I’m in love!!

Puffff · 07-09-2012, 09:13 AM

*Start awesome rant on coconut oil*

I’ve been reading about the wonders of coconut oil for a while but was a little weary of using it (there’s something about putting oil in my hair that makes me nervous). In any case I decided to give it a try. I have fine, thin, 3b hair and have been attempting to grow it out for years (mbl). I’m pretty sure that the reason my hair has never been past my shoulders is due to breakage so in addition to taking better care of it (not washing as often, not using my straightner, and cutting out silicones) I decided to give this coconut oil thing a try as it’s supposed to help strengthen hair.

I was to eager to wait until I could get to a health store (closest one is an hr away) so I ran to Walmart and got a 15oz jar of Spectrum Organic Coconut oil. I know lots of curlies on here said they preferred the virgin or extra virgin but the back of the Spectrum container gave directions for hair use…so I decided to give it a go…I mean I figured if I didn’t like it I could just use it for cooking.

The instructions I followed online were to take 2 tsp of coconut oil, distribute through damp/wet hair evenly, cover with shower cap and leave on for an hour up to overnight, and than wash and condition. I was a little disappointed when I opened my container of coconut oil as it didn’t smell anything like coconuts…in fact it didn’t have a scent at all (though my cat seemed to smell something and kept trying to get at it lol).

I left it in last night and man was I surprised when I woke up! I never (never) get 2nd day hair. No matter how I go to bed (wet hair, dry hair, pineapple etc.) I never get nice looking curls in the morning. Well, this morning when I took my pineapple down I had gorgeous curls just hanging there! I was sooo tempted to just leave it but decided to go on and wash it. Now, I hate washing my hair, I hate the stripped feeling I get after I shampoo…well it didn’t happen! After I rinsed all the shampoo out my hair was still soft and ‘moisturized’ feeling. I conditioned, rinsed and got out of the shower…my hair didn’t fee greasy or oily but it definitely felt a lot better than it usually does when I wash.

Since I’m just at home today I decided to forgo using my regular conditioner and instead just put some more coconut oil in my hair to see how it would work. I only used 2 pea-sized drops and even though my hair isn’t completely dry yet I can already see that there’s no frizz (probably won’t be any), and perfect clumping. My hair even looks slightly different than when I use conditioner…instead of large clumps (that turn into large curls) I have lots of little but perfectly defined curls. =D (my cat likes it too...she keeps sniffing my hair and purring).

I’m excited to see what it looks like when it’s dry! Because I’m paranoid about oil weighing my hair down I hardly put any by the roots…mostly I concentrated on the ends and mid part (generally when I put in conditioner I don’t put any at my roots). I’m also curious to see how this coconut oil would work mixed with the conditioner I usually use to style. Has anyone mixed their LI with coconut oil?

I’m going to the health store tomorrow and am going to look at picking up some virgin coconut oil. The kind I got works but I was really let down by the lack of scent (I love the smell of coconuts!). What brands do you curlies like?

Has anyone else tried this brand of coconut oil? How did you use it? How did it work for you? And does anyone know what the difference between regular coconut oil and virgin coconut oil is?

Gracielou · 07-09-2012, 04:43 PM

Oh, so excited about this! I just used Coconut Oil in my hair for the first time at the end of my shower just now, and my hair was curlier right before I plopped than it has EVER even come close to being while still basically sopping wet.

*crossing fingers it stays that way after plopping and drying*

lcl0706 · 07-09-2012, 04:58 PM

Have you tried other oils besides coconut and had bad experiences? I have fine, thin hair too & my experience with grapeseed oil was such a disaster I've been terrified to try anything else. Maybe I just used way too much. What kind of shampoo did you use to wash it out with? What is it about coconut oil that seems to work so well for many people?

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Gracielou · 07-09-2012, 08:07 PM

Epic fail. Haha...I think I used too much GVP conditioning balm as a LI.

My hair is stringy and very over-conditioned. I'm not giving up on oils in my hair, though. Will experiment again tomorrow!

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curry curls · 07-10-2012, 08:53 AM

Puffff, I use Nutiva from Whole Foods. I think that's the name. It smells really good. I think the label says "extra virgin". Extra virgin is the least processed I believe. I generally just use it overnight in my hair. I also use it on my skin.

raindear · 07-10-2012, 09:31 AM

Just a quick note to say if your cat will eat the coconut oil, it will help with hairballs. About 1/2 tsp per 5 lbs cat weight.

Devushka · 07-10-2012, 02:02 PM

Refined, virgin coconut oil is definitely my 'go to' oil (with EVOO coming in second). Coconut (and EVOO) do well with my hair because it soaks in so well. I tried grapeseed oil, and it absolutely just sat on my hair and looked greasy. I primarily use coconut oil for pre-pooing (which basically sounds like what you did when you put it on your hair, went to bed, and washed your hair in the morning).

Glad you tried it and liked it so much.

Puffff · 07-10-2012, 05:06 PM

lcl0706I’ve actually never tried ‘straight up’ oil before however, I have had bad experiences with products that contain a lot of different oils. The only reason I wanted to try the coconut oil is because it’s supposed to absorb into your hair vs. just sitting on top of it and making it look and feel greasy (in fact I’m pretty sure it’s one of only 2 oils that your hair is able to absorb). But yeah, I was very careful (this time) to use just a tiny bit. In fact I probably could have used a little more.

Curry curls Going to Whole Foods next week so I’ll have to check out the Nutiva coconut oil there. Thanks for the tip! How do you use the coconut oil on your skin? I loved the way my hands felt after I had worked it through my hair…was trying to figure out if there was a way I could use it for shaving or something.

Raindear That is so funny! Haha, I actually looked up online coconut oil and cats to see what I could find. Apparently it’s good for their fur too…who would have thought.

Gracielou so did you use LI with the oil than? I really want to try but I’m worried it will be too much for my hair lol Let me know how your experimenting goes. I’m going to try mixing some conditioner with my coconut oil (a little at a time) to see what happens.

sweetkitkat45 · 07-10-2012, 05:49 PM

Never be scared to try a different oil. I've been going Africa's best herbal oil, only a small amount and my hair seems to like it. Argon oil has been my godsend though, it makes my hair feel so good and it smells amazing. I use it as a leave in and daily moisturizer.

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CurlyRapunzel · 07-10-2012, 07:09 PM

I want to try coconut oil SO bad but I can't find it anywhere! (I live in the Dominican Republic)

I think i'll have to buy it online or something...

Today I started using sweet almond oil to seal my ends, though I'm kinda tempted to put it on my scalp but at the same time the idea freaks me out :S

curry curls · 07-10-2012, 07:11 PM

[]
Curry curls Going to Whole Foods next week so I’ll have to check out the Nutiva coconut oil there. Thanks for the tip! How do you use the coconut oil on your skin? I loved the way my hands felt after I had worked it through my hair…was trying to figure out if there was a way I could use it for shaving or something.

I think I messed up the quote. Anyhow, funny you should mention shaving. I used my oil for just that today

. I *loved* it. I think I'm going to keep using it for shaving. I just scooped some out and used it like I usually use soap for shaving.

I use coconut oil for the oil cleanse method. You can google it if you aren't familiar with it. I think there was a thread in the skincare section on here about oil cleansing. I make my own rosemary coconut oil and rub it onto my face. I steam it with a washcloth, rinse it off, and then moisturize with coconut oil. I'm adding Shea butter these days for more moisture. I also use coconut oil to moisturize my body. I put Shea on top of that. My skin is super dry. Hope this helps. I wish I had learned about the oil cleanse method years ago...been doing this for 4 years now. :-).

lcl0706 · 07-11-2012, 08:50 AM

Well I attempted to pre-poo with it last night but was still so scared I don't think I used enough, it was just a tiny tiny bit on my really dry front layers. Didn't notice a bit of difference.

Today I tried out the FSG I finally made last night. Tomorrow (or tonight when I shower) I will try a small bit of coconut oil as a LI or sealer and report back.

HeadDress · 07-12-2012, 05:37 AM

I LOVE coconut oil as well. Spectrum does make an unrefined version which is the one I use. I've used it on top of my LI underneath my gel. I've also used it to SOTC and to tame 2nd day hair.
I use it as a moisturizer... It beats any moisturizer I've ever used from the lowest to the highest priced. I also use it all over my body under lotion. It def gives a different sort of suppleness. It's also helped with my husband's dry scalp. Nothing else has worked for him. Love it!

HeadDress · 07-12-2012, 05:38 AM

Forgot to mention that I found the Spectrum unrefined in the cooking isle at my local grocer.

lcl0706 · 07-12-2012, 07:13 AM

Last night I showered - low pooed, RO was biolage conditioning balm. Coated my hands with half a palmful of coconut oil & distributed it in damp hair.

Slept.

Woke up this AM & my dry front sections were noticeably softer. But my roots looked greasy. Thankfully it appeared to cowash out just fine this morning!

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Alycat · 07-14-2012, 02:52 AM

I've got very fine fluffy hair which seems to like most oils, used sparingly, as an overnight pre-poo. I bought coconut some time ago but it seemed so greasy on my skin I was afraid to try it on my hair.

Finally decided CG wasn't working for me, so gave up all styling products, but then of course couldn't give up my endless quest to improve my hair - so tried the coconut oil and found it sank into my hair overnight.

It was still so greasy I HAD to wash it out though, but once I had washed I got smooth, bouncy curls - even better than I get after a protein treatment - and I'm still getting them several weeks in.

I use the coconut about every other wash and either follow with a tiny amount of RO or not, depending how my hair feels.

I think coconut's supposed to hold protein in in the hair, rather than actually being protein, so I'm going to buy some more gelatin today and try a protein treatment as well.

I'm also going to have another try with it as body lotion and definitely as an oil face cleanser. It doesn't seem to sink into my skin, so it feels oily on the surface but dry underneath - am I missing a trick here or does my skin just not like it? My hair certainly does!