contrary hair thread!

[jojo]

Just thought id start a thread about us discussing routines or products which in the past didn't work for your hair.

When I first joined LHC many moons ago, can't believe its 5 years this year! anyway when I first joined I had 18" of hair and after reading the millions of posts and getting the most wonderful advice on how to treat my hair, I turned to oils. Coconut oil was the oil of choice back then and I jumped on the bandwagon. However, id see photos of people who really raved about coconut oil but mine never looked as good. I moved on to sweet almond oil, avocado oil, grapeseed, camillia yup I tried the lot, Sweet Almond was lovely but then as my hair got longer it didnt give me the same results. Then i discovered EVOO and at last I totally understood how finding the right oil could give me fantastic results.

Roll on December 2012 and my hair had reached longer lengths and EVOO stopped giving me the same results. So while I was in town yesterday I bought some coconut oil, mainly for my daughter who had, had a dye mishap. I thought i will give coconut oil another chance and OMG! its took 4.5 years but at last I have a great result. I did a heavy soak for 3 hours and then added a bit to my damp hair, its drying now but it feels shiny even though its still wet!

I suppose the moral to the story is, just because a product hates your hair at shorter lengths, it may love them when longer. Its trial and error.

Theres a lot of newbies who have joined the community; welcome to you all and I thought it would be nice to share our stories of products or even routines which in the past were unsuccessful and now are the bees knees! to give them a little inspiration and hope, it can be very daunting starting out and even more confusing seeing stuff work for people and not us, then getting frustrated! weve all been there and are still learning every day, no matter what our length is!

I dont think we have another thread like this and my apologies if we already do!

[fridgee]

Obviously I've not been here/grown my hair long enough to have that kind of experience, but it is helpful and encouraging to hear stories like yours :) looking forward to reading other people's too! It's interesting (and kind of frustrsting!) to know that just because something works/doesnt work now doesn't mean it always will.

[Raiscake]

When I was 18, I experimented with oiling my hair. I used the coconut oil I had then. I didn't know how to go about so I always ended up overoiling. I tried it again after LHC and learning how to do it right. I love it!

[raveness13]

CO never worked for me. It left my hair greasy, and my scalp itchy. Then, when I reduced my washing frequency, I discovered CO was a great hair refresher. I just can't use it as my primary method of washing.

[vatikagirl]

I've experienced that seasons too matter with the liking towards oils, during winters my hair loves EVOO but during summers they like coconut better. I've learnt that less frequent washing with castor oil scalp massages during winters makes my hair grow more during winters.

Summers, I avoid scalp oiling though I massage it with few drops of coconut oil to stimulate growth though I oil my hair length heavily with coconut oil, switching it with almond oil every few days.

Comes rainy season and I switch to light length oiling only with almond oil.

I learnt this routine a hard way, experimenting and going through massive shed cycles. But all's well when it ends well, since past 4 years this is the cycle I follow and my scalp is happy and hair growing nicely.

Thanks Jojo, for starting this thread. :)

[jacqueline101]

I'd say the monistat mixed with mane n tail condish. It didn't work as well as plain monistat.

[Lissandria]

CO never worked for me. It left my hair greasy, and my scalp itchy. Then, when I reduced my washing frequency, I discovered CO was a great hair refresher. I just can't use it as my primary method of washing.

This. Exactly.

[bunzfan]

For me CO washing worked at first and then after doing it for a nearly a year my hair just felt limp and horrible so i went back to shampoo doing CWC( condition wash,condition) and my hair has a new lease of life ,isn't it funny how something can work one minute and not the next.

Also i did loads of oil on my ends daily at the beginning because i had some dye damage i think and even though my hair sucked up all the oil i put on it i'm talking handfuls here the ends just felt dry and nasty so, when i got rid of those last layers back in July i didn't have this problem and damp oiling works best for me now.

Oh and silk pillow cases totally got rid of all my split ends to:cool: its been 7 months since my last trim and no splits in sight.

[cheetahfast]

NW/SO didn't work, was gross. I was too lazy to wash so I kept it up.
Plus I was (unknowingly) using the wrong shampoo and conditioner so my hair always felt super dry after washing (from protein overload). I wanted to avoid that feeling.

CO, worked to an extent. I have to CWC once very fortnight to keep it up.
If not my scalp gets acne---not cute. I still think I'm a CO-er. :shrug:

I love oiling! It's worked well from the start.

[jojo]

seems oil and CO washing is very contrary! mustard is another oil which is good for winter, however ive recently started using baby oil just a teeny weeny drop like a serum after washing, seriously shiny hair. I mix mine with coconut oil, which apparently doesnt do anything for hair which has a mineral oil coating but it smells nice and it does seem to make my hair soft, now just ayear back i actually wrote a thread about how id bought an oil which id used and then seen it had mineral oil in it; i was freaking out! but now i listen to my hair not the hype!

[patienceneeded]

Scalp oilings makes my hair fall out by the handful! A little Argan oil on the length will suffice. Coconut oil works well as a deep treatment, so does jojoba. Just keep all the oils away from my scalp unless you want massive hairballs being rinsed away. I have not experimented with any other oils.

CO washing worked really well for a while, but then my hair became lank and limp. CWC has fixed the problem and my hair is soft but not limp or greasy. There was a period of time when my hair was not liking being cone-free but now cone-free works wonders! Weird hair. Just goes to show that no one method will work well for everyone.

[ktani]

seems oil and CO washing is very contrary! mustard is another oil which is good for winter, however ive recently started using baby oil just a teeny weeny drop like a serum after washing, seriously shiny hair. I mix mine with coconut oil, which apparently doesnt do anything for hair which has a mineral oil coating but it smells nice and it does seem to make my hair soft, now just ayear back i actually wrote a thread about how id bought an oil which id used and then seen it had mineral oil in it; i was freaking out! but now i listen to my hair not the hype!

No, the coconut oil cannot penetrate hair hair mixed with mineral oil but it can make the mix greasy. Coconut is both a heaver oil and a greasy one by comparison. Mineral oil does not leave the hair as greasy as coconut oil can make it.

I just used a few drops of mineral oil on their own. No greasiness at all.

ETA: On conditioned hair, coconut oil will not penetrate hair in any case. I think you will find the mineral oil used on its own better on damp hair than the mix.

[jojo]

Scalp oilings makes my hair fall out by the handful! A little Argan oil on the length will suffice. Coconut oil works well as a deep treatment, so does jojoba. Just keep all the oils away from my scalp unless you want massive hairballs being rinsed away. I have not experimented with any other oils.

CO washing worked really well for a while, but then my hair became lank and limp. CWC has fixed the problem and my hair is soft but not limp or greasy. There was a period of time when my hair was not liking being cone-free but now cone-free works wonders! Weird hair. Just goes to show that no one method will work well for everyone. Its highly likely its not the oil making your hair shed but rather its just helping hairs which are due to shed naturally shed. CO washing does have an adaption period, but although my shorter wavier hair liked it, my longer straighter hair does not. Maybe a CSC may be a better option?


No, the coconut oil cannot penetrate hair hair mixed with mineral oil but it can make the mix greasy. Coconut is both a heaver oil and a greasy one by comparison. Mineral oil does not leave the hair as greasy as coconut oil can make it.

I just used a few drops of mineral oil on their own. No greasiness at all.

ETA: On conditioned hair, coconut oil will not penetrate hair in any case. I think you will find the mineral oil used on its own better on damp hair than the mix.
I find coconut oil works better if used in place of a conditioner too, however with mineral oil on conditioned hair, it makes it better. I damp bunned with baby oil yesterday (still damp 20 hours later!) but on examining my ends they seem fuller and not dry at all. I dont know if this is the damp bunning, the baby oil or a mixture of the both. I was ready for trimming my ends yesterday but now I am thinking they where crying out for moisture. Although I use moisturising conditioners and putting EVOO on the ends daily, I never got the results I got with baby oil, which to me concludes baby oil has excellent moisturising qualities and also offers protection. I am going to put off the trim and see how over the month the baby oil helps.

[nellreno]

Stuff I've tried that hasn't worked yet:

Shampoo bars. Worked fairly well for a couple months but in the end was too drying. I miss the scent of them though, I might use one occasionally just for kicks lol.

WO. I still would love to be able to just use water on my hair and be able to go, but it dried out my ends and made me lose a lot of hair from the extra maniuplation.

Castor oil on my scalp for extra growth. Couldn't stand oiling my scalp so I wasn't able to do it often enough to get results.

Aloe vera in my hair. Would make an awesome hair spray/styling gel whenever I need one but that wasn't the look I was going for.

Who knows, maybe in a year my current routine will not be working and one of these will. I'm always willing to experiment to see what will help my hair.

[jojo]

Stuff I've tried that hasn't worked yet:

Shampoo bars. Worked fairly well for a couple months but in the end was too drying. I miss the scent of them though, I might use one occasionally just for kicks lol.

WO. I still would love to be able to just use water on my hair and be able to go, but it dried out my ends and made me lose a lot of hair from the extra maniuplation.

Castor oil on my scalp for extra growth. Couldn't stand oiling my scalp so I wasn't able to do it often enough to get results.

Aloe vera in my hair. Would make an awesome hair spray/styling gel whenever I need one but that wasn't the look I was going for.

Who knows, maybe in a year my current routine will not be working and one of these will. I'm always willing to experiment to see what will help my hair.
you sound like me, poo bars made my hair dry and ikky, though id like to try them again at some point, castor oil eugh! too sticky!

I love experimenting too!

[teal]

Ooh, great thread! :D

I think this quote pretty much sums it up for me... but with a few things I hadn't yet tried, and which I will now add to the list! I found EVOO too heavy in the summer but now that it's winter and cold maybe it will work better.


I've experienced that seasons too matter with the liking towards oils, during winters my hair loves EVOO but during summers they like coconut better. I've learnt that less frequent washing with castor oil scalp massages during winters makes my hair grow more during winters.

Summers, I avoid scalp oiling though I massage it with few drops of coconut oil to stimulate growth though I oil my hair length heavily with coconut oil, switching it with almond oil every few days.

Comes rainy season and I switch to light length oiling only with almond oil.

I learnt this routine a hard way, experimenting and going through massive shed cycles. But all's well when it ends well, since past 4 years this is the cycle I follow and my scalp is happy and hair growing nicely.

Thanks Jojo, for starting this thread. :)

And LOL at the thread title... my hair is contrary by nature. Has a mind of its own, I swear!

Hairy, hairy, quite contrary, how does your routine go?
It didn't like that, now where is my hat?? I can't go like this to the show! :o

[jojo]

Ooh, great thread! :D

I think this quote pretty much sums it up for me... but with a few things I hadn't yet tried, and which I will now add to the list! I found EVOO too heavy in the summer but now that it's winter and cold maybe it will work better.



And LOL at the thread title... my hair is contrary by nature. Has a mind of its own, I swear!

Hairy, hairy, quite contrary, how does your routine go?
It didn't like that, now where is my hat?? I can't go like this to the show! :o
PMSL!! that made me spit my coffee out!!!

[ktani]

I find coconut oil works better if used in place of a conditioner too, however with mineral oil on conditioned hair, it makes it better. I damp bunned with baby oil yesterday (still damp 20 hours later!) but on examining my ends they seem fuller and not dry at all. I dont know if this is the damp bunning, the baby oil or a mixture of the both. I was ready for trimming my ends yesterday but now I am thinking they where crying out for moisture. Although I use moisturising conditioners and putting EVOO on the ends daily, I never got the results I got with baby oil, which to me concludes baby oil has excellent moisturising qualities and also offers protection. I am going to put off the trim and see how over the month the baby oil helps.

There are 2 others who have put off trims for the exact same reason - they tried the mineral oil and their dry ends are not dry anymore. The only reason they were going to trim was dryness, not damage or split ends.

I had no idea people oiled their ends every day. That only makes a dryness problem worse, especially on conditioned hair. While the hair can still get some moisture from the air, every unnecessary layer of product on it, lessens that. Result? drier hair and build-up.

ETA: With mineral oil you should only need to oil once, right after washing your hair and not again until ETA:2 after - the next wash.

ETA:3 Coconut oil can only partially penetrate hair without heat on clarified hair - with heat (5 minutes on plastic covered hair and a blow dryer on medium heat), fully. On conditioned hair the one consistent report of coconut oil used that way is dry, "crunchy" hair. It is an oil over conditioner result, not an oil result. So far, mineral oil has not produced that result - because I believe, it needs no repeated reapplication like vegetable oils. Mineral oil does a better job of holding moisture in the hair. ETA:4 Used on damp hair, it is holding in extra moisture that is not all evaporating the way it would normally.

Other vegetable oils on ETA:5 conditioned - hair have also been reported here to cause that "crunchy" hair result. The reason? - multiple repeated applications between washings on conditioned hair.

[jojo]

There are 2 others who have put off trims for the exact same reason - they tried the mineral oil and their dry ends are not dry anymore. The only reason they were going to trim was dryness, not damage or split ends.

I had no idea people oiled their ends every day. That only makes a dryness problem worse, especially on conditioned hair. While the hair can still get some moisture from the air, every unnecessary layer of product on it, lessens that. Result? drier hair and build-up.

ETA: With mineral oil you should only need to oil once, right after washing your hair and not again until the next wash.

It really does work doesn't it? just wish people would listen to their hair and try it before listening to hype and dismissing it.
Yes I was a daily oiler and by the next day my hair ends would be dry and crunchy. However with baby oil, the results do last until the next wash. The thing that gets me is coconut oil is made from coconuts and olive oil is made from olives, so is baby oil made from babies??!! LOL:rolleyes: it certainly does bring a whole new meaning to babying your hair:run:

[ktani]

It really does work doesn't it? just wish people would listen to their hair and try it before listening to hype and dismissing it.
Yes I was a daily oiler and by the next day my hair ends would be dry and crunchy. However with baby oil, the results do last until the next wash. The thing that gets me is coconut oil is made from coconuts and olive oil is made from olives, so is baby oil made from babies??!! LOL:rolleyes: it certainly does bring a whole new meaning to babying your hair:run:

LOL, Please do not start more rumours about baby oil. There are enough misconceptions about it now, lol.

[ktani]

I could not figure out why you kept saying mineral oil could be greasy if you used more than one drop - until you said you were mixing it with coconut oil. Of course - coconut oil is greasy. Mineral oil is not in small amounts.

Coconut oil is a wonderful oil and mixed with conditioner it has been reported to do well. However used over it - not so much.

ETA: Not being contrary, lol. Mixed with conditioner coconut oil is still only working on the surface of the hair, not penetrating it. It just can just make a nicer surface conditioner, mixed with conditioner.

[joliherb]

Beautiful hair! I can't wait to learn more!

[jojo]

LOL, Please do not start more rumours about baby oil. There are enough misconceptions about it now, lol.
LOL!! heck no that would set the cat amongst the pigeons!

Just want to share some photographic evidence on how baby oil has saved my ends in less than a week of usage
before my natural hair, although wavy the very ends were always straight and this led me to believe they was thin due to the texture difference. no matter how much I trimmed the ends looked the same

Before nov 2011
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/lengthblack-1-1.jpg

and after using baby oil, i can see a difference in my ends and the overall condition of my hair
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/babyoil1-1.jpg

eta- my hand shows where hip length is!!

[ktani]

LOL!! heck no that would set the cat amongst the pigeons!

Just want to share some photographic evidence on how baby oil has saved my ends in less than a week of usage
before my natural hair, although wavy the very ends were always straight and this led me to believe they was thin due to the texture difference. no matter how much I trimmed the ends looked the same

Before nov 2011
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/lengthblack-1-1.jpg

and after using baby oil, i can see a difference in my ends and the overall condition of my hair
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/babyoil1-1.jpg

eta- my hand shows where hip length is!!

That is amazing!!!!!

I did more oil shampoo testing in the last couple of months and one thing I discovered was that using too much oil in the shampoo resulted in my ends looking thinner. Now that resolved itself when I used less but the point is that oils overused or used in a greater voume than necessary can flatten and make hair look thinner than it is actually. It took more than one oil shampoo at a smaller oil ratio to fix that result for me.

You were oiling your ends every day - and that is what happened to them.

Now you are seeing what your ends really look like and moisturized.

[jojo]

That is amazing!!!!!

I did more oil shampoo testing in the last couple of months and one thing I discovered was that using too much oil in the shampoo resulted in my ends looking thinner. Now that resolved itself when I used less but the point is that oils overused or used in a greater voume than necessary can flatten and make hair look thinner than it is actually. It took more than one oil shampoo at a smaller oil ratio to fix that result for me.

You were oiling your ends every day - and that is what happened to them.

Now you are seeing what your ends really look like and moisturized. that makes sense to me; a case of too much a good thing. I am very visual and i couldn't work out why despite oiling daily, despite no heat and putting my hair up all the time my hair ends where such a mess. your explanation makes perfect sense to me, its not the quantity of oil or how regular you use it, its finding the best quality oil for our own individual hair and ive found it at long last!
I would be interested to see if thicker stranded long hairs saw as much improvement as us finer hairs.

[ktani]

that makes sense to me; a case of too much a good thing. I am very visual and i couldn't work out why despite oiling daily, despite no heat and putting my hair up all the time my hair ends where such a mess. your explanation makes perfect sense to me, its not the quantity of oil or how regular you use it, its finding the best quality oil for our own individual hair and ive found it at long last!
I would be interested to see if thicker stranded long hairs saw as much improvement as us finer hairs.

Ah, but it is the quantity of oil used that is the point. The oil shampoo - no catnip used afterward - did not leave my hair dry at all. It just looked thinner at the ends. ETA: I had used a multiple ratio as well - more oil on the ends.

The reason you got your gorgeous result is because the mineral oil did a better job of holding moisture in your hair you did not need to keep reapplying it. Overusing any oil can have that thinner hair looking result, especially on finer hair.

ETA:2 If I overuse catnip on my ends during a treatment - they can look thinner too. I use less now than previously and my hair is more uniform in thickness too.

[ktani]

I would bet that overusing conditioner on ends is causing the same kind of result for people even without oiling. Coatings of any kind can do that by overloading the hair shaft and people tend to apply more conditioner to their ends.

[jojo]

yes thinking about it CO washes made my hair thinner, very true!

[ktani]

yes thinking about it CO washes made my hair thinner, very true!

And when you clarified - the volume came back.

It can sneak up on you. People do not think they have any build-up when they actually do because it takes different forms. Flatter hair is one of them and it can be from just one application of something like an oil to do it. Fortunately, most oils can be removed in one washing without the need to clarify the hair.

[jojo]

^^ you got it! thats why before baby oil i loved clarifying, the daily oilings where making my hair look thin! its easy when you know!

If only id known about it last year, i wouldnt have to trim as much, I near enough maintained my length all last year trying to find a solution to my raggy ends, when all the time they were parched, for the first time ever my ends look and feel great.

I am so in :heartbeat

[ktani]

^^ you got it! thats why before baby oil i loved clarifying, the daily oilings where making my hair look thin! its easy when you know!

If only id known about it last year, i wouldnt have to trim as much, I near enough maintained my length all last year trying to find a solution to my raggy ends, when all the time they were parched, for the first time ever my ends look and feel great.

I am so in :heartbeat

I cannot stop looking at how beautiful your hair is now in terms of not looking thin anywhere.

It was thinking about my own hair and results with too much oil and catnip and the study, in the article I wrote, and all of that gave me the idea. Many oils require little but mineral oil is special. Drops - how perfect.

As for how much you trimmed, well look at it as maintaining a thicker hemline you did not know you really had all of this time, lol.

[jojo]

aww thank you, yes my real hemline was just crying to be released, all that worry when all the time it was there! funny thing is i actually thought id reached terminal!

[ktani]

aww thank you, yes my real hemline was just crying to be released, all that worry when all the time it was there! funny thing is i actually thought id reached terminal!

You are very welcome. The difference in the 2 pictures still amazes me. It looks like you still have a good way to go to terminal length for you.

[jennyjukes]

wow i never realized that maybe it was the oil making my hair dry. i have stopped using anything after shampooing. i only use coconut oil then an smt before shampooing my hair and my hair is soft and moisturized! so i'm hoping to stick with this.

ktani i'm curious as to what washing method you use :)

[ktani]

wow i never realized that maybe it was the oil making my hair dry. i have stopped using anything after shampooing. i only use coconut oil then an smt before shampooing my hair and my hair is soft and moisturized! so i'm hoping to stick with this.

ktani i'm curious as to what washing method you use :)

I wash with shampoo and do a catnip treatment for 1 hour. However, I do test things and I have been testing mineral oil lately. I have done it in "parts" - as I wanted to see how the oil behaved under different conditions. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

Catnip and my usual routine, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=118

ETA: If that works for you and it is right now - stay with it.

ETA:2 It is about how much oil being used and what it may be going over on the hair. Also how much moisture is needed. It sounds as if you have everything under control for your hair's needs.

[Hamh]

It really does work doesn't it? just wish people would listen to their hair and try it before listening to hype and dismissing it.
Yes I was a daily oiler and by the next day my hair ends would be dry and crunchy. However with baby oil, the results do last until the next wash. The thing that gets me is coconut oil is made from coconuts and olive oil is made from olives, so is baby oil made from babies??!! LOL:rolleyes: it certainly does bring a whole new meaning to babying your hair:run:

I love this! Jojo I am another baby oil convert and saved a huge trim because of it! I am curious how you are using it though on conditioned hair or after shampoo? I have tried after conditioner with great results but considering using it in place of conditioner to see what happens!!

[CSallaround]

I am certain that nothing will work equally good anytime, just as no product will give everyone the same results.

5 years ago I was very mean to my poor hair. I straightened it almost every day, sometimes more than once a day, sometimes even while the hair was wet, also often without any heat preotectant. Other than that I was washing my hair every day and brutally brushed it with a big paddlebrush in a roots to tips motion - also when it was wet :S

4 years ago I went to a boarding school for a year and learned from my roommate that it wasn't healthy to wash your hair as often as I did, so I cut down to washing every other day.

It wasn't until about a year or 2 ago that I really started to research hair and beauty care and since then I've been taking much better care of my hair as well as my skin.

Now I wash my hair about once a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. Give deep treatments, use oil in my hair, comb out tangles with a wide tooth comb and BBB my hair once in a while to distribute sebum.
I have now also gone cone-free from yesterday and time will show how it's going to work out.

:)

[ktani]

I am certain that nothing will work equally good anytime, just as no product will give everyone the same results.

5 years ago I was very mean to my poor hair. I straightened it almost every day, sometimes more than once a day, sometimes even while the hair was wet, also often without any heat preotectant. Other than that I was washing my hair every day and brutally brushed it with a big paddlebrush in a roots to tips motion - also when it was wet :S

4 years ago I went to a boarding school for a year and learned from my roommate that it wasn't healthy to wash your hair as often as I did, so I cut down to washing every other day.

It wasn't until about a year or 2 ago that I really started to research hair and beauty care and since then I've been taking much better care of my hair as well as my skin.

Now I wash my hair about once a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. Give deep treatments, use oil in my hair, comb out tangles with a wide tooth comb and BBB my hair once in a while to distribute sebum.
I have now also gone cone-free from yesterday and time will show how it's going to work out.

:)

I agree in part - with catnip my hair got better over time and now results are very predictable and consistent.

As to mineral oil drops on damp hair - yes there will be some variation but from my friends and results here they can work well on all hair types.

[ravenreed]

I haven't yet had something that did not work suddenly start working. I have noticed things that worked at one length stopped working as well when I hit a new length.

[CSallaround]

I agree in part - with catnip my hair got better over time and now results are very predictable and consistant.

As to mineral oil drops on damp hair - yes there will be some variation but from my friends and results here they can work well on all hair types.

Where do you get catnip and how do you use it in your hair?
I currently use coconut oil. I am unsure about what mineral oil is, can you explain it to me? :)

[ktani]

Where do you get catnip and how do you use it in your hair?
I currently use coconut oil. I am unsure about what mineral oil is, can you explain it to me? :)

My catnip article is linked in the article at the end.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

I buy Hagen Catit catnip at the pet supply store.

[sfgirl]

I love mineral oil on my skin! I hate what a bad rap it has. For years I stayed away from cold cream because of mineral oil, but then I tried it and it's the best thing I've ever done for my skin.
I guess that's not too hair related, but I'm now thinking of using mineral oil on my hair because of this thread. :)

[jojo]

my skin loves mineral oil too, good luck with trying it on your hair, remember you need only a drop! hope you get brilliant results too!

[KatyS]

my skin loves mineral oil too, good luck with trying it on your hair, remember you need only a drop! hope you get brilliant results too!

Jojo, may I ask what exactly is your routine you use with the baby oil? How you apply it and how much etc? Thankyou! :)

[Long_hair_bear]

CO never worked for me. It left my hair greasy, and my scalp itchy. Then, when I reduced my washing frequency, I discovered CO was a great hair refresher. I just can't use it as my primary method of washing.

Lol hobbiton, I love it! Anyway, my hair is the same way. I can't co wash because after 7 to 10 days, my scalp gets itchy and my roots get nasty and greasy.

Jojoba oil sorta worked for my hair, but mineral oil has worked better and has made my dry ends soft. :joy:

[Long_hair_bear]

Jojo, may I ask what exactly is your routine you use with the baby oil? How you apply it and how much etc? Thankyou! :)

I know you're asking jojo and not me, but here's what I do:

I put just a drop or two (depending on your hair length) on my hands, rub them together, then run them through my damp ends after I wash my hair. I oil my hair 3 times a week.

[Trish in SC]

I tried this today, but didn't see too much of a difference. I used four drops; 2 on each side, only on the ends. Maybe I should have put some on my canopy also, as that's where I get frizzies. The frizzies were there today too.

After drying, I thought it still felt dry and combing it through felt a little rough, so I put some Shea Moisture Curl Smoothie on it. Not much change. I got fed up and put it into a very sloppy bun and tried to forget about it. :mad:

How do I use both a leave-in and the mineral oil? It seems like my hair might need both. Which goes on first? What about if I wanted to use Aloe Vera Gel -- which should I apply first?

To tell you the truth, I'm getting discouraged. :( I still haven't found my "holy grail routine," and I want to stop fussing around and just maintain good care. Sometimes I still get confused reading everyone's different results, with so many varied products, oils, etc.... Do you know what I mean? I want something that works, and I want it now! :-}

Okay, that's my rant. Thanks for listening. Can anyone offer some direction?

[ktani]

I tried this today, but didn't see too much of a difference. I used four drops; 2 on each side, only on the ends. Maybe I should have put some on my canopy also, as that's where I get frizzies. The frizzies were there today too.

After drying, I thought it still felt dry and combing it through felt a little rough, so I put some Shea Moisture Curl Smoothie on it. Not much change. I got fed up and put it into a very sloppy bun and tried to forget about it. :mad:

How do I use both a leave-in and the mineral oil? It seems like my hair might need both. Which goes on first? What about if I wanted to use Aloe Vera Gel -- which should I apply first?

To tell you the truth, I'm getting discouraged. :( I still haven't found my "holy grail routine," and I want to stop fussing around and just maintain good care. Sometimes I still get confused reading everyone's different results, with so many varied products, oils, etc.... Do you know what I mean? I want something that works, and I want it now! :-}

Okay, that's my rant. Thanks for listening. Can anyone offer some direction?

If you already have a lot of product on your hair aside from your profile page overnight oilings - not clear how often - it is unlikely that putting anything over that will help, even on damp hair.

Try clarifying, conditioning, and then on damp hair try the mineral oil drops.

[Trish in SC]

Hey there, Ktani ~

I didn't have any other product on when I tried the mineral oil today. I only do overnight oilings every two weeks or so -- maybe my profile page has old info, sorry! :)

But, anyway, I'll try your suggestion tomorrow. Is it okay to spread some down my canopy or should it just be on the ends? And can I use AVG with it?

You are always so helpful! I think you're on here everyday assisting people. THANKS! Maybe LHC should hire you as a paid consultant....

[ktani]

Hey there, Ktani ~

I didn't have any other product on when I tried the mineral oil today. I only do overnight oilings every two weeks or so -- maybe my profile page has old info, sorry! :)

But, anyway, I'll try your suggestion tomorrow. Is it okay to spread some down my canopy or should it just be on the ends? And can I use AVG with it?

You are always so helpful! I think you're on here everyday assisting people. THANKS! Maybe LHC should hire you as a paid consultant....

Thank you but do not go there, lol.

By product on your hair I meant build-up, as in you have been using conditioner, detangler and whatever else and not clarified in a while.

Clarifying means all of your hair, not sections, so that you have a clean start and can assess something new properly.

No, do not use anything else with it, on top of it or mixed with it. One thing at a time.

[ericthegreat]

I just simply CAN'T stretch my washes. Not EVER. I have tried several times throughout my time here on LHC to stretch my washes, and each time was a disastrous failure. I will choose a week to do the stretches, and each time I have never been able to make it to a full week. The longest I went was 4 whole days, and even that was extreme because on that 4th day I was already scratching my scalp it was sooo itchy and greasy and just disgusting!

My scalp is like a natural frying pan that has been thoroughly greased. If I wash my hair in the morning, I can guarantee that by night time on the same exact day my scalp will be oily. And if I'm exercising at the gym, my hair will be oily and sweaty by the end of my exercises. This is why I MUST wash my hair every single day. My routine is very strict. Every night I come home, I take a shower after I have dinner. In the shower, I wash my hair with my desired conditioner for the night (I have a whole collection of different brands!). I find that this method is sufficient enough to both clean my scalp AND also be gentle enough not to strip out the natural sebum from my hair.

[MonaLisa]

Well I've tried coconut oil and got terrible results, then after several months I decided to give it another try...disaster, crunchy, nasty ends...

Same with protein, it gave me weird crunchy dryish ends...
Then after Ultrabella's thread...I decided to give it another chance...same thing, not too bad, but definitely not nice, soft and shiney!

[jojo]

Jojo, may I ask what exactly is your routine you use with the baby oil? How you apply it and how much etc? Thankyou! :)

hello! well i just poo and condition my hair and then just get the smallest of drops, rub my hands together, part my hair in the middle bringing it to the front. Then using an action like your saying your prayers with one hand under my hair and one hand over. then gently from ears down, stroke it in this way right to the ends and thats it!

I don't re-do this until the next wash. It washes out with just normal washing, but remember use the smallest of amounts its goes a long way. Like I said i use a small drop and my hair is nearly hip, fine but thickish hair so adjust to your own hairs needs.

My daughter who some may recall had to dye over her hair last week due to it turning green, her hair is very damaged; think no shine, can't get a comb through it damaged. She was ready to cut it off, she'd used coconut oil and saw some difference in how it felt, but last night she tried baby oil and her hair is back to looking shiny and feels very soft, so this may be an option for people with damaged hair too!

[jojo]

I just simply CAN'T stretch my washes. Not EVER. I have tried several times throughout my time here on LHC to stretch my washes, and each time was a disastrous failure. I will choose a week to do the stretches, and each time I have never been able to make it to a full week. The longest I went was 4 whole days, and even that was extreme because on that 4th day I was already scratching my scalp it was sooo itchy and greasy and just disgusting!

My scalp is like a natural frying pan that has been thoroughly greased. If I wash my hair in the morning, I can guarantee that by night time on the same exact day my scalp will be oily. And if I'm exercising at the gym, my hair will be oily and sweaty by the end of my exercises. This is why I MUST wash my hair every single day. My routine is very strict. Every night I come home, I take a shower after I have dinner. In the shower, I wash my hair with my desired conditioner for the night (I have a whole collection of different brands!). I find that this method is sufficient enough to both clean my scalp AND also be gentle enough not to strip out the natural sebum from my hair.

i never used to be able to stetch my washes, but i do a cheats stretched wash and just wash the front section and bun the rest, though your hair is doing just brilliantly its like spun gold!

[Carissamarie08]

Organix coconut milk shampoo....terrible.

[jojo]

Organix coconut milk shampoo....terrible.

ive had terrible results from coconut milk too, greasy horrible hair! BUT tried it again last year and my hair loved it!

[ktani]

hello! well i just poo and condition my hair and then just get the smallest of drops, rub my hands together, part my hair in the middle bringing it to the front. Then using an action like your saying your prayers with one hand under my hair and one hand over. then gently from ears down, stroke it in this way right to the ends and thats it!

I don't re-do this until the next wash. It washes out with just normal washing, but remember use the smallest of amounts its goes a long way. Like I said i use a small drop and my hair is nearly hip, fine but thickish hair so adjust to your own hairs needs.

My daughter who some may recall had to dye over her hair last week due to it turning green, her hair is very damaged; think no shine, can't get a comb through it damaged. She was ready to cut it off, she'd used coconut oil and saw some difference in how it felt, but last night she tried baby oil and her hair is back to looking shiny and feels very soft, so this may be an option for people with damaged hair too!

Fantastic news about your daughter's hair!!!

I could not help with the colour issue but I did read about her reaction to the problem. You came to her rescue. I am so glad that she is feeling better (the colour correction and your swift and helpful remedy of the plum colour) and that this has made a positive difference for her hair.

[Carissamarie08]

I never had grease from it...just very drying.

[HintOfMint]

Jojo, that mineral oil did wonders on your hair! It's absolutely gorgeous!

[KatyS]

hello! well i just poo and condition my hair and then just get the smallest of drops, rub my hands together, part my hair in the middle bringing it to the front. Then using an action like your saying your prayers with one hand under my hair and one hand over. then gently from ears down, stroke it in this way right to the ends and thats it!

I don't re-do this until the next wash. It washes out with just normal washing, but remember use the smallest of amounts its goes a long way. Like I said i use a small drop and my hair is nearly hip, fine but thickish hair so adjust to your own hairs needs.

My daughter who some may recall had to dye over her hair last week due to it turning green, her hair is very damaged; think no shine, can't get a comb through it damaged. She was ready to cut it off, she'd used coconut oil and saw some difference in how it felt, but last night she tried baby oil and her hair is back to looking shiny and feels very soft, so this may be an option for people with damaged hair too!

Oh thankyou so much! Is this done on wet hair? (sorry for all the questions! )
Ps. What happened to your daughter's hair? I feel for her!

[blondyhead]

Hi! Love hearing all the hair stories ( i've just started taking care of my hair so i find it really useful! ) about 3 months ago i thought i would CO wash, it worked really well, but then after a month my hair was so limp and lifeless, so i returned to shampoo and conditioner. Now i'm not sure whether i should CWC? Not sure.

[ktani]

hello! well i just poo and condition my hair and then just get the smallest of drops, rub my hands together, part my hair in the middle bringing it to the front. Then using an action like your saying your prayers with one hand under my hair and one hand over. then gently from ears down, stroke it in this way right to the ends and thats it!

I don't re-do this until the next wash. It washes out with just normal washing, but remember use the smallest of amounts its goes a long way. Like I said i use a small drop and my hair is nearly hip, fine but thickish hair so adjust to your own hairs needs.

My daughter who some may recall had to dye over her hair last week due to it turning green, her hair is very damaged; think no shine, can't get a comb through it damaged. She was ready to cut it off, she'd used coconut oil and saw some difference in how it felt, but last night she tried baby oil and her hair is back to looking shiny and feels very soft, so this may be an option for people with damaged hair too!

I have been reviewing posts, blogs and information online re petrolatum and mineral oil in African American hair care where these ingredients are staples.

They are often used along with lanolin and more recently with vegetable oils like coconut oil.

They can help reduce frizz because the products do reduce the amount of moisture vapour that enters the hair and they can help hold more moisture in the hair.

Lanolin is a wax and petrolatum is greasy. They can be harder to remove and leave residues that build-up because of that.

However, mineral oil, while it can leave a residue just like any other oil, if it is used alone, in a small enough amount like drops, and not too many of them, will not build-up or leave a residue because it can be completely washed out of the hair with any shampoo that is cleansing or conditioner only, which emulsifies oils.

What is a non cleansing shampoo? Shampoo with too many conditioning additives and weak cleansers that will not remove natural oils enough to get mildly greasy hair clean from natural sebum.

My point though is about the result on jojo's daughter's hair. There is absolutely no reason that the mineral oil drop(s) should not help even severely damaged hair, ETA: from heat styling or chemical abuse - used on the hair when it is damp.

Damp hair is hair where added moisture (water) has not yet evaporated. The mineral oil helps prevent the water from evaporating and from my results and those here on the boards, that can last until the next hair wash. For me, that is almost a week now and my hair is showing no signs of dryness.

Damaged hair is usually dry. The cuticles have been compromised and cannot help to hold moisture in the hair well, even if they are closed tightly with an acidic rinse. A light application of mineral oil, while it cannot mend the damage (nothing can), temporarily holds needed moisture in the hair and can make it both soft and shiny.

[jojo]

Fantastic news about your daughter's hair!!!

I could not help with the colour issue but I did read about her reaction to the problem. You came to her rescue. I am so glad that she is feeling better (the colour correction and your swift and helpful remedy of the plum colour) and that this has made a positive difference for her hair.
thank you Ktani, yes she is feeling better now thanks x

Jojo, that mineral oil did wonders on your hair! It's absolutely gorgeous! thank you, yes it certainly stopped me from snipping and you know me, im snipping mad normally!


Oh thankyou so much! Is this done on wet hair? (sorry for all the questions! )
Ps. What happened to your daughter's hair? I feel for her!
your very welcome, niw my daughter she dyes, she bleaches it out, she dyes, you see where this is going? well she dyed it a lighter than her own colour and ended up with green<--that colour green roots and candy floss hair, well coconut really helped get it back and a plum colour sorted it out, but the condition looked crap to be honest, she still straightens it but shes young and who am i to judge her ive done the same! but she tried the baby oil and it does feel and look better!

I have been reviewing posts, blogs and information online re petrolatum and mineral oil in African American hair care where these ingredients are staples.

They are often used along with lanolin and more recently with vegetable oils like coconut oil.

They can help reduce frizz because the products do reduce the amount of moisture vapour that enters the hair and they can help hold more moisture in the hair.

Lanolin is a wax and petrolatum is greasy. They can be harder to remove and leave residues that build-up because of that.

However, mineral oil, while it can leave a residue just like any other oil, if it is used alone, in a small enough amount like drops, and not too many of them, will not build-up or leave a residue because it can be completely washed out of the hair with any shampoo that is cleansing or conditioner only, which emulsifies oils.

What is a non cleansing shampoo? Shampoo with too many conditioning additives and weak cleansers that will not remove natural oils enough to get mildly greasy hair clean from natural sebum.

My point though is about the result on jojo's daughter's hair. There is absolutely no reason that the mineral oil drop(s) should not help even severely damaged hair, ETA: from heat styling or chemical abuse - used on the hair when it is damp.

Damp hair is hair where added moisture (water) has not yet evaporated. The mineral oil helps prevent the water from evaporating and from my results and those here on the boards, that can last until the next hair wash. For me, that is almost a week now and my hair is showing no signs of dryness.

Damaged hair is usually dry. The cuticles have been compromised and cannot help to hold moisture in the hair well, even if they are closed tightly with an acidic rinse. A light application of mineral oil, while it cannot mend the damage (nothing can), temporarily holds needed moisture in the hair and can make it both soft and shiny.

Very interesting! and i agree it is an excellent choice oil for damaged or naturally fragile hair.

[Phalaenopsis]

Things that I discovered for my hair:

Honey bleach DOES damage my hair, so many people raved about how great their hair felt, well, it ruined mine, it did bleach my hair and I'm guessing that when a honey concoction does bleach your hair, it will be damaged. Otherwise honey can be a great humectant. anyway my conclusion... peroxide is peroxide, "naturally" attained or not

Aloe vera: my hair says *meh* to it and wonders what the big deal is about SMT. I'm a bit jealous because other longhair friends I know IRL love this.

misting: with tea rinses, oils, aloe vera and the likes... I sometimes do it, because I think it helps my hair, but I've never actually felt something different in my hair by doing so, but maybe that is because I never figured out the ratios or tried anyone's recipes, hmm, need to look into this again maybe :)

I didn't get all the rave about oils, but then I learned how to use it as pre-wash treatment and now it's definitely oils FTW, lol ^^