Oil on wet hair = adequately moisturized wurls?! Finally?

[Charybdis]

Today I tried something different. Like a lot of people whose hair falls somewhere in the 2s, I have wicked frizz, especially in the baby hairs around my hairline. My hair seems to like heavy pre-wash oilings, but it's still always frizzy, and its texture always feels best before it finishes drying completely after washing. I take this to mean that my hair needs more moisture. (I know for sure it doesn't need more protein.) Today, though, my hair feels moisturized, and actually has less frizz, even without gel or other hair products!

A little background: I can't give up sulfates because I have seborrheic dermatitis, and my scalp goes crazy if I don't use shampoo with sulfates every few days. Because I use sulfates, I also use coney conditioners. My hair tangles too much without them, and I don't seem to have buildup problems. My standard routine when washing my hair: 1) wet my hair, 2) condition the length, 3) wash my scalp and rinse the suds through the length, 4) recondition the length and put a little conditioner near my hairline, then 5) do a final rinse. My scalp needs shampooing at least every 3-4 days, but it likes being massaged with oil.

Today, instead of oiling my hair before my shower, I oiled my hair *during* the shower after wetting it thoroughly in Step 1. I used 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil -- a quarter cup or a bit less, but not much less. So, LOTS of oil. I concentrated on the length and especially the ends, but I also put some on the super-frizzy baby hairs around my hairline and the top of my head.

Everything else I did basically the same. I could tell that the conditioner on my length hadn't totally gotten the oil out, but I figured that was no bad thing given how frizzy my hair tends to be.

Now that my hair has had 8+ hours to air dry, the results are AMAZING. My hair feels moisturized all the way to the ends, and even my frizz halo is tamped down and blending with the rest of my hair. My wurl pattern is nicely defined, and my hair flows together silkily when I comb it. Is this what properly moisturized hair is supposed to feel like?!

Anyway, I don't think this would work on fine hair, hair that is straighter than 2a, or hair that has super-low porosity. But if you have hair that is 2a/2b or wavier and M or C texture, this method may be worth a try. The secret seemed to be getting the hair thoroughly wet before putting the oil on, and then using LOTS of oil. My hair is barely APL, and I really did use almost a quarter cup of oil. I remember a recent thread where piffyanne (IIRC) talked about getting these kinds of results from applying conditioner to dry rather than wet hair before CO washing, but that didn't really do the trick for me, probably because I have to do CWC rather than CO. So, this method of heavy oil on wet hair may be useful for people who have wavy M or C hair, but can't give up shampoo with sulfates for whatever reason.

I'm off to bed now, but I'd love to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience with dumping lots of oil on their wet wavy hair in the shower! :cheese:

[CurlySasha]

Ooh this sounds great! I'll try this soon :D I hope my curls like it!

[Amygirl8]

Sounds good!
I don't know if I should try it, as my hair is more on the fine side (and I've yet to determine if I'm really a 1b or if I'm 1c or even 2a) but it's awesome that it worked for you! =D

[afu]

Glad to hear you found something that works really well for you :) my hair hates oil on wet hair and I get the opposite - major frizz!

[Tia2010]

My hair loves oil on wet hair too :D But only certain oils. I usually put about 6 drops of Mineral oil on my wet hair after my shower and it works great! I have done a coconut 'in shower oiling' but never olive oil, I may have to give it a shot... although both olive and argon seem to work better on my hair when its damp as opposed to wet.

[caadam]

I'll put oil on damp or dry hair. I doesn't make much of a difference for me, but it does for others. And glad to hear your oiling experiment worked so nicely. :D

[Charybdis]

Thanks, ladies! Yeah, I was shocked. My baby-hair frizz generally will not be tamed without use of styling products. I imagine this wouldn't work for lots of people, but I thought I'd bring it up just in case another frizz sufferer happens to find it useful. I think it worked for me because my hair has trouble hanging on to moisture, and because it has enough texture and volume that it looks OK with a little residual oil distributed throughout the hair. I felt like I got more even oil distribution and better moisture retention than I do from applying small amounts of oil to damp hair after getting out of the shower. My ends still feel nice and soft this morning; will have to see how the frizz halo is doing by the end of the day.

[Astraea]

I may be a bit unclear, but it seems to me you're describing an oil rinse, is that so? I know there are different varieties of oil rinsing people use to fortify strands and keep hair from absorbing too much product. Either way I'm glad this is working for you! I rinse my hair everyday and lock in the moisture with a triple-threat, Brazilian oil pomade (which I know isn't for everyone) and my hair loves it!

[Bene]

It never occurred to me to oil hair when it's dry.

[HintOfMint]

This sounds awesome, but would you mind clarifying (heh) a few things? You say you CWC, so when exactly do you do the oiling on wet hair? Is it before you slather on the first layer of conditioner and before you shampoo but still after you wet your hair? Or is it after you rinse out the first step of conditioner and shampoo?

[PolarCathy]

Sounds like "oil rinsing" that btw I love.

[Charybdis]

This sounds awesome, but would you mind clarifying (heh) a few things? You say you CWC, so when exactly do you do the oiling on wet hair? Is it before you slather on the first layer of conditioner and before you shampoo but still after you wet your hair? Or is it after you rinse out the first step of conditioner and shampoo?

After wetting my hair, but before applying the first coat of conditioner and shampooing my scalp. HTH!

ETA: After unbraiding my hair and combing it again this morning, it looks a bit over-oiled in places now that it's completely dry. The frizz still looks tamer than usual, though! And the ends still feel nice. I think I just need to use a lighter conditioner on the length to get a bit more of the oil out next time.

[HintOfMint]

After wetting my hair, but before applying the first coat of conditioner and shampooing my scalp. HTH!

ETA: After unbraiding my hair and combing it again this morning, it looks a bit over-oiled in places now that it's completely dry. The frizz still looks tamer than usual, though! And the ends still feel nice. I think I just need to use a lighter conditioner on the length to get a bit more of the oil out next time.

Thanks! Yeah, pre-wash oiling can be a hit or miss with me with the risk of over-oiling.

[ladylowtide]

I had problems of frizz because I wear my hair braided 24/7 and when it comes down it is well in the 2s with braid waves. I found mixing some oil into my conditioner that I CWC with has helped dramatically with frizz. Also nice on my dry porous ends.

[myHairGrowth]

I want to try this. I usually put coconut oil on my damp hair to tame the frizz. Let me see how well my hair responds to it. I ve never tried CWC.

[HintOfMint]

I just tried a modification of this. I wet my hair thoroughly, then worked about 2 - 3 tablespoons of coconut oil through my hair. I combed it through with my fingers and then dunked my hair under the shower again to wet it.

Then instead of doing CWC, I shampooed my roots and full length with a sulfate-free shampoo (L'oreal Evercreme shampoo) which has a bit of cones in it. I rinsed and finished with a Tresemme Naturals conditioner.

After I got out of the shower, I dabbed some jojoba oil on the ends.

I'm waiting for my hair to dry at the moment. It is very easy to comb, very tangle free. It feels a bit over-oiled, and did even before I did the jojoba on the ends but we'll see how it is when dry. Fingers crossed!

[HintOfMint]

Update!

Well, I definitely over-oiled my hair, but not in an extreme way. I should probably stick to a tablespoon instead of the 2-3 I used.

But the amazing thing is that my dry ends are significantly reduced! Even a clarifying and SMT didn't get rid of them to this extent.

This is definitely something I'm going to incorporate into my regimen.

[meteor]

How is this method different from putting a mix of conditioner and a lot of olive oil on your damp hair before shampooing and conditioning? Does it matter that you first apply oil and then conditioner, or would the mix of the two achieve the same results on wet hair?

[piffyanne]

You stuck my name in it and EVERYTHING (I can't believe you remembered me! :flower:) and I'm only seeing this now?? :rolleyes:

I gotta try this!

My hair has an oily look after the leave-the-conditioner-in-while-dry-then-rinse routine, but not a dirty look per se. It also let's me stretch washes more gracefully. I do it when I plan a week of updos.

Maybe this will give the nice hair feeling without the desire to keep it up constantly! :D

[pocketfulla]

Today I tried something different. Like a lot of people whose hair falls somewhere in the 2s, I have wicked frizz, especially in the baby hairs around my hairline. My hair seems to like heavy pre-wash oilings, but it's still always frizzy, and its texture always feels best before it finishes drying completely after washing. I take this to mean that my hair needs more moisture. (I know for sure it doesn't need more protein.) Today, though, my hair feels moisturized, and actually has less frizz, even without gel or other hair products!

A little background: I can't give up sulfates because I have seborrheic dermatitis, and my scalp goes crazy if I don't use shampoo with sulfates every few days. Because I use sulfates, I also use coney conditioners. My hair tangles too much without them, and I don't seem to have buildup problems. My standard routine when washing my hair: 1) wet my hair, 2) condition the length, 3) wash my scalp and rinse the suds through the length, 4) recondition the length and put a little conditioner near my hairline, then 5) do a final rinse. My scalp needs shampooing at least every 3-4 days, but it likes being massaged with oil.

Today, instead of oiling my hair before my shower, I oiled my hair *during* the shower after wetting it thoroughly in Step 1. I used 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil -- a quarter cup or a bit less, but not much less. So, LOTS of oil. I concentrated on the length and especially the ends, but I also put some on the super-frizzy baby hairs around my hairline and the top of my head.

Everything else I did basically the same. I could tell that the conditioner on my length hadn't totally gotten the oil out, but I figured that was no bad thing given how frizzy my hair tends to be.

Now that my hair has had 8+ hours to air dry, the results are AMAZING. My hair feels moisturized all the way to the ends, and even my frizz halo is tamped down and blending with the rest of my hair. My wurl pattern is nicely defined, and my hair flows together silkily when I comb it. Is this what properly moisturized hair is supposed to feel like?!

Anyway, I don't think this would work on fine hair, hair that is straighter than 2a, or hair that has super-low porosity. But if you have hair that is 2a/2b or wavier and M or C texture, this method may be worth a try. The secret seemed to be getting the hair thoroughly wet before putting the oil on, and then using LOTS of oil. My hair is barely APL, and I really did use almost a quarter cup of oil. I remember a recent thread where piffyanne (IIRC) talked about getting these kinds of results from applying conditioner to dry rather than wet hair before CO washing, but that didn't really do the trick for me, probably because I have to do CWC rather than CO. So, this method of heavy oil on wet hair may be useful for people who have wavy M or C hair, but can't give up shampoo with sulfates for whatever reason.

I'm off to bed now, but I'd love to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience with dumping lots of oil on their wet wavy hair in the shower! :cheese:

Thanks so much for posting this! Your hair sounds exactly like mine, especially the part about the frizzy little baby hairs around the hairline! Although I can go up to 8 days without washing my hair, and my scalp isn't too bad when it comes to the itchies.

But I'm so excited to try this when I have my next wash! Thanks again :)

[PetuniaBlossom]

OP, I also had seborrheic dermatitis years ago. I went to a dermatologist, who told me to immediately reduce my consumption of coffee and chocolate (two of my basic food groups!) because they're so high in caffeine, which was over-exciting my scalp. He recommended a dandruff shampoo that contained salicylic acid (Had never heard of that before.)
I followed his directions and after a few weeks the SD went away and has never returned.
I stopped using the special shampoo. I love coffee and chocolate just as much but consume it in moderation. Maybe that might be helpful for you?

[earthnut]

It sounds like you're doing an oil pre-poo. Like conditioning before shampooing in CWC, but with oil. I do that with coconut oil sometimes.

You may find that after a while, your hair becomes over-conditioned (very soft, straighter, fly-away, a fine halo of frizz). If so, after a protein treatment, the oil will work well again.

[Charybdis]

OP, I also had seborrheic dermatitis years ago. I went to a dermatologist, who told me to immediately reduce my consumption of coffee and chocolate (two of my basic food groups!) because they're so high in caffeine, which was over-exciting my scalp. He recommended a dandruff shampoo that contained salicylic acid (Had never heard of that before.)
I followed his directions and after a few weeks the SD went away and has never returned.
I stopped using the special shampoo. I love coffee and chocolate just as much but consume it in moderation. Maybe that might be helpful for you?

I've quit coffee before and not noticed any difference in my scalp's behavior, and I don't really eat much chocolate, so I doubt changing my diet in that regard would make any difference. The things that really drive my scalp nuts are spending too much time hot and sweaty, and stress. But as long as I wash with a coal-tar containing shampoo (e.g., Neutrogena T-Gel) once or twice a week, that keeps things under control even in the stressful, sweaty times. ;)

I have to confess I've not done much oil rinsing (if that's the right term for the technique) since the original post, because it makes my already time-consuming washes more time-consuming. I've been really liking Aussie 3 Minute Miracle lately as the second conditioner in my CWC routine for holding in moisture. (I use a light non-coney conditioner to condition the length before I shampoo my scalp, then the 3MM after shampooing.)

If anyone else has tried oiling wet wavy hair recently, I'd love to hear about your results! Getting the amount of oil right seems to be the hard part. I also need to experiment with *small* amounts of mineral oil on damp hair....

ETA: earthnut, FWIW, I have never ever had over-conditioned hair. I've occasionally not gotten enough of the oil out when washing my hair after doing a heavy oiling, but it's clear in those cases that there's oil on the surface of the strands weighing them down. My hair isn't prone to excessive stretching or breaking, and its texture feels off after using high-protein products, so I generally eschew treatments that add protein.

[spirals]

Well, we're similar in that oil goes on wet hair. But I do it in a different order. I wash, condition with acidified conditoner or do an acid rinse (same results, depends on my mood), and rinse with plain water. While it's still dripping-wet from that, while still in shower, I scrunch in a leave-in that's mostly oils before wrapping in a towel. I thought about using oil, but I'm afraid it would be difficult to distribute a small enough amount of oil through without wrecking the curl pattern. I'd essentially have to rake it through. I may try that, though. Who knows? Maybe my hair will like it.

[ChasingRainbows]

Ooooh!!! DEFINITELY trying this tomorrow! This is extremely convenient, because I was hoping to EVOO my hair tomorrow, and was debating when to do it. Thanks so much for sharing!!

[Moonfall]

I think it could maybe work for me as well, but I still need to find the right oil for my hair. :(