how to oil your hair

[Jessclewlow]

hi everyone... i bought some virgin coconut oil... i heard this is pretty good... but i dont really know what to do with it..

can anyone give me a bit of a guide?

Thanx guys :)

luvz jess xx

[Pierre]

I use jojoba. If my hair is loose, I put it on the bases of my fingers, interdigitate them to spread it on all fingers, and fingercomb. If my hair is in an updo, I put the oil on my palms and pat it on my hair. I do it when my hair is damp.

[Anje]

I use coconut oil like this:

After washing my hair, while the hair is still damp (but has been in a towel for a little while), I take an amount of oil about the volume of a pencil eraser, and rub it between my hands to melt it completely. I then use my hands to smooth it onto my damp hair, concentrating on the ends. My hair can be dry pretty far up, so I apply it to everything past the shoulders and a bit on the hair around the face. This makes my hair easier to detangle after washing.

Note that the amount of oil you use is going to vary with the amount of hair that you have, and with how much your hair absorbs the oil. t's easy to overdo it, so start with just a little. If you use too much, don't worry about it. Just put your hair up or in a braid (oiled braids look great), and wash it next time it's due. The oil may absorb over several days and look better later. (Incidentally, conditioner gets coconut oil out very well, so don't feel like you have to shampoo more if you're using oil.)

You can also apply the oil to your dry hair, and it is easier to gauge how much you put on, but for some people this can make hair feel dry or "crispy" later. A good compromise, if you want to try this, is to apply it shortly after your hair has finished airdrying, before it has had a chance to get dry.

[ChloeDharma]

This thread might be usefull for you
http://www.forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=28&highlight=coconut
Though i'd advise you to make a cup of tea before starting to wade through it lol.

I'm a huge fan of oils, coconut is one of my favourites, but i also use castor oil, sesame, almond, jojoba and a few others.
There is an article on oiling by heidi w which is worth reading......but very basically you tend to have 2 types of oilings, heavy or light. For a heavy oiling i smother my hair in the stuff so that it looks wet with it, plus i massage it into my scalp too. Then i leave that on at least overnight and wash off in the morning.
A light oiling is where you just put a little oil on your hands, enough to make a sheen on your palms, then smooth that over the more vulnerable areas like the canopy and ends. I do this after i wash and top up as and when my hair seems to need it.

As an aside, VCO also makes a lovely face moisturiser, i sometimes like to spply it quite heavily on my skin before i go to bed.....usually in the morning my skin looks much fresher and tighter when i do this.

HTH and welcome to LHC :)

[lora410]

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=category&categoryid=2 Here you will find all articles on hair care; including oiling, washing hair rehabilitation etc. I myself oily use a tiny bit of coconut oil becuase it is greasy. I just scrape a finy fingernail full, rub between palms and smooth down my hair, esp the ends.

[Spike]

Welcome to LHC!

I oil my hair lightly every morning--get it wet, towel dry, then 4-5 drops in one palm, rub hands together, pass hands over ends and canopy. The water makes the oil spread better so I don't get clumps of oily locks, but do get shine and softness.

Once a week, I oil my scalp and length, let it soak most of the day, then wash.

As others have said, one thing at a time and see what works for you.

[dcmo]

I've just started oiling my hair the past few weeks and my hair and scalp love it (doing a combination of heavy oiling the night before a wash and a light oiling while hair is still damp to keep down the little frizzy hairs). It is very easy to go too heavy on an oiling though so start out with a little and add more as needed. That's my little suggestion - it's easier to add if needed then have to much and look a little lank or greasy until your next wash. I hope you have good luck with it!

[Stephanie]

VCO is awesome stuff. Rub some into your skin, too. Great body moisturizer.

[Kirin]

VCO is great for hair, and some have good results with it as a moisturizer. I use it on my dry hair, just a tiny bit on the ends, and my hair likes it very much.

Be warned though, VCO is a HUGE breakout offender in a lot of people, causing massive breakouts. Try a little first in an inconspicuous place, like side of your neck before trying all over your face.

[lizzyjo]

I scoop out a bit with my finger about the size of a small pea, rub it into my palm until it melts, then smooth it into my hair from the ears down, concentrating on the ends.

I seem to use a lot more coconut oil than I do jojoba or olive oil. I don't know if it has to do with it being a solid.

[Jessclewlow]

coconut oil it is -- besudes which i love the coconut smell lol! -- cant wait to try it out... i shall let you all know the results :D

[windinherhair]

How do you apply oil to your hair? (Just wondering what routine people use)

I will give it a try. At first I didn't think I liked the idea because my hair is naturally oily. I am lucky if I get past 2 days without washing it, especially in the humid summer. It only starts to look greasy at the roots of my hair. If there was only some way I could wash the roots without having to wash the rest of my hair. :-) Maybe I would only want to apply the oil to the bottom of my hair, and not all over.

It sounds like a lot benefit from using oil on their hair, so I would like to see what it will do for mine.

[spidermom]

You can wash your roots without washing the rest of your hair, or pretty close to it. I coat my length with conditioner, shake up my shampoo in some warm water and squirt all over my scalp, massage, rinse, condition again. My scalp hair gets washed, the rest gets conditioned and rinsed, although shampoo runs through the length with the rinse water, but it's highly diluted by that time. As for oil, I rub a small scrape of coconut oil between hands, then sandwich hair between oiled palms and run palms down to ends. I comb, then brush. I generally do this after my scalp gets oily and I plan to wash my hair the next day.

[Flaxen]

Here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71) is our oiling tutorial that should help a lot. :grin:

[Silverlox]

If there was only some way I could wash the roots without having to wash the rest of my hair. :-)

There is a way. There is an article on that too. You'll find it here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=85)

I can really recommend the Article section. It's a veritable treasure chest. Especially for newbies.. :flower:

[windinherhair]

Thanks everyone :-)