is it possible......

[jojo]

to use oils in place of conditioner?

Or do we need to condition?

Just wondering.

[Tangles]

From my understanding, oils in themselves don't moisturize and protect the way conditioners do, with the possible exception of coconut.

[mommy101405]

I use conditioners to detangle and I can't imagine oils would help as much with that but I could be wrong.

[ericthegreat]

Jojo, as with all things there is no absolute yes or no to answer your question. Yes, there are definitely members here who don't use an official hair conditioner and instead use oils or catnip or something else in place of a conditioner, and they have reported that it works great for them. Again, this is another instance where you have to try it yourself to see if it work for you jojo. :)

I myself would never even think to go without using an official conditioner. I've found my perfect haircare method which is CO, so for me coneless conditioner is what I eat, breathe and sleep!

[jojo]

I agree you know I can feel a little experiment coming on!

For one month I am going to use my diluted shampoo and just oil from the ears down and slight oil on my canopy.

Will let you all know how it goes.

I am hoping to start back on the catnip train as soon as I get some!

[KarpatiiSiv]

I don't use any conditioner or oils on my hair, only diluted shampoo and catnip.:D

[florenonite]

I just use oils, but then I use shampoo bars which cleanse gently.

[ChloeDharma]

I had great success using just oils instead of conditioner, but i was exclusively herb washing at the time and the oil was applied heavily before washing. I also was using an ACV rinse each wash which made detangling much easier.

[Carolyn]

I can't imagine being able to get my wide toothed comb through my hair without conditioner. There are times when it would be nice to be able to skip the conditioner. Good luck with you experiment.

[hmmm]

I know people who do this, but I can't say it's ever worked for me. Good luck!

[KaeleyAnne]

I never thought I'd be able to go without conditioner, but now all I use is diluted shampoo and catnip. Now that I've figured out the best way for me to use catnip, I'm adding oils between washes to add more protection.

I also find that adding a little bit of oil to my hair helps to detangle it, so I don't need conditioner for that either.

Good luck with your experiment!

[Pierre]

I use neither shampoo nor conditioner; I clean with water and oil with jojoba. I detangle in the shower, no problem.

[Anje]

I tend to use a few drops of oil on my damp hair to help with the post-wash detangling, and it makes a big difference. But I have tried to do just water only with oil to supplement my ends, and they couldn't take it. My hair (at least a few years ago) needs conditioner for moisture.

[Sara Smile]

This Saturday was hair-washing day and after the shampoo, we ran out of hot water. So I jumped out without conditioning.

I put some oil on my hands, finger-combed it, and put it up in a bun. On Sunday my hair was soft, tangle-free, and really pretty. I was amazed! I thought I would have to re-wash it to get some conditioner on it.

So for this one time, it worked for me. I'm not sure if I'll try it again though, unless we run out of hot water again.

[heidi w.]

What needs to be understood is this:

conditioners and oils don't work the same way.

Conditioner is designed to bond with the cortex of the hair.

Not so with oils. This is a surface application, on top of the cuticle.

Everyone's different. As ErictheGreat posts, you have to experiment, but some form of conditioning is usually needed. Further, if you had shorter hair and never conditioned and now longer, you may need to do so. Also depends on other products one might be using, such as a leave-in.

ETA: And while it may work to go sans conditioner for a while, it could eventually come to pass that you need to condition. I find conditioner, if not re-applied to hair within two weeks, that conditioner will break down, eventually, in its efficacy. It doesn't last forever. I recommend conditioning well at least once a week, if not each time the hair is washed. And many don't need to apply conditioner to scalp skin and related hair.
heidi w.

[ravenreed]

I need conditioner for slip as oils don't really provide it for me. Plus, I can use conditioners without my hair looking very stringy, if I try it just with oil, my hair looks icky. So I don't think it would work on my hair.

I have taken to adding oils to my facial moisturizer. I have noticed that when I just use oils, they get absorbed right away, whereas if I add them to my moisturizer, it seems that they sit on the skin more and provide better protection. I wonder if the same is true for hair, oil and conditioner?

[Periwinkle]

I did for a while. It worked just fine, though I went back to conditioner cos it's more fun :D

[aahavaa]

I'm one of those that don't use conditioner.I find it looks lank the next day if I do and loses its normal shine.I cant play around with conditoners either as Im very chemically sensitive.
I use coconut oil pre shampooing, though sometimes do forget.
As to tangling,my hair is thankfully remarkably tangle free and easy to detangle.The only exception was a few weeks following my one and only hendigo.Was a nightmare to brush and detangle.Never again! LOL!

[Flaxen]

I am so sick of so many conditioners making my hair look limp, flat and puny, so I am just now embarking on (yet another) experiment with the oil idea. Here's (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=19227&highlight=conditioner) a thread from a year ago, and here's (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=61123) a big thread in the archives about it. :smile:

[Honey39]

Interesting! I would say, for me, no this is not possible, but would be interested to find out how you get along! I have recently discovered that my hair absolutely loves leave-in conditioner with oil on the ends and AVG on the canopy, and I am getting well moisturised hair. But I have really thick, wurly, coarse hair, and even on me that's occasionally too much.

[whiteisle]

It is an absolute failure for me to use just oil in place of conditioner. In fact, I don't believe oils give my hair much benefit generally speaking. But I gave it an honest try and that's what everyone's gotta do. Try. You won't know til you do. :)

[ktani]

Sorry but I must disagree with an earlier post. Most conditioners do not "bond with the cortex"of the hair. Most conditioners do not penetrate the hair but are surface only (smoothing the cuticle and coating it).

Some conditioner ingredients can penetrate the hair to the cortex, some kinds of protein "reconstructors". The effects are temporary and the product needs to be reapplied.

Proctor and Gamble explains how conditioners in general work on hair here (http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:P7pEF1IITpcJ:webcast.pgdermatology. com/resources/Hair%2520Health%2520and%2520Conditioners.ppt+P%26G +how+conditioners+work&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca).

More on different types of hair conditioners here (http://books.google.ca/books?id=W-dT_21KZOIC&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=proteins+penetrate+hair+temporary&source=bl&ots=2hCzWWeZw8&sig=iMiDFVKQn2-kTG8nitGYxZzACIc&hl=en&ei=6PImS_X-AsLilAfOqNCdDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CDAQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=proteins%20penetrate%20hair%20temporary&f=false).

[ktani]

to use oils in place of conditioner?

Or do we need to condition?

Just wondering.

Different hair types respond to different methods of conditioning. Catnip works for me and I think it can penetrate hair to some degree. How much? I do not know. I just know that it works for me bagged and timed much better than it did without body heat and less time.

For some people, different oils work on their hair in place of conditioner. Camellia oil is reported to smooth hair cuticles very well. Some other mostly surface acting oils like jojoba, a liquid wax is loved by many. For others coconut oil, which has been shown in research to have an "affinity" to hair protein and penetrate hair to the cortex is the preferred oil. It is an individulal thing.