My hair is extremely fine, and I torture it with heat products. Meanwhile, I am trying to grow out my hair very long, which are conflicting realities.
I am constantly in search of hair masks that strengthen and soften my hair. Like many people, I don't want to put harsh products in my hair. I have never died my hair or permed it, though I did get a Brazilian Blow Out once from a Groupon (truth, I probably will do this again simply because my hair required so much less heat on a daily basis that I think it balances out in favor of formaldehyde, but I'm still torn on this). I avoid products with alcohol (even hairspray) and sulfates. Simply, I know the heat damages my hair, and the products I use are intended to ease or even reverse the damage.
I have a tough time with finding the right mask/deep conditioner, but kept finding articles about the health benefits of a diet and beauty regimen full of raw, organic coconut oil. Luckily, I found this jar at Target for only a measly $7...much cheaper than most deep conditioners with half the quantity.
I read online the melting the Coconut Oil in the microwave for 15 seconds intervals with Olive Oil would make a nice hair oil. Some said to try mixing with avocado, honey, and even raw egg.
I started by washing my hair with shampoo. I only wash my hair every 3-4 days,
had just worked out, and my hair felt dirty. Looking back on it I think I probably could/should have left the shampoo step out.
Since the refrigerator was pretty empty, I combined 2 tbsp Coconut Oil with 1 tbsp Olive Oil and finger-combed it into my hair starting at the ends and working my way up to the roots. It smelled more that Olive Oil than anything else, and next time I will probably use less.
My hair looked nearly black with all of the oil in it. I twisted it up into a bun on the top of my head and went on to do something else for about 30 minutes. Some sources said to wait 2 hours or more, but I was short on time and had somewhere to be, plus I think 30 minutes is a more realistic time frame for a hair mask.
After that time, I rinsed out my hair and let it air dry. It never air dried, not even overnight. I looked like a total grease-ball, and knew I needed to shampoo my hair the next morning before showing up at work like that. This was why that first shampoo seemed redundant. I didn't recondition in the morning.
The whole idea was for soft, shiny and strong hair. After styling in the morning, I am reasonably happy with the results, but not blown away. I worry when my hair is too smooth because it can look extremely thin.
I'm going to try again with only Coconut Oil, Coconut Oil and avocado, and Coconut Oil and raw egg to decide which one is best for my hair. I'm also going to try these on a dry head of hair and see if that changes the results any. Hopefully, I'll be able to incorporate this into my beauty regimen every 2 weeks or so in place of an expensive and less natural product from the beauty store.
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| Post-treatment |
I also tried the Coconut Oil treatment on the dog (sans Olive Oil). Human conditioner is not intended for dogs, but I wanted to keep her coat nice and shiny. I assumed organic, natural oil wouldn't be bad for her. It was a total disaster.
Lucy hated having the oil on her, which was reason enough not to do it again, but it got much, much worse.
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| Not dandruff. |
You know how oil and water don't mix? Well they didn't mix on the dog either, and she had little blobs of Coconut Oil on her as she dried that looked that dandruff (it was definitely oil). Twenty minutes later, it just kept getting worse.
The bathtub needed to be completely scrubbed (oil got everywhere and it was too slippery to safely shower), and Lucy need a second shampooing to get the oil off of her coat and skin.
I also was told not to experiment with the dog again (fair enough...)...
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