So, I have mentioned in the past that I actually do like coconut oil for my hair, however, I have a difficult time using oils because of how it makes my hair look. If you're not familiar with the effects of oil on my hair, you can read more about it in my "
My Hair Hates Oils" post.
For now though, I'd like to talk about coconut oil, how I normally use it, and tell you a little about what I've been experimenting with for the last two weeks after reading this lovely comment on,
indiaparenting.com.
"Name: Kavya Nair
City: Kerala
Comments: "I daily oils my hair with coconut oil. As an keralite , we go to bath after appyling oil to hair and we dont wash off the oil from the hair completely. This gives the advantage of non sticky hair. Also I apply oil to scalp in large quantity than the remaining sides of the hair. Applying to scalp spreads to each corner. I dont let go one day without oiling my hair. Sometimes on sunday I fully wash my hair without reamaining oil contents, but the other day I applies in large quantity and that too I dont use shampoo or soap but just poar warm water to avoid from removing oil contents from my hair. Again the next day till sunday I only applies to scalp and rubs gently. We should keep in mind that if dont want to oil in each corner of the scalp then just oil heavily to the upper part of the heads scalp, this will spread the oil contents to each and every corner. I have avery long hair as most of the keralites have and oiling the hair daily is in the malayalee tradition and I follow to grt extent.This has resulted to long thick hair..."
Ok, so if you are not familiar with the women of Kerala - and I wasn't until I started to do a bit more searching around - they are said have some of the most amazing hair.
Thick, healthy, and long. Now, of course, as many of us know, genes play a definite role in all of this. And at first I was tempted to simply bypass my little two week experiment based solely upon this fact alone. I mean, hey, if they've just "got it like that", why bother, right?
But here's the thing, as I was searching around for more information, I started reading here and there about other people reportedly from the same Kerala area who were opting for the less traditional ways of caring for their hair. Because of their busy schedules, some would do what so many of us do - grab a bottle of commercial shampoo and conditioner, and keep it moving.
What some ladies were saying was that this "more modern" way of caring for their hair was really taking it's toll on their hair. That by doing it the "modern way" some were experiencing more hair loss, some were having slower hair growth, lack luster hair, more splits, on and on.
So what that said to me was, yes, genes do play a role, but it's obviously not everything(...of course, I knew this before...but this confirmed it). So, it was then that I thought, why not give it a go.
Here's what I did my first week in:
Day 1: Washed hair with Shikai Everyday Shampoo, then applied my Aussie Moist conditioner, then honey to my ends, then I applied coconut oil, placed hair in two braids to air dry.
Noticeable outcome: It took forever for my hair to dry. In fact, I had to lightly blow dry my hair that night so as not to sleep on wet hair. When my hair was finished drying it felt hard and dry. I was not too keen on this.
Day 2: Rinsed hair with water. Applied leave in, this time it was Giovanni Smooth as Silk conditioner, a little honey, placed in two braids to let air dry. Applied a layer of coconut oil after hair was dry.
Noticeable outcome: Hair felt coated, with that "crazy" frizz I've mentioned in previous posts. Again, hair took forever to dry. Had to lightly blow dry to avoid sleeping on wet hair. Really, really not liking this.
Day 3: Rinsed hair with water. This time applied Aubrey Organics White Camellia as leave in, little honey at the ends. Let air dry, applied a layer of coconut oil after hair was dry.
Noticeable outcome: Hair felt rough, ends were drying way faster than the roots and the rest of the hair. The ends of my hair were sticking together...it was getting more difficult to detangle without hearing those horrid "snapping" sounds. Hair felt oily, and I was afraid to rest my head on anything...it appeared the coconut oil was not being absorbed. Yikes! I was tempted to give up, but I continued.
Day 4: Rinsed hair with water. Applied Paul Mitchell The Conditioner as leave in this time. (I'm just rotating all my conditioners through, LOL)No honey this time. Let air dry, applied a layer of coconut oil after hair was dry.
Noticeable outcome: Hair feels a bit softer, but ends still drying faster than rest of hair. Ends still sticking together a bit more than I'm comfortable with.
Day 5: Rinsed hair with water. "Really" rinsed with water because I was getting so tired of the oily feeling in my hair.
Noticeable outcome: Hmmm, hair feels a bit softer today. Ends still drying faster than rest of hair, ends still a bit tangled, but not that big of a deal. Color of hair looks shinier, and a richer dark brown.
Day 6: Shampood with Shikai Everyday Shampoo. No conditioner, no leave in, just shampoo and applied coconut oil to damp hair.
Noticeable outcome: Hair dried much faster, all of my hair dried faster, not just my ends. Hair felt decently soft and fluffy. Hair is lying a bit flatter. "Crazy" frizz not as noticeable, but neither are my natural curls.
Day 7 thru Day 10: Rinsed hair with water, added nothing else but coconut oil to damp hair, let air dry.
Noticeable outcome: Hair has much less shrinkage...curls almost none existent. "Crazy" frizz is minimal...looks like I almost have a texturizer, hair is lying a bit straighter, .hair feels softer, ends are not sticking together.
Today: Rinsed with water, applied coconut oil to damp hair, let air dry.
Ok, so that was a lot, but I wanted to document what I did in case I stray away from this protocol, and then want to come back. Overall, it's been a nice experiment. The first week was not so good, but I believe that was because I was using a leave in.
To be honest, it was difficult for me to get my mind around the idea of not using a leave in. The problem is, it wasn't until I stopped using any leave ins and began only using coconut oil that I got to see the full effects of the coconut oil.
Now, that I've gotten into a bit of a routine, I think I will continue this another week and see where that takes me. So, Saturday will be my shampoo day, and then I'll start all over again.
There were several things I did not like about this experiment...most of which I mentioned in the "outcomes" for the first week.
Once I started using only coconut though things got much better, but I still disliked manipulating my hair every day. It worries me a little because I realize that wet hair is weaker than dry hair. My hope though is that the coconut oil is penetrating my hair shaft making it stronger, and hopefully this will prevent any damage. Being gentle is key though. How the Kerala people do it, is beyond me. I'm not sure if they wait until their hair is completely dry to manipulate it or if they work with it wet. I would love to know.
The nice thing about this experiment is that it made my scalp feel very cool and very moisturized. Plus my shedding has gone down exponentially.
All in all, I'd say if you have the extra time and patience give it a shot. Be very gentle, and remember, leave ins tend to buildup very quickly on your hair. It sounds like the Kerala only used coconut oil in their "head bath" routine, aside from their weekly shampoo, which i would guess consisted of Ayurvedic herbs and certainly not commercial brand shampoos. Though it was tough for me to do, it did make a nice difference in my hair when I finally let go of all the other products and just let the coconut oil do it's thing.
If you decide to try it...let me know!
Thanks for reading!
Ciao!!!
