 28th, 2008, 11:07 AM
I oil my hair both when it is damp and when it is dry. However, after you oil do you need to brush your hair to make sure it distributes??? Or is that bad?????

Marianne
March 28th, 2008, 11:12 AM
I oil my hair both when it is damp and when it is dry. However, after you oil do you need to brush your hair to make sure it distributes??? Or is that bad?????

Depends on the individual, but I like to brush with a boar bristle brush every now and again after oiling dry hair. It helps especially if I have used a bit too much oil.

Curlsgirl
March 28th, 2008, 11:44 AM
I oil a little when my hair is damp with coconut oil and then sometimes to help detangle or when it feels dry in between washings. When it's dry I like olive or castor oil. Coconut oil on dry hair sometimes make the ends drier feeling after a while.

Curlsgirl
March 28th, 2008, 11:48 AM
I oil my hair both when it is damp and when it is dry. However, after you oil do you need to brush your hair to make sure it distributes??? Or is that bad?????

I think it's better NEVER to use a brush personally. If I did use one I would never use it on wet or damp hair and only on dry hair after detangling with a wide tooth comb. Others use certain types of brushes like a BBB on dry hair with no problem or a Denman brush. For me it means breakage whether I have detangled already or not. I am sure the type of hair has something to do with it.

ChloeDharma
March 28th, 2008, 02:48 PM
EvilPigeon, if you mean when i referred to misting.....sorry i wasn't clearer.....i mean using water of some kind...infused herbs or with aloe or glycerine or similar added.

FB brushing tends to be quite a love it or hate it thing. But as has been said, if you do then make sure its a very good brush, a boar bristle or very smooth one.....nothing snagable. I personally brush with a BBB after oiling but only on totally dry hair, never do it wet or damp as the cuticle is more easily damaged and the hair is more stretchy and easily broken.

Forever_Sophie
March 28th, 2008, 03:05 PM
Like someone else, I was taught to oil dry hair (not sure why), and only a few nights ago did it occur to me to oil my hair while it's damp! Which I'll do, maybe tonight ;)

Aaaand, I only comb my hair. I used to use a BBB but have been neglecting it.

hrimfaxi
March 28th, 2008, 04:30 PM
I usually oil my hair while it's damp, but if my hair is feeling particularly crunchy, I will dry oil it. I have yet to observe any ill effects from doing this.

Unnamed
March 28th, 2008, 04:51 PM
Sopping wet, after applying a bit of conditioner first.

I can also do a pre wash oiling and have that work okay (and for this I start with dry hair, but it's usually a heavy oiling).

Dry, damp (or dripping without conditioner) leaves me with crunchy, dry, brittle hair. :shrug:

Nynaeve
March 31st, 2008, 07:07 PM
I like to let my hair dry a bit after my shower then oil when it is "damp," seeing as how very wet and very dry oilings never work out well for me.
I sometimes oil when dry in between washes, but if I have time, I like to make sure my ends (or wherever I am oiling) is a bit damp before I do it.

Anlbe
April 1st, 2008, 02:18 AM
I oil a little bit most days with jojoba oil. Normally it's on dry hair as I can't judge its dryness when it's wet. Never suffered from the crunchies so far, but then my hair is very dry and isn't that long.

Nat242
April 1st, 2008, 04:12 AM
For me, it depends on the oil. Coconut oil on dry hair works a treat! It soaks it, gives softness, shine and moisture.

If I put Jojoba oil on dry hair, however, it just 'sits' there, and looks lank and greasy. If I use just a tiny drop on wet hair, however, it really helps my ends stay soft and strong. It seems to seal in moisture.

-- Natalie

atina
August 15th, 2009, 06:01 AM
I oil with jojoba oil dry or wet as i have stopped putting all my curly shop bought stuff in my hair! seems to stop my hair going frizzy and i have yet to try evoo oil or coconut oil but i will. just amazed that i didnt need all the gunky crap i was using !

Fiferstone
August 15th, 2009, 06:11 AM
I oil dry hair about twice a week (before washday). I find if I put oil on wet hair it stays stringy and "piecey"

Erin-86
August 15th, 2009, 06:35 AM
I only oil on dry hair and it seems to work great. Just a few drops of olive oil, let it sit overnight and than wash it as I'm used to.

Raven2448
August 15th, 2009, 06:45 AM
I oil when dry. In fact right before putting it up for the day. I suppose doing it when damp wouldn't matter but dry works with my routine.

Plus when dry, it's easier to judge which strands may need an extra swipe!

dernhelm
August 15th, 2009, 07:00 AM
I can use a tiny bit of oil on wet hair after a leave-in. I also oil my ends lightly before bed.

Elle214
August 15th, 2009, 08:13 AM
I only oil my hair when it is dry. I learned, that oiling wet hair will cause it to dry more slowly which is bad, since wet hair is more sensitive.

pink.sara
August 15th, 2009, 08:58 AM
I always oil on dry hair because it will double my drying time to about 6 hours if it's on wet.

Also I wash every other day but on the day between washes I mist coconut oil on in the mornings to help with my colour damage frizzing.

Sarahmoon
August 15th, 2009, 09:30 AM
I do. If it's wet I have a hard time seeing where I exactly put it and how much. I do it sometimes when wet as well though, but prefer to do it when it's dry. Especially when the hair is a bit tangly.

Kat
August 15th, 2009, 10:24 AM
I find the opposite of what peachy does--if I oil my hair while dry, I put in way too much because it doesn't seem to spread out as well, and because I can always see dry hair and keep adding oil...if it's wet I just smooth it on as evenly as I can and as I can't tell what parts actually got oil and which didn't, I don't use up half a bottle of oil trying to get every last dry part! I know about how much oil to put on so that my hair won't look greasy when dry, so I just put on that amount and hope for the best, lol. It always works out okay, and I figure any parts that don't get oil probably will next time.

I do my oilings usually before I wash (I do oil some after as a leave-in, but not as heavily as when I do an actual oil treatment). So I just spritz my hair damp with water, then oil it.

I do sometimes brush dry hair after oiling (or washing, for that matter) if I'm leaving it down, otherwise it does get stringy and/or oily-looking even if it's not. But if I'm just braiding (99.9% of the time) I don't bother because the stringiness isn't noticeable then.

Hrm, speaking of misting/spritzing...I wonder if one could oil hair easily with one of those olive oil sprayers you can get? Seems that might be easier than the hit-or-miss of putting oil on your hands and running them through hair trying to get all of it...(when I do this my hair gets bunched up and the parts on the outside get oil but the parts on the inside of the bunch don't...with spritzing I could just let it hang over the tub and spray away!)

Phoenix81377
August 15th, 2009, 10:45 AM
I add oil when my hair is fresh from shampoo - just a bit of coconut and Jojoba to the ends. I have tried adding a bit to smooth out frizz on dry hair and it just turns my hair into a greasy limp mess, no matter how little I use. However when my intent is to deep oil (saturate with oil) I typically do this on dry hair (since I am going to wash it out later I don't want to prewash).

Eden_Rayn
August 16th, 2009, 11:31 AM
I only put oil on my hair when it is dry. I have a huge fear of over oiling and if it is wet I feel it will be easer to over do it.

Angharad
August 18th, 2009, 06:08 AM
No, I only oil on wet hair; I use olive-, argan-, coconut- or jojobaoil; I find it to have a beter result for prewash treatments and also when I use an oil als leave-in I stil mist my hair so my curls are more noticable and have more structure.

Beldaran
August 18th, 2009, 06:12 AM
I try to oil when my hair is damp, then it dries smoother. Otherwise I use 2-3 drops oil on my ends when it's dry every morning. Occasionally I'll oil when it's wet, recently I've gone to weddings that were a good distance away and I let me hair air dry in the car, so I pre-oiled before I left.

As for over oiling, I always use the same amount, wet or dry, so over oiling doesn't happen.

Vermelha
August 18th, 2009, 08:12 AM
Yeah, I oil my hair wet and dry, day and night. Man...it's like I've used oil my whole life...

Redheaded Raven
August 18th, 2009, 08:59 AM
I oil my hair when it is dry for my EO mix,
but I also oil wet on the length only

Fractalsofhair
August 18th, 2009, 09:00 AM
Recently I've started only oiling while dry, and it works pretty well. I used to have to oil while wet since my hair and scalp would get so damaged and gross, but now I can oil while dry except for once a week,and my scalp is pretty happy.

Jessikinz
August 18th, 2009, 01:31 PM
On wet hair, then when it dries or is damp I usually put a little bit more on. On non wash days I always put oil on my ends.

JamieLeigh
August 19th, 2009, 07:52 AM
I oil mine dry. I saturate it from ears down, once a week the day before a wash, and leave it like that overnight. It works for me. :)

mira-chan
August 22nd, 2009, 04:00 PM
I oil almost daily and only on dry hair. My hair looses all shine and gets tangly if I oil it wet or damp. Pre-wash I saturate my hair from scalp to ends with oil.

Carolyn
August 22nd, 2009, 04:50 PM
Most of the time I oil dry hair. I'll pour 2-3 drops of oil in my hand and rub my hands together and then smooth them over my dry hair. I concentrate on the ends and the canopy. Sometimes I'll oil the night before I wash. That's always on dry hair. I don't oil wet hair too often because I tend to over oil and have to wash again the next day. It doesn't hurt anything if I do.

dukkelisa
August 22nd, 2009, 07:19 PM
I rub oil on my palms before braiding. This is on dry hair. I oil my braided tail. I always thought that oil and water don't mix.

Darian Moone
August 22nd, 2009, 08:42 PM
I oil when my hair is damp to slightly wet, but I will also oil the ends a bit between washings if they feel dry at all. I use coconut oil most of the time, sometimes emu oil but it's too expensive to use regularly. Plus I LOVE the smell of the coconut oil - a little added bonus.

yogachic
August 25th, 2009, 07:35 AM
I started out oiling on wet hair. I have come to find that oiling dry hair gives me better results. I also add oil from ears down after a wash when damp.

Vrushali
August 25th, 2009, 07:41 AM
I have been oiling my hair dry because I'm super lazy..but after reading all these posts, I am going to give oiling my hair wet a shot..I'll be back with results!:)

Nefcerka
July 25th, 2023, 09:34 AM
I thought my hair hated oiling (and it does when applied directly to the scalp) but despite that, I started oiling my length recently while my hair is damp after washing. It does make my hair look oily and stringy when down, but I never wear it down, only in a bun, so that does not matter. What I noticed is more than 50-70 % reduction in breakage when combing and detangling, which is awesome and also my buns hold much better, my hair no longer escapes them.

tuanyiji
July 26th, 2023, 10:28 AM
I oil my hair from roots to ends every day before bedtime, I only use two drops and warm it with my palms first, so it’s a slow buildup to my monthly shampoo day. After clarifying (i’d do it in the evening, so I can let it air dry before bedtime), I apply oil while it’s 80-90% dry to seal the moisture.
I don’t really feel oil has any business in promoting growth or thickness from the roots, it works as a lubricant so I can fingercomb my hair more easily, thus reducing mechanical damage and avoiding breakage.
It also adds shine to my hair and tames the flyaways so I can have sleeker updos.
I personally prefer greasier hair because my bun stays more secure with more oil.