Just learned how wonderful Coconut Oil is! =D Everything but the smell. Help?

[-simply Venus-]

So when I first learned about oiling hair, the only oil I had was Olive Oil, so I used that for a few months, and god I loved it so much!! <3 My hair was always dry before, and this little thing was the thing that made it soft. Then recently I wanted to make some lotion, and one of the ingredients I used was coconut oil! Of course I used it on my hair to try it out and oh my god!! It was like Olive Oil times a million!! It moisturized my hair without feeling like it was coated in something. I love it so much now! Olive oil is still good, definitely will use it if I don't have coconut oil, but if I do, coconut oil all the way!

My only problem is the smell. I thought it would smell like coconuts, lol! But it doesn't, and I was wondering if there was something I could do to make it smell any better? Because I really REALLY hate the smell. I was considering mixing essential oils into it, would that possibly work? Would I have to use so much that it would be too expensive to mix the essential oils in there? Are they bad for your hair? Do you have any other ideas? Thanks a lot!

Coconut oil FTW! :cheese:

[angelthadiva]

Have you tried essential oils or Bpal? :eyebrows:



:run: and duck...OP asked! :D

[little_cherry]

I loooove scenting my coconut oil with vanilla beans! Mmmm! Use a meat tenderiser or hammer to beat the pod around a little, split it down the center and put it in some warmed coconut oil (I usually use 1/2 a cup). Warm and stir for a few minutes on the lowest possible setting then pour into a clean glass jar with the pod.

Yummy vanilla! :)

[-simply Venus-]

Ooh, vanilla sounds interesting! I don't have vanilla beans, though, do you think just vanilla extract would work? :/

[lastnite]

hmmm. my coconut oil has a fresh coconutty smell to it. not the overly sweet fake coconut smell, but it has a yummy coconut scent to it, it smells good enough I sometimes open the jar just to smell it and rub some on my hands and elbows.

what kind of coconut oil do you have?

[little_cherry]

Ooh, vanilla sounds interesting! I don't have vanilla beans, though, do you think just vanilla extract would work? :/
Hmm...I'm not too sure if the extract will combine with the coconut oil. :/ I guess it wouldn't hurt to try a tiny bit to see if you can get it to combine?

[Gypsy]

Pure, virgin, unrefined coconut oil smells like coconut- unless it's gone rancid.
Check the container and make sure it's pure, virgin and unrefined.

[McFearless]

Wait coconut oil has a smell? Mine doesnt :confused: Maybe switch brands?

[christine1989]

So true...so true... Co conut oil always makes me small like a hobo if I don't mix something in. I usually put a little in the microwave with a few mint leaves then take them out and put the oil in my hair. For the most part the mint covers up the nasty smell.

[Calista]

Unrefined coconut oil should smell like coconut. Refined coconut oil doesn&#180;t. Maybe you got the wrong kind? If you bought it in the cooking section or an Asian grocery store or something like that, it&#180;ll be refined. I often use the refined variety, because it&#180;s cheaper, and I like to scent it with BPAL perfume. I melt some coconut oil and mix it with another oil like camellia (so it stays a bit smoother and softer) and a few drops of BPAL.

[freckles]

I can't smell my coconut oil. :shrug: But I've heard good things about Monoi oil, which is coconut oil with added scent. I've been thinking of getting some, but so far I haven't, so I can't speak from experience. :)

[Aurantia]

Pure, virgin, unrefined coconut oil smells like coconut- unless it's gone rancid.
Check the container and make sure it's pure, virgin and unrefined.

What Gypsy said. I was baffled by the title of this post, one of the best things about coconut oil is that it smells like fresh coconut.

[ChloeDharma]

As others have said, virgin coconut oil should have a fresh coconut smell to it. The refined coconut oil is odourless. I'm wondering if you brought the parachute brand coconut oil in the blue bottle? It's unrefined but made from dried coconut meat (copra) and though it smells of coconut i find it also smells a bit almost smokey, not fresh like the virgin stuff which is made from fresh coconut meat.

You could add essential oils, a good rule of thumb is 1-3 drops per 5ml of oil.

[earthymamawitch]

Yeah I didn't care for the smell of the Parachute, which sucks because it's the only brand my local indian grocers sell. But ditto to the above comments, VCO should have a very light coconutty smell and refined will be just odorless.

Jenn

[pelicano]

I hate the smell of coconut oil too. Orange essential oil is nice.

[ChloeDharma]

I hate the smell of coconut oil too. Orange essential oil is nice.

Just a word of warning, if you use citrus essential oils then be carefull if they are on your skin as they can cause photosensitivity. This is only a problem if you are going to be out in the sunshine.

[GlassEyes]

My coconut oil smells nice.

It does come in refined, however, at most supermarkets. I had a bottle of that, and it was scentless.

[Nae]

I have Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut oil and it smells absolutely fantastic! I open that bottle and I want to just eat it all up!

I got it at the local health food store and I haven't looked back.:cheese:

[breezefaerie]

Mine doesn't have a scent but to be honest I never looked to see if it was refined or unrefined.

[punkcatknitter]

I've been wondering about this too... I can't stand the smell of coconut!

[spidermom]

I bought some refined coconut oil last time because it was super on sale. It has no scent, and it works every bit as well for me as the unrefined.

[pelicano]

Just a word of warning, if you use citrus essential oils then be carefull if they are on your skin as they can cause photosensitivity. This is only a problem if you are going to be out in the sunshine.

Oh yes, I know - this is just for the hair. The coconut oil I use on my skin is just by itself, and I put up with the horrible smell! :D

[ChloeDharma]

Oh yes, I know - this is just for the hair. The coconut oil I use on my skin is just by itself, and I put up with the horrible smell! :D

If you want to scent the one you use on your skin there are lots of lovely essential oils that are also very good for skincare.....you don't have to "put up" with the smell if you don't like it, roman chamomile and lavender i find heavely in a blend, rose otto, frankincense, jasmine, sandalwood are also a few of the ones that go lovely for skin oils :)

[Yozhik]

As others have said, virgin coconut oil should have a fresh coconut smell to it. The refined coconut oil is odourless. I'm wondering if you brought the parachute brand coconut oil in the blue bottle? It's unrefined but made from dried coconut meat (copra) and though it smells of coconut i find it also smells a bit almost smokey, not fresh like the virgin stuff which is made from fresh coconut meat.

You could add essential oils, a good rule of thumb is 1-3 drops per 5ml of oil.

This just made me have an "Aha!" moment! I was confused as to how so many people mentioned their coconut oil smelled like coconut when mine was also unrefined, but smokey-flavored. It's not the parachute brand, but it must also use dried coconut. Thanks for the info :)

OP: I bought some essential oil to mask the scent when I want to -- I have bergamot, which is very yummy and make me smell like Earl Grey tea, and sandalwood, which is my absolute favorite scent.

[GRU]

My coconut oil is a solid in a jar, rather than a liquid in a bottle. (It melts instantly at skin temperature.) It has a very light coconut smell, not an overpowering "suntan lotion" type smell.

I bought mine at a natural/health food store, rather than an Indian/Asian market.

[Anje]

Parachute can have an odd scent to it. I think I left mine in a hot car once and it started to smell like bacon. Don't ask! Meanwhile, I've got a jar of unrefined Spectrum coconut oil in the fridge that smells much more nicely coconutty, almost candy-like. Refined coconut oil just has an oily scent, but none of the coconutty yumminess. Take your pick!

[Amelia]

My coconut oil is a solid in a jar, rather than a liquid in a bottle. (It melts instantly at skin temperature.) It has a very light coconut smell, not an overpowering "suntan lotion" type smell.

I bought mine at a natural/health food store, rather than an Indian/Asian market.

Me too. But i still don't like the smell of the thing. I left it behind and now i use almond oil, which also seems to be better appropriate for my hair- and with the big bonus that IT DOESN'T SMELL:D

[GRU]

My hair loves almond oil too!

[ChloeDharma]

My hair loves almond oil too!

Mine too, i find it one of the most softening oils on my hair. Plus, it's really cheap.

[GRU]

Mine too, i find it one of the most softening oils on my hair. Plus, it's really cheap.

Here the almond oil isn't all that cheap, I'd say it's probably 3-4 times the cost of coconut (I'm too lazy on a Saturday to do the actual math!). But I could not BELIEVE what it did to my crimpled crinkled ends! My hair :crush: almond oil!!!

[C_Bookworm]

I believe that Monoi oil is a scented coconut oil.

[Auburngirl]

Hello! I'm new to the forum, and I'm just popping up with a couple of questions. Can I just ask what is the difference between coconut oil, coconut butter and coconut milk? Is coconut butter and oil the same thing? And which one is the best? The oil, butter or the milk?

Thanks! :)

[meteor]

Hello! I'm new to the forum, and I'm just popping up with a couple of questions. Can I just ask what is the difference between coconut oil, coconut butter and coconut milk? Is coconut butter and oil the same thing? And which one is the best? The oil, butter or the milk?

Thanks! :)


Coconut oil is just the oil (100% fat) that is extracted from coconut meat (which naturally contains a lot of oil). Coconut butter is the whole meat of the coconut pureed into a creamy butter. The problem I see with that is that it has quite a bit of fiber and that could stick to hair, possibly making it feel coated.
Coconut milk is the liquid squeezed from grated coconut meat. Coconut cream is similar to coconut milk, but contains less water, so easier to apply.
Coconut milk, cream and butter all have some protein, but I doubt it's small enough to penetrate hair and do any good. Protein generally needs to be hydrolyzed (broken up) to a certain size to penetrate hair and even adsorb to hair effectively.
Coconut milk, cream and butter also contain sugars, which might be helpful as humectants. But you can probably replicate that effect by just mixing coconut oil with honey/syrup.

I think coconut milk and coconut cream can be useful if you want to do things like all-natural hair masks or henna glosses and different concoctions, if you want to avoid using conditioner as your base. Other than that, I wouldn't sweat it and I'd just use coconut oil straight or mixed into other stuff, because it's the oil content that provides the hair-friendly benefits anyway.

[endlessly]

As long as the essential oils aren't mixed with alcohol as a filler - always check first because some companies aren't necessarily 100% truthful! - they're perfectly fine to mix with coconut oil. If you're purchasing virgin cold-pressed, it should come in a solid form, so if you place it in a small bowl and let the bowl sit in hot water to melt the oil, then mix in some essential oils, it should mix quite a bit better.

You can also mix in your favorite spices/fruit juices/etc. this way too - like what little_cherry recommended.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of coconut oil anymore because as much as I wanted to love it, my hair and scalp hate it. I actually think I might have a slight allergy to it, unfortunately! But, I know what you mean with it not quite smelling like coconut - the one I had smelled more like butter with just a hint of coconut, it was very strange!

[Auburngirl]

Ok, thank you very much, meteor. I was thinking of just pouring some coconut milk on my hair, since it's what I can easily find in almost every market around here, and is not too expensive for my pocket. I wish I could find the coconut cream/butter, but if that's too complicated, I'd rather go for an olive oil treatment, of which I always have plenty. But I'm going to try the coconut milk, anyway, since I already have some in handy. Even if it's only gonna make a small difference, that would be great.

I'm thinking of just pouring it over my hair, leaning over the bath tub, and keeping a basin underneath,to catch whatever flows out of it, massage it into my scalp and hair well, then pour the rest from the basin again over my hair, and massage some more. Then I'm thinking of twisting my hair and pinning it up into a bun, wrapping with saran wrap and/or a towel, and waiting for 30 min - 1 hour, then rinsing. But how will I was the residue out of my hair? Do I need to use shampoo? Conditioner? Plain water and bear the oiliness for a while? I'm afraid of oiliness.
Any suggestions?

[meteor]

^ Auburngirl, I like your idea. :) I'd just use coconut milk as an intensive moisturizing mask under a plastic shower cap for an hour or longer as a pre-poo treatment.
You can mix it with conditioner (for ease of application and rinsing) and add whatever you like, honey or aloe, for example. Just be prepared that you might get overly oily or coated hair - some people report it - or that it may be pretty hard to wash out. I'd use shampoo and conditioner (or maybe even just shampoo?) after. A lot depends on your hair type. Some people love coconut milk, others don't.