Um...how do I fix this?

[candlesandfish]

I was trying something out for my skin last night (it's very dry from a medical condition I've got) and put almond oil in my bath last night. The internet had told me that it's quite good for your hair, too, so I figured I'd leave it down and see how I went. Bad idea.

I washed it out how I normally do (Lush shampoo - Cynthia) and the top has come up alright but not as nice as I would like, but everything from my shoulders down still looks wet (and isn't) because presumably it's still got oil in it, because that's the part that I left in the bath for about an hour.

How do I fix it? Just shampoo from there down again? Or is there something milder that will work?

thanks - I feel somewhat stupid and I have a party to go to tonight, thankfully it's still early morning here!

[BrightEyes7]

You can try to wash with diluted shampoo so it won't be as harsh...

[GoddesJourney]

I find conditioner actually gets it out better without stripping your hair. I didn't believe this until I actually tried it. Let it soak in (non coney) conditioner and then rinse it out. You may have to do it twice, but at least you won't be stripping your hair for no reason. The oil should be good for your hair anyway, even if it does look wet for a little while. Don't reverse the benefits by excessively shampooing.

[Intransigentia]

What GoddessJourney said! I know it seems weird, since when you use too much conditioner or don't rinse it out enough, you can end up greasy, but it seriously works as long as you use lots of conditioner, let it sit, and then rinse really, really thoroughly.

[serious]

You could try CO wash.
Here's how I do it:
Simply apply A LOT of conditioner on dry hair, let it sit on my head for 20 minutes and than rinse, rinse, rinse :)
It works way better than shampoo!

ETA:I can see Intransigentia and GoddesJourney have mentioned it already !

[candlesandfish]

My conditioner has a heckuva lot of coconut in it, so I thought about that but wondered if it would make the problem worse. I have another lush conditioner but it's at my boyfriend's house, and that one I'd have no hesitation using.

Or will the coconut and almond actually work together maybe?

Here's the ingredients (I've been using this one my hair for two years now and it loves it):
Fresh Coconut Decoction (Cocos nucifera), Fresh Coconut Milk (Cocos nucifera), Cetearyl Alcohol (&) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Lanolin, Fresh Lemon Juice (Citrus limonum), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax benzoin), Styrax Resinoid(Storax), Perfume, Cetrimonium Bromide

[candlesandfish]

(thankyou for all your help, btw, I'm panicking a bit here!)

[Intransigentia]

I don't think there would be any harm in trying it. After all, the worst thing that could happen is your hair is still oily. And then there are still two backup plans: you can either run to the BF's and try that conditioner, or to whatever store is close and pick up something cheap like VO5 which seems to work really well for most users.

[candlesandfish]

The only issue I have is that water dries my skin and the water at my house particularly, so I'm already unhappy with having to get wet twice in 12 hours. But oh well - it's worth it, my hair looks very shiny but not in a good way...

[spidermom]

If the conditioner doesn't work, go for the diluted washing. It shouldn't dry your hair out too much.

[candlesandfish]

Alright :) I'll have a go now - how long to leave conditioner in for? I'm new to the whole CO thing.

[Khiwanean]

I'm kind of wondering why your conditioner has sodium lauryl sulfate in it. That's usually only found in shampoos.

[candlesandfish]

I have no idea, all the lush ones seem to have it. I think it's because what they put in there is so thick and oily - giant amounts of coconut etc, so they have to have something to get it back out again?

There's not a lot in there anyway, because my skin hates the stuff and would break out if there was.

[AnnaJamila]

Those lush conditioners sound lovely- I've never heard of them!!! But I guess you live in another country if it's still morning time! I would love to try them...

[candlesandfish]

http://lush.com/ is the portal for all the country ones, maybe there is one there that is near you and can ship to you? You can order online and they send it in the mail :)

[candlesandfish]

OK, conditioner on, hair up on my head under a shower cap and I'll leave it for 20 minutes since that seems to be the common recommendation.

I just remembered that I have hair doctor in the fridge too which might work if this doesn't:
Water (Aqua), Irish Moss Powder (Chondrus crispus), Fullers Earth, Cetearyl Alcohol, Perfume,Irish Moss Decoction (Chondrus crispus and aqua),Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Jojoba Oil(Simmondsia chinensis), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis),Peppermint Oil (Mentha piperita), Rosemary Absolute (Rosmarinus officinalis), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria recutita), Soya Lecithin, Glycerine, Yeast, Red Henna(Lawsonia inermis), Lanolin, Cetrimide, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG 100 Stearate, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

[shockinglength]

Just wondering.....how can conditioner work better than shampoo for removing alot of oil?

[candlesandfish]

I have no idea. But I'm doing what I'm told. If it doesn't work, the stuff in the fridge that I forgot about until I had conditioner on my hair has fuller's earth in it which should work!

[GRU]

I think conditioner might work well at removing oil because "oil removes oil" (think of the Oil Cleansing Method for skin). That's just a guess, though. :shrug:

I've done pretty heavy oilings with coconut oil, sweet almond oil, or grapeseed oil, as well as SMTs with oil in them, and CO-washing is always enough to get it all out.

If you don't want to bathe your body, just try rinsing your hair in the tub. If you don't have a handheld shower, you can use a big pitcher or bowl to pour water over your hair. Or, since it sounds like it's mostly your length that is involved, you could "mermaid soak" your length in a bowl to rinse it off.

[little_cherry]

The keys for removing oils are warm water wash->conditioner gentle massage-> conditioner soak for at least 20 minutes-> (in dire cases) shampoo->condition.

[candlesandfish]

I'm about to wash it out so I'll let you know how it goes... I'd love to mermaid soak but I've never found a way to wash my hair without the rest of me that actually works, and believe me I've tried - I'm 22, and I've had this all my life (skin), and long (past BSL) hair for most of that, really long (waist or more) for the last ten years.

[CaityBear]

Conditioner will definitely remove it. You just need to clean your length. Sometimes when I oil my hair too heavily (I always leave it all night) and then forget to wash my length then it stays oily. I usually just braid my hair and hide it until I shower again.

But yes, the conditioner should get it out. I use Suave and massage it in during my shower, usually only need it sit for about 5 minutes then rinse. Just have to make sure I massage the length or else it runs off before it can actually clean the length.

[jaine]

The coconut ingredients you listed aren't coconut oil so I think it'll be fine - it doesn't look like an oily conditioner.
A "decoction" is like tea, except it's made by boiling the thing directly instead of steeping it in hot water.
Coconut milk is just...coconut milk. Probably contains some oil but not much.

[candlesandfish]

I'm out...and now the entire lot feels greasy. I washed it for about 15 minute under the shower, wringing it out gently constantly to get the product out.

I'll let it dry before I pronounce judgement but I'm not hopeful...if i doesn't look much better, stuff in the fridge it is...

[GRU]

I've also found almond oil to be one that "soaks in" over time -- if you can just put your hair up and forget about it, the oil might be "gone" tomorrow?

And regarding mermaid soaks, I was referring to a "bowl" or "pitcher" method.... only apply conditioner to your length, and dunk that in a bowl or pitcher of water without having to actually soak your entire body.

Anyway, let us know what it looks like when it's dry!

[candlesandfish]

I know what you meant, I just also know it doesn't work. My hair doesn't seem to like it and it never comes clean.

It would be nice to just put it up and forget but I've got an important party for my partner tonight - he was elected to the board this year and this is the first Christmas where he has to go and look good and I have to help. I'm planning to wear it up anyway but it needs to look good...

*stress stress stress*

[melikai]

I think you would be better off finding a cheap, cone free conditioner (like Suave or VO5) and using that. The ingredients of the Lush ones you listed sound like they would just add to the problem.

You want a very simple, basic conditioner for CO - and to get off any oil. You also have to use so much conditioner for a CO wash that you don't want to use anything pricey.

Just pile a whole ton of it on your scalp and length, work it in really well, leave it for 10 minutes or more, and rinse really well. You may want to repeat, to be sure to get all of the excess oil off.

[candlesandfish]

That's what worried me about the conditioner I used, and is still worrying me. It's about half dry but looks very shiny and not necessarily in a good way.

I'm allergic to most cheap conditioners so...

It's currently up in a woven bun because having it down was making me stress more.

[jaine]

If it were me I would shampoo with a mixture of shampoo and conditioner...that's what I usually do to wash it and it's very gentle on my hair and gets oil out.

[candlesandfish]

I ended up washing it with masses of shampoo and it got it all out. I think it bleached it a little lol... very very soft and fluffy now!