Too much oil?

[Ohio Sky]

Ok, I've been trying to figure this one out. If you use coconut oil every night, since it absorbs into the hair shaft, can your hair get too much of it and become weak or stretchy?

I know you can fix a protein overload with moisture, but is it possible to get a moisture overload, and if so, would adding protein fox it?

[Riot Crrl]

It is possible to overmoisturize, I've done it. I've fixed it with just a vinegar rinse, which may or may not work depending on what the products were made up of. If it got to the point that it was actually mushified, I would try protein.

I don't know exactly what the symptoms look like on straighter hair. On curly it is kind of unmistakable.

[Faepirate]

It's possible to overmoisturise, but I don't think too much oil necessarily means too much moisture... as oil doesn't actually moisturise hair.

I've never, ever in my life had overmoisturised hair (as far as I know!). Only dry. And I use loads of oil sometimes. :D

When I pile on the oil, all that happens is my ends darken and my hair looks greasy and feels a bit stiff and crunchy. I do this the night before a wash, not because I like my hair like this but because it seems to make my hair nice after the wash, but the effects at the time are not very pretty... I definitely wouldn't say it moisturises my hair. I'm pretty sure it doesn't. I don't know what it does, actually. No idea.


ETA:

I don't know exactly what the symptoms look like on straighter hair. On curly it is kind of unmistakable.

What are the symptoms on curly hair, just out of curiosity? :)

[Ohio Sky]

Well, My hair is stretchy. It breaks easily. It is tangly, though not as tangly as a few days ago when I went back to light cones (can't wait to get in the shower after work and do some serious coning!!).

Coconut oil has been good to my hair for months... maybe it's the Nexxus stuff I used last wash that's making my hair so weak? It's the first time I've tried it.

[Riot Crrl]

What are the symptoms on curly hair, just out of curiosity? :)

Well first of all, around the scalp is all a giant halo of frizz no matter how much gel I used. (Many things can cause that though.)

Then from the ears down, it was like, the curls clumped really well, but TOO well. It seemed like there were only about five of them on my head. They were loose and stretched and floppy and wouldn't curl good.

They felt soft but to look at them they looked dry.

Edit: That's why I said I don't know what it looks like on straight hair, the main signs are all clump-related.

[lora410]

It's possible to overmoisturise, but I don't think too much oil necessarily means too much moisture... as oil doesn't actually moisturise hair.

I've never, ever in my life had overmoisturised hair (as far as I know!). Only dry. And I use loads of oil sometimes. :D

When I pile on the oil, all that happens is my ends darken and my hair looks greasy and feels a bit stiff and crunchy. I do this the night before a wash, not because I like my hair like this but because it seems to make my hair nice after the wash, but the effects at the time are not very pretty... I definitely wouldn't say it moisturises my hair. I'm pretty sure it doesn't. I don't know what it does, actually. No idea.


ETA:


What are the symptoms on curly hair, just out of curiosity? :)


usually when your hair gets stiff and crunchy that is a good indicator your hair doesn't like that oil.

[Faepirate]

usually when your hair gets stiff and crunchy that is a good indicator your hair doesn't like that oil.

My hair does this for all oil.

And it does like the oil as long as I wash some of it out. I wouldn't use it otherwise - it makes a massive difference to the condition of my hair if I smother it in oil before a wash.

[lora410]

My hair does this for all oil.

And it does like the oil as long as I wash some of it out. I wouldn't use it otherwise - it makes a massive difference to the condition of my hair if I smother it in oil before a wash.

wooow, weird

[Future CCC-SLP]

They felt soft but to look at them they looked dry.

Edit: That's why I said I don't know what it looks like on straight hair, the main signs are all clump-related.


I have wavy hair and no matter what I do with my hair this is what it does!! It feels super soft but looks dry and frizzy!! Does this mean I'm over moisturizing?!!? :confused:

What can I do about this? Try a protein treatment? I didn't want to try this because I thought protein was drying and didn't want to make things worse. I'm so lost! :hmm:

[Ohio Sky]

I have wavy hair and no matter what I do with my hair this is what it does!! It feels super soft but looks dry and frizzy!! Does this mean I'm over moisturizing?!!? :confused:

What can I do about this? Try a protein treatment? I didn't want to try this because I thought protein was drying and didn't want to make things worse. I'm so lost! :hmm:

For me, this meant I needed cones, and fast. But I still haven't figured out the moisture/protein balance thing...

[Riot Crrl]

I have wavy hair and no matter what I do with my hair this is what it does!! It feels super soft but looks dry and frizzy!! Does this mean I'm over moisturizing?!!? :confused:

What can I do about this? Try a protein treatment? I didn't want to try this because I thought protein was drying and didn't want to make things worse. I'm so lost! :hmm:

Maybe, or clarify. Are you using silicones or no? If it's all cone free stuff, I've fixed it with a vinegar rinse.

[Future CCC-SLP]

I'm already a cone head.....hmmm maybe someone will have the answer

[Faepirate]

I second the clarifying or vinegar rinse idea. A vinegar rinse sorts most hair funkiness issues out for me!


Lora410, I don't know if my oil quirk is that weird really :o I think a lot of people oil massively before a wash because it gives them happier hair post-wash.

[BlndeInDisguise]

It's possible to overmoisturise, but I don't think too much oil necessarily means too much moisture... as oil doesn't actually moisturise hair.

Wow, I've really been mislead, I guess. What does it do? :confused: Or what does it do for your hair--it doesn't do much at all for my hair. That I know of, anyway.

[Faepirate]

BlndeInDisguise, I don't know what it does... I used to think it was supposed to moisturise, but since then I have been told sternly by several people that it doesn't, and that hair is moisturised by water (mainly from the air) but oil can help the hair to absorb the water more efficiently, or keep the moisture in the hair, or something. :confused:

Some oils like coconut and olive oil can penetrate the hairshaft and I really have no cidea at all what the purpose of that is or whether it is beneficial to have oil on the inside of a hairshaft! xD

All I know is, for my hair, oil doesn't do much aside from add shine (and often stringiness/crunchiness if I'm not careful!) or in the case of pre-wash oiling it just seems to prevent my hair from drying out when I wash it.


ETA: Found some threads that might help!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=5209

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=286

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=3006

[jojo]

Wow, I've really been mislead, I guess. What does it do? :confused: Or what does it do for your hair--it doesn't do much at all for my hair. That I know of, anyway.

I know olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil penetrate the hair shaft and they all make my hair so much softer, is this not moisturizing?

Makes me wonder now?

[Ohio Sky]

Exactly... if the oil is penetrating the hair shaft, then what is it actally doing in there? Can there be too much oil in your hair? Wouldn't that over-moisturize and make your hair stretchy and weak?

Ok, let me rephrase the original question: If moisturizing will help correct a protein overload, then won't moisturizing hair too much deplete the protein from the hair?

[jojo]

Exactly... if the oil is penetrating the hair shaft, then what is it actally doing in there? Can there be too much oil in your hair? Wouldn't that over-moisturize and make your hair stretchy and weak?

Ok, let me rephrase the original question: If moisturizing will help correct a protein overload, then won't moisturizing hair too much deplete the protein from the hair?

Maybe if we think of our hair shafts like a bucket, it can only hold so much oil, so once the bucket/hair shaft if full, it wont allow any more to enter so just coats the outter bit?

Like if you take a vitamin, but your not deficient in any vitamins, your body expels it, maybe oil works the same way???

I have gone mad with trying different oils in the past and cannot say my hair has suffered but then my hair is wavy and I think wavy/curly heads can take more moisture than straighties, who I would imagine would be more likely to get greasy if they used too much, especially fine heads.

[jojo]

Ok, let me rephrase the original question: If moisturizing will help correct a protein overload, then won't moisturizing hair too much deplete the protein from the hair?

Yes i would think it would, I suppose it depends which has the largest molecules, protein molecules are quite large, but if an oil can penetrate a hair shaft which is mainly a protein substance, then it must do something to break the protein up, else why would the hair get softer?

[FrannyG]

If your hair is stretchy, that's a classic sign of it needing protein. I suggest that you clarify to remove the cones, do a deep protein treatment, and follow with your favourite coney conditioner, if you like cones.

[Ohio Sky]

Well I can't tell if my hair is any more or less stretchy than it should be. And I've read all the diagnostic articles and stuff but I still can't tell.

Protein shouldn't really hurt my hair any though, right? I don't even know if my hair likes protein. :confused:

But wait a minute, if oil does something that breaks up protein, then why would it be said that coconut oil helps prevent protein loss? this is the only oil I use on a regular basis.

[danacc]

Oil does not do anything that breaks up protein. Oils that penetrate hair can do so because the oil molecules are small enough to fit in between the hair shaft structures. There is no chemical interaction going on here. (A chemical reaction would permanently change the hair, and oil doesn't do this.) The reason that some oils do not penetrate the hair shaft is because they don't fit easily between the hair shaft structures.

The oil acts as a diffuser. It slows the loss of moisture. Coconut oil has also been proven to also slow the loss of protein.

Technically, only water can "moisturize", and I think this is where the phrase "oil does not moisturize" comes from. Neither is oil a humectant--something that absorbs ambient moisture--such as honey. However, for me this is all a technicality. It's like saying that a tomato is a fruit. Scientifically, the tomato is the fruit of the tomato plant. (Of course, so is the cucumber the fruit of a cucumber vine, and so is a string bean the fruit of a string bean bush.) Nutritionally, the tomato is a vegetable. It doesn't have the sugar content of a "fruit" the way the term is used when referring to people's diets. Tomatoes in a fruit salad would be...odd. When dietitians tell diabetics to limit fruits, they are not talking about tomatoes. So, while technically oil does not moisturize, it slows the loss of moisture, and the end result is that the hair retains more moisture when it is oiled.

[Tressie]

Wow, there's a lot to consider about this question! I didn't realize it was quite so complicated :D This may not be the place to post this query, but I was wondering if it's better to oil damp hair or dry hair before you wash? I have been oiling my dry hair and leaving it on for a good while and then doing a CWC or a CO. but oiling damp hair might seal in more moisture?:confused:

[sibilum]

Oil does not do anything that breaks up protein. Oils that penetrate hair can do so because the oil molecules are small enough to fit in between the hair shaft structures. There is no chemical interaction going on here. (A chemical reaction would permanently change the hair, and oil doesn't do this.) The reason that some oils do not penetrate the hair shaft is because they don't fit easily between the hair shaft structures.

The oil acts as a diffuser. It slows the loss of moisture. Coconut oil has also been proven to also slow the loss of protein.

Technically, only water can "moisturize", and I think this is where the phrase "oil does not moisturize" comes from. Neither is oil a humectant--something that absorbs ambient moisture--such as honey. However, for me this is all a technicality. It's like saying that a tomato is a fruit. Scientifically, the tomato is the fruit of the tomato plant. (Of course, so is the cucumber the fruit of a cucumber vine, and so is a string bean the fruit of a string bean bush.) Nutritionally, the tomato is a vegetable. It doesn't have the sugar content of a "fruit" the way the term is used when referring to people's diets. Tomatoes in a fruit salad would be...odd. When dietitians tell diabetics to limit fruits, they are not talking about tomatoes. So, while technically oil does not moisturize, it slows the loss of moisture, and the end result is that the hair retains more moisture when it is oiled.

I like your line of thought! :)

I also would like to add something... most of us are not chemists, so all we can do is to assume things and try to be the most reasonable possible, and of course, read good scintific articles about it.

One thing that I have read over and over around here is that if an oil makes your hair crunchy, your hair doesn't *like* that oil. Honestly, I think this is too simplistic. I have been using coconut oil for more than a year now, and my hair has never been in greatest condition. Guess what, sometimes it does get crunchy. I think that happens because the oil dries and there isn't enough moisture around (in the hair or in the environment). Oils dry too, each one at a different rate, always depending on environment condition (who has painted with oil paint before knows that).

Personally, I don't believe you can overmoisturize hair with oil. You could do that with some professional treatments though, like those by Kerastase, L'anza and Redken.