| Oils For Your Hair: 411 |
| Karen Marie. Shelton |
| Revised Date: 09/20/07 - Original
Publication Date: 3/20/2002 |
Introduction
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|
Patrick Cameron
Cream Collection
Photography: Alastair Hughes
Make-up: Alison Chesterton |
|
Patrick Cameron
All Rights Reserved. |
Women for centuries have depended a variety of oils to help them keep their
long luscious locks moist and oiled. Indian, Hawaiian and
Polynesian women are famous for the incredible luster and shine of
their long well oiled tresses.
Like everything else
"oiling your hair" requires some practice to find the right
method that works best for your own hair type, length and
needs.
Not all oils work well for all people. The first step is to
determine what oils are best for your hair type.
Hair experts claim that oil works best when applied to slightly
damp or wet tresses. Again, this is all relative to the
specific needs of your hair. The key to success with hair oils
is to experiment and find strategies that work best for
you.
As long as you keep the oil away from direct contact with your scalp where it can
over-saturate and cause an oil slick, you can't really go wrong with
practicing the ancient art of oiling your hair.
Hair Oils Tips & Techniques
Many people with long hair suffer from some dryness near the ends
which is most cases is the oldest sections of the hair. Some
people prefer to only apply oils to their hair for deep conditioning
or special dryness treatments. Others oil their hair on a
regular basis and keep the oil in their tresses during their work
day or special events.
How much oil you use and whether you use it only for deep
conditioning or a daily light oiling treatment is totally up to your
preferences.
How much is appropriate to use? Depending on the length of
your hair and the dryness factor, start with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of
the oil of your choice.
The amount of oil you use for daily use will always be a lot less
then the amount that you use for a deep conditioning
treatment.
Oils For Your Hair
Jojoba Oil - one of the most popular oils for oiling hair.
It can be used for applying a light layer of oil or it can be used
as a deep conditioner. Jojoba oil is very light and is closest
to the human scalp in composition. You can also mix jojoba oil
with your favorite essential oils.
Olive Oil - a much heavier oil than jojoba or some of the
other oils used for oiling. Although it can be used for light
oiling for some hair types and textures, it makes a much better deep
conditioner. Olive oil may not be the best choice for color
treated hair since there is a danger of accelerating color fading.
Coconut Oil - also heavier than jojoba, this oil helps to
repair and strengthen damaged hair.
Other beneficial oils include almond, sesame and flaxseed oil.
Although some people swear by castor oil, it is extremely oily and
may be difficult to remove. Some hair experts caution that the
excessive use of castor oil can cause health concerns.
Do not use Vaseline or similar mineral oil
based products in your hair. They will not achieve the
same effect of the various oils listed above and they will be
extremely
difficult to remove from your strands.
How To Apply The Oil To The Hair
1. Start the hair oiling process by gently heating the oil in either the palms of your hands
or on the stove (until warm but not too hot too touch) to assist
with quicker absorption into your tresses. When you apply
heated oil, it helps penetrate into the hair shaft faster.
2. Pour just a few drops of oil into the palms of your
hands. Keep in mind that when you apply oil to your hair, it
may be messy. As a precaution, you may wish to apply the oil
in the bathroom or a location where potential oil spills and
splatter will be easy to clean.
3. Once you have applied a few drops of oil into the palms
of your hands, rub your hands gently together so that the oils are
evenly distributed throughout your fingers and fingertips.
Avoid getting oil on the back of the hands or the wrists which can
lead to wasted oil and oil splatters.
4. Starting approximately 2 inches from the scalp, gently
stroke your oiled fingers and hands through the entire length of
your strands. Concentrate your oiled fingers on the areas of
your hair that have known damage or appears to be the most dry.
This would include the ends in many cases.
For most people the ends of hair always get the most climate and
chemical abuse. Keep the ends carefully trimmed.
Maintain the continued health of the ends by applying oil
there. You will probably notice that your ends suck up the oil
quickly, especially if they are brittle or excessively dry.
5. After you have finished the oiling process, you may wish to braid your hair or pull it
up into a bun to keep the oiled hair away from contact with your
clothing.
6. Let oil remain on hair as long as desired. You may
wish to oil your hair just before bedtime. Keep in mind some oils will definitely stain both clothing and bed
sheets. Although coconut is not normally an oil that will
stain either, olive and some of the darker oils will definitely
stain. Keep this in mind when you select your oils.
Wearing Oil To Work Or Social Events
If you're going to add oil to your hair before you go out on a
social or work event consider the aroma of the oil before applying
to your hair, skin or body. Some
oils have a very strong aroma (olive, hemp) while others have a pleasant
and softer aroma (coconut, almond).
Summary
How long do oils last? Most oils, if stored properly have a
shelf life of one to two years depending on the oil. Some oils
are more delicate and will go rancid faster. A lot depends on
how they are stored. All oils, whether carrier or essential,
should be stored in a cool, dark area in an amber or similar dark
glass bottle.
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