First, I bought a jar of Organic Root Stimulator Coconut Oil at Sally's for only $5.39. Considering how little you need for each application, I thought that was a great deal!
To start out, you'll need to get your hair wet. It can be applied dry, but the oil spreads much better if your hair is wet.
Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so scoop out about 2 tsp of the oil and put it in a bowl. This may not seem like much, but I have pretty long hair so I tried closer to 3 tsp and found it was too much. Microwave the oil for about 30 seconds. At this point, you'll need to be ready to apply the oil pretty quickly or the oil will start to solidify.
Use your fingers to scoop out a small amount of the oil. First, massage it into your scalp. Next, use the remaining oil on the length of your hair, focusing especially on the tips. Run a wide-toothed comb through your hair to help evenly distribute the oil. Many of the how-tos I read said to massage it into the scalp then use a comb to spread the oil down the length of my hair, but I found the oil was still mostly concentrated on my scalp. It took me 5 shampoos to finally get the huge oily spots rinsed off my scalp. So, I definitely recommend only using some of the oil on your scalp and spreading the rest of it with your hands before using a comb to even it out the rest of the way.
Now, wrap your hair up in a towel or put on a shower cap. Leave the oil on for at least 30 minutes. I know of many girls who will even sleep with it in. However, I left it on for two hours before first attempting to rinse it out and I thought that was plenty of time.
After you've let it sit for at least 30 minutes, shampoo as usual. Since oil is non-polar and water is polar, water alone will not always rinse it out (there's that college education at work). I found it worked best when I used a clear shampoo, such as Suave, as opposed to my more creamy Pantene shampoo since the creamier shampoos usually contain conditioner. You won't want to condition your hair because the coconut oil already did the necessary conditioning! It may take a couple shampoos to get the oil out, but don't worry, I promise it comes out!
When I finally rinsed all the oil out, I blow-dried and straightened my hair. I thought it felt a little oily at first, but then I realized my hair was just healthy and moisturized! My incredibly curly hair straightened in minutes and feels softer than ever! I also colored my hair about 6 weeks ago. The color had started to fade, but after the treatment the color seemed a little revived.
Give it a try! Discover any tricks? Let us know in the comments!
doing this now...i feel disgusting. i also swished it around my mouth because i read that it's a good idea. and you should do everything you read, right?
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