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View Full Version : Help! Oil not washing out!



EverydayMiracle
October 21st, 2010, 09:04 PM
I have oiled my hair twice now and on both occasions it has taken two washes to get the oil out. I've been oiling dry and leaving on for about five hours. What could I be doing differently to solve this problem?

renarok
October 21st, 2010, 09:05 PM
what kind of oil are you using? How much, and how are you applying it?

Cholera
October 21st, 2010, 09:10 PM
Most people find that conditioner washes out oil better than shampoo. Have you ever tried COing your oil out?

EverydayMiracle
October 21st, 2010, 09:10 PM
I'm using coconut. I haven't been measuring how much I'm applying, but I'm applying it as a gel. I can't seem to get it to stay liquid for very long without making it too hot :-/ I've been applying from ears down the length by coating my hands with the oil and then rubbing my hands down the length of the strand. I'm applying to dry hair.

I hope that answers your questions. "How" doesn't always process with me the way it does with other people lol

ETA: I guess that how I'm washing it out matters too. lol

I've been coating my hair in conditioner, then putting a cap on it and leaving on for about twenty minutes. I'm putting the conditioner on dry, oiled hair. Then I rinse that out and CO again with massage, then rinse very thoroughly under cool water.

RadiantNeedle
October 21st, 2010, 09:13 PM
The best way I remove coconut oil from my hair (which I'm about to go do now) is slather cone-free conditioner alllll over it, stick it in a plastic bag/seran wrap, wait 20 minutes, unwrap, run some water over it, lather very gently avoiding the pile-on-top method, then rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse!

If its still not quite enough, try it again. This is much gentler than grabbing for the dish-washing detergent.
Good luck!

EverydayMiracle
October 21st, 2010, 09:15 PM
That's what I've been doing :-/ I think I might be using too much oil. I'm going to try to find a better way to keep it liquid next time and use less of it. Because it keeps gelling it is hard to keep it moderate.

Cholera
October 21st, 2010, 09:22 PM
Hmm, if COing isn't working, you're probably right in thinking that you're using too much. I can never gauge the right amount of coconut oil to use when it's liquid. :/

EverydayMiracle
October 21st, 2010, 09:24 PM
How much do you use when it's solid? It can be measured into another container and warmed. The problem is that it solidifies *so* quickly!

Cholera
October 21st, 2010, 09:27 PM
Well, for a heavy oiling I'll use probably two chunks the size of my fingernail (the whole nail); and for lighter, everyday oilings, I'll use just enough to make my palms shiny. Maybe around a small pea sized chunk.

RadiantNeedle
October 21st, 2010, 10:02 PM
Coconut oil really doesn't need to be melted and measured out for use in hair, unless you're making up some amazing mix of your own. For everyday/every so often oiling, just get about a fingernail's worth (pinky to be safe), then melt it on your hands. Cholera's directions are great. Just use that much ever few days, maybe a teeny bit more just on your ends if they need it.

JulietCapulet
October 21st, 2010, 10:04 PM
I got into a really bad mess like that and an amazing girl on this forum helped me. She told me just to wash it out with conditioner and it works!

Khiwanean
October 22nd, 2010, 12:11 AM
I use more coconut oil than it seems most other people in this thread say they use for a heavy oiling. I use enough to make my hair stringy, though I don't really keep tabs on how much that is. But if I finger comb through my hair once I've put enough oil on I don't have more than a thin coating on my hands. The one time I pre-melted my coconut oil I put too much in and wasn't able to wash it all out in one washing. So I haven't attempted to melt it beforehand since. Just rubbing it between my palms works fine and doesn't leave me feeling like I have to use the rest of what I've melted.

I also never do a heavy oiling any time other than before I shower and when I do shower it's my normal CWC. Conditioner seems to work better than shampoo for removing extra oil for most people.

Catarina
October 22nd, 2010, 12:34 AM
I never use shampoo to get the coconut oil out. Any conditioner works for me cone free or not. What I do is lather it by massaging gently through the scalp and hair in a downward direction. It always comes out really well and hair is shiny without being stripped as shampoo tends to do.

Tiina
October 22nd, 2010, 04:20 AM
Just putting out an alternative opinion, no guarantee that I am right.

Maybe your hair isn't porous enough for oil to penetrate well. Coarse hair is usually more porous and in theory absorbs oil better. Same thing with dyed or otherwise damaged hair. If this is the case your hair might not need oil at all or only very little. Another possibility is that your strands have been coated with something else that keeps the oil from doing it's thing. This seems likely if you have used heavy conditioner at the end of your washes. You can try to clarify your hair next time before starting on oils again.

Once again, no guarantee that I am right, just my two cents. :)

Anje
October 22nd, 2010, 07:02 AM
Specifically what coconut oil are you using? There are a lot of supposedly hair products that say "coconut oil" on them that are mostly petroleum. If you have an ingredients list or a brand name, let us know it.

Even these petroleum-laden things can be gotten out of hair, but they tend to be a bit more tenacious than plant oils. I'll link you to my advice (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?p=1291138) for someone else who ended up with hair coated by one of those products. Basically, it's slather dry hair with as much cheap conditioner as it you can, let it sit, add more conditioner, massage it through, then rinse. Repeat as necessary. It worked pretty well for her, and what she put in her hair was essentially vaseline.

GRU
October 22nd, 2010, 07:30 AM
I'm using coconut. I haven't been measuring how much I'm applying, but I'm applying it as a gel. I can't seem to get it to stay liquid for very long without making it too hot :-/ I've been applying from ears down the length by coating my hands with the oil and then rubbing my hands down the length of the strand. I'm applying to dry hair.


How much do you use when it's solid? It can be measured into another container and warmed. The problem is that it solidifies *so* quickly!

Unless you live at the north or south pole, or unless you are hypothermic to the point of death, you've got yourself a problem.

Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees Fahrenheit. If you put a little glob of it (the size of a pea, for example) on the palm of your hand, you can SEE it melting. I think you need to get yourself a different product if that's not happening with your oil.

As for how much.... I use a lot more oil than most folks, but that's because of my coarse, curly, porous hair. I can literally dunk my hair into melted oil, and after a single CO-wash the next morning, you'd never even know it.

Carolyn
October 22nd, 2010, 07:40 AM
Are you using a cheap runny cone free conditioner like Suave, VO5 or White Rain? I've found that the cheaper and runnier the best for removing oil.

jane53
October 22nd, 2010, 07:47 AM
EverydayMiracle, some people just shouldn't use coconut oil.

I'm one of them.

I bought a variety that several people here at LHC use successfully. I tried it twice. Both times, my hair was a wreck for nearly a week before I could get the stuff out. It was greasy, lanky, stringy, and looked horrible. I tried removing it with conditioner. Didn't work.

I finally had to wash my hair so much it felt really damaging.

I will never, never use coconut oil on my hair again!

I know many people here get beautiful, healthy results with it.

Everyone's different.

lilalong
October 22nd, 2010, 08:09 AM
I've been coating my hair in conditioner, then putting a cap on it and leaving on for about twenty minutes. I'm putting the conditioner on dry, oiled hair. Then I rinse that out and CO again with massage, then rinse very thoroughly under cool water.

Could it be the temperature of the water you are using to wash the oil out? If the water temperature is below the melting point of the coconut oil, then it will not turn liquid and is probably harder to wash out..

veggielocks
October 22nd, 2010, 08:10 AM
I like coconut oil. Since i'm new to the boards Im very interested in the idea of the cheap conditioner. I'm always buying the organic brands at whole foods because I don't want to be using harmful products that contain weird ingredients or synthetic preservatives.

spidermom
October 22nd, 2010, 08:56 AM
I've noticed that sometimes my hair still feels oily when it's wet, but it's not oily when it dries. Next time you might consider letting your hair dry before deciding that the oil didn't wash out.

Anje
October 22nd, 2010, 09:10 AM
Unless you live at the north or south pole, or unless you are hypothermic to the point of death, you've got yourself a problem.

Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees Fahrenheit. If you put a little glob of it (the size of a pea, for example) on the palm of your hand, you can SEE it melting. I think you need to get yourself a different product if that's not happening with your oil.
That's what I'm picking up on too. It's pretty rare for my coconut oil to exist in a gel-like state, and it melts instantly on my hands when it's like that. Usually it's solid or liquidy. 92F-melting coconut oil does exist, but it's generally something I only see sold for people making soap, and it's relatively unlikely that this is what she's using.

Artsy
October 22nd, 2010, 10:30 AM
There are some products in drugstores labelled s coconut oil, but are a mix with petroleum products and look like petroleum jelly. If this is the kind of product, it is hard to wash it out compared to pure coconut oil from a grocery shelf.
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BrightEyes7
October 22nd, 2010, 11:10 AM
I am thinking you have a so-called coconut oil petroleum jelly product as well. Even in the dead of winter my oil stays liquid as I'm putting it on... It melts quickly in your hands.

Also, am I the only person who only puts oil on wet hair?!? I read on here, don't remember where, that oil is not a moisturizer but helps hold in moisture. So if there is no water, no moisture there is nothing to hold in. So a dry deep treatment would be pointless.... Am I making this up??

little_cherry
October 22nd, 2010, 11:34 AM
That's what I've been doing :-/ I think I might be using too much oil. I'm going to try to find a better way to keep it liquid next time and use less of it. Because it keeps gelling it is hard to keep it moderate.
Are you using warm water? You have to rinse your hair in warm water for a few minutes before massaging the CO into your hair and leaving it.. I do this and follow with a second CO after I've washed the first one out in warm water.

It is getting colder... perhaps blending the coconut with another oil may help? I mix mine with olive oil when it starts to get cool.

Edit: reading more....what sort of coconut oil is this? What do the ingredients say? If there is petroleum in there, I suggest a baking soda rinse. 1 tbs baking soda dissolved thoroughly in 2 cups of water. Leave this on for a few minutes and rinse out well. Follow with a conditioner soak.

Edit 2: I also put oil in wet hair as well as damp and dry hair. :)

EverydayMiracle
October 22nd, 2010, 11:56 AM
Wow, a lot to answer.

I'm using 100% pure coconut oil. Nothing added to it or taken away from it. I've just switched from Suave Naturals (which does contain cones) to V05 (which does not). The oil is coming off the strands okay except for right at the nape of my neck. Through this area the hair looks greasy. I want to wash it out today, but wouldn't you know our hot water heater went out last night? Hubby is installing the new one this afternoon, and I will probably try again tonight.

The oil is very firm at room temperature. We keep our house at about 72 degrees in the warmer months and 68 degrees in the cooler months. When I pull it out, it isn't melting on my hands, though if I rub them together it is coating them. I'm going to go experiment with it for a few minutes to see if maybe I'm just jumping the gun (which is entirely possible).

I rinse the first time with hot water, then put more condish on my hair and rinse cold. The first treatment stays on for anywhere between 20 minutes and an hour, and the second stays on for five minutes or so (as long as it takes me to do the other things I need to do in the shower). I'm not using shampoo at all at the moment, trying to return to a CO.

My hair is strange in terms of texture. Sometimes it is very smooth, almost fine. Other times it is downright course. It depends on how I'm caring for it. It is damaged from using dyes. If you look at my pictures you can see the dye line. I'll put one in here if you need to see it :)

I'm going to go put a small amount in my hands and see how long it takes to melt. I am literally going to time it, so bear with me!

ETA: Okay, melting took less time than it took me to get from bathroom to computer. I think, therefore, that I found the problem: I'm just using too much of it. I was literally rolling it between my hands and it wasn't melting as quickly as I wanted it to. Oops. Got it now lol

THANKS!

little_cherry
October 22nd, 2010, 12:00 PM
Strange that your coconut oil stays solid even in your hands. Mines melted when it sits on my palm for a few seconds. I use a pea sized amount each time, and keep adding more as I go along. Have you tried using a shower cap after applying conditioner and standing under the warm shower, then rinsing in warm water? The heat helps to melt the coconut oil and the conditioner will dilute the oil. Use warm water until all the conditioner (along with the oil) is rinsed from the hair and at the very very end, do your cold water rinse (after all conditioner and oil are gone.)

EverydayMiracle
October 22nd, 2010, 12:02 PM
little_cherry, I've thought about doing that but I haven't done it yet. I think it's a good idea all around though and will probably do that once the new heater is installed!

nemileo
October 22nd, 2010, 12:22 PM
The same thing happened to me the first time I applied Coconut Oil to my hair, and I figured out it was because I put too much in there. After the first time I walked around like a greaseball for a week after, no matter how mutch I COed and shampooed. I decided to stop using oil in my hair, unthil I red a bit more of the Coconut oil-thread in the natural haircare-board. I could see different people using the oil in different ways. I tried to apply the oil wery lightly to my hair, and it made a ton of difference. I just make my hands shiny with oil, and fingercoumb my hair with it. I have also started to massage my scalp with barely shiny hands lately, and it all comes out pretty easy with a CWC routine the next morning. My hair doesnt look to greasy after I apply it, you could barely see the oil. And then I bun it and let it work over night. A even smaller amount works like a leave-in conditioner after a wash. Then I just put it on damp hair in the same fingercoumbing-way.

ACV-rinse also works to get out the grease. It just leaves the gorgeous shine from the oil! Good luck, I hope you dont give up the oiling just yet ;)

EverydayMiracle
October 22nd, 2010, 12:29 PM
I'm going to try an ACV rinse again, actually. I think I had too much vinegar the first time I did it. What is the vinegar/water ratio?

GRU
October 22nd, 2010, 09:11 PM
I'm going to try an ACV rinse again, actually. I think I had too much vinegar the first time I did it. What is the vinegar/water ratio?

Everyone does it a bit differently. I put a quick splash (maybe a tablespoon?) in the bottom of a huge plastic cup (maybe 30 ounces?) and fill with shower water... works great for me.

I keep my ACV in an old Aquafina bottle on the edge of my tub, and I just turn the plastic cup upside down on top of that for storage purposes.

Charlotte:)
October 22nd, 2010, 11:41 PM
Perhaps you need a lighter oil? I use jojoba because coconut was too heavy for me, and jojoba is also the most similar to your skin's natural sebum. Also, when I oil my hair I use just enough to lightly coat my hands slide them down both sides of my hair.

EverydayMiracle
October 23rd, 2010, 01:21 PM
I just oiled. I'm going to shower later tonight and do an ACV rinse as well. Wish me luck!