will constant oiling of the scalp cause dryness??

[Victoria44]

I use castor oil on my scalp 4-5 x a week. Even though its thick I still find my scalp drying out, especially around the edges. Given that to keep the HAIR STRAND moisturized, you have to moisturize first, and THEN seal with an oil, wouldn't the same go for the scalp??

why do we apply oil to the scalp before putting a moisturizer on it first??
and by ONLY oiling the scalp, isn't that preventing the scalp from recieving moisture as well, which in time will cause dryness??

these are just a few of my thoughts, please help me out with my constant drying scalp..

by the way, i have in individual braids at the moment, and i apply jamaican black castor oil down all the rows of my hair at night time. then put on my satin scarf.

TIA

 

[MzV1991]

Mhm good questions....I've been noticing the same thing.....castor oil is makingmy new growth feel like a carpet lol it soooo thick compared to the rest of my hair ....I think I will start moisturizing first then apply my oil and see how that goes

 

[divachyk]

I use jbco and it makes the hair soft. I've often wondered why apply oil to the scalp, moisturize, then seal.

I'm not that strict on the order that I oil the scalp and moisturize the hair. Sometimes I moisturize first, other times I apply oil to the scalp first...in any case, I always seal last. I don't notice a difference if I apply oil to the scalp first or moisturize first.

Perhaps you should try jbco. I think I read that cold pressed castor has the same impact as jbco. I didn't/don't have much luck with regular, in-store/laxative castor. I'm using the rest of the laxative castor in my DC to use it up and leaving my jbco for wash day (air dry) sealing. I tend to use other oils (extra virgin coconut oil, wheat germ or hemp) throughout the week.

 

[Victoria44]

I use jbco and it makes the hair soft. I've often wondered why apply oil to the scalp, moisturize, then seal.

I'm not that strict on the order that I oil the scalp and moisturize the hair. Sometimes I moisturize first, other times I apply oil to the scalp first...in any case, I always seal last. I don't notice a difference if I apply oil to the scalp first or moisturize first.

Perhaps you should try jbco. I think I read that cold pressed castor has the same impact as jbco. I didn't/don't have much luck with regular, in-store/laxative castor. I'm using the rest of the laxative castor in my DC to use it up and leaving my jbco for wash day (air dry) sealing. I tend to use other oils (extra virgin coconut oil, wheat germ or hemp) throughout the week.

I use jbco too ! i thought it would keep my SCALP really moisturized. But my scalp is still always dry. Like i don't mind the order in which i moisturize and seal my actual hair, and then oil my scalp. My problem is strictly with the scalp, and how to keep it well moisturized

 

[Nonie]

I think oiling the scalp interferes with your body's own moisturizing mechanism so that pores which would normally produce sebum to keep your scalp moisturized are smothered and quit to function properly.

I don't see why you would need to seal your scalp. A healthy scalp produces sebum as needed so that you never need to worry about moisture loss from it. If it's dry, your body's thermostat will trigger sebum production to balance things out.

Every time we interfere with what our body does normally, we encounter problems. People with oily skin who try to use drying alcohol products to remove the oil just make the skin produce more oil. However, if they used plain water washes or oil cleansing, the oil producing glands do not go into overdrive because they aren't having to make up for an overly drying effect by producing more oil.

I think JBCO or CO should be used on hair. I think the scalp should be left free of product since sebum can take care of it. Also because you have hair "protecting" the scalp, I don't think moisture loss from the scalp is as likely as it is from the hair.

If you baggy nightly, you will never have issues of a dry scalp.

ETA: Incidentally, why did you guys think JBCO would keep the scalp moisturized? In the oil cleansing method, the oilier you skin is, the more Castor oil you add to your oil mixture and if you have dry skin, the less Castor oil you use. As thick as Castor oil is, it's not easily absorbed by skin but it also sends a trigger to your sebum factory that there's plenty of oil out here so shut the pumps...leaving your skin with nothing to keep it moisturized.

I think for a product to be moisturizing to skin, it has to be easily absorbed. The scalp is part of your skin. Drinking water and taking EFAs can also relieve a dry scalp.

 

[divachyk]

I use jbco too ! i thought it would keep my SCALP really moisturized. But my scalp is still always dry. Like i don't mind the order in which i moisturize and seal my actual hair, and then oil my scalp. My problem is strictly with the scalp, and how to keep it well moisturized

I don't rely on one oil. I use other oils throughout the week to help with that. You might try something other than jbco to help with the dry scalp.

 

[charmtreese]

I normally apply oil (jbco or reg. castor) after I wash or moisturize my hair. On my scalp/ng I use a spray moisturizer because it's easier to apply and then I apply my oil. If my hair or ng feels dry after I moisturize and seal I know its time to wash or co-wash!

 

[Tiye]

Sealing is one technique not the only way to apply oil to hair.

With that said oiling your scalp 4-5x in one week is way too much. You're piling on oil and this can block moisture. A light application of oil a clean, dry scalp is fine - layer upon layer of oil is the problem.

 

[silenttullip]

Good points... I like castor oil on my scalp it keeps my scalp from getting dry flakes and itching when I sweat. But I haven't noticed the dryness because my scalp produces a lot of sebum but I think if you naturally have a dry scalp something like a moisturizing butter for example: qhemets burdock root or darcy's scalp conditioner would probably work quite well. You could put some in your hand and add some castor oil to it.

 

[Victoria44]

Good points... I like castor oil on my scalp it keeps my scalp from getting dry flakes and itching when I sweat. But I haven't noticed the dryness because my scalp produces a lot of sebum but I think if you naturally have a dry scalp something like a moisturizing butter for example: qhemets burdock root or darcy's scalp conditioner would probably work quite well. You could put some in your hand and add some castor oil to it.

this makes a lot of sense. I'm going to try mixing my ORS moisturizing lotion, with a tiny bit of castor to see how that works

 

[Keen]

I think oiling the scalp interferes with your body's own moisturizing mechanism so that pores which would normally produce sebum to keep your scalp moisturized are smothered and quit to function properly.

I don't see why you would need to seal your scalp. A healthy scalp produces sebum as needed so that you never need to worry about moisture loss from it. If it's dry, your body's thermostat will trigger sebum production to balance things out.

Every time we interfere with what our body does normally, we encounter problems. People with oily skin who try to use drying alcohol products to remove the oil just make the skin produce more oil. However, if they used plain water washes or oil cleansing, the oil producing glands do not go into overdrive because they aren't having to make up for an overly drying effect by producing more oil.

I think JBCO or CO should be used on hair. I think the scalp should be left free of product since sebum can take care of it. Also because you have hair "protecting" the scalp, I don't think moisture loss from the scalp is as likely as it is from the hair.

If you baggy nightly, you will never have issues of a dry scalp.

ETA: Incidentally, why did you guys think JBCO would keep the scalp moisturized? In the oil cleansing method, the oilier you skin is, the more Castor oil you add to your oil mixture and if you have dry skin, the less Castor oil you use. As thick as Castor oil is, it's not easily absorbed by skin but it also sends a trigger to your sebum factory that there's plenty of oil out here so shut the pumps...leaving your skin with nothing to keep it moisturized.

I think for a product to be moisturizing to skin, it has to be easily absorbed. The scalp is part of your skin. Drinking water and taking EFAs can also relieve a dry scalp.

I hear you but my scalp is natural dry. Theoretically I agree with you. However, practically some people just have dry scalp. We don't produce as much sebum. I think that is why some of us have dry brittle hair. And we need a lot more musture than normal. I feel like my scalp needs moisture just as much as my hair. Since my scalp don't produce much, I use cream or oil on my scalp a alot.

My theory is that people who produce their own sebum tend to have longer hair because they experience less breakage. The sebum travel down the shaft of the hair which means they hair have some moisture without adding anything to it. People with dry scalp do not have that same luxury and are more prone to breakage without constatn manual moisturizing.

 

[Nonie]

I hear you but my scalp is natural dry. Theoretically I agree with you. However, practically some people just have dry scalp. We don't produce as much sebum. I think that is why some of us have dry brittle hair. And we need a lot more musture than normal. I feel like my scalp needs moisture just as much as my hair. Since my scalp don't produce much, I use cream or oil on my scalp a alot.

My theory is that people who produce their own sebum tend to have longer hair because they experience less breakage. The sebum travel down the shaft of the hair which means they hair have some moisture without adding anything to it. People with dry scalp do not have that same luxury and are more prone to breakage without constatn manual moisturizing.

@Keen, I used to have a dry scalp. I used to have dry skin. I no longer do. I had to take the leap of faith and risk going w/o product to see what my scalp is capable of. Trust me, I have seen from experience that if you give your body a chance it can surprise you. I have dared others to give this a shot and it has worked. Sometimes we are to blame for the way our bodies behave. We do more than necessary for things to be normal.

The more you put products on your scalp, the more your scalp quits doing its job because why bother when you seem to have a handle on things.

I don't know if you've been to the skin forum and seen the thread about going to bed with a bare face. Same logic there. People swore their skin had to be moisturized before bed or it'd be dry, till they tried it. Now they say they wake up with a moisturized face that doesn't feel tight and are surprised.

I know the whole concept is scary. I used to get dandruff if my scalp wasn't "oiled" as we called it back home. My teacher dared me in 5th grade not to apply anything. I knew I'd itch like mad and I did for a couple of days. I never looked back. The only time since then that I applied anything to my scalp was when I was using Paltas (coz I was told the tingles make hair grow--Paltas used to make my new growth so soft! And it made my TWA so cute in school) and when I was treating my bald spot in 2003/2004 with an essential oil blend. Other than that, I live for a bare scalp that is squeaky clean. In fact, shampooing my hair is really an excuse to clean my scalp and I don't even avoid SLS!

If your skin is dry too, then that shows dehydration so you do need to drink more water and add EFAs to your diet.