Have any of you used any kind of generic oil treatment on your hair? I know argan oil (or Moroccan Oil) is big right now, but I'm wondering if anyone has any grocery store finds that have worked well.
I've got thick super-straight hair on the dry side and I want to banish frizz and boost shine. I've read about people massaging olive/coconut/argan oil and leaving it in for a half hour or so. I know hair oil is very common among middle eastern/indian women who seem to always have gorgeous shiny hair. Anyway - has anyone tried it? Good results? Bad?
I love doing oil deep conditioning. My hair is about shoulder length, dry, naturally curly, and THICK. I've bought expensive oil blends, and used cheapo home combos. Coconut oil and mango oil are both great for my hair - olive oil is good, too, but I like the smell of the fruit oils better. I work it into dry hair, comb through, put up in a bun, and leave in as long as I can stand it (even overnight). Then I wash it out and use a little conditioner (I can't skip conditioner even after a deep condition).
My current favorite is kinda expensive - Wen fig oil ($20 for 4 ounces) - mostly because the scent is intoxicating! I also use a few drops on wet hair before I towel dry - helps a lot with frizz. I'm sure any lightweight oil would work - the Wen is in a base of jojoba oil.
I haven't tried oil, but I have similar hair and what works for me is dying it at home. I only dye it one shade off my original color, or sometimes I just dye it my natural color, simply for the benefits. For weeks after, my hair is smooth, shiny, and manageable. The conditioner included in the kit also helps. It's usually about 6-8 weeks before my hair returns to normal. (I find that the best kits are the ones that run around $7-9 at stores like target or walmart. The ones that are $4 can be harsh, as can the ones that cost more than $10. Don't ask me why)
My hair loves coconut, olive, and jojoba oils. Very popular on another forum I go on, the long hair community, where the stuff is pretty much praised as one of the holy grails of haircare.
My personal favorite is extra virgin olive oil with a bit of floral essential oil for scent.. I use it to deep condition, or a drop or two added to the ends as a leave in. Oils are usually best applied to hair that is damp or wet, though some people find that applying the oil to dry hair works better for them.. it really comes down to experimenting to find what works best for the individual.
My tips for trying oils is that: a little goes a long way, and using the purest oils has the best results(extra virgin for olive oil, cold pressed for coconut)
Coconut, olive, and jojoba are also wonderful on skin. I highly recommend them in place of conventional hair/skin moisturizing products.
I have to agree, Coconut oil has done miracles for my hair and skin. My hair is thick, course, naturally curly and prone to frizz and I find using it after my normal shampoo and conditioner as a leave-in conditioner has worked wonders. I also use it as a night-time moisturiser and my skin has improved dramatically, I have combination skin thats prone to spots, and as long as I cleanse in the morning almost all my spots have gone, and I have no dry skin :-)
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I do co-washing and have for months now. In case you aren't familiar with co-washing, you "wash" your hair using only conditioner, no shampoo. My favorite conditioner for doing this is Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter. I have tried many conditioners from very cheap to quite expensive, for my hair, the Almond & Shea Butter is the best. It also smells fantastic!
While my hair is still damp, I work moroccan argan oil (about the size of a dime) into my ends, which tend to be dry. My hair is waist length and color treated. I also add a few drops of moroccan oil to my hair color before applying.
One n Only brand moroccan oil from Sally's and Organix moroccan argan oil, available in Walmart, are 2 of my favorites
Last edited by JerseyGyrl; 09-15-2011 at 05:55 AM.
I have thick, curly, frizzy, dry hair and I've found I've been able to tame it by eliminating shampoo. I know some people might think that's completely gross, but shampoo always dries my hair out—even shampoo meant for dry curly hair. My hair looks awesome when I don't use it.
I really, really want to try the oils mentioned by everyone though! I've always wanted my hair to have that super healthy looking shine and no matter how hard I try I can never get that. I never saw anyone with hair like mine get that so I just thought I never could. I'm going to research all of these and hopefully get the look I've wanted since forever!
Thank you all for such helpful responses! This morning (before reading your replies) I decided to take the plunge and coated my hair in olive oil. I left it on, shampooed it out and conditioned. My hair is smooth and shiny today A little trim of the bangs helped too.
Riddy - I'll have to look out for mango oil, I'll bet it smells WAY better than olive oil!
Kelly315 - I know what you mean re: dying. Something about it makes it nice and smooth, and the conditioner that comes with it is AMAZING. But, I lighten my hair a fair bit now so colouring is kinda tricky. Part of the reason I'm looking to deep condition is to keep my hair healthy post-bleaching. The things we do for beauty...
Horo - good tip re: a little goes a long way. I find a bit of product on the ends of my hair really makes a huge difference, but I don't want a greasy look.
IsobelRose - I think I'm going to try coconut oil too. Olive oil was nice, but I'd like something without the olivey smell that I can use to smooth out a few stray fly-aways and any split ends and I think coconut oil will be good for that.
JerseyGyrl - I like some other products by Organix so I'll keep an eye out for their oil. I've co-washed before but never knew it by that name! Sometimes I just want to rinse product out of my hair and smooth it, and shampoo can strip it of its oils too much.
sontaikle - I would skip shampoo, and I used to, but since going blonder I NEED to use purple shampoo to keep the brasiness at bay. Otherwise, I start to go orange and yellowy very quickly.
Brown - I'll have to keep my eye out for that brand. I know some people have issues with silicones or any -cones, but I don't know enough about them to know what's so bad. I suppose I need to read up. I have read though that silicones are supposed to be great moisturizers so I don't know if I could give that up!
Sorry for such a long reply - just felt you had all said such important things!
Castor oil! Cold pressed castor oil works wonders on the hair (and skin) and is generally much cheaper than other oils.
Lots of ppl are raving about the Morrocan Argan oil and I just don't like it.
I co-wash as well a couple of times a week and deep condition with a mixture of my favorite conditioner, almond oil & castor oil I leave that on with a plastic cap for about 45 mins (although I have left it on for up to 2 hrs) and then shampoo as normal and my hair is sooooo soft and bouncy afterwards.
There are tons of tutorials on youtube about haircare I'm addicted to it!
I have found additional benefits including antibacterial and faster healing factors. These are brought on by the oil's components like Squalene, Oleic and Linoleic acids, Triterpene Alcohols and D-7 Stigmasterol. Thanks...
Great thread with great info! Weight loss has destroyed my hair, and while I'm sure it will even out eventually, it's great to have some ideas for the mean time!
I use coconut oil in my hair, and as a moisturizer. I love the way it makes my hair and skin feel. I generally use it 1-2 times a week on my hair, and daily on my skin. For my hair, I generally leave it in for 2-3 hours before washing it out.
Oh yes!! I had a bleaching disaster a few years ago, and aside from a protein reconstructor, the one thing that stopped my hair snapping off was extra virgin olive oil! Brush your hair when it's dry. Get a healthy dose of EVOO and heat it in the microwave until it's warm, a temperature that'll be comfortable on your scalp. Paint it onto your hair in sections using a tinting brush, working from the bottom, then massage it in. Pile your hair up on top of your head and wrap the lot in cling film, then wrap a hot towel round your head. Leave for half an hour, shampoo twice and don't condition. Maybe some serum or leave-in if you like. Makes your hair super soft and lovely! Should be nice and swishy if you let it dry naturally, spray a heat protector on it then straighten it
Coconut oil (or any oil) on hair
