Oils vs. 'Cones

[Chanteuse87]

I recently went to my hair stylist, to get a trim (which turned into 2"!!! But the ends feel lovely now :) ) and some bangs (which look fabulous, I'm very happy), and I was talking to her about some of the things we try on here. I brought up oils, and she said that while it's fine to put oils on the hair, the molecules of the oil are too large to properly penetrate the hair shaft. In that way she said they act the same way as silicones do, lying on top of the hair and coating it to provide shine and weight.

So is the only benefit with oils that they wash out easily? Or is my hair stylist's chemistry not up to snuff?

[bttrfly857]

Okay, I'm fairly new to a lot of this, but my understanding has been that oils lay on top to lock in water (i.e. put them on while hair is still wet), where as cones normally lock out water because they build up more. I could be wrong though, I guess we'll see what everyone else says.

[lora410]

My hair has benefited greatly from oils, and I believe the only oil that seeps into the hair shaft is coconut oil. However, oil doesn't cause buildup and washes right out; whereas with cones it builds up and you have to use harsh clarifying shampoos to totally strip the hair shaft to get it off.

[Copasetic]

According to the Beauty Brains, a lot of oils will not penetrate the hair, but some will, namely coconut oil.
http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/05/24/is-ojon-restorative-treatment-any-good/