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View Full Version : Any idea why my hair won't absorb oils and are there any other people with such hair?



juliaxena
February 1st, 2010, 11:40 PM
A very nice LHC-er with gorgeous hair already gave me her opinion on this and I think she is right, but I would like to hear what others think about it. The thing is, no matter how little oil I use, my hair just won't absorb it. Yesterday I bough some coconut oil to use next time I dye my hair. I used a small nail size of oil, I rubbed it in my hands then just lightly went through my hair and the result? Oily hair with strands feeling hard and sticking out everywhere. I could almost say in a way it is more strawlike feeling than before, only greasy. I knew this would happen but I tryed anyway because I would love to use oils instead of conditioners. But it seems nature just won't work with me.

ArienEllariel
February 1st, 2010, 11:57 PM
hmmm... I can't say really. I've found that oils can tend to sit on the top of my hair if I put them in while my hair is dry (depending on how dry my hair is, it can feel crispy afterwards and look oily). For some reason if I put a very little in while my hair is wet, it soaks it up and I don't get crispy ends.

Roseate
February 2nd, 2010, 12:12 AM
My hair is also quite finicky with the oils. I have very low porosity hair and I've heard that this makes it more difficult for hair to absorb oils.

I've had very good luck using oils in mixes with other things, though. I use both Kimberlily's defrizzing spray (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=277) and Fox's shea butter cream (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4586) often, both are a good way to get the benefits of oil on my hair without getting that icky coated feeling. I can also do DT's with oils; I'll add some to my SMT or my cassia treatments and that works fine.

Camellia is the only oil I've been able to successfully use by itself.

Sabayon
February 2nd, 2010, 12:25 AM
It sounds like you should try a different oil. Some absorb better than others, and I believe coconut oil absorbs the least (or less than most) and most people like it because it forms a protective barrier rather than absorbing. Somewhere someone posted a list of oils rated by how well they absorb into the hair but I can't find it. If I recall, generally oils which are polyunsaturated fats absorb the best, with saturated fats (like coconut) absorbing the least. I believe almond, peanut, and olive oils qualify, but food-grade oils will actually say whether they have saturated or unsaturated fat on the nutrition label. I alternate between a blend based on olive oil and one with peanut oil (Weleda hair oil) and both absorb pretty well. You can also get a lot of the benefits of oiling by saturating your hair with oil an hour or so before washing.

vindo
February 2nd, 2010, 12:36 AM
Maybe silicones in either conditioner or hair dye?

Also, keep in mind that it can take hair a day or two to fully absorb oils ;)

juliaxena
February 2nd, 2010, 12:45 AM
I haven't teseted it now but I have claryfied before and put oil on wet hair also. I suspect low porosity too. Maybe oil molecules are just too big.


I have heard cocnut oil is the most penetrating. So which is it?

Gilly
February 2nd, 2010, 12:56 AM
The only oil that I can use is Hemp, my hair loves it:cheese:
You look like you have similar hair to me so it may be worth a try.

Roseate
February 2nd, 2010, 01:04 AM
I have heard cocnut oil is the most penetrating. So which is it?

I don't know the science behind it, but coconut oil definitely is the least easily absorbed that I have tried.

xoxophelia
February 2nd, 2010, 02:06 AM
I am pretty sure on healthy hair, oil work in a similar fashion as silicone (blasphemy here I know). The results are not quite the same due to different chemical structure but they both cling to the cuticle in the same fashion. They get between the little gaps in the "shingles" and smooth them over. Unless your cuticle has holes in it, they should not penetrate to your cortex. You have to remember also that practically everybody has multiple layers to their cortex. The more towards C, the more layers.

Here is my guess.. If you put it in your hair wet, it is because of the interaction of the oil and the water making "globs" and not letting it really distribute over the hair shaft.

If you put it in dry, you should try just having a very thin film on your hands and running that through lightly. You might have put too much on sections.

I put jojoba oil in my hair wet today and got the crunchies. I don't get that at all when it is dry.

Dreams_in_Pink
February 2nd, 2010, 03:04 AM
i feel your pain there - whenever i put some kind of oil it just sits there. i was going to try coconut but now that they say it's less likely to penetrate i might go back to olive :/

juliaxena
February 2nd, 2010, 03:30 AM
i feel your pain there - whenever i put some kind of oil it just sits there. i was going to try coconut but now that they say it's less likely to penetrate i might go back to olive :/


I have tryed olive oil before and it was a traumatic experince.


If I use a coney serum my hair gets all pointy and hard too, so it could be true oils and cones are similar. Speculating here.

Dreams_in_Pink
February 2nd, 2010, 03:46 AM
I have tryed olive oil before and it was a traumatic experince.


If I use a coney serum my hair gets all pointy and hard too, so it could be true oils and cones are similar. Speculating here.

exactly the same! Coney stuff never made my hair soft and slippery like they should, that's why i stopped using them :/ but oils don't seem to do any good either :( When oil remains on the surface of hair, it acts exactly like cones.

melikai
February 2nd, 2010, 05:53 AM
Avocado, Olive, and Coconut supposedly penetrate very well, although my experience with Olive oil contradicts that - or maybe I just found it too heavy. Peanut oil is also high, as is Walnut.

The most penetrating oil, which should thus be the most easily absorbed, is Emu oil. I had a list in my blog of certain oils and how well they penetrated, but I deleted it.

I second the idea that it's probably silicones, as well as applying it on fully dry hair. Some people don't like Coconut oil because of the proteins too - there are a lot of different factors, and I don't think you can just write off oils completely. I thought oils didn't work for my hair until I used Avocado.

juliaxena
February 2nd, 2010, 05:58 AM
exactly the same! Coney stuff never made my hair soft and slippery like they should, that's why i stopped using them :/ but oils don't seem to do any good either :( When oil remains on the surface of hair, it acts exactly like cones.


I can use coney conditioner though, I guess my conditioner does not have a whole lot of it.



Right, Avocado oil, I have used that for 10 days straight last summer to protect my hair from sea water. However I had no absorption what so ever. Cones would be a problem if I didn't use SLS so shampoo. Fact is I don't have build up.

Madame J
February 2nd, 2010, 07:29 AM
'Cones don't just build up; they also create a barrier on the hair with single use. If you use a 'coney conditioner after your SLS shampoo, they may be creating a barrier that prevents oil absorption. Coconut oil is supposed to be a very penetrating oil, and I personally find that it does absorb, but different things work for different people. Also, I've found that coconut oil is not a good oil for the wintertime, since it is solid at cool temperatures and makes my hair stiff if I use it after I wash. Since you do use an SLS shampoo, you could try oils for a pre-wash treatment to prevent protein loss due to the strong detergent.

If you feel like you need some oil in your life, you'll just have to experiment until you find one that works for you, and also experiment with the amount you put on. Your hair is not terribly long yet, so you probably only would want oil on the very ends. When I oil my ends, I use a tiny amount of oil that I scratch out with the tip of a plastic hair stick -- if it were on a fingernail, it would probably cover less than half of my smallest fingernail. I rub that between my palms and then stroke just the last 2-3" of my hair with my oily palms. I do all this on towel-dried, damp hair. In your case, you'd probably only need to oil the last inch or two.

That said, if your no-oil routine is working for you, why bother with oil experiments? If it's working, there's no reason to change it, just because a lot of other people like something different!

Anje
February 2nd, 2010, 07:51 AM
I'll just poke my head in and say that mine doesn't absorb much oil either. A little makes it easier to comb, but it will sit there gathering cat fuzz and lint until I wash it. I'm normally cone-free (experiment with them occasionally, but not really sold on the plastic feel).

One exception was a time when I got talked into wearing my hair loose all day at a Ren fair. I slathered it with olive oil in the morning (to the extent that it looked quite greasy). By the end of the day, it had worn off or absorbed, and I know my hair was much less dry and tangly than it would have been without protection.

vindo
February 3rd, 2010, 06:53 PM
I haven't teseted it now but I have claryfied before and put oil on wet hair also. I suspect low porosity too. Maybe oil molecules are just too big.

I have heard cocnut oil is the most penetrating. So which is it?

Coconut, Olive Oil, Camellia Oil are among the most potent since the molecules are small enough to penetrate deeply.

Clarifying once won't rid you of the cones, it can take 1-2mths to be completely cone free. So those can also make it harder for your hair to absorb oil.

Low porosity = a high moisture content of the hair = an oily hair type is unlikely to be the reason.
I have naturally the lowest porosity you can imagine, my hair looks greasy and most without oils. But it does absorb oils, just like I said...don't expect the oil to be absorbed within a few hrs., give it 1-2 days.

christine1989
February 3rd, 2010, 07:13 PM
Wow, I wish I had a solution to this one :( My hair seems to absorb any amount of coconut oil I put in it but strangely enough some oils just sit in my hair. I would suggest experimenting with new oils (perhaps lighter ones like grapeseed). Hair reacts differently to each oil so keep trying and you may find one that will work for you yet! Best of luck!

GoddesJourney
February 3rd, 2010, 08:55 PM
To my knowledge, a lot of fine haired people don't have as good luck with heavier oils (like coconut or shea butter). Try something like jojoba. I've heard that this is the most similar to natural sebum. Also, a little heat might help you out. Try wrapping your head in something like a shower cap and then a towel so the warmth from your head can help the oil absorb.

MsBubbles
February 3rd, 2010, 09:18 PM
Juliaxena, what are all the oils you have tried? My hair rejects coconut oil, even when I went cone free for a month or so. Jojoba oil doesn't work for me either. Good job the camellia oil worked for me because I would have given up trying (too much money and too many depressing full jars of oil sitting around reminding me of my hair failure :)). I see we have similar hairtypes. I can't really use much of anything - only a drop diluted with water on the very ends. But I do need something.

Maybe your hair isn't unhealthy enough yet? :D the ends look pretty darned good.

spidermom
February 3rd, 2010, 09:26 PM
Just wanted to chime in with those saying that coconut oil is one of those oils that penetrate very well. But it seems that there isn't a single thing that works for everybody, so I guess you're just one of those oil exceptions.

When my ends were very damaged from flat and curling irons, I hated to use oil on them. Think Crisco on straw. Horrible! Now that my hairs are in better condition, they drink oil right down, especially coconut oil. I have no need to try another.

I would also imagine that if your cuticle is intact and tight, it has no need for oil. So there's one less thing you have to buy and remember to use.

Isilme
February 3rd, 2010, 10:05 PM
sometimes there just isn't an oil for every hairtype. My hair can only take oil on the nape hairs and a tiny bit of jojoba mixed with aloe on the length. Try mixing your favorite conditioner with some water in a spray bottle. Works better than oil! (at least for me)

BlackfootHair
February 3rd, 2010, 10:37 PM
Some people don't like Coconut oil because of the proteins too - there are a lot of different factors, and I don't think you can just write off oils completely.

I didn't think oil contained protein. Are you thinking of coconut milk? My hair loves coconut oil, but hates proteins.

Syaoransbear
February 3rd, 2010, 10:52 PM
Perhaps your cuticle is extremely intact and the oil is unable to penetrate?

chargersfan
February 3rd, 2010, 11:19 PM
I will be watching this - I am having the same problem, even with diluted oils (I have tried coconut and jojoba). Even a smaaaall amount results in very oily hair that remains that way. Just yesterday I sprayed a very small amount very diluted jojoba oil into my hair (and I mean, very diluted!) and I need to wash it out - way too oily. My hair just hates it. It may be due to my coney condish, but I cannot go w/out it - my hair must have cones. It is a tangled, gnarled mess w/out them (I've tried clarifying, vinegar rinses, CO'ing, etc, it MUST have cones!).

juliaxena
February 4th, 2010, 12:45 AM
Thanks everyone, I think I will just give up on oils. My hair doesn't need it. I just wanted it because I've read that oils bind protein. I was hoping somehow the oil would catch some protein from conditioner and deposit it on my F (fine) strands to make them more like M (medium). Perhaps it could never happen but I was hoping. I decided I will try cassia and maybe catnip instead.

Dreams_in_Pink
February 4th, 2010, 01:40 AM
When my ends were very damaged from flat and curling irons, I hated to use oil on them. Think Crisco on straw. Horrible! Now that my hairs are in better condition, they drink oil right down, especially coconut oil. I have no need to try another.

That could be my problem, i never thought oil may not work on heat-damaged hair!! I'll apply oil from roots to ends to see if roots suck oil better.

xoxophelia
February 4th, 2010, 03:37 AM
Thanks everyone, I think I will just give up on oils. My hair doesn't need it. I just wanted it because I've read that oils bind protein. I was hoping somehow the oil would catch some protein from conditioner and deposit it on my F (fine) strands to make them more like M (medium). Perhaps it could never happen but I was hoping. I decided I will try cassia and maybe catnip instead.

F hair is beautiful though. I love how silky and glass like it looks. I think the only way to actually thicken up your hair is to just stop damaging it so the cuticle stops getting so ripped up.

Your hair is just absolutely lovely though. Maybe as it gets longer the ends will take to oil but don't worry about it. It is just a little "extra" some like to do but isn't needed.

Helps tame some of my frizz :)

melikai
February 4th, 2010, 06:09 AM
I didn't think oil contained protein. Are you thinking of coconut milk? My hair loves coconut oil, but hates proteins.

I think it depends on how the coconut oil is processed, and how refined it is. I'm only going on what I've read here and other places - I've never tried coconut oil myself, but have seen a few mention it can contain protein. Maybe that's incorrect?

bumblebums
February 4th, 2010, 07:23 AM
I think it depends on how the coconut oil is processed, and how refined it is. I'm only going on what I've read here and other places - I've never tried coconut oil myself, but have seen a few mention it can contain protein. Maybe that's incorrect?

I think it's incorrect. There was a thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=39163) about this a while ago. There is no protein in coconut oil--it's 100% fat, as you can see from the nutrition label. The white stuff that floats in semi-melted coconut oil is solidified lipids; it might look like protein but it is just fat.

To the OP: why mess with perfection? Your hair looks beautiful and sleek. You probably don't even need oil right now, like others have said. And it does sound like you over-oiled; even on really long hair, people seem to use just a few drops for a regular everyday oiling.

Brownie
February 4th, 2010, 10:49 AM
Some people don't like Coconut oil because of the proteins too - there are a lot of different factors, and I don't think you can just write off oils completely.

Coconut oil is all fat, no protein. Using it can minimize protein loss of the hair, though.

My hair gets soft when I use the oil after the wash on wet hair (dry hair → crunchy ends).

juliaxena
February 4th, 2010, 01:32 PM
I think it's incorrect. There was a thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=39163) about this a while ago. There is no protein in coconut oil--it's 100% fat, as you can see from the nutrition label. The white stuff that floats in semi-melted coconut oil is solidified lipids; it might look like protein but it is just fat.

To the OP: why mess with perfection? Your hair looks beautiful and sleek. You probably don't even need oil right now, like others have said. And it does sound like you over-oiled; even on really long hair, people seem to use just a few drops for a regular everyday oiling.

No, it does not need oil for moisture or nurishment etc, I just wanted to make sure it would look good in the future too. Because F hair breaks easier than say M. Mine is not breaking now, I us want to make sure it does not break later on. I think if I want great hair in the future I have to work on it NOW... Thank you for your comment though.

spidermom
February 4th, 2010, 01:44 PM
This is really simplified, but you can think of your hair as being made of microscopic particles that chain together. Essential fatty acids are a natural part of that chain, and they gradually get eroded away from washing, weather, heat or chemical damage, etc. When you apply oil, it slips into the spaces the essential fatty acids left empty when they eroded away. However, if you still have plenty of essential fatty acids in the chain there is nowhere for the oil to go. Also, there are specific amino acids that essential fatty acids attach to. If your hair is so damaged that the necessary amino acids are no longer present, then the essential fatty acids have nothing to bind to. So oil can fail to penetrate both because your hair is too healthy AND because your hair is too unhealthy. Only you know your hair well enough to know which is more likely to be true.

mrs_b
February 4th, 2010, 02:55 PM
I found the thread about carrier oil comparison someone mentioned earlier. It could be helpful:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=10971


PS sorry about this mess with editing :rolleyes:

-simply Venus-
February 7th, 2010, 06:52 PM
I use it at night and wash it out int he morning so that doesn't happen, and I have all night to let my hair absorb it. Have you tried doing that?

Bellona
February 7th, 2010, 07:32 PM
When I had long hair, and before I even came to LHC, I used olive oil on my hair because I read somewhere that it was good for it. It worked well for me at the time.

Now that my hair's shorter, it's really hard to find the proper amount. Oil doesn't seem to work at all anymore, but I think it's just due to the length. Castor oil and jojoba oil, when applied to my ends only, seem to be much better for me at this length, but even then I don't "leave in" oil often. I prefer a heavy oiling before washing for the time being, until I get more length.

Maybe you should just rub it in your ends aor wait until you get some more length? That's what I'm doing :)