Oiling questions........

[whiteisle]

I know everyone tends to have their own method but I guess I'm looking for ideas on what works.......

Do you typically oil dry or wet for overnight or prewash?

When oiling after a wash do you just run it over the canopy and ends or do you try to get it distributed throughout all the hair (if so, how?)

Concerning coconut oil: what is meant by a fingernail full? Does it mean the top of the nail from tip to cuticle or is this what you can scrap up under the nail? (sorry if this one is silly :o)

Thanks! :)

[danacc]

My favorite oil is coconut. I use it directly on dry hair and let it sit for at least an hour as a pre-wash treatment. When I use it this way, I use a good bit of oil--my hair is definitely piecey and looks "wet".

I also will use a very, very small amount on dry hair as a "leave-in". When I use it this way, I use less than a fingernail's worth. By fingernail, I mean scraped under the nail. It's equivalent to a "drop" of oil. Or less. It's easy to use too much. When I use it as a leave-in, I apply it to the length only (from the earlobes down). I know others like to apply it to wet/damp hair as a leave-in. I let my hair dry and see how it feels first.

[Copasetic]

I know everyone tends to have their own method but I guess I'm looking for ideas on what works.......

Do you typically oil dry or wet for overnight or prewash?

When oiling after a wash do you just run it over the canopy and ends or do you try to get it distributed throughout all the hair (if so, how?)

Concerning coconut oil: what is meant by a fingernail full? Does it mean the top of the nail from tip to cuticle or is this what you can scrap up under the nail? (sorry if this one is silly :o)

Thanks! :)

Lately I have been oiling prewash, for about 30 minutes before I hop in the shower. But once in a while I will oil my dry hair before I go to bed. When I do that I just rub coconut oil between my palms and run it through my hair from the ears down.

I don't really know what a fingernail full is, but when I oil i use about the equivalent of two pencil erasers. Hope that helps :)

[rhubarbarin]

I use extra-virgin olive oil because it makes my hair feel the best by far (have tried coconut and jojoba also, not nearly so nice). I use SLS shampoo so no problems with getting it out.

I apply on dry hair. A fingernail full depends on the shape and length of your nails (but it's under the nail). If I don't want greasy hair I put a little bit on my hands and rub them together - then look at them in the light. I want juuust enough oil that there is a sheen on my palms, but not so they feel oily or look coated.

I also do heavier applications with plans to wear it up until I wash.

[yogachic]

I typically do dry oilings in between washes, I had tried an overnight on wet hair, and my hair didn't respond as well, it was frizzy when I washed the oil out.

When oiling after a wash I put a small amount from the ears down, some do only the ends. I don't have oily hair, so I don't need to worry about that, you may?

A fingernail full, to me, is under the nail. I always use the tip of my finger, but I can take more than a tiny amount on my hair.

[Jessikinz]

I just scrape a little bit of coconut oil with my finger nail. Then I rub my hands together and I just try to focus more on my ends, then I just finger comb the length to distribute the rest of the oil. For pre-washes I just coat my hair from the ears down. Not too much though, just enough to get that shiny look on my palms. Then I braid and go to bed and wash it out the next day. I oil on wet and dry hair. So usually when I dry my hair with a towel I put a little bit on the ends and damp bun it for about a half hour and then let it air dry. Both works best for my hair.

[CavyQueen]

Hi Whiteisle! I have found that putting oil into a glass spray bottle and spraying the oil through out my hair it the easiest method. I take an oil (papaya, camellia, sweet almond, etc.) and heat it using a double boiler. It is just a heat safe bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. I let it get hot (not scalding) and then put the oil into the glass bottle using a small funnel. I then spray it all over my DRY hair until it is saturated but not soaked. I put it all over my hair, but I do not massage it into be follices. Next, I put a shower cap over my head and blow dry over the cap for about 10 minutes to open the cuticle. I wrap a towel around my head and I leave it in over night. I put a blanket over my pillows because it does leak. You can get glass spray bottles (I don't use plastic because I'm afraid it may change the properties of the oil and that the hot oil may melt the plastic) at https://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=29 or other sites. I hope this is helpful :)

[ChloeDharma]

Usually when i am doing a heavy pre-wash oiling my hair is dry. Although by the time my hair needs washing it already has quite a bit of oil built up on it from daily oiling.
I don't deliberately oil my hair dry, it's just how it works out but oiling misted hair heavily works very well for me too.
Post wash oilings i usually focus on the canopy and ends, and also the underneath part as that gets alot of abuse from rubbing etc.
The oils i use varies alot, coconut oil is a staple, but i also love....well nearly all of them! lol. Shea butter is my most recent addition, well that and apricot kernal which i mix with it for post wash oilings now. What amazes me is how little i need, i use one drop of apricot kernal oil and a scrape of shea about the size of 2 grains of rice and that goes a long way.
As for coconut oil, i never quite got the idea of a fingernail full, what you need to do is just scrape up a teensy bit.....maybe half a pea kind of size and start with that. By the look of your hair you wont need much as it already seems very well conditioned and shiny. For liquid oils my rule of thumb for light oilings is like others....a light sheen on my palms so one or two drops depending on whether my hair is dry or not. When it had chemical damage it took loads of oil even for "light" oilings, but now i have virgin hair it takes only a little.
Anyway, just play with it, experiment with oils (i'd start with cheap ones first to see if your hair even likes oil as some people don't get on with it) and see what works for you.
Good luck :)

[QueenAnne'sLace]

I'm a jojoba girl, because I read that the chemical structure of the oil most resembles that of the natural sebum. I usually oil the ends to help with split ends and sometimes the "canopy" to smooth down fly-aways (instead of gel or hairspray).

[Aer]

I only wash my hair every three to four days. The second day after I wash, I apply a mixture of almond, coconut, a very small amount of EVO, grapeseed oil, and lemongrass EO. I apply a thin amount of this mixture from the ear down, concentrating on the ends. Sometimes I just use coconut for a quick application. I generally do this when my hair is wet, but dry works too. After I oil my hair, I put it in a gentle, but durable bun, sometimes I'll even add a thicker amount of oil if I know I won't be wearing it down for a while. If I feel that my hair needs more oil before I wash again, then I add more. I recently learned about the sock bun, the one that doesn't leave any end hair remaining when you do it, and I found this to be the best for being gentle and durable.

[little_acorn]

I'm also a jojoba oil fanatic. I oil every night with a small amount (invert bottle with palm sealed over the top) on the length and plait my hair before sleep. On the nights before I wash I use a bit more as a sort of prewash treatment.