Coconut oil saved my hair from bleach damage O.O

[RedheadMistress]

- I had bright red hair, dyed it dark to grow out my natural colour and have it blend it, regretted it months later so a few days ago I decided to bleach All my hair (thinking I will lose half my length to bleach damage) . So I drenched my hair in coconut oil before, and wow, my hair does not feel damaged at all. At all !
It's madness . before I have tried putting conditioner in my hair,, some mixed in the bleach to make it less damaging, but nothing worked as well as unrefined coconut oil.

What else is good for protecting your hair before bleaching ?
Now I will only need to go roots, but still I will cover the roots in bleach before I use a weak bleach to raise the natural colour a bit . . but wow.

Need to spread the word to all my friends (who change hair colour from week to week, one day green, another day red, another day baby pastel colours) etc hehe .

I can keep my entire length ! This is great news :D
And my hair feels nicer than before, I never bothered clarifying, think I had a lot of coconut oil build up in my hair . . or when visitng sweden, the water is better for me than the water in london o.o

[braidgirl22]

I started using coconut oil on my hair when it was really damaged it helped a lot.

[afu]

I use coconut oil when bleaching too, works wonders :) My hair owes Ktani and her coconut oil advice lot! Wish Id known about this wonder product when I first started bleaching.

What surprises me is that actual hair professionals don't know about this brilliant characteristic of coconut, I have my bleach highlights done at the salon and when I turned up with oiled hair my hairdresser didn't have a clue what i was on about. We need to spread of LHC word

[blondie9912]

Wow, I wish I knew about that back when I would get my hair highlighted blonde! But then again, if I did that, then I wouldn't ever have fried my hair with highlights/bleaching (which made me want to grow out natural) and realized that I should stay away from the dye... I suppose it happened for a reason for me ;)
Regardless, bravo to everyone doing coconut oil soaks prior to bleaching/highlighting, I've heard it works wonders!

[BrightEyes]

What surprises me is that actual hair professionals don't know about this brilliant characteristic of coconut, I have my bleach highlights done at the salon and when I turned up with oiled hair my hairdresser didn't have a clue what i was on about. We need to spread of LHC word

This happened to me too. When I told my stylist that I had put coconut oil on my hair to protect it from the bleach she was like "Mmmmm.....Ok....". But she has been really cool about it ever since.

To give stylists credit, when I was in beauty school (or working in a salon) coconut oil was never mentioned for anything hair or beauty related(or any other oil for that matter). Unfortunately it's just not a part of mainstream hair care. I didn't learn about coconut oil until coming to the LHC.

I've been using coconut oil as a pre-highlight treatment for the past 6 months and have noticed a big difference. My hair isn't as dry afterwards and I don't have the breakage in my crown area immediately after highlights like I did before. It's so easy and has such great benefits, oiling before bleaching has just become part of the process for me.

[gogirlanime]

So, how much damage would you say it prevents? Also, what type of bleaching, and how do you use coconut oil to protect it, do you apply some throughout your hair before you bleach it, do you leave it in and apply the bleach over it, how do you go about this? Please and thank you!

[BrightEyes]

So, how much damage would you say it prevents? Also, what type of bleaching, and how do you use coconut oil to protect it, do you apply some throughout your hair before you bleach it, do you leave it in and apply the bleach over it, how do you go about this? Please and thank you!

Unfortunately, I don't think anything can completely prevent damage from bleach. But coconut oil has definitely reduced damage for me. Before I started using it, my hair always felt so dry immediately after highlights. And I had quite a bit of breakage in my crown area (and my stylist is very good and would not overlap the bleach if she could help it). Since doing oilings, my hair feels moisturized and soft after getting highlights and I don't have as much breakage as before. Also, when I first joined LHC 2 years ago my pony tail circumference measured at 2.5 inches. I just measured last week and it measured in at 3 inches. Now, I have improved my hair care and greatly reduced heat styling. So the increase in thickness may be a result of the complete change in how I care for my hair. But I think that these oilings have helped that too.

I oil my hair from roots to ends at least 2 hours before my appointment. I put enough coconut oil on so that my hair looks oily but not so much that my hair is dripping. I leave it on and my stylist does foil highlights right ontop of the coconut oil.

[gogirlanime]

Unfortunately, I don't think anything can completely prevent damage from bleach. But coconut oil has definitely reduced damage for me. Before I started using it, my hair always felt so dry immediately after highlights. And I had quite a bit of breakage in my crown area (and my stylist is very good and would not overlap the bleach if she could help it). Since doing oilings, my hair feels moisturized and soft after getting highlights and I don't have as much breakage as before. Also, when I first joined LHC 2 years ago my pony tail circumference measured at 2.5 inches. I just measured last week and it measured in at 3 inches. Now, I have improved my hair care and greatly reduced heat styling. So the increase in thickness may be a result of the complete change in how I care for my hair. But I think that these oilings have helped that too.

I oil my hair from roots to ends at least 2 hours before my appointment. I put enough coconut oil on so that my hair looks oily but not so much that my hair is dripping. I leave it on and my stylist does foil highlights right ontop of the coconut oil.

Thank you for your reply this has helped me much!! I think I will start using coconut oil before I start doing mild peroxide treatments to lighten I think that will help reduce the damage :)

[Rosetta]

Yes, coconut oil has saved my hair, too! :) (Thanks again, Ktani!)

During the winter I tried to bleach henna out of my hair, twice, and have since then used several dyes on it, too many to count... And every time, before putting on any dye with developer (peroxide), I drench my hair in coconut oil, the refined variety (unrefined is way too expensive for hair use for me), and I have hardly any damage at all! It's truly a miracle, as earlier I used to get so many split ends even without dyeing, and now hardly any.




What surprises me is that actual hair professionals don't know about this brilliant characteristic of coconut, I have my bleach highlights done at the salon and when I turned up with oiled hair my hairdresser didn't have a clue what i was on about.
Me that doesn't surprise in the slightest, to be honest... Hairdressers are generally not into any kind of natural haircare, be it henna, oiling or whatever. That's just the way it is :wink:

[Nev]

I have a question, would you have to leave the dye or bleach on longer since there's coconut oil on your hair? or would it take the same amount of time to process?

[pink.sara]

Coconut oil is a total godsend for pre bleaching!
I tend to soak it for hours before and find it speeds up the bleaching. Normally I'm talking 2 hours for my almost black roots to get to yellow with a 40Vol, but with this I can get away with 20 Vol for 50 minutes. Awesomeness :-)

I'm currently bleaching out black metallic dye that colour B4 wouldn't remove, and one bleaching a month with this method isn't killing it and it's already much lighter. Win!

[kellyannpow]

i don't now where i can buy coconut oil,in the uk ? :((((

[BrightEyes]

I have a question, would you have to leave the dye or bleach on longer since there's coconut oil on your hair? or would it take the same amount of time to process?

In my experience, the coconut oil did not affect the time it took the bleach to work or the effectiveness of the bleach. My stylist did the foils then I sat under the dryer for the same amount of time as I've always done (20 minutes). The only differences I've noticed have been good ones:)

I don't have experience with a whole head of dye, but I do get low lights and have also been dying the bottom half of my hair. The dye turned out beautifully as well with the coconut oil.

There is a thread around here about coconut oil and how it protects from hydrogen peroxide damage (I'm sorry I'm not sure how to add links). If I remember correctly, those that dyed their hair and used coconut oil reported to not have problems with dye uptake. Yes, Ktani's research was wonderful, my hair is grateful to her.

[BrightEyes]

Thank you for your reply this has helped me much!! I think I will start using coconut oil before I start doing mild peroxide treatments to lighten I think that will help reduce the damage :)

You're very welcome:)

[kaydana]

i don't now where i can buy coconut oil,in the uk ? :((((

Tesco and Sainsburys (other supermarkets may too, but they're the places I've seen it) both sell virgin coconut oil for £6.99. It comes in a jar and can be found with the cooking oils.

Holland and Barrett also sell it, in a number of different sizes, but it's slightly more expensive there.

[Rosetta]

i don't now where i can buy coconut oil,in the uk ? :((((
The cheapest places there in my experience are Indian/ethnic groceries, for the refined variety at least (as I said above, for me virgin coconut oil is way too expensive for hair use, and I assume for many others too); they often have jars of it for around £2 or less. (I used to live in the UK, if anyone's wondering how do I know that :wink:)

[LaFlor]

I'm trying to wrap my head around this idea, if you soak your hair in coconut oil, how are you able to work around the hair? How can the stylists effectively separate the pieces of hair to make small highlights? I'm interested in trying this, but I guess I don't get how oily hair will separate like dry hair?

[BrightEyes]

I'm trying to wrap my head around this idea, if you soak your hair in coconut oil, how are you able to work around the hair? How can the stylists effectively separate the pieces of hair to make small highlights? I'm interested in trying this, but I guess I don't get how oily hair will separate like dry hair?

I was a little worried about this too. But my stylist did just fine with her weaving comb. But I also didn't pour coconut oil on my head. I wouldn't say I soak my hair in the oil. I just put enough so that my hair is covered but not clumping together. I can still get a comb through my hair. It's kind of like the difference between having a soaking wet head of hair and a head of hair that's just damp. I don't know if I'm making any sense lol.

Because my hair is very fine, my stylist has to take very thin sections and do a very fine weave for the end result not to look chunky. This is how it's always been for me because of the nature of my hair. Even with the coconut oil I put in my hair, she can still do that. I do have to say though, I have an amazing stylist:D

[pink.sara]

I'm trying to wrap my head around this idea, if you soak your hair in coconut oil, how are you able to work around the hair? How can the stylists effectively separate the pieces of hair to make small highlights? I'm interested in trying this, but I guess I don't get how oily hair will separate like dry hair?

Even hair saturated with coconut oil doesn't clump together. If you comb it through before applying the oil it will separate as easily if not more than dry hair when using a tailcomb for highlights.

Also I find it add more slip and makes evenly coating hair with dye much easier when applying to chunks or the whole head.

Try a soak and you'll see what I mean :)

[BrightEyes]

Even hair saturated with coconut oil doesn't clump together. If you comb it through before applying the oil it will separate as easily if not more than dry hair when using a tailcomb for highlights.

Also I find it add more slip and makes evenly coating hair with dye much easier when applying to chunks or the whole head.

Try a soak and you'll see what I mean :)

Thank you pink.sara. You explained it better than I could with fewer words:D

[Nev]

In my experience, the coconut oil did not affect the time it took the bleach to work or the effectiveness of the bleach. My stylist did the foils then I sat under the dryer for the same amount of time as I've always done (20 minutes). The only differences I've noticed have been good ones:)

I don't have experience with a whole head of dye, but I do get low lights and have also been dying the bottom half of my hair. The dye turned out beautifully as well with the coconut oil.

There is a thread around here about coconut oil and how it protects from hydrogen peroxide damage (I'm sorry I'm not sure how to add links). If I remember correctly, those that dyed their hair and used coconut oil reported to not have problems with dye uptake. Yes, Ktani's research was wonderful, my hair is grateful to her.

thank you so much for answering my question! :) I will definately be trying this out.

[joflakes]

Coconut oil has saved my hair from bleaching as well! I usually soak it overnight before I bleach and it has seriously reduced any damage.

In the UK you can buy coconut oil in Superdrug for £1.99. It's in a white circular pot in the haircare section! =)

[BrightEyes]

thank you so much for answering my question! :) I will definately be trying this out.

No problem:) You should try it and let us know how it works.

[afu]

My hairdresser has never complained about my hair being difficult to seperate for highlights, i don't go in with it totally saturated and wet looking though, i just apply enough to slightly coat each hair. I just get my roots bleached now so i just apply the coconut oil at least an hour before going to the salon.

For me coconut oil appears to have totally eliminated damage (i think some of ktani's experiments showed total lack of damage too), my new growth since starting to use coconut oil feels like virgin hair in texture and condition and never appears dry or frizzy like my older hair. When i run my fingers through my hair i can clearly feel the point at which I started to use coconut oil (although this is partly because my hairdresser left the bleach on too long the time before when she was a trainee). My line of damage at the moment is at the sort of level where i wear my ponytails/buns so i've totally cut out hairbands and now only use sticks because I know im at a very fragile point.

For those of you with bleach damage from the past i would recommend trying CO routines, when i first started reading LHC I was scared my hair would all snap off at the crown it was so brittle, since using CO and replacing cones with oils my hair no longer looks damaged and it has really been a miracle. People are shocked when i tell them my colour isn't quite natural (about half natural, half highlights) and always ask how i can bleach and still have hair in such good condition with natural curls. LHC I really do love you :)

[afu]

Also about the UK coconut oil question - I personally would recommend that you only buy virgin coconut oil and not the refined type. Yes refined may be much cheaper but it doesn't work nearly as well. I buy mine online from coconoil.co.uk (you can also get it from amazon), it might seem expensive at first but it lasts a long time

[Rosetta]

^ Well, I must really beg to differ on that, i.e. the refined vs. virgin question :) As I said, I've saved my hair with the refined one, have hardly any damage at all, so can't really see how the virgin one could work better than that for this purpose.

(To be taken internally I would recommend the virgin one, yes, but to use it on hair it's a bit of a waste and overkill to me...)

[lundmir]

It definitely has saved my hair. I can't let my hair grow natural, as much as I love blue black on myself. I have to be a redhead! So I bleach my roots about every two months.

I never get any split ends or other damage issues. My hair is pretty resilient by itself, but there is definitely a difference between using coconut oil and bleaching without it. My hair did get damaged before this.

[gogirlanime]

i don't now where i can buy coconut oil,in the uk ? :((((

There are also many websites that sell in bulk for really cheap that ship worldwide. Shipping might be a little expensive but if you compare the shipping+oil cost and make an average it still might be cheaper than buying it in a store (usually the case) buying in bulk online is almost always cheaper than going to a store.

Some international websites
Camnden Grey (.com) $7.90 (5.13 pounds) for 16 oz (http://www.camdengrey.com/essential-oils/Raw-Material-Carrier-Oils/coconut-oil-fractionated.html)
Ebay seller that ships internationally $9.99 (6.49 Pounds) for 16 oz (FREE SHIPPING) (http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-oz-COCONUT-CARRIER-OIL-GREAT-SKIN-PROTECTION-/200499126639?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eaeade16f)

[Magnum264]

This is great news!! My hair is naturally a medium brown, but I've been highlighting it blonde for years. I'd love to grow it longer (it's currently just below APL), but I really love my look as a blonde, and don't want to go back to my dull brown. Speaking of which, does anyone have special tips for doing your own highlights? I've done a search on here for "highlighting" and "highlights", but have yet to find just what I'm looking for...

[prettyinpink]

Coconut oil made my hair dry and brittle. i know it worked for some, but it made my hair break like crazy

[Firefox7275]

Also about the UK coconut oil question - I personally would recommend that you only buy virgin coconut oil and not the refined type. Yes refined may be much cheaper but it doesn't work nearly as well. I buy mine online from coconoil.co.uk (you can also get it from amazon), it might seem expensive at first but it lasts a long time

The published research proving penetration and reduced damage for hair used refined coconut oil, given the active component is thought to be lauric acid which is in both to much the same level I cannot see why virgin would be better. Perhaps placebo effect OR being sold something that was not in fact coconut oil (fractionated or an imposter substance?) or the conditions you were testing in were different (eg. room temperature and/ or humidity with the seasons). Virgin coconut oil is not even a particularly good source of antioxidants or micronutrients.
http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=296
http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2003/cc054n02/p00175-p00192.pdf

Cheapest UK source last time I purchased was KTC brand from Tesco World Foods section.

[Sarahm]

How often should/can you use coconut oil? Can you overdo it?

Thank you!

[AutobotsAttack]

Ahhh I definitely adore coconut oil. I always get the cold pressed kind from my local Walmart. It helps close my cuticles, lays my strands down perfectly, actually penetrates most of my strands, help regulate my porosity, and smells wonderful. It also helps with my dandruff issues too.

[Alex Lou]

How often should/can you use coconut oil? Can you overdo it?

Thank you!

Since I've been washing my hair so infrequently, I've actually been using it before every wash. I put it all over my scalp and everything with no issues. Although I do use a reasonably strong shampoo with sulfates.

[Clarkie]

I love what coconut oil has done for my hair. Now that the cold weather is returning I will probably do an overnight oiling once a week and I also apply a dab to my ends nearly every night. I haven't tried it pre-colour treatment ( I don't bleach but do colour my roots about every 6 weeks) but I will definitely be giving this a go this weekend.

Somewhat off topic but I've been using it as a cleanser nightly for about a month now and WOW what a difference in my skin! I've always had sensitive skin, tending towards dry. I used to cleanse with a very mild soap and then use a moisturizer. Now I slather my face with the coconut oil and then wipe off with a lukewarm washcloth. I then use an additional dab as a moisturizer. My skin feels so much better and I think it looks better too.
My rather oblivious 78 year old father-in-law commented on what a lovely complexion I had last time I saw him!!!!
Just thought I'd mention this other benefit of coconut oil incase anyone wants to try it. :)

[cathair]

How often should/can you use coconut oil? Can you overdo it?

Thank you!

Some people find it makes their hair crunchy, which in turn might make it brittle. It can also become brittle if it's cold, because the oil can solidify on your hair.

Me personally, nope, I can't over do it. Or haven't yet. But I only soak it in oil over night, pre-wash. If I used it after washing it would probably look greasy, my hair gets weight down easily. But it wouldn't be bad, it would just look bad.

[Mary1]

Yes, it's true. I orded Cocozia organic Virgin coconut oil from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J1AE5EW/ref=s9_al_bw_g325_i4/182-2894261-6419234).

[Mary1]

wow! this is great! I should remember this. I bought coconut oil cocozia several times but I cooked with it and I never knew that it could be used like this.. Will grab some more jars from amazon. I use this one: http://www.amazon.com/l/8924075011?channel=posts

[Alacris~]

I bleached my hair a couple of times, on top of old highlighted hair (in order to go from red to blonde) and my hair is still there! That is how awesome it is.

I am slowly noticing some damage and cut of a bit of hair, but it was already damaged a bit and I think I pushed the limits. But it is a miracle that my hair can still look and feel relatively healthy.

For me it doesn't work well on my hair as a oil treatment, but for pre-bleaching it works awesomely~


And in regards to your question, I think general protein/moisture treatments are nice (personally I really like argan oil). But I think coconut oil will be the most important factor in preventing damage.

[maborosi]

So I've actually got experience with this. I posted about it on my blog. (http://happyhairdays.blogspot.com/2015/11/hair-color-adventures-bleaching-over.html) My results and aftercare are there.

My hair is F/M ii and this absolutely saved my hair. I only had a minor increase in dryness that calmed down after a few PT/DT, and a slight increase in splits- but that also seems to have settled down.

That was almost 6 months ago. My hair's still in absolutely amazing shape, and I think I owe nearly all of it to coconut oiling prior to the application of bleach.
No thin ends or fried, dry hair. I'm possibly gearing up to do a second bleach at the end of this year once the demarcation line moves down a bit (Awaaaay from my scalp, lol)

[littlestarface]

Hmm I wonder how coconut oil before and using olaplex too would make the hair?

[thePimpsons]

Feel like you can use coconut oil in everything these days? Health benefits appear unrivalled. Started using it in my food which is apparently better for the ticker too!

[Arciela]

I tried using it before bleaching my hair but it still didn't really spare it from damage. I only did my roots also but far too damaging for my liking...hehe last time was in May by a professional. I drenched my hair in coconut oil but its not nearly the same as it was...I am glad it worked for some though :flower:

[Krissycats]

I tried it last night and I'm very happy with the results. I was afraid that I put too much oil in my hair, but it turned out nicely.

[Ylva]

Hmm I wonder how coconut oil before and using olaplex too would make the hair?

I have done this. I am not sure if I noticed more protective properties, it might be too early to say as there's just a tiny bit of that hair there, but at the very least the result wasn't worse than with just Olaplex.