Coconut oil vs olive oil vs argan oil

[kuroi]

I currently use olive oil and coconut oil for my hair, but I actually have no idea what difference they do to my hair. Next week i can buy a small bottle argan oil for a decent price but I have no idea if that would be worth it. The last 6 inches of my hair feel very dry and neither the coconut oil or olive oil seems to make a difference. Only when I put it on it feels nice and slippery and easier to detangle but a feel hours later it feel either if I didn't put anything on or it feels greasy/sticky. Maybe I'm doing it wrong or I need something else as moisterizer. Opinions?

[lapushka]

I have used coconut oil (fractionated, stays liquid all the time) on my hair in the past and it left my hair crunchy and brittle/dry.

I am using a hair mask with argan oil as the third ingredient (no silicones) and it is *awesome*. I also have no issues with other oils, but I somehow do with coconut oil.

[kuroi]

I found that more members have trouble with coconut oil as well indeed. I have the plain coconut oil for cooking which becomes solid. But I'm not sure if it dries my hair out or just doesn't moisterize it so it stays dry. I think my hair might actually be more wavy then I always thought it was. Since clarifying a month ago I seem to be frizz prone but I still dries up as 1b after washing if I let it air dry. But maybe if I manage to moisterize it properly I will turn in 1c or hopefully 2a

[Anje]

Hair can feel dry from a couple different things. Needing oil is only one of them. I'm thinking that if coconut and olive oil aren't making a difference, it's worth trying a not-oil solution to combat the dryness.

So I'd suggest my favorite "something's wrong, let's reset" approach, which works for a lot of people. Start with clarifying your hair, if you haven't done it recently. Unless you have a reason you can't, use a sulfate-filled clarifying shampoo and wash your hair from scalp to ends, lathering all of it but paying special attention to washing the length and ends. If you don't recall the last time you did this or use lots of products, repeat it -- it won't hurt your hair to do this from time to time, though it can be a bit drying. I'd follow it up with an SMT (there's a link in my signature), but if you don't have all the ingredients or don't like some of them, just warm up some favorite conditioner and put it on your length and ends. Cover with a plastic shower cap or a plastic bag, and let it marinate for maybe 30-45 minutes or so, then rinse out.

For a lot of people, that's enough to fix dryness. If your hair comes out of that process feeling dry or stretchy or mushy, you probably need a protein treatment. You can purchase one, or find one of the few recipes floating around that use gelatin or soy sauce as the source of hydrolyzed protein. (In my opinion, eggs aren't a good choice for this.) Follow the directions, concentrating on the length and ends, then follow up with another SMT or the second step of a two-step commercial treatment. That will add moisture back, as protein treatments frequently result in dry, stiff hair.

When your hair is maybe 90% dry, consider putting a teeny amount of oil in. Think on the order of 2 drops, rubbed between your hands and then patted onto the length and ends. Not enough to make your hair look oily, just to hold in a bit of moisture and add a touch of slip. But that's totally optional.

[meteor]

I currently use olive oil and coconut oil for my hair, but I actually have no idea what difference they do to my hair. Next week i can buy a small bottle argan oil for a decent price but I have no idea if that would be worth it. The last 6 inches of my hair feel very dry and neither the coconut oil or olive oil seems to make a difference. Only when I put it on it feels nice and slippery and easier to detangle but a feel hours later it feel either if I didn't put anything on or it feels greasy/sticky. Maybe I'm doing it wrong or I need something else as moisterizer. Opinions?

Hmm, maybe oil is not what your hair needs at this moment? It could need other things, like humectants (maybe try an SMT?) or hydrolyzed protein (I'd try a mild DIY gelatin mask and see how the ends respond to that: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca...pe-update.html).

It could also be a symptom of some build-up (mineral or product)... if the hair feels very different from how it normally feels and you've been using the same products for a while, maybe try switching up products or clarifying and, if that doesn't work, chelating?

Also, what's the history behind your last 6 inches' dryness? Was there any past damage there from chemical processing or heat-styling, maybe? If so, that hair will probably do well with some hydrolyzed proteins, as well as products with ceramides, 18-mea, silicones, etc (you can find them in many "Repair" type conditioners/masks).

Whatever it is, I really hope you'll find solutions!

[Garnetgem]

I have tried coconut oil but was left with tangled hair and a major shedding..argan oil not tried as yet but olive oil is something i have used for a few years now and have no bother with shedding with that whats more hair is left super soft and shiny..

[lapushka]

I -as a rule- never let oils touch my scalp, for the same reason I don't let conditioners touch my scalp (oily/SD/shedding). I think we need to say if we use it on the scalp as well. I don't.

[Obsidian]

I love argan oil for my ends. I don't know if it helps when they are dry but it definitely helps with frizz and added shine without being heavy or greasy.

[ephemeri]

Some people love argan oil! But I think it is a pricier oil (depending on the brand) and for me, it honestly didn't do a whole lot.

People who are protein sensitive can get dry or brittle-feeling hair from coconut oil.

I personally found olive oil to give my hair a weird texture. But I really like almond oil, jojoba oil, and apricot kernal oil. Jojoba is a lighter oil that seems to absorb well. Almond oil feels very moisturizing to me.

[kuroi]

Thanks for the suggestions, I never thought of that. I clarified a month ago and my hair feels more dry and gets more splits since then, so I don't want to do that any time soon again. It was really nessecairy though as I had some weird sticky buildup from trying out co-washing for a few months. I switched to sulfate free shampoo in February but that couldn't fix it (it helped to calm my scalp down though) I try to avoid buildup as much as I can now and wash the least amount of times I can deal with (I only wash it when my scalp gets itchy now which can range somewhere between 4 and 10 days). The water in my city is medium hardness so I guess I developed mineral buildup. I never thought of this and didn't know there was a difference between clarifying and chelating, so again thanks for the suggestion.
I did a lemon rinse today and followed it with a hair mask with hydrolysed keratin, hydrolysed wheat protein and a few different cones the rest of the ingredients looked like standard conditioner ingridients. I followed it again with a lemon rinse and then added a tiny bit of olive oil to the end and let it air dry. It feels better and is less tangly

I don't have experience with hair masks, protein treatments and cones, how often would be 'safe' to avoid buildup as I want to avoid sulfates as much as possible. And can lemon rinses also create buildup or is it safe to use after every wash (for instance). I know everyone's hair reacts differently but as a general guideline what are your opinions.

I probably try smt after my next wash with my regular conditioner and aloe Vera (I have a plant) but I will skip the honey.

I also like lapushka can't have oil or conditioner near my scalp so I stopped that half a year ago.

And it might have be handy to tell that in the beginning but I didn't think of it. The last 6 inches have still some dye damage (I used to dye it black with permanent dye and removed the last bit of dye after it faded and grown out mostly with the lowest % peroxide I could find to get it closer to my natural colour). I dip dye the bottom but manic panic is supposed to be hair friendly so I hope it doesn't do more damage as I like the colour. I use a hair dryer on warm (not hot) on my scalp in the winter but I guess that should be okay. I never used a flat iron or curling iron so it shouldn't be heat damage.

I will do a s&d session today and check this week if my amount of splits doesn't increase again.

Any other suggestions I can try?