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Hi Hairy People,
It's been several weeks, actually months, since I last talked about this subject. Now seems as good a time as any to bring it up again -- especially considering how we all tend to like to look our best around the holidays!
For those unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, some of us hair fanatics here have found certain oils to be of great benefit in preventing dry, brittle ends, as well as eliminating the frizzies and "fly-aways", and even helping to lessen and possibly even prevent split ends. Almond oil, Kukui nut oil, Jojoba oil, and even Olive oil are all good oils for applying directly onto the ends and lower portion of the hair
I've narrowed the oiling ritual for myself down to only needing to do it just once a week now. Since I've also recently cut back my thorough shampooing day to only doing that just once a week as well, I'm now calling the whole thing, "my weekly hair treatment day".
Here's the whole decadent ritual that I do, in detail:
1) Get hair wet in shower, applying shampoo according to the bottle's instructions (you know, "Wash - Lather - Rinse - Repeat" - LOL)
2) After thorough rinsing, I then do what I call, "triple conditioning" -- the first application of conditioner is to just help start the process of untangling by letting the water run over it while I finger-comb; the 2nd application of conditioner is when I use a wide-toothed plastic comb, starting with the ends, then gradually working my way up towards the hair on the scalp, until I can finally run that comb through my entire mane, from crown to ends. Then I do a final rinse with cool water. My 3rd & last application of conditioner is whenever i decide to use a leave-in conditioner (but only applying it to the lower third or so of my mane).
3) After blot-drying my hair with a big towel, I then start the air-drying process while I get dressed... 10 or so minutes later, while my hair is still damp, I apply some beneficial oil into the ends and lower half of my mane, massaging it in, and then carefully combing it through. My hair being fairly thick, and long enough to reach my belt now, I put about a large coin-size amount into the palm of my hand. When my hair was only shoulder-blade length, I used less oil (like a dine's worth, instead of a quarter)...
4) The final process in this decadent long hair ritual is to just air-dry in front of a medium-strength fan while I finger-comb and continue to massage the oil into the lower portion of my mane
Just for the record: i NEVER feel the need to have to apply any oil directly onto my scalp (my scalp tend to get oily enough on its own!)... this ritual is just for the hair itself (especially on the lower portion of it).
Occasionally I get lazy and even skip a week in doing this oiling ritual, sometimes even skipping 2, -- but my hair still feels fine, usually.
Also, occasionally sometimes I have been known to apply a bit too much oil onto my hair... In which case, all I have to do is rinse it out with clear water only the next day; but, I'm finding more and more that the oil at the ends is usually going to eventually "soak in", if I'm just patient enough to ride it out out the first day.
That's about all, folks! Oh! I almost forgot: oddly enough, my new favorite oil to use nowadays just so happens to be Olive oil -- it's cheap, easily available everywhere, and will take literally an ETERNITY to run completely out of... AND, you can use it for "other purposes", too!!
- Ken in San Francisco
Hi Ken,
I'm new to the site, been growing my hair now for about 4 months. My hair is very thick also, and now when I wash it I have to use lots of conditioner to comb it.
Anyways, I thought your post was great and learned so much from this.
Peace,
Kenny
Nice routine Ken. I haven't been able to find Jojoba oil.
Paul
Our local super stocked it in the organic/natural foods section.
Bruce
Try Trader Joes
The nearest Trader Joes for him is in Georgia. If you can't find it locally, order it online. You can even get Desert Essence (the same brand they sell at Whole Foods) from Amazon! Yes it's expensive; but you literally use just a few drops at a time. One 4 oz. bottle lasts me a year.
No wonder it didn't catch on as a biofuel, although I suspect at least part of the high cost is that it has to be fit for human contact.
Isn't the internet wonderful for such things.No matter far you are from civilization anything you need can be only a few clicks away.I have found jojoba in a local market so didn't need to resort to the net but its nice having it as backup:)
Mark
Hey Paul,
Olive oil is cheaper, more easily available, and you probably already have it on-hand in your own kitchen... Just don't mix it with Oregano, or you'll smell like a pizza!!
- Ken
Olive oil brought back my hair. Despite I never straighten my hair, dye etc... my hair was still very dry. Grandma tought me to use it once a week. Doesn't take much because it's chocked full of moisture. I tend to prefer the VOO as opposed to the EVOO.
Always a fun read AND educational too!
Thanks for your services Ken!
Bruce
I've used both, Jojoba and Coconut oil. I've even mixed them together and used it that way. (the jojoba keeps the coconut oil from turning back to a solid). I've settled on just coconut oil for now. Works great for me.
Frank