UPDATE: Now, I've tried many-a things since being natural, and I "gave in to the hype" regarding oil rinses, HOWEVER, this is one thing that I still do faithfully and can truly tell the difference when it comes to my hair washing experience.
I've always heard about oil rinses but felt like it was yet another thing to add to my regimen that was hyped up. Nonetheless, I tried it one day and let me tell youuu, my hair felt GREAT! I could feel a noticeable difference and now I do it everytime I wash my hair. My hair has retained moisture a lot better, especially with the air being so dry and cold.
For those wondering what an oil rinse here, here is some info!
What is it?
A hair treatment that is often used on tightly coiled afro-textured hair to help restore moisture to dry and brittle hair. Many people who do oil rinses have noticed that detangling has become a breeze and softer hair. I've also seen threads where people said it made their wash-n-gos look a lot better too. I personally have seen a tremendous decrease in single strand knots, which I use to get allllll the time!
Why do you do it?
An ehow.com article on this article sexplains it best! "African American hair is course and the cuticle shaft is raised, which makes it easy to lose oils... Oil rinses are great treatments for natural hair and can help soften follicles and promote hair growth."
How do you do it?
First, gather your materials. You'll want to have AT MINIMUM oil (I use coconut oil) and a conditioner. I would also suggest using a shampoo and a wide tooth comb.
1. SHAMPOO- Wash your hair with shampoo (or co-wash it, if you do not use shampoo in your regimen) using warm water, while helps to open the pores. Remember that this step's purpose is to help remove the scalp of build-up from your products which is very important!
2. OIL- Apply your oil of choice to your hair generously. Work it through the hair, not the scalp. I also detangle my hair during this step which helps to make sure the oil has been applied liberally. Rinse hair.
3. CONDITIONER- Apply your choice of conditioner to your hair generously and rinse with cold water to close the cuticle. Cold water rinses help to seal in moisture, prevent knots, and add shine to the hair. You will definitely notice a difference by doing them, even if you aren't doing an oil rinse.
NOTE: "Since oil rinses coat the hair, be careful not to over do it with other products. If you do, this can result in build up on the hair."
SOURCES/RELATED LINKS:
- How To Do An Oil Rinse on Natural African American Hair http://www.ehow.com/how_4422849_do-oil-rinse-natural-african.html
- Oil Rinsing (Newly Natural Blog)http://newlynatural.com/blog/2009/05/oil-rinsing/
- Quick Tip: Oil Rinse (AfroniquelyYou.com)http://www.afroniquelyyou.com/2010/06/tip-oilrinsing/
- Keeping Single Strand Knots At Bay (Moptop Maven)http://moptopmaven.blogspot.com/2010/01/keeping-single-strand-knots-at-bay-well.html
- Calling All Type 4 Curlies! Eliminate Matting and Single Strand Knots With Oil Rinsing! (Moptop Maven)http://moptopmaven.blogspot.com/2010/11/calling-all-type-4-curlies-eliminate.html
Great info! I have never tried an oil rinse.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of this process before, but dread the soaken pillow there after. The last time I did this, i didn't rinse the oil out completely and applied my conditioner, twisted my hair and allowed my hair to air dry, but it never completely dried, definitely kept my hair moisturized.
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