R.I.P Coconut Oil :(

[jennescence]

I really really wanted coconut oil to work for me. I used it religiously every week for almost three months. Now i am aware that coconut oil causes my hair to feel and look like straw because of all the protein. So my question to all of you is, can i still use coconut oil just less frequently? What are your favorite oils for moisture that do not contain protein. I was in love with the fact that using coconut oil was all natural. I thought it was a fix all. Now that's all over and im extremely lost :(

[Bagginslover]

Baby oil is a natural product (yes, petrolatum is natural), and was wonderful when I first started using it. I've had to move to coconut oil though, as I think my hair was missing the protein ;) it's feeling far stronger now compared to the cotton wool softness I had with baby oil ;)

[Avital88]

my hair didnt like coconut so much either in the beginning, but now its the prefect match,my hair loves it,so dont throw it away,maybe after a while with good care your hair changes and might gonna like it..My all time favourite oils are Amla and Argan,they always work for my hair and scalp/skin

[Hollyfire3]

Love your siggy pic, btw, looks like a husky i used to have...:( oh and i have never tried staight coconut oil, but i HAVE tried organix cocout shampoo, my hair seems to like it but i read one review about someone's hair falling out on one of the websites...i'm a bit scared to continue using it now...

[sfgirl]

Hmmm. Are you using virgin unrefined oil?
I'm sorry coconut isn't working. Maybe EVOO would work?
This really ezplains why my hair loves coconut oil though! Anything with protein my poor bleached hair gobbles up.

[clichepithet]

Coconut oil contains NO protein. None. It prevents protein loss from the hair shaft. It does not add additional protein to your hair.

That said, it could cause problems if you are sensitive to proteins simply by allowing them to build up. Clarify and cut back on the coconut oil.

ETA: You also may want to take a closer look at your 'poo, conditioners and other hair treatments to see if they contain the protein the coconut oil is retaining.

[MissHair]

I would only use deep coconut oil treatment and let it sit for 6 hours or so but only once a year or even less. It gave me huge build up. It's what I consider one of those yearly deep conditioners.

My daily moisturising oils are Jojoba oil, Avocado oil, Moroccan Argan Oil for my ends. And in my roots I use Castor Oil to (well at least try) and promote hairgrowth.

[janeytilllie]

I too use to use coconut oil alot. My hair slowly became dry and felt like straw. I also felt at a lost. I thought coconut oil was the holy grail of all hair products lol. However there are many other alternatives :)

My hair likes a tiny drop of extra virgin olive oil. It worked for me 100x better than coconut oil and cheaper too :D it helps retain moisture in my hair.

Jojoba oil is a very nice oil, avocado oil and sweet almond oil too. All very good alternatives to coconut oil.

I'm currently experimenting with Baby oil for moisture and so far it's working better than all the other oils above.

Some threads on different oils :)
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=59689
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=10971&highlight=oils
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=39175&highlight=oils
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=86298

HTH :flower:

[jennescence]

oh im sorry. Someone on here told me coconut oil does contain protein. If it does not how often do you think would be safe to use it? I keep hearing so many things from different people so i have no idea. I appreciate all the replies tho:)

[Falcore]

I didn't think coconut oil had protein in it. It does stop the loss of protein in your hair though which is why your hair could be feeling like straw.

Try olive oil, I have coarse hair and my hair loves that stuff :)

[Georgies]

Baby oil is a natural product (yes, petrolatum is natural

Crude oil is a "natural" product in that it is a geologic deposit, but it takes a very elaborate industrial refining process to extract mineral oil from it. That doesn't meet everyone's definition of a natural product.

[spidermom]

Reiterating. Coconut oil does not contain protein. It contains essential fatty acids; that is all.

I only use it once or twice a week for pre-wash oilings, and it works extremely well for that. I CWC/diluted shampoo it out.

[PixxieStix]

My hair loves coconut oil, I use it mixed 50/50 with my shampoo and a warmed up drop or two on the ends after washing. I deep condition/oil with EVOO though, and my hair loves that as well. :) Maybe cut back and only use the coconut oil for a deep treatment every four to five washings or so? You will never get anything other than quite varied advice because all of our hair is different and only you can figure out what will work best for your head through experimentation and patience. Good luck!

[Kelikea]

Even if you find that coconut oil does not work for your hair, there are still other things you can use it for. It does not have to go to waste! I love it for stir fry, spread on whole-grain toast, a dab in Earl Grey tea, mixed with scented lotion, and for homemade lip balm.

[Long_hair_bear]

I love nightblooming panacea on dry hair! Works wonders! Her anointing oil rocks on wet.

[silverjen]

I got the same effect from coconut oil (crunchy ends). I switched to olive oil, and my hair loves it. Clarify, and then give olive oil an try!

[ratgirldjh]

I used to use coconut oil a lot and never had problems with it and my hair is super protein sensitive.

Lately I've been using an auryvedic oil that is sesame, coconut, and castor oil based with herbs and it washes out even easier.

Coconut oil's only problem for me was that I found it very hard to wash out even in small amounts.

[ktani]

The others are right. Coconut oil contains 0 protein. Coconut milk and cream contain protein, not the oil.

Coconut oil used over conditioner can and has been reported to cause crunchy ends. It is not going into the hair one bit. It is just sitting on top of the conditioner, which can also be nice though.

Mineral oil is cosmetically classified as a natural oil. It is distilled from petroleum. It is not derived from it and is more natural than many other ingredients derived from coconut oil for example.

There is room in a hair care routine for a number of oils. It depends on what you want an oil to do.

If you want coconut oil to chelate iron or copper to help prevent peroxide damage, use it on hair without too much residue and apply peroxide hair dye or peroxide or bleach over it, after it has saturated hair for at least and hour with a heavy oiling.

It can also be used prior to hennaeing to help dye uptake.

To deep condition with it, apply it on well clarified hair, a light oiling, cover the hair and apply medium blow dryer heat for 5 minutes.

Other oils will not penetrate hair with conditioner or conditioning coatings from shampoo or styling aids either.

Oils can be used as grooming aids.

Mineral oil can outperform vegetable oils as a grooming aid without leaving the hair sticky, stringy, or greasy and moisturizes the hair better while being an antistatic agent and helping to prevent frizz. And it detangles well.

No oil mixed with conditioner, or a butter on unclarified or clarified hair is going into the hair. They can make very nice surface conditioners only.

[ratgirldjh]

Ktani - does vaseline count as mineral oil? I've used it in very small quantities on the ends of my hair and found it surprisingly easy (at that dosage lol) to wash out with my poo bar!

[ktani]

Ktani - does vaseline count as mineral oil? I've used it in very small quantities on the ends of my hair and found it surprisingly easy (at that dosage lol) to wash out with my poo bar!

Vaseline is not mineral oil. It is petrolatum and is greasy and much harder to remove generally. It is from petroleum too and if you are happy using it in such a small amount that is great!

ETA: http://cosmeticsandskin.com/bcb/petrolatum.php
"Petrolatum/petroleum jelly is made up of solid mineral waxes and liquid mineral oils."

[ratgirldjh]

Hmmm thanks. I've only used it in an emergency but liked how it worked. I've also used Bag Balm that is similar but contains lanolin and found a tiny bit on the ends to wash out easier than I thought it would. However usually anything with lanolin is very hard for me to get out with poo bars... vaseline is easier!

I would be afraid to keep doing it because I think it would build up eventually.

Thanks

[ktani]

Hmmm thanks. I've only used it in an emergency but liked how it worked. I've also used Bag Balm that is similar but contains lanolin and found a tiny bit on the ends to wash out easier than I thought it would. However usually anything with lanolin is very hard for me to get out with poo bars... vaseline is easier!

I would be afraid to keep doing it because I think it would build up eventually.

Thanks

I just added a link for you in my post above. Petrolatum contains and lanolin is a wax. They are always harder to remove and build-up in a way oils do not.

ETA: The exceptions would be drying oils in terms of build-up harder to remove.

[kayseezii]

I personally adore coconut oil. In late 2008, I really began doing my research for growing long hair and coconut oil was the first thing I started doing to restore my hair. I truly believe that it is what turned my hair around for the better. Before I started using it I experienced severe breakage and no gain in length.
Once my hair was in decent condition I did stop using it, but I am recently starting up again since a bout with the "ombre" hair trend left my ends quite unhappy.
I like to use coconut oil as a leave in conditioner more than as a mask. I apply it on dry hair, just at the ends to protect and moisturize throughout the day.

[beachgirlla]

Coconut oil gave me a lot of build up, I had to clarify with baking soda and then wow, if you are using it so much, then you may need to clarify, I'm no expert, I hope someone else will give some more input on this

[ktani]

Coconut oil contains NO protein. None. It prevents protein loss from the hair shaft. It does not add additional protein to your hair.

That said, it could cause problems if you are sensitive to proteins simply by allowing them to build up. Clarify and cut back on the coconut oil.

ETA: You also may want to take a closer look at your 'poo, conditioners and other hair treatments to see if they contain the protein the coconut oil is retaining.

The protein loss coconut oil can help prevent is from the hair itself, not added product. Conditioner can help do that too or any coating on the hair that helps prevent friction, like mineral oil which speads easier than vegetable oils.

For coconut oil to help prevent protein loss from inside the hair, it has to be used on well clarified hair and with shampoo that does not build-up, or with heat.

Any product used over protein coatings can help prevent those coatings from being washed out, in that the hair is being overloaded with multiple layers of coatings.

The protein in shampoos and conditioners is in the form of a coating that adheres to the cuticle surface.

Protein treatments can penetrate hair - well clarified hair best and wash out easily - easy in - easy out.

When coconut oil penetrates well clarified hair, it bonds with protein inside the hair and while it can be washed out too, it tends not to be washed out as easily as protein treatments.

[Cocoa_Crema]

I use coconut oil, and I go in phases with it. Sometimes my hair needs a break from it, and other times if it's looking bad it needs to be clarified.

Just set it on the shelf for another time and place. Also have you tried olive oil? I cut my coconut oil with olive oil to make it less heavy.

Good luck!

[Bedhead]

I had the same problem. I have used jojoba oil successfully - take 5 drops and press into the ends of your wet hair and after a couple minutes give it a quick rinse, without rubbing it out, and voila. Personally though, if I could afford argan oil, that would be my choice, but it's so expensive in Canada, it's crazy!

As for your coconut oil... You can use in in cooking as others have suggested, but I use it to wash my face. Really massage it in then rinse until you can just start to feel the texture of your face again. Depending on the season and where you live, you light not need to use any moisturizers at all after your wash. :)

[ktani]

Coconut oil gave me a lot of build up, I had to clarify with baking soda and then wow, if you are using it so much, then you may need to clarify, I'm no expert, I hope someone else will give some more input on this

Coconut oil overused should not require clarifying. It is a faster way to remove residue from any oil though.

What did you use it over?

If it was on conditioned hair and a shampoo that contained coatings and styling aids, then you needed to remove all coatings, as the coconut oil was adding to the problem you already were creating by not clarifying.

[clichepithet]

The protein loss coconut oil can help prevent is from the hair itself, not added product. Conditioner can help do that too or any coating on the hair that helps prevent friction, like mineral oil which speads easier than vegetable oils.

For coconut oil to help prevent protein loss from inside the hair, it has to be used on well clarified hair and with shampoo that does not build-up, or with heat.

Any product used over protein coatings can help prevent those coatings from being washed out, in that the hair is being overloaded with multiple layers of coatings.

The protein in shampoos and conditioners is in the form of a coating that adheres to the cuticle surface.

Protein treatments can penetrate hair - well clarified hair best and wash out easily - easy in - easy out.

When coconut oil penetrates well clarified hair, it bonds with protein inside the hair and while it can be washed out too, it tends not to be washed out as easily as protein treatments.

Exactly. ..