About oils. (hair feels hard)

[melahnee]

is anybody else like this?
I'm not sure if I'm using the wrong oil but I don't think so because I've used coconut, extra virgin olive oil, triple nutrition by garnier, baby oil lol, vitamin E oil.

Oils seem to work for me only when I do rinses/wash them out. They make my hair crunchy and give me ssk's also make my hair greasy, even if I use a little bit.
I've been moisturizing my hair with conditioner and water lately without sealing. This has been working quite well for me; I've found that wetting my hair everyday is really good. My hair is definitely a moisture lover.

 

[bellebebe]

Girl, do what works for you. What works for others may not work for you.

 

[nubiennze]

I went through the same thing when I first got into hair forums and natural hair bandwagoning. It wasn't until I researched porosity that it clicked why moisturizing and sealing with certain popular oils--most notably coconut and shea butter--never worked for me. Just as you described, they left my hair brittle-feeling, hard, and greasy. Incorporating the LOC method, steaming, and (to a lesser extent) baggying has completely turned my hair around.

If your hair is indeed low porosity as I suspect, I think you're on the right track with daily wetting (I did this back in the day when I was texturized, and my hair thrived; I only abandoned it to follow the trends that seemed to be working for everyone else) and moisturizing without sealing. For moisturizing, I'd also try penetrative oils that don't contribute to protein retention, like olive and castor. Like you, I only use oils that encourage protein retention (i.e. coconut and avocado) when I'm going to rinse them out.

If you haven't done so already, searching here for "low porosity" and "protein sensitivity" may help. HHG and best wishes on your journey!

ETA: I reread and noticed that you mentioned olive oil in your OP. It may work better for you using the LOC (i.e. Liquid-Oil-Cream) method. I'd start off with just one oil or butter with which you've had decent results. I've always had good results with JBCO and/or mango butter, but YMMV. The only way to really tell what will work on your particular head is trial and error.

Also--and this is important--I only apply product on damp to wet hair. For me, oil + dry LP hair = erplexed. I also always use water & glycerin in the liquid phase, no matter what the time of year (although I live in a mild, humid climate, and my styling choices never require me to go outside with a wet head, so again...YMMV). My results are drastically different--as in drier/crunchier--when I don't use glycerin.

 

[Eiano]

Yep,

I would LOVE to have been able to claim Coconut Oil as many users with BOMB hair use it daily, but for me, my hair becomes dry when using it.

 

[faithVA]

is anybody else like this?
I'm not sure if I'm using the wrong oil but I don't think so because I've used coconut, extra virgin olive oil, triple nutrition by garnier, baby oil lol, vitamin E oil.

Oils seem to work for me only when I do rinses/wash them out. They make my hair crunchy and give me ssk's also make my hair greasy, even if I use a little bit.
I've been moisturizing my hair with conditioner and water lately without sealing. This has been working quite well for me; I've found that wetting my hair everyday is really good. My hair is definitely a moisture lover.

My hair is like this. I have tried 80% of the oils and they either leave my hair hard or greasy or feeling sort of brittle. I can get by with a little apricot oil or sunflower oil. In the past month I have dropped the oils and have been using just a leave-in, a heavy cream and a styler. My hair has been doing much better. I have oil to use up so sometimes I will dab a little on the outside just because.

You have found what is working for you so continue with that.

 

[Saludable84]

My hair is low po, so not many oils prosper well with me. My limited selection is ceramide oils on dry hair. Right now, I'm using castor oil, but even that is a fail as it leaves my hair crunchy. Low po hair shouldn't use penetrating and heavy oils (hence coconut oil and castor oil). I find I don't have to seal daily either. 1-2x a week is fine for me.

Please excuse my iPhone

 

[Ogoma]

I am able to use light oils effectively. Anything else is just greasy on my hair. I also use oil after liquid and before cream. There is no final sealing with oils or butters for me. The oil locks in the water and the conditioning agents in the cream provide the softening and the smooth feel. I did my hair on Sunday, took it down to cowash this morning and it was still so soft and moisturized.

I really wanted to take advantage of all the benefits oils provide so very glad I got them to work for me.

My fave oil is meadowfoam seed oil. I also like rice bran and grapeseed oils. I just starting trying out fractionated coconut oil so time will tell if it holds up, but so far so good.

 

[hnntrr]

I 2nd what everyone else said, I use avacado and tea tree oil and only very lighty. My hair stays moisturized by washing three times a week and a little bit of oil (also I think my hair likes aloe). It also helps that it seems the curl activator I uses helps as a sealant as well.

 

[imsovain]

Oils work great on my skin but make my hair hard like the OP mentioned. Don't understand it! Gonna try the low porosity routines mentioned.

 

[GettingKinky]

I don't think my hair is low po, because it dries pretty fast once I get out of the shower, but oils make my hair hard too, unless my hair is damp and then I follow it with a cream. Since I started doing LOC my hair has been very happy.

 

[Arian]

My hair doesn't care for oils either.