Olive oil good as hair treatment or not?

[qijino1236]

I have heard about olive oil being used to clear pores but I am kind of confused because of this …
I asked this question to a youtube user seems very reliable; she has a video about getting an olive oil hot oil treatment and there is a lot positive views. She has 269,000 hits and I have seen other sites that have this same oil treatment method so it sounds very legit. Here is the video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxmZntIuQ_o&feature=plcp . The only thing this...I think I may be confused on the difference between comedency levels and the ability of cleaning of pores(cleaning of junk). From what I understood they as comedency goes up the more clogged the pores(or comedones) would get. Are pores and comedones the same thing?
So then I asked this question to the youtube user:
“ I just had a question about the whole olive oil thing.
I don't know if you have heard of comedogency(Comedogenic simply means likely to cause comedones. Non-comedogenic, therefore, means unlikely to cause comedones! a pimple is a comodone)
I just found on a website that the comedogency of olive oil is 2 out 5
There are other oils have comedogency of 0. I just wanted to make sure you knew that olive oil has significant level of comedogency.
If you do know about that...wouldn't that kind of impede the growth of hair AKA the exact opposite of what is trying to be accomplished(unless the clarifying shampoo combats that comedogency)?”


This was the answer she gave: The olive oil scrubs away any dead skin cells that CLOG hair follicles on your scalp, and the shampoo washes out the oil and any left over dead skin, so this is completely safe.


The keyword in her answer that I am concerned about is the word CLOG(larger comedone level I thought were supposed be a cause of clogging, which in my eyes seem contradictary to what she is saying since olive oil has a significant comedone level)


It isn't that I don't believe her and the other sites that I've heard about this olive oil hot oil treatment. I guess I am just looking for a second opinion from someone who has maybe tried the olive oil hot oil treatment.

[DarkCurls]

I'm sorry, that youtube user is not reliable. She claims your hair will grow four inches in a week using her method and advises not to use conditioner but a clarifying shampoo every day. Ouch.

I have to say I don't even know what the word "comedogency" means, but I can assure you that olive oil works great as a hair treatment. Obviously it depends on the head of hair, but my hair likes it, and so does my scalp.

[Amber_Maiden]

I'm sorry, that youtube user is not reliable. She claims your hair will grow four inches in a week using her method and advises not to use conditioner but a clarifying shampoo every day. Ouch.

I have to say I don't even know what the word "comedogency" means, but I can assure you that olive oil works great as a hair treatment. Obviously it depends on the head of hair, but my hair likes it, and so does my scalp.


She's definitely not reliable. And have no idea what that word means either- I suspect it's not a real word.

I use olive oil on my hair and love it. I don't really use it on my scalp.

[pepperminttea]

I'm sorry, that youtube user is not reliable. She claims your hair will grow four inches in a week using her method and advises not to use conditioner but a clarifying shampoo every day. Ouch.

Ditto. I love extra virgin olive oil as a hair treatment, and I'd really recommend it, but using a clarifying shampoo everyday without conditioner? That would trash my hair in no time. Your best bet is to remove the oil afterwards with conditioner-only washing which'll be much gentler.

Incidentally, there's another thread on the video here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=97263).

[sakuraemily]

As a skin treatment, olive oil causes problems for some but, as a ahair treatment it rocks! It makes your hair really smooth and soft n u'll notice d results rite from the first wash. Just saturate your hair and scalp with it and leave it on as long as you like(the longer the more effective). Just be acreful about the oil dripping on your face.

[HoneyBunBun]

She's definitely not reliable. And have no idea what that word means either- I suspect it's not a real word.

I use olive oil on my hair and love it. I don't really use it on my scalp.

It's a real word, I promise! =)

com·e·do·gen·ic

[kom-i-doh-jen-ik]
adjective (especially of a cosmetic or skin-care product) tending to clog pores and encourage the formation of blackheads.

In the medical dictionary, it just says "Tending to produce or aggravate acne".

I haven't read anything about a comedogenic scale for oils but, as with all things, I think it depends on the person. For me, Olive Oil in my treatments was a bust. No matter how much I rinsed and washed and rinsed again, my hair felt stringy after.

I think if you're concerned about build up and dead skin and oils clogging your pores, you could try to brush your hair before doing an initial wash to loosen all that stuff up and help your shampoo rinse it away. You could also maybe finish your treatment with an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse?

Give it a try, if it works for you, you have a new go-to treatment. If not, just move on! =) Good luck!

[march_sun]

My hair loves olive oil. I sometimes use it on my skin before I shower and then wash it off with soap. I love the results.

[palaeoqueen]

My hair likes olive oil too, I have to shampoo though, it doesn't come out with conditioner.

[earthnut]

Comedogenicity is on a scale of 0-5. Oils with a rating of 3 or higher are considered comedogenic, and oils with a rating of 0-2 are considered non-comedogenic. So olive oil is non-comedogenic. However, as you say, it's not the most non-comedogenic. If your skin is sensitive and you want a less comedogenic oil, there are a few out there. Mineral oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, and shea butter have a rating of 0.

For hair, however, comedogenicity doesn't matter. (it matters for the scalp, but not for the hair) For hair, the penetration ability is what's important. Olive oil is penetrating, though not highly so. Penetrating oils reach the cortex of the hair, instead of just lying on the surface. Therefore, olive oil is great as a deep treatment for hair. It doesn't matter if you add heat or not, just leave it on for 15 minutes and you'll be getting the benefits. You can read more about the penetration ability of oils by clicking the "oils" link in my siggy.

[catamonica]

I mix olive oil in my shampoo & conditioner, and face cream. It's great stuff.

[akilina]

I have yet to try it on my hair for fears it will really make my henna come out a bit. Every time I do a DT or oil I notice orange in the rinse out :(

On the other hand, my second cousin who is 68 or somewhere around this point absolutely swears by olive oil. He is an alfalfa farmer out in Arizona and lived in the Mojave desert his whole life. He does NOT look that old at all. He uses it on his skin, hair, and takes a dose of it internally every day. It is obviously showing on him that this really works wonders for him.

I also remember having to do a project in History class years ago and I learned somewhere that some people (geez I can't even remember who they were or what part of the country they lived in) would use a mixture of olive oil and sand as sort of a scrubbing wash. :) I thought that was cool too.