So I Oiled My Hair for the First Time...

[Mingle]

I oiled my hair with coconut oil (extra virgin, organic, unrefined, cold pressed) last night until my hair looked like it does when I get out of the shower. I wrapped my hair and then went to bed. In the morning, it looked pretty much the same as it did last night.

I was wondering, is it supposed to look different? Like it absorbed the oil and maybe not as greasy as when I first applied it?

I washed my hair the way I usually do (CWC) and I haven't really noticed a difference. Now I'm just waiting for it to dry completely (which will take a while, because I have lots of thick hair).

[spidermom]

It depends. Sometimes I can tell that my hair absorbed oil overnight, sometimes I can't.

[americanjan1]

Mine never really looks different, provided I got all the oil out of it. I don't have the same results others have when I oil. My hair doesn't seem to care either way. I also can't use any kind of oil as a leave-in, even the tiniest bit on the ends.

[BlazingHeart]

I do better using oil as a leave-in than as a deep treatment. If I do what you did, I see no benefits and I have to tolerate my hair feeling gross and goopy until I wash it all out.

~Blaze

[Mingle]

Aw. So coconut oil might not be as magical for me as it is for others? Does olive oil or jojoba oil work differently, or is it about the same as with coconut oil?

[pittsburgpam]

I too do a heavy oiling the night before washing and then braid it. I use coconut oil, almond oil, and lately argan oil. My hair is still oily in the morning though not as much and I DO notice a big difference after washing.

Using a little bit of oil on my hands and doing mostly just the ends when wet also does wonders. I've noticed that argan oil totally absorbs into my hair. I oiled the dry ends last night just because and they aren't oily at all, just smooth and moisturized.

[pepperminttea]

Do you use shampoo/conditioner with 'cones (silicones)? I find it absorbs more when my routine's completely 'cone-free. It never absorbs to the point of looking clean though - just in case that's what you were expecting. For a heavy oiling like it sounds like you did, I normally use that as a pre-wash deep treatment. :) I'm much less heavy-handed for a light leave-in - literally about a quarter of a pea-sized amount.

[Mingle]

@Pittsburgpam: I'm very interested in argan oil, what exactly is it? I went into Sally's and looked at their argan oil supply, but most of it has a bunch of other stuff in it.

@Pepperminttea: I indeed use cone-free conditioner. :) What kind of oil do you use?

[pepperminttea]

@Pepperminttea: I indeed use cone-free conditioner. :) What kind of oil do you use?

I use a variety of different oils; for heavy pre-wash oilings I normally use unrefined coconut or extra virgin olive oil, for lighter oilings I use Japanese camellia or Nightblooming's Triple Moon oil blend. :)

[Dragon Faery]

I found, several years ago, when I tried jojoba oil, that it just sat on my hair and made it limp and greasy. At the time I had no idea why. If I used a teeny bit, I noticed no difference. A little more, and still no difference. A little more, and suddenly I had a greaseball.

I haven't tried it since then, but now I've been cone-free for about a month, and my hair is loving coconut oil. I haven't tried the jojoba again yet, though I'm thinking it might behave better if I do.

Oddly enough, my hair seems to prefer castor oil. I mix in a little olive or coconut to take down the stickiness, and maybe some aloe gel if I feel like it.

It's likely just a matter of finding out what oil your particular hair likes, versus what it doesn't like. Good luck! :)

[Mingle]

I may try olive oil next. :)

@Dragon Faery: That's what my mom experienced with Jojoba oil. Thanks for the advice!


I just looked at my hair in the mirror and it looks frizzier and less wavy than before. Is this normal?

[jojo]

EVOO makes my hair far more silkier than coconut oil.

[Mingle]

EVOO will be a lot easier for me to use, since I have a bottle in my kitchen already! I like the earthy smell too.

[curlymarcia]

My hair doesn't take well olive oil neither grape seed oil. But as soon as I tried sweet almond oil, I felt the difference immediately.

[Blond On Blond]

Oddly enough, my hair seems to prefer castor oil.

Nothing odd about it, castor oil is my favorite of all oils for hair.

[Mingle]

I believe sweet almond oil is not as heavy. Does Castor oil have to be diluted? I know I have a little bottle of it somewhere...

[terryn]

I think a lot of it has to do with application too - my hair did not take to heavy oiling, as you described doing, but it definitely absorbed when I put a very small amount on my hair after washing. I didn't notice enough of a difference to keep doing it regularly tho. So, try different applications as well as different oils. And, re: castor oil, I use it on my face when my black heads get bad, but just based on the consistency, I would definitely dilute it. It's just to heavy and sticky all by itself.

[Kathie]

I use coconut oil as a deep treatment the night before I wash. I also apply so much that my hair looks wet with oil. When I use that much it’s hard to notice that any has been absorbed, but when I use enough so that my hair looks slightly glossy it will be gone by the morning. So I think some has been absorbed after a heavy oiling- it’s just hard to tell. Coconut oil is also great for protecting your hair when you wash- it prevents protein loss/ the damage caused by the swelling as a result of water absorption into the hair shaft.

[PorkChop]

Okay, so my coconut oil has solidified.? It says on the tub it will do this if kept somewhere under 24 degrees. Where the hell am i supposed to keep it??

[Khiwanean]

Okay, so my coconut oil has solidified.? It says on the tub it will do this if kept somewhere under 24 degrees. Where the hell am i supposed to keep it??
Just scrape a little out and rub it between your palms when you want to use some. Your body is warmer than 24 degrees c (~76 f). You could also microwave it just long enough to liquify it. I'm too lazy for that though. Mine does liquify a little on top during the summer, but in winter it takes a little more doing to melt it.

[PorkChop]

Yeah i thought about the microwave thing, but promptly decided thats way too much faffing for me too. I have just used it and rubbed it between my fingers.

I just got a big shock when i opened it and tried to dip my hand in, i never even thought about it solidifying! DOH!

[Blond On Blond]

Does Castor oil have to be diluted? I know I have a little bottle of it somewhere...

Castor oil is VERY heavy and thick and must be diluted. I dilute mine with aloe vera gel or a leave-in conditioner.

[Melanie Marie]

It differs from person to person, but I find that when I do my weekly hot coconut oil treatment, my hair is still pretty oily by the time I wake up; only after fifteen to sixteen hours later will my hair look normal. So don't be alarmed, it could be perfectly normal for your hair type.

I generally don't use olive oil just because it's that's heavy (for me, at least). I stick to coconut and sweet almond oil. I used to use amla oil, but I substituted it with sweet almond oil. Perhaps you might just want to use a lighter oil?

[Mingle]

Thanks for the input, guys. ^_^

What's the difference between just oiling and a hot oil treatment?

[HairFaerie]

***HIJACK***

Am I the only one that misread the title as "I Soiled My Hair for the First Time"?!?!?

Hahahahaha! :razz:

Sorry for the interruption. Carry on.

[milk]

I DC heavily with coconut oil+evoo every night before washing day. Almost everything is absorbed the next day, especially near the scalp, the ends has often still got some oil in them. Which is weird since my ends are breaking of all the time whilst my roots are virgin hair that has not gotten any heat at all, plus I oil the scalp every other night anyways. Has anyone got an explanation for that :S?