Does anyone know why oils don't work for some (me!), but work for others?

[fluffer]

I love the concept of using natural oils to smooth and shine my long dry hair. I REALLY want to make them work for my hair. Help!

I have used many different oils -EVOO, Ojon, grapeseed, coconut, etc.-and they usually suck out what little moisture I have and leave it dry, tangled, and crunchy.

About 1 out of 10 times I used oils, they worked really well. During these rare occasions, my hair was smooth, soft, and frizz free. I dont know what I did differently because there are so many variables.

Is it my hair's natural porosity? Is my hair too fine? Is it from silicone build up? Could it be my water? What is going on?! :confused:

I know the variable isnt hair damage because I've tried oils on my 5 year old daughter's virgin hair and her hair reacted the same way as mine.

Thanks for any input ladies!

[spidermom]

Buildup is a possibility. Or perhaps hair has such a tight cuticle that none of the oil penetrates - it just sits on the surface and dries out there.

[Sunshine69]

I think it could be any one or combination of the factors you mentioned, or something else. Maybe your hair just doesn't need oiling. I never had much luck with oil until I tried mixing Fox's recipe for hair cream. There's a recipe posted somewhere, but if I remember correctly its:

2 parts shea
1 part coconut
2 parts conditioner

I melt the oils and mix in the conditioner with a small whisk.

[Gothic Lolita]

At first oild didn't work for me either, then, they just did.

How do you aplly them? On wet, damp or dry hair? This often makes a big difference.

[deko]

I get much better results with oils when I apply them on towel dry hair. If I oil my ends when my hair is dry I get crunchy hair. I've tried coconut, almond, jojoba and avocado, all reacts the same when applied on dry hair.

My new love is Prunus Domestica oil, it smells nice and it makes my ends feel really silky.

[Deborah]

Your hair probably doesn't need oil. Why fix what ain't broken? :)

[edensapples]

Does anyone know if/what altitude and/or location may have to do with this?

I live in the South, near the coast and it's really humid here.. all the time.

I just bought coconut oil for my hair and it worked well last night.. but I'm wondering if it might be partly because of all the moisture in the air here?



Is it high and dry where you are?

[fluffer]

Sunshine, Thank you for your suggestion...A few years ago, I tried the shea treatment, and it worked for a while, then it started to dry out my hair. Maybe I needed to clarify or I used it too much -I cant remember.

Deborah...My long, fine, lightened hair gets frizzy and dry, so it is broken. :) The reason I want it to work is that I had good results with oils a few times over the past several years, so I know what oils can do. I would love to figure out the variables so that I can easily put oils into my routine. Many claim oils saved their hair from damage.

eden, I dont live where it is high and dry. :) I would love to know if the weather effects the outcome of hair products. For instance, I know honey is a humectant...Some days honey works for me, and other days it dries out my hair just like the oils do. I am wondering if humidity plays a role in its inconsistency. It probably has to do with build up, but I am not sure.

Deko and Gothic, Thank you for your input...I have applied oils to damp, wet, and dry hair. However, I dont remember which oils I used on which state of hair.

[spidermom]

The moisture is high where I live. My hair drinks oil right up, conditioner too.

[Nightshade]

I think it could be any one or combination of the factors you mentioned, or something else. Maybe your hair just doesn't need oiling. I never had much luck with oil until I tried mixing Fox's recipe for hair cream. There's a recipe posted somewhere, but if I remember correctly its:

2 parts shea
1 part coconut
2 parts conditioner

I melt the oils and mix in the conditioner with a small whisk.

THIS ^^^^^

My ends HATED oils. I tried a ton of types, but they hated it. It's also really important to remember that oils do not moisturize hair, they keep moisture inside.

I would recommend that you:

Clarify again
Give your hair a long soak in a cone-free conditioner
seal that moisture in with Fox's shea cream or something similar.I eventually modified Fox's recipe to include honey and a few other things, but that worked when nothing else does.

[suicides_eve]

don't feel bad, my hair hates oil. especially evoo. my hair turns into a stringy gross looking mess. but it works well for my sister. so i guess its just the nature your hair..