How can I get coconut oil to work?

[SopphireGem]

I've tried using coconut oil on my hair before washing my hair, but when my hair dries, it's either still all oily or it doesn't feel any different to if I hadn't used the coconut oil. I've sometimes left it in for 1 hour and I've sometimes left it in overnight, but it doesn't seem to make my hair feel soft. Why is this? How am I supposed to be applying it to my hair?

[nobeltonya]

What do you wash with? I use SLES shampoos, conditioner and leave-in [the alcohols also seem to cleanse some].. and I oil overnight. Wash daily. About once a week, I notice enough build-up to either wash twice or wash w/o oiling the night before. Maybe your hair doesn't like CO?

[SopphireGem]

I've washed with sulfate shampoos and today I tried baking soda. Do you think olive oil might work better? Maybe it is that my hair doesn't like coconut oil.

[wishywashy]

I love coconut oil, but I think my hair reacts better to olive oil as well.

I put it in my hair, leave it in for however long I can that day, then do the conditioner, shampoo, conditioner method.

I've read on here that conditioner is better at getting the oils out than shampoo...so try that as well.

[spidermom]

The change is pretty subtle, I think. I've been pre-wash coconut oiling my length usually overnight, then CWCing the next day. I think the conditioner to my length takes out the oil in my length because I dilute my shampoo and use it at the scalp area only.

Anyway, I do miss it when I run out of oil, but it's not a huge change when I do.

[spookyghost]

I would sure like to figure it out too!:p Right now Im assuming my hair does not like coconut oil but I may give it another try-not sure. What I did was put castor oil on my scalp and then the coconut on the length and then slept with it on. I CO the next am and my hair was a little greasy looking and dry and crunchy all at the same time! Big time yuck:lol: I dont even know if thats possible but thats the best I can describe it. It bummed me out. So many people swear by coconut oil and its cheap too so thats a band wagon I wanted to jump on. Well my next shot at it I S&C instead of CO and it looked the same. Both times I had to go to work looking not too good and of course I forgot my pony holder:eek:

Now olive oil did work better for me than the coconut oil but it wasnt anything to brag about. So far 100% argon oil and 100% sweet almond oil work the best for me. They arent my holy grail but my hair is bleach and color damaged and maybe after using them as my hair grows out healthy maybe they will be. Thats the problem with me. I dont know it the only way to tell if an oil is for me if my hair has to have this amazing and wow look afterwards. I mean is that how other people knew that a particular oil was for them? Or did their hair respond good enough for them to keep using itand it got better with time and as their hair got healthier?

P.S. I would have thought the CO would have worked as far as my hair not looking greasy because it is suppose to work better than shampoo to get it out. I know I didnt overdue it on the coconut oil when I put it in. I was very careful about that! When I was little my friend and I put bottles of baby oil in a little pool and swam in it. The memory of my mom trying to get that out of my long hair, while she was yelling at me, sticks with me to this day! I dont over oil:)

[sparrowswing]

I don't seem to have significantly good results with coconut oil either. I've only done it as an overnight treatment twice now, though. It just doesn't work as well for me as olive oil. Coconut oil works better for me as a very light leave-in between washings, mostly just on the ends. And I usually follow it up with my BBB to spread that tiny bit of oil as far as it will go, since I add a small enough amount that I can't see where it's gone. When I do my olive oil overnight treatment before washing, I add quite a bit - like a tablespoon or more - and then braid it and add even more to my ends. Then in the morning I CWC and air-dry, after which it feels very soft and silky.

For me, there was definitely a noticeable difference after my first overnight olive oil treatment, but I'm still experimenting with the coconut oil to see if there is a difference at all and whether I like it.

[Amanah]

I've decided I like coconut oil on my skin better then on my hair.
but not on my face.
I've learned that coconut oil can make your face break out.
I use coconut on my body, jojoba on my face, scalp, hair.

[PixxieStix]

Everyone's hair is different, and yours might not like coconut oil. Me, I find it works best when mixed with Shea butter or olive oil as a deep treatment, and I lightly oil my ends with it after every time I wash my hair while the hair is still damp, and I'm left with tangle free soft hair.

If you haven't clarified for a long time, you might consider doing that, as the coconut oil can't penetrate if there is anything coating the hair strands. If it turns out coconut oil isn't for you, that's okay! Not everyone's hair is going to like it.

[Suze2012]

I'm quite intrigued on this question as well.

I haven't done a treatment..well yesterday kinda turned out to have been a bit of a treatment I guess! My mistake! lol!

I'm in the stage of constant conditioner use (same one) but trying different leave ins.
I just did coconut oil yesterday and it was mega curly (separated curls- whereas I like a softer look).
It looked like it had gel on it and I did find one bit of dried coconut in it! Oopsie!

(I hope it isn't just me who finds these things quite amusing by the way - if I didn't have a sense of humour I wouldn't try different things with my hair- if you understand me! :))

By the end of the day and lots of scrunching and funnily enough I didn't need any hand cream yesterday.....I wonder why....hehe! it turned out perfect by the time I went to bed!!! Great! *rollseyes*

I love coconut for my skin but I'm not so sure about for my hair.

I did get some grapeseed oil today though and tried it on slightly flat and not wet hair and my hair seems to adore it!

I think if I try a treatment I will start light and maybe go heavier as time goes on.

[SopphireGem]

Thanks for all your replies! I think my hair doesn't like coconut oil, so I'll just use it on my skin :) I'll try something like olive oil or grapeseed oil next time!

[spookyghost]

I might just try mixing the coconut oil with something. Plus maybe I should clarify because unless the purple generic shimmering lights from Sally's is a clarifying shampoo then Im not clarifying:o It would be nice if I just cant use the coconut oil straigh, but I can mixed with other oils!

[Vanilla]

I found coconut oil worked best for me when used in oil shampoo. I liked the result better with using it that way.

[Kittykins]

What I do is about 30-45 minutes before I shower, I cover the coconut oiled hair in conditioner. In the shower I rinse, then shampoo and condition as usual. Works great for me.

[HintOfMint]

I've never liked using coconut oil as a pre-wash heavy oiling, I've always done much better with just a dab as a leave-in.