Coconut Oil Hair Treatment

We had heard about the possibility of using coconut oil as a hair treatment for awhile now and we were so curious to try it out for ourselves. We have also heard many other uses for coconut oil that we are also excited to try out (I think it might be natures gift to humanity). One of our big goals with e plus l is to try out new beauty techniques that are either more natural or more cost effective, and this fit right in! Unfortunately, Erin was concerned about her hair looking too oily because it is so short, so I (Leah) was the guinea pig for this experiment. 

I used: Trader Joe's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. If I am remembering correctly it wasn't the cheapest jar of substance I have purchased in my life, especially when using in large quantities. It fits more in the "natural" category than the "cost effective." I may start looking around for a cheaper brand here soon (know of any??).

My Procedure: Because I plan on using my coconut oil for things like cooking as well I stuck a couple spoonfuls in a mason jar. This turned out to be a pretty good idea as there was oily hair literally everywhere afterwards. 

Once I had it nice and separated from the cooking oil, I ran a brush through my hair so that I wouldn't have to worry about finger combing my natural unwanted dreads whilst my hands were oily (are my long haired ladies with me on this?).

Once my hair was nice and detangled, I took a nice big glob of coconut oil and began rubbing it into my hair starting at the roots. Once I had it coated fairly evenly on my scalp I spread it out to the ends of my hair. For me this took a lot of coconut oil (about three large spoonfuls) due to the length of my hair. It also started melting in my hands so it was pretty easy to rub in. I did have to pick a couple chunks up off of the floor in the process.

(we decided Erin needed some camera time,we noticed with our recap that the photo balance has been a little skewed so far. Plus she looked really adorable yesterday. Her dress has little foxes on it!)

Once my hair was completely coated I realized I was an oily mess, not a good feeling. I highly recommend clipping or pinning your hair in place, or even wrapping it up in a towel. I let mine sit for about an hour before rinsing it out and shampooing it thoroughly in the shower.

The Conclusion: It definitely went way better than the time I tried to dye my hair with coffee. Sometimes it is good to rationalize the "awesome new ideas" that you hear about on the internet. Coffee dying? Not the best idea (I will talk about that more later). Coconut oil for conditioner? The best idea.

I am literally ecstatic with how it turned out! My hair is super soft and really pleasant to touch, plus I smell delicious! It also didn't look too oily once it was dry (maybe just a little bit shiny), which is a large bonus. I did end up using dry shampoo on just my bangs in the morning. I may only do this once a month or so though, but it will definitely become a regular part of my routine.

(please note: this is not an after picture of Leah's hair. She still has large amounts of coconut oil in her hair and all over her body in general. We just wanted to show the general excitement and how "cray" Leah is about coconut oil)

I will keep you kind readers updated on the long term effects and my thoughts as the week goes on and once I try it again. And who knows, maybe with my glowing review Erin will try it eventually too. 

-l.

We had heard about the possibility of using coconut oil as a hair treatment for awhile now and we were so curious to try it out for ourselves. We have also heard many other uses for coconut oil that we are also excited to try out (I think it might be natures gift to humanity). One of our big goals with e plus l is to try out new beauty techniques that are either more natural or more cost effective, and this fit right in! Unfortunately, Erin was concerned about her hair looking too oily because it is so short, so I (Leah) was the guinea pig for this experiment. 

I used: Trader Joe's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. If I am remembering correctly it wasn't the cheapest jar of substance I have purchased in my life, especially when using in large quantities. It fits more in the "natural" category than the "cost effective." I may start looking around for a cheaper brand here soon (know of any??).

My Procedure: Because I plan on using my coconut oil for things like cooking as well I stuck a couple spoonfuls in a mason jar. This turned out to be a pretty good idea as there was oily hair literally everywhere afterwards. 

Once I had it nice and separated from the cooking oil, I ran a brush through my hair so that I wouldn't have to worry about finger combing my natural unwanted dreads whilst my hands were oily (are my long haired ladies with me on this?).

Once my hair was nice and detangled, I took a nice big glob of coconut oil and began rubbing it into my hair starting at the roots. Once I had it coated fairly evenly on my scalp I spread it out to the ends of my hair. For me this took a lot of coconut oil (about three large spoonfuls) due to the length of my hair. It also started melting in my hands so it was pretty easy to rub in. I did have to pick a couple chunks up off of the floor in the process.

(we decided Erin needed some camera time,we noticed with our recap that the photo balance has been a little skewed so far. Plus she looked really adorable yesterday. Her dress has little foxes on it!)

Once my hair was completely coated I realized I was an oily mess, not a good feeling. I highly recommend clipping or pinning your hair in place, or even wrapping it up in a towel. I let mine sit for about an hour before rinsing it out and shampooing it thoroughly in the shower.

The Conclusion: It definitely went way better than the time I tried to dye my hair with coffee. Sometimes it is good to rationalize the "awesome new ideas" that you hear about on the internet. Coffee dying? Not the best idea (I will talk about that more later). Coconut oil for conditioner? The best idea.

I am literally ecstatic with how it turned out! My hair is super soft and really pleasant to touch, plus I smell delicious! It also didn't look too oily once it was dry (maybe just a little bit shiny), which is a large bonus. I did end up using dry shampoo on just my bangs in the morning. I may only do this once a month or so though, but it will definitely become a regular part of my routine.

(please note: this is not an after picture of Leah's hair. She still has large amounts of coconut oil in her hair and all over her body in general. We just wanted to show the general excitement and how "cray" Leah is about coconut oil)

I will keep you kind readers updated on the long term effects and my thoughts as the week goes on and once I try it again. And who knows, maybe with my glowing review Erin will try it eventually too. 

-l.