Should hair be oiled wet or dry if used as leave-in?

[Celebrian]

I've just started to shampoo without using conditioner afterwards. My ends do look a bit fluffy and dry, but I like the root fullness.

My question is, should I add some oil to the ends of my hair whilst still wet - or when it's dry?

I ask because I've added it to dry hair this morning (olive oil) and although it's a good 'wet' look, it means that it might feel a little oily to to the touch (don't want to get it all over BF's collar).

Any tips gratefully received! :eyebrows:

[LocustSpawning]

I always find I can get away with using more oil on wet/damp hair and it soaks in without leaving it greasy, but on dry hair I find it hard not to over-do it on accident. I've also noticed the same amount of oil on wet hair seems to have a better effect than when used on dry hair :) I always oil it damp when I'm out of the shower now.

[longhairedlady]

I do both, but on wet hair is better for me.

[Alaia]

I've done both. I usually find it works best on damp hair rather than wet hair, and my hair is so fine that it looks oily really easily if I do it while dry.

[allycat]

Damp for me too. I use half olive and half coconut oil and it makes my ends so soft. No greasiness whatsoever.

[Yozhik]

I do it both damp and dry, but I find it's easier to make the ends look greasy if you apply too much dry, as opposed to doing it wet. :)

[Gothchiq]

When damp, so you can distribute it evenly without over-oiling. The oil spreads well on the wet hairs. I rub a few drops of olive oil in my palms and massage into damp hair, then comb with a wide tooth/good quality comb.

xoxo
gothchiq

[ktani]

Generally if the hair is damp and you oil, you are putting moisture (water) in the hair and helping it with the oil, stay there.

However, it depends what is on the hair. If the hair has a lot of build-up on it, less water can get through and oiling can further prevent more of it accessing the hair, from the air.

[Amber_Maiden]

I oil damp hair. To lock in the moisture.

[Celebrian]

Hmmm, well I've shampooed again, no conditioner, waited until hair was damp - redampened it again on the lengths 'cos thought it had dried too much :p and applied some olive oil into wet palms and mixed and applied scrunching fashion from ears down. Atm, it looks much too greasy and even floppy (just before I applied the oil, it was showing signs of delightfully tangled bounce!) so we shall see tomorrow morning. Hope it's reasonably bouncy and whirly then, as going out for a drink in the early evening :eyebrows:

[coffinhert]

I use a boar bristle brush to distribute oil in the bottom half of my hair when it is still quite wet. Like, as soon as I take the towel off my head, within 2 minutes I am oiling it. It never looks oily once dry this way, just shiny and healthy.

[SpinDance]

If your hair is clearly oily then you may have a portion control issue. I definitely have portion control issues trying to apply oil to dry hair. I've mostly got it down now on damp/wet hair. Think drops of oil, or equivalent if you are using a solid at room temperature oil like coconut. One to three drops of oil seems to do well for my hair when applied to the ends and lengths after taking it out of the towel. Just enough to make a sheen when rubbed between the palms of your hands. It is so tempting to do the 'if a little is good, more is better', only it isn't!

[spidermom]

I like pre-wash oilings on dry hair. Putting oil on clean hair attracts too much dust and lint.

[holothuroidea]

I had to do a clarifying wash with BS before oil would work on my hair, and it is too fine to use oil on it dry. I have tried to use it before washing but the results were just OK, my hair looks much better if I don't do it. I only oil clean damp hair otherwise my fine hair just gives up and dies. lol

If you like the way conditioner made your ends feel but don't like what it did to your roots, have you tried just conditioning your ends? In the shower you could flip your head upside down so your ends hang away from your roots, then rub conditioner in your hands and let your ends brush up against them. Make sure to rinse with your head upside down so the water doesn't run it into the roots. This technique works for me and I have very short hair. HTH :)

[PaganPriestess]

I put olive oil on my dry hair, mainly on the ends and some on the length, then whatever is left on my hands I apply to the top. I use a lot, my hair looks very oily afterwards. Then I bun it and leave it overnight while I sleep. The next day I shampoo it out. I use conditioner as well. Then a cold rinse. My hair has been so much softer and healthier looking and shiny since I added this into my routine.

[jacqueline101]

I do mine when its damp. Then if needed later on I will reapply.

[Mayflower]

I thought oil and water repel eachother? Which is why I use my coconut oil on dry hair. Maybe it's because I have very thick hair, but I never overdo it (unless I want to really soak my hair in it for a few days). I just take a little at a time, rub it between the palms of my hands and 'massage' it into the hair.
I never use olive oil though, I find it much too greasy and not near as moisturising as coconut oil.

[Celebrian]

I sure hope this oil sinks further in by early tomorrow evening. Distinct mermaid look here atm. Am looking for slightly more sophisticated look *cough*.

Anybody reassure me please? I won't be able to wash it tomorrow before evening falls, lol. :eek:

[Anje]

I prefer to apply oil to my damp hair, prior to the post-wash detangle. If I need more, I'll apply it after the hair is dry. The major downside to applying to wet hair is that it's difficult to gauge whether you've applied the right amount until your hair has finished drying, so it takes some experience and erring on the side of under-applying.

[Celebrian]

I prefer to apply oil to my damp hair, prior to the post-wash detangle. If I need more, I'll apply it after the hair is dry. The major downside to applying to wet hair is that it's difficult to gauge whether you've applied the right amount until your hair has finished drying, so it takes some experience and erring on the side of under-applying.

Oh dear. I suppose I won't know until tomorrow whether I've overdone it. I used about a teaspoon rubbed into wet palms and just scrunched on the surface of my hair (from ears down).

[Anje]

Oh dear. I suppose I won't know until tomorrow whether I've overdone it. I used about a teaspoon rubbed into wet palms and just scrunched on the surface of my hair (from ears down).
Honestly, that would be way too much on my hair. 3-4 drops is closer to my usual usage. However, I don't have quite as much wave as you, so you might get defined waves under conditions that would give me defined strings. (Note that I'm also toward the thinner side of ii. If you were toward the thicker end with exactly the same hair, you might need 3x as much oil for an identical effect.)

[Celebrian]

Oh well, I could always brazen it out if neccessary and add yet more oil just from ears down before going out - pretending it's a deliberate 'wet' look!!! At least I didn't put it anywhere near my crown so all that part is non-greasy with a bit of bounce (and lots of henna shine!). I may manage to get away with it!

[allycat]

Yeah way too much for me too. I literally put one or 2 drops of olive oil and rub it over my palms with the tiniest fingernail scraping of coconut oil and then smooth it on the bottom few inches.

Mayflower, try it on damp sometime. It's awesome. The oil seals in the moisture of the water. I used to only oil dry hair, and I couldnt picture putting it over damp hair - it seemed counterintuitive but it is so very much better. Sometimes I can't stop running my hands down my hair because it feels that soft.

[candycandace]

I use coconut oil on my ends when wet. I find that it absorbs way better this way. Sometimes when my ends are dry I'll apply coconut oil to my hair while it's dry.

[Celebrian]

SO, seeing as I've put this teaspoon (5 mls) of olive oil on WET hair, there's a chance it may absorb overnight and I won't awaken looking greasy??? :D

[Cirafly24]

I oil damp hair. To lock in the moisture.

Ditto. If my hair is already dry, I mist it with water and AVG before oiling.

[PaganPriestess]

I use a lot of olive oil. 1-2 tablespoons (a palm full) on dry hair. It makes my hair look very oily and greasy. But I bun it and leave it like that overnight, then wash the next morning. This really helps my ends.

[jrk]

I use argan oil on wet hair. I start at then ends and squish it in (literally, it makes a squishing noise) and then work my way up to the roots. I use 3-4 drops and my hair is about chin length. it doesn't look oily at all. My hair is normally just a little dry. I just had lots of damage from heat. It looks so heathly now and my split ends have disappeared!

[Anje]

SO, seeing as I've put this teaspoon (5 mls) of olive oil on WET hair, there's a chance it may absorb overnight and I won't awaken looking greasy??? :D
There's a chance... Olive can absorb pretty well for most folks. But it's also known for making hair look greasy and chunky (more so than lighter oils like coconut), so my guess is that you'll end up without greasy hair only if your hair was rather depleted of fatty acids to begin with.

[Celebrian]

Not sure about this putting it on wet hair - unless the problem was, as you suggested Anje, simply too much oil. My hair looked a little dull, vaguely greasy (not particulalry shiny) and felt too soft for my liking.

I'll try again, first with LESS olive oil. Then a lighter oil (although unimpressed in the past with some of them), and will also look at a different shampoo.

For the record, I am no-cone, a henna head (sometimes a chemical head in roots!) and rarely use styling products.

Anyway, today I added a tad more olive oil to this fluffy mane of mine, just to give it definition - and then went out in high winds and rain to meet my date! I put the look of my hair (which wasn't too bad in the canopy) down to adverse weather conditions and just left it there!! :D

[jojo]

I oil mine on 50% dry hair so its just a little damp for the best results.

[Celebrian]

Not impressed really so far. Mine's Olive oil. Hair loves pre-shampoo oil, but so far just veers between strangely woolly and doll hair like with oil applied to wet or damp hair. Maybe I should try a little on dry hair again?

[IubireaDraga]

Damp for me, it has a tendency to become to greasy if I put it in dry hair even though it can be a much smaller amount of oil than what i put in my damp hair.

[kittymallow]

Sounds like you use waaaay to much oil! For leave in oiling only a few drops is enough.. a table spoon is enough for a deep oil treatment that needs to be washed out later.. try with tiny amounts at a time :)

[dwell_in_safety]

I put oil on my ends when it's damp after letting it air dry a bit after washing. So far it's served me well. =P

[SpinDance]

I never had luck with olive oil. My hair seems to hate it. Coconut works well for me as pre-wash deep treatment, but I can never get a small enough amount for a leave in. For leave ins that work I like Panacea and argan oil, so far, just a tiny bit spread between my hands, then the shine on my palms applied to the ends and lengths.