CYW says…Is using coconut oil as a pre-poo or a leave in after shampoo/cond going to benefit my hair the most?
The Right Brain responds:
We’ve blogged before about how coconut oil is effective at treating hair damage. That’s because it’s one of the relatively few oils that are able to penetrate deep into the hair. Coconut oil is special because it has the right combination of molecular size and shape (it’s small and has straight line structure that allows it to slip into hair) and the right chemical structure (it’s derived from lauric acid which has an affinity for protein.) So while most conditioning oils (like silicones and mineral oil) just sit on top of that hair, coconut oil is literally able to work from the inside.
What’s the best way to apply coconut oil?
One of the best studies we’ve seen on this subject was conducted in India is in 2002. Researchers found that coconut oil reduces damage both as a pre-wash and post grooming treatment. However, results showed it worked better as a prewash which makes sense since that’s when a lot of mechanical damage occurs during the washing and drying process.
Does this sound too good to be true? Well there is a slight catch, at least based on the methodology used in this particular test. The coconut oil was applied to hair and allowed to soak in for 14 hours (overnight). Despite the usage instructions for many regular conditioners you don’t have to let those sit on your hair for very long. However, if you want good penetration (and who doesn’t?) you have to allow coconut oil to soak into your hair for quite some time. Maybe 14 hours isn’t the magic number but that’s the timeframe that researchers used in this study.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
We wouldn’t want to over emphasize the results of any single study, however, based on the research we’ve seen you should apply coconut oil to your hair at night before going to sleep. In the morning wash it out and you should see significantly less damage.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/el_ramon/2561512339/
Reference: Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage, J. Cosmet. Sci.,54, 175-192 (March/April2003)
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks very much for answering my question! I’ll start applying coconut oil
before bed instead of after the shower.
Currently I use a baby shampoo as it quite gentle. Do you think this would remove the coconut oil or do I need to use a shampoo like Suave Clarifying?
Should you apply the coconut oil to wet or dry hair? I imagine it to be easier to apply the oil to wet hair, but then again I guess you might prevent a lot of mess in your bed by applying it to dry hair? Does it have anything to say?
Hi Cyw,
I do exactly what this article tells you to do, and I have to use a sulfate shampoo to cleanse my hair. I find that using very hot water helps, but that’s not very good to your hair, so it defeats te purpose of applying the coconut oil in the first place. The most important thing, though, is to get your hair very, very wet, lift up sections of your hair and make sure you shampoo all of your roots. don’t just dump the shampoo on top of your head and spread it around, but really lift up your hair, apply the shampoo, then start rubbing. If you don’t do this, I find the shampoo just sits on top of your hair and doesn’t penetrate all the way to the scalp. For, me, that’s the only way i can get my hair oil-free.
Hope this helps!
Hi
Where do I buy coconut oil for hair and what is the name brand for hair coconut oil?
Thank you
Thanks Cri for your responce.
Marlene, I get my coconut oil at a health food store. Look for words like pure and organic, on the label. You don’t want the oil to have any other ingredients such as mineral oil. The brand I buy is called Spectrum Naturals.
When I was a little girl, my mother used to apply coconut milk( its all natural from the coconut itself) on my hair twice a week after a morning shower. What she did was, after applying the cooconut milk she would wrap my hair around with a plastic and a towel then let it stay for 2 hours and rinse. I can tell it really works, because since then i have no problems with my hair and it grows beautifully.
hi .. i like your website. you are different from other beauty sites. you are telling with scientific answer. its so good.
WIll applying coconut oil to your hair that has been coated with products that have silicone still be effective as a prepoo or should you wash your hair first to get ride of the silicone products?
I haven’t tried this as a pre-poo. Probably won’t, as I hardly ever use products in my hair or blow-dry it. I do, however, use it as a leave-in conditioner. I have fine, oily hair that seems to require shampooing twice a day if I don’t want to look like a grease bomb exploded on my head by the end of the day. I have found that if I use a non-sulfate shampoo, followed by coconut oil once out of the shower, my hair has better volume and takes longer to become oily. I still have to shampoo every day, but my hair looks better at the end of the day and still looks clean. I only use a little – just enough to coat the hands lightly. Then I run that over my hair.
Hi BeautyBrains,
You mentioned in a previous article that a mixture of coconut oil and olive oil would theoretically penetrate even better due to mixed micelles (http://thebeautybrains.com/2007/05/14/two-natural-oils-that-make-your-hair-shiny-and-strong/). This intrigued me, but I could never figure out the theory for myself to calculate the correct ratio. Could you walk us through that, or at least calculate the optimal ratio? It’s been bugging me for years!
@Mona: That’s a great question but to be honest, I don’t know the best ratio and I’ve never seen any test data. It would be easy to create an experiment to get a rough idea, though.
Blend 3 mixtures of CO and OO:
25% CO/75% OO, 50&/50%, and 75% CO/25% OO.
Try each and see if you feel a difference. You can repeat the experiment with smaller increments until you get the blend that’s perfect for your hair.
Hi CYW,
Thank-you for the name brand Spectrum Naturals. I have been reading the comments should I also use olive oil as well?
THANKS
Marlene
Umm…how would you go about leaving coconut oil on over night? I’d be worried about getting it all over my pillow and oil sneaking down on to my face and causing acne, which is something I struggle with. I sometimes leave coconut oil in my hair but only during the day and only for an hour or two. I notice it does make my ends softer and “bouncier” if bouncy is a term that can be used to describe hair
I found this blog on coconut oil. Seems to be a lot of the same info the brains were giving plus a little more.
http://blackgirllonghair.com/?tag=coconut-oil
The second post on the page from Dec. 21, 2011 The Benefits of Coconut Oil is the one I am referring to. In the comment section the writer of some of their other post, Jc, made a correction and clarification.
There are a couple other post about coconut oil on the same page explaining oil penetration and the difference in penetrating oils and coating oils which I also found interesting.
Hi, like your website..really gray info. When should I apply my coco oil to my hair wet or dry?
@Daisy: Apply to dry hair before going to sleep at night.
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