Dummy here confused about oiling

[DarleneH]

I went in the articles section and found an article on oiling, plus I looked up youtube videos, and doing a search for oiling here brought up thousands of results and I couldn't find my answer in them. There is not a link to an oiling thread in the "useful links to know" sticky. So forgive me if this is extremely elementary to you oil masters, but I tried to find my answer! Maybe I just overlooked it in the avalanche of results from my search, but I did try.

Everything I've read says that you apply oil to dry ends, but why wouldn't you apply it to wet/damp ends? Wouldn't applying it to damp ends seal in the moisture?

[Alvrodul]

There are no right answers to many of these things - what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. Peraonally, whan I oil after washing, I apply the oil while my hair is still a bit damp, though I may also apply oil to dry hair. For me it doesn't matter much if my hair is still damp or if it is dry when I apply the oil, but there are those where this has an effect on the results - and of course, the hair looks like cr*p when hair is applied to dry hair for some, while others need to have the oil applied to damp hair.
You will just have to try it out and see what oils work for you, and how much as well as method of application. Good luck! :)

[Zesty]

I oil dry or mostly dry hair, mostly so I can tell how much I'm putting on. I had the same thought about sealing in moisture and tried it on wet/damp hair, and it just made my hair stringy. A light oiling on dry hair, however, makes my ends soft and my hair manageable. Your hair will have some moisture in it even when it's dry, so you're still sealing in the goodies. Some people like to oil damp hair, though, and if that works for you then great. The only "right" way is the way your hair likes, in a lot of cases.

[jujube]

I oil dry or mostly dry hair, mostly so I can tell how much I'm putting on. I had the same thought about sealing in moisture and tried it on wet/damp hair, and it just made my hair stringy. A light oiling on dry hair, however, makes my ends soft and my hair manageable. Your hair will have some moisture in it even when it's dry, so you're still sealing in the goodies. Some people like to oil damp hair, though, and if that works for you then great. The only "right" way is the way your hair likes, in a lot of cases.

Ha, maybe that's why I seem to always overoil.

[xoerincolleen]

You're right, it makes sense to apply oil to damp ends to seal in moisture. But, I think that where you saw "dry ends" doesn't mean not wet, it means lacking moisture- so you apply the oil to help seal in moisture so your ends aren't dry anymore.
Like everyone else said, oiling damp hair works for some and oiling dry hair works for others. Experiment to see what works for you!

[Alaia]

I oil both wet and dry hair. Both work.

It's easier to over-oil wet hair though because you can't tell when it is beginning to look like an oil slick. ;)

[Aeltt]

There's heidi w.'s Oiling Tutorial (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71).
I use oil as a leave in on damp hair, on my ends when they feel dry or in deep treatment before washing.. So basically all the time :D

[DarleneH]

Thanks, I feel better now!


There's heidi w.'s Oiling Tutorial (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71).
I use oil as a leave in on damp hair, on my ends when they feel dry or in deep treatment before washing.. So basically all the time :D
That is what I mentioned I found in the articles section. She says "apply the oil to pre-washed, already fully dry and detangled hair."

Thanks, girls! I am off to research the lightest oils now, to try starting with those.

[spidermom]

Coconut oil is very good for hair because the essential fatty acids can be absorbed and add to the strength of your hair. Oiling isn't merely "sealing in moisture". It's replacing essential fatty acids that are lost as the ends get further away from the scalp (where they were oiled by natural sebum).

ETA: My favorite oiling routine is to wait until the hair at my scalp gets oily, then I oil the length and wait at least an hour but preferably overnight. Then I wash it (CWC with diluted shampoo to scalp). If I oil clean hair (damp or dry), it attracts too much dust and lint, which causes lots of tangling.

[heidihug]

I think an oiling routine may well work differently depending upon if you have curly or wavy or straight hair, too. I know many curly/wavy haired people prefer oiling when dry. I only oil when wet, immediately after washing. If I oil when dry, the bottom half of my hair turns into a lanky clumpy mess. Experiment, have fun, and do what works for you!

[pittsburgpam]

I oil wet and dry, whichever it is when I decide it needs oil. I do notice that I like it a LOT more when I oil it wet. I don't use a lot, a quarter sized dab in my palm, and when I do it when it's wet my hair is sooooooo soft! It does look a little stringy for awhile, looks like it's still wet but, a few hours later it just looks smooth and silky.

[IanB]

I always oil the night before a shmpoo, then wash it out in the morning - seems to work for me.

[Dorothy]

I have very oily roots and very straight hair, and I put 3 drops of camillia oil in the palm of my hand and apply it to the ends with my hair wet, the comb it through only below chin level, then damp bun for a while, then dry. The 3 drops tell me I'm always applying the same amount and thus not overoiling, because my hair can get very stringy looking.

Oiling dry makes the tiny amount of oil I want to apply difficult to distribute evenly, so I end up with stringy parts. Sometimes I oil it all dry, braid it on top of my head, wear it overnight and then wash.

[LunaMoon]

For a moisture/deep conditioning treatment I use coconut oil/monoil/karite butter mix in damp hair (heavy oiling).
For shine e protection, I little bit on dry hair.
That is what work for me, already tried deep oiling my hair when is dry and ends up like after a protein treatment, little dull and hard.
:flower:

[DarleneH]

Another question: is silicone considered an oil? Or at least act the same as one for our purposes? I have a bottle of the argan oil from Sally Beauty, which as we all know now is just a bunch of silicones with a teensy bit of argan (but at least this one was significantly cheaper than the Moroccan Oil brand).

[spidermom]

Silicones are much different than oil, although they can provide a protective effect and, of course, shine. I like silicone products because they make my hair much easier to detangle.

But only oil can replace lost essential fatty acids, which makes hair much more pliable (if it works for you. Not all hair is compatible with all oils).

[Kristamommyx3]

I have found that if I use oils on my dry hair, I better just put it in a braid and call it a night. :p. However, if I take it in the shower, warmed up in a cup, and use it as a prewash treatment on wet hair, it works wonders! I mix coconut and olive oil and drizzle in some honey and blend it together.

[BlazingHeart]

I oil my scalp once my hair is damp (rather than truely wet), then oil my hair when it's all the way dry. My scalp usually needs to be oiled once more before I get to wash day, and whether my hair needs more oil seems to vary. I usually give the ends a very light going-over when I do the scalp the second time.

[Marz Hase]

I oil when my hair is still damp after getting out of the shower... I also oil dry hair when ready to bun, a little more than I use as my after-wash leave in. It helps it hold better. :D

[lilalong]

I oil on damp hair. It seems easier to spread that way. However, there is a danger of oiling too much with this method.

[Melisande]

My hair must be weird. Oiling works best for me when I oil first, add water ON the oil. According to all theories, this cannot work. It seems my hair and skin don't know the theories because it also works great for my skin: oil first, then add water.

You'll have to experiment to find out what your hair likes. It depends on the oil, too.

[Cardinal]

There's heidi w.'s Oiling Tutorial (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71).
I use oil as a leave in on damp hair, on my ends when they feel dry or in deep treatment before washing.. So basically all the time :D
Thank you for that link! This site is so big, those links y'all throw in there on various topics really help.

[Lianna]

They both work for me, but damping first works better.

[Laurenji]

I find that whether or not I oil dry or wet depends on the oil.

For example: for me, coconut oil works best when applied dry. I can tell exactly how much I'm putting on, and the tiny, tiny dab that I use doesn't seem to have a problem distributing itself. The one time I tried to put it in wet, I couldn't tell how much was in my hair, and my hair turned all stringy and limp.

However, with EVOO, the time I tried to put it in when my hair was dry, it turned my hair into a stringy, icky mess. But today, I put just a little bit of olive oil in my hair when it was damp, and it's turned out really wonderful and soft. So for me, it depends on the oil. Light oils go on dry hair, and heavier oils on wet. At least for me.