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getting out all the residue from olive oil in my hair
  • Moi
    I took the advice of several who said to add moisture to my hair, olive oil penetrates well. so I washed my hair, rubbed olive oil in it, put a plastic bag on my head for about 30 min and then with my expensive SLS free shampoo I washed and washed and still I couldn't get it all out until I used my chemical shampoo. What am I doing wrong? I want to avoid the chemical hair products but my hair never feels or looks clean withe the other.
  • lindygirl1960
    I actually tried using a mix of coconut oil, which is all I normally use, and olive oil this morning. The Beauty Brains had a post a while back about how mixing the two worked better than either alone.

    Try putting the oil into DRY hair. Then put a shower cap or plastic bag on and cover it with a towel. I leave mine on for an hour or so while I get some chores done.

    Get into the shower. Put your shampoo through DRY hair. Once you have run shampoo all through your dry hair, then add water and shampoo as usual. I sometimes suds again just to be sure. Then I use my regular, inexpensive, no silicones conditioner, comb through it and rinse with cool water.

    I read somewhere a long time ago that spas use that trick to get oil treatments out of hair. I thought it sounded nuts until I tried it.....and it worked!

    Hope that helps! :-)
  • cristine
    I'd suggest a deep cleansing shampoo..
  • sarahf
    One question is why do you want to stop using the "chemical" shampoo--there really isn't anything wrong with SLS.
  • lindygirl1960
    Like Sarah I would be interested to know why you want to stop using 'chemical' shampoo Moi. I know why I generally don't use an SLS shampoo now but it has nothing to do with trying to avoid chemicals. The no SLS shampoo came about for me as a result of me trying 'going CG' ( see the website www.naturallycurly.com) for my wavy/curly hair.
  • Moi
    I read where the SLS shampoo strips hair of natural oils and is not needed to clean the hair. my hair is very fine and not very strong, trying to do whatever to make and keep it healthy. so i stopped using it and went to a SLS free.
  • divegirl
    I think this just proves the major performance difference between SLS and SLS-free shampoos. The SLS products are more effective against heavy oil. It's up to the user to decide if that's what they need/want.
  • sarahf
    I agree with divegirl that it comes down to what you need or want, but if you're only switching because of something you read (and not your own experience with the different products), you should be aware that there is misinformation about SLS.  I have fine and somewhat fragile hair, but I'm also fairly oily, so for me, shampoos with sodium laureth sulfate (not sodium lauryl sulfate) as the primary surfactant seem to be about right, and don't damage my hair in any way.  Color treated hair fades anyway, but that isn't really dependent on what you use to shampoo.  I use ammonium lauryl sulfate (which I think is somewhat stronger) shampoos to clarify periodically.
  • lindygirl1960
    I agree with divegirl and Sarah...if this is because of your own experiences with shampoos with SLS and you want to see if shampoo without works better for you that is great. But Sarah is so so right when she says there is a LOT of misinformation out there.

    That being said, I don't use shampoos with SLS anymore or conditioners and styling products with silicones. I wanted to try "CG" (www.naturallycurly.com) for my wavy/curly hair. It works for me. I have less frizz, my scalp is lots less oily, my hair has more shine...so it has been a win/win for me.

    What works for me will not necessarily work for you. Sometimes it takes some experimenting to find out what works best for you!
  • Cubelixa
    I always put a 50:50 mixure of coconut and olive oil on my hair before I wash it. I never have any problems to wash it out, not even when I wash with a shampoo that only has coco-betaine in it.

    BUT I NEVER put the oil on the hair on my scalp or my scalp itself. For nothing in the world would I want to have oil on my scalp. I'd probably had a problem washing it out as well then. I only put it into the 'ponytail-section'.


    @ cristine: using a deep cleansing shampoo to wash out the oil would be a pretty stupid thing to do as the entire benefit from the oil would be completetly ruined then. It's ok to use a normal SLS shampoo though.
  • Nalani
    Everyone should use the shampoo that he wants to, but sharp shampoos with SLS as the primary surfactant [and with few co-surfactants] really dries your hair out.
    I've got a better tips for you.
    1. Olive oil is a real heavy oil, maybe too heavy for fine hair, try coconut oil or a mixture. You just need a little amount of the oil. Your hair should be just a little or not greasy.
    2. Mix your oil with conditioner and apply this conditioner-oil to your hair. Don't worry if it feels sticky, because just rinsing with water will help to get rid of the oil. To get a better affect I condition my hair under the shower again and wait a few minutes before I rinse. Important: use a light conditioner and maybe a no-cone conditioner..
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