How the heck do you oil your hair?

[Pandora.]

Answer silly question from the haircare noob here. :o

Which oils are best to improve the condition of your hair? Making it stronger, thicker and shinier? Arghhh it's driving me nuts.

I read somewhere that massaging butter into your hair is a good remedy for dry/damaged hair, so I thought I'd give it a try. Well, it took me ages to wash it out, it smelt absolutely horrible and my mum starting yelling at me for being so stupid and obsessive about my hair. Yeah, not a great experience with butter then.

[Heavenly Locks]

There are a lot of hair friendly types of oils.

coconut oil
olive oil
jojoba oil
sweet almond oil
avocado oil
emu oil

There are others as well, but those are common.

You can oil your hair wet or dry, heavy or light. A light oiling is one or two drops rubbed between the palms and smoothed into the ends and dry areas. A heavy oiling is one that you use much more. Normally this is before a wash or the day before when you plan to have your hair left in braids because well, it looks oily.

I personally use coconut or sweet almond oil. I oil my hair dry that way I can see how much I've put on and then I comb it through. A heavy oiling is usually olive oil for me.

This is how much coconut oil I use at a time -
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h94/HeavenlyJumper/DSC_0024-2.jpg

I buy my coconut oil from GNC as well as my sweet almond oil.

[Cleopatra18]

Did you use regular butter or ghee? ghee is the one supposed to be used for dry hair and i heard alot of people swear by it.so maybe thats why you had such a terrible experience.
regarding oils,i also use coconut,olive,castor and sweet almond oil,but my current favourate is hemp seed oil it made my hair feel incredible,you should really try it.It's kind of heavy though and you only need to use a tiny bit.

[jessie58]

Here is a link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2001) to an LHC thread about oiling your hair. Hair oiling method is about 3/4 of the way down the page. There is a lot of very good information about oils there.

[serious]

My hair prefers cocoa or shea butter rather than oil !

I use it plain or mixed with conditioner as a DT before wash and applied on my ends after washing. It works wonders!

And, yes , I use oils (herbal infused) for scalp massage.

[hm85]

sorry, iv recently joined the LHC boards and have found alot of information out and recently bought some coconut oil. I did my first oil treatment the other day but i think i may have put alot on, what is the best quantity to put on? do u put it in hot water then pour it through? cos think i got carried away.......xxx

[Heavenly Locks]

sorry, iv recently joined the LHC boards and have found alot of information out and recently bought some coconut oil. I did my first oil treatment the other day but i think i may have put alot on, what is the best quantity to put on? do u put it in hot water then pour it through? cos think i got carried away.......xxx

It depends on your goals ;)

I linked to a photo showing how much coconut oil I use at a time. I rub it between my palms and then smooth it onto the last 1/2 of my length. Comb through. That's pretty much it.

If I am doing heavy oiling I will oil my hair until it looks positively greasy, braid it and either sleep in it or wear it until the next day I wash. I just scoop out an amount with my fingernail or sometimes I will use the end of a hair stick ;) I've never needed enough oil to 'pour' it on. I'm guessing you definitely over did it!

[Merlin]

Currently the best way to oil your hair is to book a beach holiday in the Gulf of Mexico

[jane53]

Currently the best way to oil your hair is to book a beach holiday in the Gulf of Mexico


:boohoo:the oil is hitting the beaches near me now.

[Carolyn]

Learning to oil your hair can take some practice. I started out using way too much. That little fingernail scaping of oil never seemed like enough so I'd use more and end up with a heavy oiling. That little smidge really is enough. I start oiling the ends and work my way up. If you do happen to use too much oil, bun your hair up for the day. No one will know :D I wash it out with the CO washing method. I use WR or VO5 conditioner and all the greasiness washes out.

[hm85]

thanku 4 ur help every1...guess i need more practise but i seem to start on the scalp first i hope it will come 2 me with more help xxx

[Deb!]

My hair prefers cocoa or shea butter rather than oil !

I use it plain or mixed with conditioner as a DT before wash and applied on my ends after washing. It works wonders!

And, yes , I use oils (herbal infused) for scalp massage.

Ooo, now that's a good idea, one I think I'll try.

Any brand recommendations?

[Fiferstone]

I pretty much only do a heavy oiling before a full wash (I alternate scalp wash with full wash every 4 days), and you typically don't need to put oil anywhere near your scalp, the hair near your scalp is protected by your natural sebum, as it gets past ear-length, it becomes increasingly difficult to get the sebum to move down the hair (at least that has been this finey's experience). I have hip length fine hair, so I oil from the ears down, about twice as much as HeavenlyLocks uses, but I use the same pea-sized dollop and repeat the application until my hair is "oiled" -- looks greasy ;). Since my ends are remnants of box-dye damage I treat them to a more oil. My method is to rub the "pea" of coconut oil between my palms until my palms are shiny, and then smooth that down my hair (sectioned into two sections, both brought to the front, over my chest). Good luck. I've found that coconut oiling the night before wash day has really improved the texture of my length. It isn't getting dried out anymore :).

[hm85]

so i should just miss out the scalp and get the other bits of hair or just the ends?
thanku every1 cos it was so messy n i thought i was doing it wrong i mean it was ok the next day but il c how it comes out this week and plus how many times should i be doing a week of these coconut oil treatments? xxx

[Heavenly Locks]

so i should just miss out the scalp and get the other bits of hair or just the ends?
thanku every1 cos it was so messy n i thought i was doing it wrong i mean it was ok the next day but il c how it comes out this week and plus how many times should i be doing a week of these coconut oil treatments? xxx

I think you are asking if most of us avoid the scalp?

I do not put oil on my scalp. I only oil at most up to my ears. The rest gets enough oil from my scalp.

I oil my ends the way I described above approximately twice a week? It depends on how dry your hair is personally though and what kind of oil you are using.

I do a heavy pre-wash oiling once a month or so.

I wash my hair twice a week for the record. Also, I started with coconut oil but after a while of using it I found that my ends were beginning to feel stiff or 'crunchy' so I clarified and started using sweet almond oil. Now I use that far more often than coconut oil.

[Speckla]

I don't put oil near my scalp because it tends to cause pimples from clogged pores. I also wash my hair and then add some oil to slightly damp hair and then comb it through.

[Heavenly Locks]

I don't put oil near my scalp because it tends to cause pimples from clogged pores. I also wash my hair and then add some oil to slightly damp hair and then comb it through.

I wonder if wet oiling works better for curlies? :hmm: I know that curlier types are moisture loving...

[Speckla]

I wonder if wet oiling works better for curlies? :hmm: I know that curlier types are moisture loving...

It works much better. Oil on my dry hair just tends to stick and pool in sections but it glides through when my hair is still damp and at the easier-to-detangle stage.

[hm85]

thanku 4 some reason i read instructions on here n i must do it wrong lol but now i no what 2 do...sorry 4 going on n thanls again xxx

[missfortune9335]

just popping in with a tip, I forget who I've read this from but it's been a life saver for me more than once while I was learning how to oil
If you oil your hair and then later realize you over did it and now look like a greaseball a good way to get most if it out is with a conditioner only wash. (best with cheap cone free conditioner like suave) wet your hair apply a very liberal amount of conditioner to your hair, bag or put a shower cap on and leave it on for 30 min to an hour, then rinse rinse rinse!
Anyone with fine hair like me doesn't always have the option of braiding or putting up very oily hair and getting away with it so this is a good tip to keep in the back of your mind in case you need it someday ;)

[jane53]

This has been helpful for me, too, as I'm a newbie to hair-oiling.

I'm still hesitating.

All I have in the house is olive oil. I may put a little on my ends before washing my hair and see what happens...!

[Heavenly Locks]

This has been helpful for me, too, as I'm a newbie to hair-oiling.

I'm still hesitating.

All I have in the house is olive oil. I may put a little on my ends before washing my hair and see what happens...!

Olive oil is great, give it a try. I didn't try it for a year because I thought it would be really heavy or smelly or something. I liked it a lot when I tried it though! Start with just a little and work your way up. I'm a convert!

[jane53]

I'm going to just use it pre-washing for now. My hair, though fluffy, is very fine, and oil left in after washing COULD lead to lanky, stringly locks!

[Masara]

Tell us how it works out.
My hair loves olive oil. It makes it shiny and fuller. I worried that my fine hair couldn't take such a heavy oil, but it comes out easily with shampoo.

After trying again and again, I've realised that I can't use most oils on wet or damp hair. But I can use a tiny (really tiny) amounth on dry hair. I mainly oil overnight and wash it out in the morning. Some oils like castor oil, need conditioner first to get them out, others come out with shampoo.

[jane53]

Warning: lightly oiling with olive oil before washing can be a disaster for some of us!

(I'm going to have to re-wash my hair and lather shampoo twice on my ends, which makes me cringe, but I have to get this nasty, greasy stuff OUT!)

[jaine]

No one mentioned camellia oil or apricot kernel oil? Those are my two personal favorites. I tried a lot of different oils and those were the only ones that didn't make my hair look stringy.

[jane53]

Well, I bought some coconut oil after I used the olive oil but before my hair was entirely dry so I didn't yet realize how nasty the olive oil was on my hair.

Now I'm afraid to use the coconut oil--or ANY oil, for that matter!

Someone (was it you?) had a whole thread on camellia oil.

[jane53]

jaine, here's the camellia oil thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=456

[Erika_92]

I find that coconut oil works very well for my damaged, dry hair :)

[Amber_Maiden]

I really love avocado oil for my hair.

[Copasetic]

Answer silly question from the haircare noob here. :o

Which oils are best to improve the condition of your hair? Making it stronger, thicker and shinier? Arghhh it's driving me nuts.

I read somewhere that massaging butter into your hair is a good remedy for dry/damaged hair, so I thought I'd give it a try. Well, it took me ages to wash it out, it smelt absolutely horrible and my mum starting yelling at me for being so stupid and obsessive about my hair. Yeah, not a great experience with butter then.

I don't really have a method. I just dip my finger in my coconut oil and then smooth it over my hair, concentrating on the ends. I also don't do this regularly. Just whenever I feel like it.

You might want to try shea butter. It's a bit tough to work with, but it always left my hair SO soft and shiny. I stopped using it because I hate the smell, but a lot of others like it.

[Priska]

An old thread again but this title fits my topic best...

My hair remains greasy more easily if I add oil to wet hair, i.e. do a so-called oil rinse. But i know this style is kind of fast and easy and I keep learning it... But by now overnight prepoo oil treatment has been most efficient with me. Mixing oil in the shampoo is also good that way that it usually doesn't leave the hair greasy.

[giraff]

An old thread again but this title fits my topic best...

My hair remains greasy more easily if I add oil to wet hair, i.e. do a so-called oil rinse. But i know this style is kind of fast and easy and I keep learning it... But by now overnight prepoo oil treatment has been most efficient with me. Mixing oil in the shampoo is also good that way that it usually doesn't leave the hair greasy.

In my experience, it depends a lot on what oil you use, and the amount. I used castor oil for a while, which is really thick and can be hard to rinse off. Argan oil, however, it seems like I can almost bathe in it and my hair will always absorb it..

[fairy_hair]

Okay, I have been using sweet almond oil for the last month or so - I apply a tiny bit to my ends if they're dry, but mostly I have just been applying a lot if it to my ends and lengths before washing. Usually I pour a teaspoon or more in my palm and work it into my ends first, then my lengths, maybe add another teaspoon amount, give it a light comb/brush to distribute and detangle, then twist it into my regular cinnamon bun held with a claw clip. I tend to do this on a weekend morning and wash my hair later in the day, to let it sit for a few hours, but if midweek, I actually have oiled it straight before washing with no soak time and it still left my ends soft after washing! I shampoo and condition as usual, wash twice a week... and I have noticed amazing results already. My ends just don't get as dry/straw-like after washing, since the oil acts as a great barrier for my ends while I cleanse my scalp well. I make sure to not put much oil on my scalp since it needs better cleansing than the lengths. I'm overall very happy with the results! Also feels super sleek wearing an oiled bun on a Saturday morning. :)

[mochichichi]

My main oil is olive oil, but I also have shea butter (whipped with olive oil), argan, and castor (I only use this prewash). I put 2 drops in my palm, rub my hands together, then take the ends of my hair and pull the last few inches through my oiled palms. From there, I finger comb bottom to top until my hands don't have any more of the oil "sheen" on them. I do this on both dry and wet hair.

[DearAmber]

Okay, I have been using sweet almond oil for the last month or so - I apply a tiny bit to my ends if they're dry, but mostly I have just been applying a lot if it to my ends and lengths before washing. Usually I pour a teaspoon or more in my palm and work it into my ends first, then my lengths, maybe add another teaspoon amount, give it a light comb/brush to distribute and detangle, then twist it into my regular cinnamon bun held with a claw clip. I tend to do this on a weekend morning and wash my hair later in the day, to let it sit for a few hours, but if midweek, I actually have oiled it straight before washing with no soak time and it still left my ends soft after washing! I shampoo and condition as usual, wash twice a week... and I have noticed amazing results already. My ends just don't get as dry/straw-like after washing, since the oil acts as a great barrier for my ends while I cleanse my scalp well. I make sure to not put much oil on my scalp since it needs better cleansing than the lengths. I'm overall very happy with the results! Also feels super sleek wearing an oiled bun on a Saturday morning. :)

I love sweet almond oil, it was the only oil I used for years! It's great.

[QueenLapis]

I use castor + rosemary oil massaged into my scalp and distributed through the roots at least a few hours before I wash my hair. I do this once a week and I feel it really helps with growth!