Round 2: Oil Rinsing

Yesterday I washed my hair. I can never go longer than a week without washing and wash day always feels like a giant exhale to me. #hairwasonitslastleg

As previously done, I separated my hair into 4 sections. Shampooed. Applied my oil of choice, coconut oil. Applied conditioner and rinsed under very warm water. Conditioned again and detangled, plastic cap, 30 min deep condition. Rinsed.

First, coconut oil has never done anything for my hair, so I usually use it on my skin. This time around, using it as an oil rinse yielded amazing results. Did I notice a difference this time around? I kind of think my hair felt even softer than last week, when I used EVOO. However, I did do a DC with the oil and conditioner in my hair so that could have been why my hair felt softer. Coconut is known to be one of the few hair oils that can penetrate the hair shaft… So maybe its healing and moisturizing properties are stronger.

My hair still felt like straw when I applied the oil. It’s surprising how soft it gets after that second condition.

After my deep conditioner I rinsed my hair, leaving a small amount of conditioner (Tresseme Naturals) in my hair. Applied KCNT and a small amount of gel, then put my hair in about 12 medium-large twists to achieve a fluffier look and save time. Ain’t nobody got time for long wash day sessions. Especially when preggo with my first, there’s only so much energy I can devote. I can only imagine how challenging it will be after the baby arrives.

So there you have it, right now I’m still a fan of OR. I hope by using a little conditioner a la Curly Girl Method, my hair will stay moisturized longer than last time. Last time, I was reaching for the KCKT on days 3 and 5.

Speaking of Curly Girl, tried it in the past and it never worked for me. Anyone else ever experiment with the curly girl method?

Have a good weekend!

Oil Rinsing Results w/ Pics

Two days ago I tried oil rinsing my hair. I’m back to report findings on days 1 & 2.
My hair feels remarkably soft and moisturized, not at all as oily, as I feared. It’s very fluffy and tangle-free and feels really strong. I’ll oil rinse for another month to see if this continues. Very excited with the immediate results that I’ve experienced.

******update*********
Day 3, still doing well. Will probably moisturize it a little tonight.

****Update*****
Day 5
My hair was a bit frizzy and dry by day 5, so moisturizing was very necessary. I don’t mind a little frizz but can’t stand dry hair. Typically, I don’t have to moisturize so much. Either it’s that the effects of oil rinsing are strongest for about 3-4 days or it’s due to the dry, warm weather.

***Update***
Day 6
My hair is screaming for a wash! I plan on doing so tonight or tomorrow night. I’ll try oil rinsing again, this time I’ll deep condition once I apply the conditioner.

Apologies for the boring hair style, I’m not very creative in that department.:)

Oil Rinsing on Low Porosity Hair

Oils and I have never really been best friends. However, I’ve always hoped that I could find a way to incorporate them into my routine. My wishes might have been answered. Awhile ago, I was surfing the net and I came across a forum on oil rinsing. The person raved about the results of her oil rinsing trial and it just so happens she has low porosity hair. This made me really curious. So after months of thinking about whether to oil rinse or not, I threw caution to the wind today. It’s still too early to give you my verdict, but I do have some positives to report.

First, for those of you who have never heard of oil cleansing, here’s a quick overview on the process:

Shampoo (optional) + coat hair with a small amount of oil + condition under a stream of very warm water, to rinse out some of the oil and detangle.

Easy enough, right?

This was the first time I’ve tried oil rinsing and thus far I’m happy with the results. I won’t tell you whether I recommend it for lo-po hair until I’ve tried consistently for at least a month. Right now, my hair is damp and in twists, so it’s difficult to say whether it’s effective. I’ll have to see how my hair dries and report back to give you a weekly update.

For now, I’ll walk you through the steps I took and the results I achieved from my first oil rinse.

1. After a trip to the swimming pool, my hair was really dry and in desperate need of moisture. I started off by sectioning my hair into three parts. I shampooed my hair to remove any chemicals from the pool and prepare it for the oil rinse. Next for each section I worked about a handful of extra virgin olive oil into my hair, starting at the ends and working my way up.

***Initial thoughts: disappointed, my hair felt like straw as the oil hit my strands. It never felt soft or supple. Feeling very skeptical.

2. At this point, some suggest sitting under a plastic cap for 30 m – 1 h for a deep, conditioning oil treatment. I decided to go straight to the last step and apply my conditioner (Suave Shea and Almond). I massaged the conditioner into my hair, one section at a time, then attempted to detangle. My hair had a couple of tangles and the comb didn’t glide through it. So, I decided to condition a second time, using more conditioner this time. Suddenly, my hair felt soft, yet strong and smooth. The comb sailed through my hair as the warm water rushed over it. I was truly impressed with the results. I couldn’t stop running my fingers through my hair.

Once I got out of the shower, I examined each section closely. My hair looked remarkably darker and shinier. It was still very easy to comb and very soft and fluffy. I had less curl definition than I usually do when I wash my hair, especially in the front, where my hair is a bit looser. However, for strong and soft hair, I could definitely sacrifice curl definition! I decided to twist my hair and let it air dry over night. Only time will tell whether oil rinsing is an effective moisturizing method for lo-po hair. So I’ll report back with results.

Before oil rinse

after – front

after – back

shiny appearance

shiny when finger coiled

My theory on why this method would work is that conditioners contain emulsifiers that allow water and oil to blend. You probably rinse off some of the oil in the wash process. However, some of it probably binds to the conditioner, allowing you to seal-in moisture and deeply penetrate your hair shaft. I really hope my results live up to my expectations!

made larger twists

trying to stretch twists with flexirods

Have you ever tried oil rinsing, what was your experience?