What type of oil for my hair?

[Kyla]

I have a few questions about the use of oil on hair, such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, etc. I really don't know much about them, so please help me out! I first learned about using oils on hair when I joined LHC, and didn't think too much of it until about a week ago. I was getting a trim at Mastercuts when the woman, who seemed enthralled with my hair, asked if she could use a little bit of some type of oil on it (I wasn't listening too well and totally forgot what type of oil it was). I thought "sure, why not?" and let her. Afterwards, my hair was so smooth, soft and shiny! I could not stop running my fingers through it, and even my boyfriend noticed. And it lasted until the next day, even after a shower! It felt so amazing for my hair. :cheese:

I've decided after reading about the benefits oils provide, and experiencing a bit of it myself, to try it out. But I have some questions that I haven't been able to find from google or the LHC search bar, such as:
-What kind of oils would be best for my hair type?
-Do certain oils work more effectively than others?
-What oils smell really good? (silly, I know, but I wouldn't want to be smelling something on my hair that I don't like!)
-And where should I buy them, at my grocery store or online?

If there is a thread that answers any of these questions, feel free to link me to it!
Thank you everybody. :)

[longcurlygirl<3]

well hello:)
i personally like coconut oil because it is light but very miosturizing. and it doesnt smell bad just like coconut. and if your hair is oily don't use it for scalp massages just your length. you can buy iy and any oil at organic store which is better and make sure they are cold-pressed and certified. and the smell of oils.. if you don't like it just buy some essential oil[able to be bought in stores[organic] and online]. i hear rosymary&lavender smell good. jojoba is good also but its based on what your hair tolerates

[Kyla]

Thank you so much longcurlygirl<3! I'll look into coconut oil immediately. :)

[pepperminttea]

-What kind of oils would be best for my hair type?
For fine hair I'd normally go with lighter oils, like camellia or NightBlooming's blend, but with you being a curly too, I'm not sure if you'd need something just a tad heavier. It'll be interesting to see how your hair reacts, it might be quite difficult to find a balance, but keep experimenting. :) Coconut and extra virgin olive oil are generally quite heavy - you might want to save them for pre-wash deep oilings. A lot of people like jojoba oil, but I've never used it so I'm afraid I don't know how heavy it is.

-Do certain oils work more effectively than others?
The big no-no for most people is mineral oil. It builds up and can be difficult to remove. Beyond that, it depends mostly on hairtype. And then there's the people for whom oils just don't do a lot as a whole, but given your hair's reaction to the oil the lady at Mastercuts used, I think you can safely say your hair's partial to some oil. :D

-What oils smell really good? (silly, I know, but I wouldn't want to be smelling something on my hair that I don't like!)
Unrefined coconut oil is my favourite; refined coconut oil won't have the smell. Camellia has a very vague nutty smell, quite subtle, very easy not to notice. NightBlooming's blend reminds me of incense, and those import shops that always have some burning; a warm, exotic smell.

-And where should I buy them, at my grocery store or online?
Coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil are generally easy to find in supermarkets, but for the former you might have to check the Organics section rather than Cooking Oils. It'll be in a tub rather than a bottle as it's soft solid, depending on your climate. I have to find the rest online; be aware that with camellia oil, there are varieties available made from the Chinese camellia, and from the Japanese camellia. I use Japanese, and some people have noticed a difference between the two, but it's up to personal preference.

[1953Diygal]

Since it was applied by a stylist at Mastercuts, my money is on a Moroccan Argan Oil/silicone blend. I first learned about Moroccan Argan oil from my stylist and right now these blended formulas seem to be all the rage in certain hair product lines. That's great that your hair responds so well to it!

My personal oil formula is a mixture of an essential oil formula called Chrome Dome (http://www.essentialwholesale.com/Chrome-Dome-Essential-Oil-Blend) (I only use a little bit, like maybe a few squirts of it) mixed with castor oil and jojoba oil. So, in the little container, there's mostly castor and jojoba and a very small amount of Chrome Dome.

I also loooove to mix unrefined coconut oil and cocoa butter on my hair because it makes me smell like a chocolate macaroon.

[Kisa]

I've also thought alot about this! Subscribing the thread. :)

[danacc]

Another vote for coconut oil as the first one to try.

Use only a teensy amount, no more than a fingernail scraping in the case of solidified coconut oil. Melt it by rubbing your palms together. At this point, you should have only a shimmering of oil on your palms. Rub your palms down the length of your hair.

[Kyla]

Wow, thank you so much everybody! I think I'll take a trip to the store tomorrow and find some of these :)

[Becky Safari]

As a fellow fine hair I have to say that I really like the idea of coconut oil, but it just doesn't work long term. I find it works great for seldom deep treatments, but it builds up super easily.

Jojoba oil works much better for daily use on my fine hair, it doesn't weigh it down and my hair drinks it right up, which helps to control frizziness and jojoba oil is also a great detangler for me

[jojo]

I find wavy/curly hair prefers extra virgin olive oil. My hair is more wavy than curly and coconut oil is nice but for my hair it doesn't penetrate the hair the same way as EVOO. EVOO for me gives shine and bounce but also enhances my waves.

[HintOfMint]

Since it was applied by a stylist at Mastercuts, my money is on a Moroccan Argan Oil/silicone blend. I first learned about Moroccan Argan oil from my stylist and right now these blended formulas seem to be all the rage in certain hair product lines. That's great that your hair responds so well to it!

My personal oil formula is a mixture of an essential oil formula called Chrome Dome (http://www.essentialwholesale.com/Chrome-Dome-Essential-Oil-Blend) (I only use a little bit, like maybe a few squirts of it) mixed with castor oil and jojoba oil. So, in the little container, there's mostly castor and jojoba and a very small amount of Chrome Dome.

I also loooove to mix unrefined coconut oil and cocoa butter on my hair because it makes me smell like a chocolate macaroon.

I second this, it was probably an oil/serum blend like Moroccan Oil. A lot of people swear by it.

When I don't use a silicone serum, jojoba oil or coconut oil is great. Coconut oil in the winter, for some reason, doesn't do so well, so I reserve that one for when the weather is nice.

[HairStickler]

You could even go back to Mastercuts and ask the stylist what she used, since you know it worked well for you. It is probably for sale there.

[jojo]

I second this, it was probably an oil/serum blend like Moroccan Oil. A lot of people swear by it.

When I don't use a silicone serum, jojoba oil or coconut oil is great. Coconut oil in the winter, for some reason, doesn't do so well, so I reserve that one for when the weather is nice.

coconut oil is better for summer, mustard oil is better for colder weather another brilliant oil for waves!

[silverjen]

For me, coconut oil is brilliant for prewash and or deep oiling. Olive oil (just a tiny amount) is the best for a leave-in. I was using coconut both pre- and post-wash for a long time. But I tried olive oil basically just to see what would happen, and I swear my hair was twice as soft, and tangle-free. Instant convert!

I just got some babassu oil that I'll be trying out shortly, too.

[Kyla]

I found unrefined coconut oil, jojoba oil, and a Sally's trial size of Moroccan oil on Amazon. I'm planning to purchase and try out all of them, and try some EVOO from my kitchen. :) Thank you everybody!

[Lifezbeautiful]

I am an Indian who always have seen my family, from generations, use coconut oil.I have started doing heavy oiling with castor oil and coconut oil combo; 70/30 mix kind of ,because castor oil really needs to be thinned out to be applied.
Mine is really frizzy hair but one day after heavy oiling I did not shampoo my hair but dared to finger comb my hair and walk out. By the time my hair was dry I had the most perfect, cute curls all over my head!!!
So guess what .....bye bye...hot treatments.......
Anyway hope it helped you with your hair kind and quest on oil types.:)

[Kalypso]

I'm in love with coconut oil. I found mine at wal-mart in the supplement isle. Spring Valley organic extra virgin coconut oil, only 10 bucks and it smells lovely. :P

[In2wishin]

Like others who responded, there are so many oils and how each one works with your hair will vary. I would recommend checking with Mastercuts to find out what she used. Next, you should probably start with the most common and easily located oils like coconut and olive. Except for the one used by your stylist, I would avoid any blends and go with the pure oils. That is the best way to know for sure if your hair will like that particular oil.

[salls]

I recomand coconut oil if you get extra virgin it smells lovely, mild coconutty smell, but if you don't like the smell you can get one which are later pressses which don't smell at all. Also there have been studies that show (I'm sure I read this somewhere on here) that have indicated that i can also decrease protein loss in hair where the cortex is expossed i.e. if you have split ends or white dots. My hair loves it and I find it is good for my curls.