Does anyone's hair not like oil?

[countryhopper]

I think mine... doesn't.

I've tried a jojoba mix I have. I've oiled just the ends with a drop or two, then I've tried oiling EVERYTHING (scalp, length, and ends), and my hair still seems... stringy and crunchy.

Am I doing something wrong?

I've been looking for coconut oil, but so far no success. And I seem to have the same results with olive oil :(

Is oiling really necessary? I think if I have to oil, I'll just do the tips MAYBE once a week or something.

[Athena's Owl]

i've found that oils just... sit on top of my hair now.

i used to really love oils and butters, but I think that my hair just isn't all that porous any more so i don't see a benefit. i have been trying lighter oils - i scrunched out my gel crunch with a bit of camellia oil on my hands, but that sat on top of my hair too. it wasn't too bad though!

[jaine]

My hair looks stringy from every oil I tried except for apricot kernel oil and camellia oil.
I tried jojoba oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, macadamia nut oil, olive oil, shea butter ... I forgot what else but the list was quite long.
Macadamia nut oil is interesting ... my skin soaks it up like a sponge and looks matte within seconds, but my hair won't absorb it at all. Apricot kernel oil is the opposite - my hair soaks it up like a sponge but my skin won't absorb it.

[naereid]

I'm in the same situation! Tried burdock and jojoba, and both seem to either have no effect or make my hair kinda crappy (as you said). I tried using a drop on my ends every day, I tried massive overnight soakings... but it's useless! I'm still using jojoba though, and waiting for warmer weather to try coconut, but my confidence isn't that great.

I was starting to wonder whether the problem is in my inability to notice improvements, but then I put some aloe vera gel on my hair and immediately noticed it made it softer and nicer. So I suppose I would notice if oils were doing something good.

I read that oils only help retain the moisture that's already in the hair, and my hair is pretty dry ever since I stopped using cones (a month and a half now), so maybe that's the problem.

[MonikaHa]

My skin looks great after coconut oil, but my hair does not like it. Jojoba seems to do the trick, so you may have to experiment a lot.

[countryhopper]

Glad I'm not the only one!!

I don't use cones, either. Actually, I haven't used shampoo or conditioner since last November. I use dilluted baking soda (just a couple teaspoons of BS) and tea to wash with. So it makes taking the unabsorbed oil off much more difficult!

I just rinsed my hair with tea (for an acidic wash after the baking soda), with milk (protein), and honey (moisture). I debated about using a couple of drops of oil to seal in the moisture I'd just added but decided against it.

We'll see how my hair looks when it dries!

[dropinthebucket]

I've been finding even a tiny bit of coconut oil is too much - but i've been teeny, teeny dabbing just on the driest ends, and that's ok so far. Castor oil, even though i put it on in all its full gloopiness, rinsed out just fine - unlike the coconut - and left my hair soft and nice. Odd.

[Liss]

My hair would just look greasy with even just a single drop of oil distributed through it. I tested so many types of oils and always the same thing, except the heavier ones were the worst. I just used them for occasional overnight treatments, but even then it would sometimes be a pain to wash out.

I didn't really know why my hair didn't seem to care for them, until I dried my hair out to string with perming chemicals. Now my hair is gulping the oils down.

This made me realise that I never needed the moisture from them before. I wasn't aware how healthy my hair was until I lost all that moisture.

From my experience, if your hair doesn't look/feel better or healthier with oils, it's probably in excellent condition and doesn't need them. Lucky you!

[MonikaHa]

[if your hair doesn't look/feel better or healthier with oils, it's probably in excellent condition and doesn't need them. Lucky you!]

I totally agree.

[Lorisal]

When I apply oil to dry hair, it feels like dry hair with oil sitting on top.
When I apply oil to wet hair, it feels way better.

[adiapalic]

When I apply oil to dry hair, it feels like dry hair with oil sitting on top.
When I apply oil to wet hair, it feels way better.

Same with skin for me. I find that if I put a little jojoba on my face, I *have* to splash my face with lots of water first. I spray my hair with a mister before I apply oil--but only if it's feeling dry.

Water moisturizes, but oil doesn't moisturize, instead it seals in the moisture and lubricates/protects the hair shaft or skin from exposure to damage.

[Cailie]

My skin gets much much drier with oils... scalp too. It just stops producing oil / sebum and I dry out :(

My hair length doesn't mind a little oil when it is VERY moisturized BEFORE the oil. and when it's applied wet. Otherwise, it feels even drier (as oil doesn't moisturize by itself).

This said, I've had more luck so far with herbs than with oil. EVOO seems better than coconut too, for now...

Maybe in the hot summer days, coconut oil will be easier to use and with better results (?)

[gmdiaz]

Most oils do just sit on your hair. . .that's what they're supposed to do. I think a lot of people use them to lock moisture IN. They don't actually provide moisture in and of themselves.

The only ones, in my experience, that actually penetrate your hair is coconut and maybe the castor oil.

I really love Ojon restorative balm. The ojon does seem to penetrate my hair and also provides the protection that the other oils do that sit on your hair. . .locking in the moisture that I put in with conditioner. The ojon feels lighter in my hair than the coconut. I just use a TINY bit.

Also I have been reading that some people get crunchy ends from using coconut oil, just because of the outside temp. It can solidify if you've got a bunch in your hair.

Hope that helps.

[mellie]

Oils and me do not mix at all! :-)

Not on skin OR hair. Just dries out my skin, and makes my hair look greasy and gross. AND somehow dry too.

[eternallyverdan]

I've tried a couple different oils with no success, specifically EVOO, jojoba, and almond, and my hair just looks crunchy and greasy and altogether unattractive, and doesn't even feel any nicer once the oil's rinsed out. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

[Pixna]

My hair does not like oil. It leaves my hair flat, stringy, and oily looking. I use just a teensy amount of oil in Kimberlily's DeFrizz Spray as a leave-in. But because I just use a very tiny spritz of the spray, the oil is minuscule. Anything more than that and my hair turns into Hairzilla!! :bigeyes:

[EbonyCurls]

My hair gets stringy and crunchy. I've tried all types, wet, damp, dry, various quantities. Same results. I used to use it to scrunch out crunchy gel and it worked nicely, for a few hours, then it would curl up into a frizzy, oily, crunchy canopy. I use water to get moisture into my hair.

[dropinthebucket]

Love your avatar do, eternallyverdan!

Have also been wondering if hair texture has anything to do with it. A couple of friends with straight, fine hair cannot do oil at all, it just sits on it and weighs it down and makes it look stringy. Two relatives with coarser, curly hair love oil, it keeps their hair "in line". Is it just that us fine-haired people have to use way, way less, 'cause we have less hair? and it's hard to get that little an amount on the hair? or is it something to do with the actual composition of the hair?

[Liss]

Have also been wondering if hair texture has anything to do with it. A couple of friends with straight, fine hair cannot do oil at all, it just sits on it and weighs it down and makes it look stringy. Two relatives with coarser, curly hair love oil, it keeps their hair "in line". Is it just that us fine-haired people have to use way, way less, 'cause we have less hair? and it's hard to get that little an amount on the hair? or is it something to do with the actual composition of the hair?

I'm guessing it might be because straight hair has the cuticles lying flat, so the moisture is retained. Curly hair tends to have the cuticles raised a bit, so in general it would respond to the oils better as the cuticles would lose some moisture more easily. But again, it's just a guess.

[juliaxena]

I can only use coconut oil as pretreatment. But I have to leave it in overnight. I do have to shampoo twice to get it out though so heaven knows if ANY of it stays in my hair at all... I don't know wheather oil moisturise or not. It is not moisture of course, it is fat. But for some people it seems to make hair feel nicer anyway even if it was chrunchy dry before and they didn't use anything moisturising prior to oil.

[melusine]

I'm quite new to oils but I've been using sweet almond oil for a little while and while my hair feels very greasy and stringy while it is on (I leave it in overnight the day before I wash it) when I wash it out, my hair does feel softer/less dry. I wouldn't leave it on without rinsing because my fine hair feels greasy with even the smallest amount of oil.

I've just started experimenting with coconut oil and strangely my hair doesn't seem to like it very much but I need to experiment more. Hope you find something that works for you!

[lunagoose]

My hair doesn't seem to like coconut oil very much, after it is washed out if feels kind of dry and plastered to my scalp and not shiny and bouncy. I think I might try oiling it wet as proposed by Lorisal and see what the outcome will be like.

If this doesn't work I will try olive oil, I think my hair likes it better.

[dollhouse]

My hair hates oils, and believe me I've tried literally a dozen, have clarified in between, checked for protein content, etc so it's not a matter of finding the right one...Looks like my hair just doesn't take to oils well.
Oils dry it out, making it completely crunchy and unmanageable.

Skin wise, oil cleansing made me break out and left a ton of scarring.

Just not for me I guess...Though for some reason, in combination with other ingredients they seem to work well (ie: I use Aubrey Organic's White Camellia conditioner as a leave in, which contains several oils in its ingredients....It seems to work in the way that straight up oiling works for some people).

[Bellona]

The parts of my hair that are still bleached really like oil. My virgin hair just gets gross feeling if I get the oil anywhere near it.

[SilvraShadows]

If I use oil more often than a moisturizer and all by itself, my strands start to feel drier over time. And if I use oil on my scalp, I shed more. I have found a balance for my hair. I don't overdo the oiling, I use a lot of moisturizer (since my hair thrives on moisture better), and I only oil the length now when needed after it is freshly washed or moisturized. That works for me and mine.

[Pixna]

My hair hates oils, and believe me I've tried literally a dozen, have clarified in between, checked for protein content, etc so it's not a matter of finding the right one...Looks like my hair just doesn't take to oils well.
Oils dry it out, making it completely crunchy and unmanageable.

Skin wise, oil cleansing made me break out and left a ton of scarring.

Just not for me I guess...Though for some reason, in combination with other ingredients they seem to work well (ie: I use Aubrey Organic's White Camellia conditioner as a leave in, which contains several oils in its ingredients....It seems to work in the way that straight up oiling works for some people).

I use the Aubrey Organic's White Camellia conditioner as a leave-in sometimes too, and it works well for me. Perhaps it's the combination with other ingredients and the ratio that make it work for us where straight oil does not.

[Ivy~Rose]

I had some dry ends, and coconut oil worked well on them. However, I trimmed those off, and now just a little coconut oil is way too much! I agree, I think my hair is healthy enough now without needing a lot of extra oil.

I still like using my mister bottle, though, and I just tried a bit of Silk Drops the other day, and that made my hair super soft! I'm trying a whole bunch of things right now, still using cones, so I'm quickly learning what's good and not!

[Capybara]

My hair had to get used to oil. Once I started using it religiously for a few days, it "kicked in" and now I can't live without it!

I find that this happens with a lot of hair products I try for the first time. Maybe it's because the pH balance of your hair has to readjust?

[sophistiCat *]

I find that oil works much better on wet hair, and only a few drops or it gets too weighed down. I like jojoba as it's not as heavy as say evoo, but coconut is too greasy for me which is a shame because some on here seem to swear by it!
I had to go into hospital recently for a few days, and when I came out my hair was in such a state, really dry and oily and my scalp was not happy. I thought that it might be ok because my hair got quite oily when I was in there and that might protect it, but it must have locked all the moisture out as has been pointed out.
As with all advice, I guess you have to go with what works for you and your hair :)

[Ash]

My hair only likes oil if it is wet first. I oiled dry hair when I didn't know any better and the oil never got absorbed but I kept doing it. One day I got lazy and stopped oiling and my hair was so crispy I thought I was going to have to cut it. I had been preventing it from getting moisture the whole time.

I am glad I am not the only person who has problems with using oil on skin. From all the stuff I read about people using oil on their face I was starting to feel like a freak. The one time I tried castor oil on my face overnight I woke up and my skin, especially around my eyes had aged about 40 years. I saw every line and wrinkle that I didn't even know I had and it took a couple of days for everything to go back to normal. :(

I get upset when people try to say that oil moisturizes hair and act as if those of us who feel the opposite are wrong. What works for some does not work for all.

[Pixna]

I get upset when people try to say that oil moisturizes hair and act as if those of us who feel the opposite are wrong. What works for some does not work for all.

I totally agree. :agree:

[Fia]

My hair has never liked oil - simple as. Just makes it crunchy, tangly and full of lint/dust that collects even in the tiniest amount.

Oils are very much a YMMV thing - some hairs love them, some hate them, some are indifferent. As always - go with what works for you, not for someone else. For my own hair that is regular cleansing, gentle handling, BBB brushing, updos when long enough and Biosilk for leave-in.

[sophistiCat *]

It's a shame you feel like some don't accept that oil's not for you, if there's anything I've learnt since joining it's to find what works for you and your hair and to celebrate it :) hope you find something that does work for you

[Ksenia]

The parts of my hair that are still bleached really like oil. My virgin hair just gets gross feeling if I get the oil anywhere near it.

That is interesting! Do other people find that as well? My hair is 100% virgin, maybe that's why it rejects oils and actually seems to worsen when I try to oil it. I've tried a whole bunch of different oils, and I find that all they do is make my hair sticky, a dirt-magnet, more prone to tangling, and more likely to break in the shower. I've given up on oil, but I fought it for a while because everyone says that oil is just wonderful on long hair.

[naereid]

I'm not sure about that undamaged/virgin hair theory - my hair is chemically dyed and I still can't seem to get positive results with oil. I'm pretty upset about having a large-ish bottle of jojoba oil just standing there. What a waste. :(

[Bellona]

That is interesting! Do other people find that as well? My hair is 100% virgin, maybe that's why it rejects oils and actually seems to worsen when I try to oil it. I've tried a whole bunch of different oils, and I find that all they do is make my hair sticky, a dirt-magnet, more prone to tangling, and more likely to break in the shower. I've given up on oil, but I fought it for a while because everyone says that oil is just wonderful on long hair.



I used to use EVOO all the time when I bleached, even before discovering LHC. I tried different oils like jojoba, coconut, and castor, and they all worked fairly well too. I started growing my natural color out over a year ago, and lately there's enough virgin hair to make it so I can't use any oils at all. It seems to just "sit" on the virgin parts. Another thing I've noticed is that it takes less time to dry -- when it was really bleached it would take me forever to dry it, but now it seems to dry faster. Maybe chemicals affected my porosity? anyone know?

and naereid, this is kind of off-topic, but have you tried using jojoba as a lip/skin moisturizer? I actually liked it better on my skin than on my hair, so maybe that's something you could use it for :)

[naereid]

and naereid, this is kind of off-topic, but have you tried using jojoba as a lip/skin moisturizer? I actually liked it better on my skin than on my hair, so maybe that's something you could use it for :)
In an attempt to do something with it, I've actually started using it on my face before bedtime. But never tried it on my lips! I'll definitely give it a shot. :grnbiggri Thanks!