I Don't Normally Do This...

[ssjhotau2]

In fact, I'm not sure I've ever started a thread just because I thought my hair looked awesome. It feels weird lol.

My hair is just making me so happy the last few days though and I can't help but love it.

I recently purchased a few new oils to try: Castor Oil, Avocado Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, and a few EO's- I already had Coconut Oil, EVOO, and Vitamin E oil.

I usually liberally soak my head in coconut oil before I CWC and I get this result:

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/hamsterman0_0/CIMG7377.jpg

While that isn't terrible hair- it isn't smooth, and the texture has always been a little bit dry/frizzy for the first day after washing.

However- after massaging in a mixture of half Castor Oil and half Avocado Oil with 2-3 drops of both Peppermint and Lavender Oil- then adding Coconut Oil over the length as normal- this is the hair I got:

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/hamsterman0_0/CIMG7440.jpg

These pictures were taken at the same stretch of time after washing.

I finally feel like I'm making progress with my hair- like I'm finally close to having the kind of hair that made me want to join this forum in the first place :cheese: After three years.

I love you guys :D

ETA: to give perspective on the difference- the first pic was taken 10/21/11 and the second pic was taken 10/24/11.

[Tsopana]

wow. amazing hair! is that henna?

[LocustSpawning]

Your hair really does look stunning in both pics, but I definitely see the difference now. It has more shine, too.

[ssjhotau2]

wow. amazing hair! is that henna?

Thank you and Yep :)
Punjabi Prime over natural blondette hair.

[sally_neuf]

wow! that's amazing!! How much time do you leave the oils on?

[Avital88]

Wow!! i have to try this too:) your hair looks amazing

[Jezerellica]

Gorgeous! Nice encouragement, for others to experiment!

[long]

Really beautiful hair.

[Minxymoo]

Oh my goodness! :thudpile:

What a beautiful head of shiny hair you have!! The colour is gorgeous too.

[LocustSpawning]

Ooh, also, could you tell me a bit more about Vitamin E oil? Does it work well on your hair, etc? I use grapeseed, avocado, olive and sweet almond oil right now but would like to try that :)

[ssjhotau2]

Thank you everyone- I was really excited to see a positive difference as my experiments usually go the other way lol.


wow! that's amazing!! How much time do you leave the oils on?

I oil before bed the night before I wash since I always wash in the morning- so roughly 6 hours.


Ooh, also, could you tell me a bit more about Vitamin E oil? Does it work well on your hair, etc? I use grapeseed, avocado, olive and sweet almond oil right now but would like to try that :)

My hair is fine- and so its very hard for me to oil my hair except as a pre-wash treatment since even the "light" oils that I've tried tend to hang around on my hair all day instead of getting absorbed or whatever it is oils do on everyone else's hair.

I bought Vitamin E oil for my face and on a whim applied it to my length before putting it in a bun. A few hours later I took it down to comb it out and my ends felt very soft with no trace of oil.

I've used it every morning ever since and sometimes at night if my ends feel dry. It works for me :shrug: though I don't know that it does anything the other oils don't do- its just light enough for my hair.

[Rhodugune]

I love the new shine! :cheese:

But when i first looked, I thought your before photo was the after photo, your hair looked really good before too
You've got a beautiful head of hair and it makes me want to give it a go with the oils you use, hoping for the same result! :eyebrows:

[LocustSpawning]

Thank you everyone- I was really excited to see a positive difference as my experiments usually go the other way lol.



I oil before bed the night before I wash since I always wash in the morning- so roughly 6 hours.



My hair is fine- and so its very hard for me to oil my hair except as a pre-wash treatment since even the "light" oils that I've tried tend to hang around on my hair all day instead of getting absorbed or whatever it is oils do on everyone else's hair.

I bought Vitamin E oil for my face and on a whim applied it to my length before putting it in a bun. A few hours later I took it down to comb it out and my ends felt very soft with no trace of oil.

I've used it every morning ever since and sometimes at night if my ends feel dry. It works for me :shrug: though I don't know that it does anything the other oils don't do- its just light enough for my hair.

Ooh, okay, thanks for the info. Just wanted to know if it was a light oil/heavy oil or whatever, I think I'm gonna get some :]

[Plumeria]

When I would have your hair I would also start a thread to show it :D.
It looks great!

[ssjhotau2]

Ooh, okay, thanks for the info. Just wanted to know if it was a light oil/heavy oil or whatever, I think I'm gonna get some :]

Ah lol- sorry for the run off then :p

It took me a little while to find ones that didn't have a ton of extra stuff in it. I finally found one that had just had coconut oil added and nothing else. I hope you like it when you try it.

[teal]

Nice! Your hair looks similar to mine, and I find that the castor/avocado/EO mix to work well as a scalp massage. Do you have problems with the ends being dry or tangly or has your VitE mix cured that?

[Yozhik]

Beautiful results!

I love your color, too, and in general you hair looks so hydrated and healthy! :D

[Lapin]

pretty pretty hair! your hair in the first picture is enviable, your hair in the second picture is :agape:

[Inching Along]

It looks so beautiful! Thank you for sharing. Hope it continues to work well for your hair.

[McFearless]

It looks amazing :) I'd kill for your "before" lol.

[ssjhotau2]

Nice! Your hair looks similar to mine, and I find that the castor/avocado/EO mix to work well as a scalp massage. Do you have problems with the ends being dry or tangly or has your VitE mix cured that?

I think it has helped a lot. I trimmed recently, but before that my ends were old bleach damage from '08- without oil or cones they were almost unbearably dry and tangled easily. When I started using VitE oil they became manageable.
I thought it worked so well for me, I was surprised more people weren't using it and exclaiming how great it was.

[owlathena]

Beautiful! I have some vit E oil in my cabinet that I got a long time ago hoping it would help some scars. The one that I have is pretty thick, but I suppose I could try mixing it with coconut oil.

[Bianca]

Looks great, both before and after :)

The castor and advocado oil is massaged onto the scalp, and then coconut oil on the lenght, right ? I only have coconut oil, so have to go out and find the 2 other oils. (Have no idea where to find castor oil, never seen it here) Is the peppermint and lavender oil just for scent or do they serve a purpose ? :)

Im not that into oils and such, even after all this time :rolleyes:

[ssjhotau2]

Looks great, both before and after :)

The castor and advocado oil is massaged onto the scalp, and then coconut oil on the lenght, right ? I only have coconut oil, so have to go out and find the 2 other oils. (Have no idea where to find castor oil, never seen it here) Is the peppermint and lavender oil just for scent or do they serve a purpose ? :)

Im not that into oils and such, even after all this time :rolleyes:

Thank you- and that is correct :)

Castor Oil it says is in the first aid or pharmacy side of most grocery stores, but I couldn't find it in my town so I ordered both it and the Avocado Oil off Amazon. If you live near a health food store they'll probably have them.

I love the smell of peppermint so I've been adding it to my spray bottle- but when I looked up online to see if it had any benefits I read that it helps stimulate blood flow to the root of the hair- making sure it gets better nourishment. Lavender I read helps sooth the scalp and promote growth.

[princessp]

Your hair looks fantastic! Wow! :)

[manddd]

WOW, amazing results.
I happen to have all three in my pantry...
can you be more (like very) specific about your routine?
My earlier forays into oiling my hair where horrible. So seeing these pics make me wanna try again, and specifics will be extremely helpful

thanks in advance for this

[Bianca]

Thank you- and that is correct :)

Castor Oil it says is in the first aid or pharmacy side of most grocery stores, but I couldn't find it in my town so I ordered both it and the Avocado Oil off Amazon. If you live near a health food store they'll probably have them.

I love the smell of peppermint so I've been adding it to my spray bottle- but when I looked up online to see if it had any benefits I read that it helps stimulate blood flow to the root of the hair- making sure it gets better nourishment. Lavender I read helps sooth the scalp and promote growth.

Thank you :) Will go oil hunting tomorrow :D

[xoxophelia]

Interesting. I wonder why only changing the oil on your scalp would make such a difference?

Do you damp bun or something similar as you dry? I noticed your hair is 2a.

Sorry for all the questions I am just trying to figure out how to replicate these results ^_^'

[Macaroni]

Wow! The depth of color and shine in the second picture, love it.

[ssjhotau2]

WOW, amazing results.
I happen to have all three in my pantry...
can you be more (like very) specific about your routine?
My earlier forays into oiling my hair where horrible. So seeing these pics make me wanna try again, and specifics will be extremely helpful

thanks in advance for this

Happily, but just a disclaimer, my hair is fine- starting with very very fine around my temples, fine on top, and medium fine/normal around my nape, plus I have an oily scalp- so my routine might not work for everyone.

Starting with my pre-wash routine. I detangle my hair with my Tangle Teaser and comb it all forward, smooth a bit of Vitamin E oil on to the ends usually, but this time I substituted Avocado oil, then I do the 100 strokes with my BBB to distribute the oils through my hair.
After I'm done and I've combed all my hair back to its normal position I mix my oils in a small bowl. First I add equal parts Castor Oil and Avocado Oil, then added 2-3 drops of each essential oil, which I chose Peppermint and Lavender- how much I use is based off sight, so use however much you feel will adequately soak your scalp and then adjust with use. If you make too much you could always try the Oil Cleansing Method (http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/) for your skin :p which is what I did.
I used a new paint brush to apply the oil from the bowl to my scalp, using the end to section the length into thin rows and then massaging each row as I went. When I was done with the top/front I flipped my hair upside down, poured the rest (or close) into the palms of my hands, and massaged into the back of my head.

Head still flipped over I rinsed/dried my hands and finger combed out any tangles in the dry length. Then I heavily applied Coconut Oil until my entire length was generously coated. I was very careful not to create too many tangles.

Then I put my hair in a ponytail on top of my head with a scrunchy, twisted and wrapped the length around the base of the ponytail and secured that with another scrunchy.
Then it's off to bed :)

I CWC with V05 Moisturizing Tea Therapy conditioner, either Yes To Carrots Daily Pampering or Giovanni Smooth as Silk shampoo, and Giovanni Smooth as Silk conditioner.

I apply V05 first thing, massaging it into my hair and I let it sit while I do the rest of my shower routine. Then I wash out the conditioner and lather the shampoo on my scalp, working the suds down the length. I rinse that and apply Giovanni which I gently smooth onto the ends first and then smooth the length from my nape to the ends, and then smooth the a bit from my head to my ends. Then I usually turn off the hot water and rinse it out with cold water.

Then I wrap a towel around my head until it stops dripping and let it air dry from there. Sometimes I'll damp braid or bun, but not that often anymore.

I hope that was clear... I'm not sure how good I am at explaining things in detail.

[ssjhotau2]

Interesting. I wonder why only changing the oil on your scalp would make such a difference?

Do you damp bun or something similar as you dry? I noticed your hair is 2a.

Sorry for all the questions I am just trying to figure out how to replicate these results ^_^'

I don't know why it makes a difference- maybe the Essential Oils applied to the scalp?

I have waves but they mostly go away as soon as I comb my hair- though usually there is still a trace of them above APL.

[rbooh]

ssjhotau2, your hair looks great! Such a beautiful color and it looks so soft :)

[Maelyssa]

What a remarkable difference. It looks very shiny & soft. I'm very glad to hear that you've finally found something that works that well for your hair. Congratz!

[Lostsoule77]

I thought your hair looked great in both photos. Slightly smoother and more together in the second. I'm glad you found a routine that works so well for you. :)

[Aqua Gal]

Looks awesome! The again, I think you're one of those people whose hair would look good even if you dumped used motor oil over it.

On a side note..I love your hemline, such a pretty, natural shape.

[PixxieStix]

Wow, that's a great improvement! My hair adores avocado oil, I'm glad to see someone else's loves it too! It looks so shiny and soft. ^.^

[KwaveT]

That is absolutely gorgeous hair. You hit on a winning combination if oils did this to your hair.

[manddd]

ssjhotau2,
thank you so much for taking the time with that detailed reply.
Now I can go ahead (he he) and try

[ssjhotau2]

Keep us updated on how it turns out :)

[Eirene]

Wow, your hair really looks gorgeous ! So shiny and healthy !

[luztrella]

I love the improvement, both pictures show your lovely hair, but the second really does show off the depth and shine.

[MrsGuther]

Wow!!! Your hair is gorgeous! It looks so beautiful (especially in the second photo).

[aspartame gram]

Your hair looks so wonderful! The difference between the two photos is discernable, but they are both still so pretty. Thanks so much for sharing that the coconut oil wasn't giving you the best results alone. I too use it in my hair, but I don't feel it always gives me the best shine. Luckily, I own both Castor and avocado oil so I'll be trying this soon!

[Carina]

You have very beautiful hair for sure.:crush:
I have tried quite a few oils.But I keep coming back to coconut oil :cheese:.

[kidari]

Don't worry, I for one absolutely love threads like this. Your hair is gorgeous and congratulations on finding something that works for you so well!

[manddd]

thanks for all that info. I will have to try it soon.
right now I'm into the KMSOM routine.
BTW- how often do you do this?

[nantang]

While that isn't terrible hair- it isn't smooth, and the texture has always been a little bit dry/frizzy for the first day after washing.


ah, interesting. I have felt i had the same problem too after taking showers. Always in the day(s) right before a wash it starts to feel nice and soft but then I wash and it gets dry again.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will try and get some of those oils you mentioned and try your method out, hopefully it helps.

[*Seraphina*]

Your hair looks great!

[ssjhotau2]

thanks for all that info. I will have to try it soon.
right now I'm into the KMSOM routine.
BTW- how often do you do this?

What is the KMSOM routine? I have heard of this not-

I have made this part of my pre-wash routine. So twice a week overnight Tuesdays and Fridays.

Thank you for the nice comments everyone :) So far this seems to be working quite nicely and my hair doesn't feel so traumatized from washings anymore.

[laura85]

Your hair looks beautiful!

[ssjhotau2]

ah, interesting. I have felt i had the same problem too after taking showers. Always in the day(s) right before a wash it starts to feel nice and soft but then I wash and it gets dry again.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will try and get some of those oils you mentioned and try your method out, hopefully it helps.

Exactly- mine feels very "off" for nearly the whole day after washing- just dry, stiff, frizzy, and sometimes static-y. its best the second and third day and the length itself feels very soft- but my scalp is noticeably oily again by the night of the third day so I have to wash or it will start to itch lol.

[Accalia]

Your hair is beautiful! I really like the henna color (not so dark).

[MakeupMornings]

I accidentally stumbled across this old thread awhile back and I was so intrigued by the before & after photo! It looks so silky and smooth!
The routine seemed fairly easy to do and a couple of days ago I finaaaaally ordered some of the products I didn't have already have at home. The essential oils and the avocado oil!
I'm already loving this oil-treatment. I love the scent from the essential oils and it all blended together just fine! I applied it first time today. It's still in my hair and I'm planning to keep it overnight! It feels great! I'm so glad you shared this wonderful mix of oils!

Out of curiosity. Do you still use this mix yourself to this day, or have you found another routine you like even better? :)

[Mirabele]

You have gorgeous hair, i can see it from both pictures, but the difference is huge, you got more shine and more defined wave in the second. Good work!

[Kitty-Zen]

I accidentally stumbled across this old thread awhile back and I was so intrigued by the before & after photo! It looks so silky and smooth!
The routine seemed fairly easy to do and a couple of days ago I finaaaaally ordered some of the products I didn't have already have at home. The essential oils and the avocado oil!
I'm already loving this oil-treatment. I love the scent from the essential oils and it all blended together just fine! I applied it first time today. It's still in my hair and I'm planning to keep it overnight! It feels great! I'm so glad you shared this wonderful mix of oils!

Out of curiosity. Do you still use this mix yourself to this day, or have you found casanother routine you like even better? :)

Thank you for bumping it! I loved seeing it and was curious myself, it looks stunning!

[FennFire911]

Wow that's beautiful!

[Ondine11]

What a difference! Looks like you've hit on the right combination of oils for your hair type. I'll have to try yours to see what results I get. Thanks for sharing!

[Prism]

Gorgeous hair! I do see the difference between the pics, though your hair looked fabulous in the first pic as well.