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Kristamommyx3
April 22nd, 2011, 07:27 AM
I've looked at some of the threads about oiling, and I'm missing the point of it all. Obviously it must be of benefit to people, but what's with the drying vs non- drying, etc.? I know that if I get oil near my fine straight hair, I woudn't be able to be seen in public, lol. Is there some kind of method I'm missing? How can putting oil on my hair not make me look like, well, I've put oil on my hair? Oh, and is there a kind of oil that doesn't somehow look oily? :confused:

Panth
April 22nd, 2011, 07:34 AM
The main technique to ensure that you don't look oily is:
1) only put a tiny, tiny, tiny amount in your hair. In terms of coconut oil (solid) the starting amount is generally as much as you can scrape up with your nail - that's tiny.
2) only put it on from the ears down, or from the nape down. That way, particularly if you wear your hair bunned, the hair that lies along the scalp looks fine, which is where greasiness really shows.

As for drying vs. non-drying. I'm not terribly hot on that but I think that some people having issues with oils that are drying (probably because they already have dry hair). There are lists you can find of which oils are drying / non-drying.

As for the point of it all. In general the theory is often to mimic sebum, which on long haired individuals may not get down into the lengths (certainly not without daily preening/BBB use). The point is often to provide the slip and sheen of 'cones without having to use them.

I use coconut oil but I use it primarily as an oil shampoo. I'm both a straight-y and a fine-y (and, to add to the problem, blonde). I love my coconut oil. Yes, it takes a bit of getting used to (mainly to prevent over-oiling if you are not applying it via an oil shampoo) but it keeps my hair nice without me having to go near cones (which only disguise the damage I'm doing to my fine hair). And, bonus, it's really cheap in Indian grocers. ^_^

EmiliaF
April 22nd, 2011, 07:42 AM
Hey :)

I am no expert myself, but I will share what I know :D

Castor oil is supposed to have growth-promoting and hair-thickening properties. On the skin it is very drying, it has cleaning properties (see Oil cleansing method; mixed with olive oil in this case). I've tried it on both hair and skin, and while it makes my hair incredibly soft (after leaving it on over night), it dries my skin out really badly. So I am careful with it on my skin. It is very viscous and is a little difficult to spread in hair. I wouldn't put it in the hair during the day if you wear it down, but if I wear some sort of updo I sometimes leave it in.

Coconut oil works wonders for me. I put it in my shampoo (see Movie star shampoo) and also put some in my length when my hair is still really wet. My hair soaks it up completely and when I take my hair down later it doesn't look oily at all. There have been studies that showed that coconut oil gets taken up by hair, although I can't provide the link to that publication (maybe someone else can). My hair is much healthier and looks great because of that treatment.

I use olive oil or avocado oil when my tips are really dry. I just warm it up a little and put my braid tassel into the cup for a while. That works wonders as well (I wish I had known that before my last trim... ^^)
I sometimes also mix different oils and add some honey for a deep treatment.

Jojoba oil didn't work for me, so I can't give you any 'recipes' for that.

louisemg82
April 22nd, 2011, 07:43 AM
If you look in the articles on here, Ktani has done one about drying and non-drying oils, under the hair care section. I found that really useful. As for me I have a greasy scalp so only oil my hair from the back of the neck down. I like to use EVOO. According to Ktani, olive oil is non-drying (hurray!). Use a really really small amount - a couple of drops - and stay away from your scalp.

mira-chan
April 22nd, 2011, 07:46 AM
I put a lot more oil in my hair than Panth, but I have coarse dark hair that is very dry. I don't produce enough sebum to make my hair oily and I need a scalp oiling to break up the dryer sebum I do produce, otherwise it doesn't wash out. I oil with about a couple of palm fulls of coconut oil at least two hours before wash. Most of it has been absorbed by the time I wash.

Some oils get absorbed into the hair helping it keep it's elasticity. Dry hair is more brittle. A fine coating of oil also protects the hair, same as silicones in conditioners.

Oiled hair when braided or bunned looks presentable, at most as if there is gel in the hair or just neater looking as all the stray hairs ans frizz lays down nicely.

As for drying vs non-drying oils, that's due to body chemistry. Some chemicals, natural or not, just don't agree with a person. Everyone's chemistry is slightly different, for example skin acidity varies. I know many people who swear by Sweet Almond oil, but to me it's so drying my skin feels really odd with it, not to mention hair.

Panth
April 22nd, 2011, 08:52 AM
I put a lot more oil in my hair than Panth, but I have coarse dark hair that is very dry. I don't produce enough sebum to make my hair oily and I need a scalp oiling to break up the dryer sebum I do produce, otherwise it doesn't wash out. I oil with about a couple of palm fulls of coconut oil at least two hours before wash. Most of it has been absorbed by the time I wash.

Some oils get absorbed into the hair helping it keep it's elasticity. Dry hair is more brittle. A fine coating of oil also protects the hair, same as silicones in conditioners.

Oiled hair when braided or bunned looks presentable, at most as if there is gel in the hair or just neater looking as all the stray hairs ans frizz lays down nicely.

As for drying vs non-drying oils, that's due to body chemistry. Some chemicals, natural or not, just don't agree with a person. Everyone's chemistry is slightly different, for example skin acidity varies. I know many people who swear by Sweet Almond oil, but to me it's so drying my skin feels really odd with it, not to mention hair.

I use a lot more than a nail-scraping of coconut oil too. ^_^ I use 1 tablespoon in my oil shampoo recipe (with 2 tablespoons shampoo) every time I wash. I also use great gobs of it periodically on the tassel of my plait to combat dryness.

However, I think a nail-scraping of coconut oil or a few drops of liquid oil is a good starting point as it is unlikely to cause a greasy look. You can always increase from there.

Kristamommyx3
April 22nd, 2011, 09:59 AM
Wow! I happened to have coconut oil on hand, and decided to put my hair in two braids and give the bottom three inches a good coating. I let it soak in for about five minutes, and then showered and styled as usual, and wallah! Georgous! It is a teeny tiny bit oily at the very ends, but it looks sooo much better, and I didn't even know it was dry! Thanks everyone! How often should I oil my ends like I did?

Anje
April 22nd, 2011, 10:07 AM
Glad you like the effects.

As far as how often, that's something you'll need to judge for yourself. A lot of people do it once after washing and then leave it til the next wash. Others will find their hair absorbs everything and seems like it could use a dab more oil between washes. If you're leaving it in, you'll only want to do tiny amounts -- barely enough to make your hands shine before patting it on. It's easy to overdo, but it makes a nice difference in how hair behaves. People with drier or curlier hair that looks good in clumps tend to be more liberal with this.

Something else you may want to try is applying a larger quantity of oil a couple hours before washing hair. Many people find this results in better-moisturized hair after washing it out. I think it's particularly popular with straight-haired people who don't like the clumped-hair effect of too much oil applied post-wash.

Don't worry about the drying/non-drying oil thing just yet. That's not actually about how hair reacts to the oil, but about a chemical reaction that can occur with some unsaturated oils crosslinking with other molecules of that oil in an oxygenated environment. Just trust that coconut oil and olive oil are both not going to cause you significant problems in that regard, and avoid things like linseed oil that you'd use to form a finish on wood.

Kristamommyx3
April 22nd, 2011, 10:14 AM
Thank you! I have caramel blonde baby fine straight hair. My pony is about 3". So, I will be using it as a pre wash treatment. What a great find! I thought I needed a trim but I just needed an oiling. :D

selderon
April 22nd, 2011, 12:45 PM
Hooray! :D Sounds like you found a winner.

I've been using warm olive oil from scalp to ends two hours before a wash. My hair feels amazing. Next, of course, I want to try coconut oil.

vanillabones
April 22nd, 2011, 01:01 PM
To make you feel better I have extremely thin fine straight short hair and I oil it after every shower when wet and it doesn't make it look oily at ALL after it dries after I applied it on damp ends :)

Dark Queen
April 22nd, 2011, 01:29 PM
Wow! I happened to have coconut oil on hand, and decided to put my hair in two braids and give the bottom three inches a good coating. I let it soak in for about five minutes, and then showered and styled as usual, and wallah! Georgous! It is a teeny tiny bit oily at the very ends, but it looks sooo much better, and I didn't even know it was dry! Thanks everyone! How often should I oil my ends like I did?


Thank you! I have caramel blonde baby fine straight hair. My pony is about 3". So, I will be using it as a pre wash treatment. What a great find! I thought I needed a trim but I just needed an oiling. :D

Oiling works wonders for me as well. I personally use it each time I wash, but personally I use it after the wash because my hair will get pretty dry otherwise. If your hair is fine, a pre-wash might be better, though 3" pony sounds rather thick to me :). Anyway, by doing it after washing, I make sure my hair retains moisture, but I only oil from the neck down. It's great for protecting it and keeping it healthy.

Slinks
April 22nd, 2011, 03:34 PM
I use oil both before and after a wash .. I usually do a deep coconut soak over night then, CCWC then, use my evoo mix on my ends ..

CCWC - C = condish - either Henna clear or aniti split condish 10 mins before shower - C = normal condish, nape down - W = normal poo, scalp only - C = normal condish, nape down again .. then when my hair is almost dry - evoo mix = 1 part extra virgin olive oil, 1 part normal condish, 2 & a half parts water in a spary bottle - I squirt 7 squirts onto my hands rub them together and dab them on my ends .. ETA: I forgot, I also use a leave in spray condish, I use this when my hair is still wet after I get out of the shower before I use my evoo mix :-)

PamelaViktoria
April 22nd, 2011, 03:36 PM
oil makes my hair limp and wet looking. Definately, a horn comb is better for me.

louisemg82
April 23rd, 2011, 04:47 AM
I oiled my braid yesterday and I can't take in out without it looking a bit greasy but I did put more oil than normal in it