Oiling Your Hair

Hair oiling is so underrated and overlooked.  A complete oiling should be done twice a week.  For hair my length that means a good hour.

Game Changer - "Wild Growth" Hair Oil





Have you ever tried something new, hoping that everything you've heard about it is true?  Well, that's exactly how I felt when I tried "Wild Growth" hair oil.  I had stumbled upon a forum thread asking about Wild Growth and there were so many positive responses I had to look into it.  



The research blew my mind - so many dang-near-unbelievable claims and promises not only from the company but from the users as well.  Also, the ingredients are completely natural (meaning unprocessed or changed).  To find out exactly what is in the oil click here.

One interesting thing about this oil is that it works on ALL types of hair - Black/African, African Mix, Asian, European, Indian, Middle Eastern, Native American, South American hair types.

So of course I had to try it for myself.  That's where the 'game changer" comes in because after using wild growth my hair became unrecognizable.  Like some magic potion offered from a mysterious elf this oil changed my hair into something otherworldly.  It turned my hair from the ugly duckling to the beautiful swan.  It was a joy to touch it, let it down, run my fingers through it, to just look at it.  I was in a store, speaking to a clerk when I turned around to look at something and the clerk gasped, seriously, she gasped and then she said "your hair is beautiful."  I was at an information booth asking directions and I felt a hand on my hair.  A seventy-ish lady was actually touching my hair!!  She used the words "beautiful" and "dahling."  Please don't think I am conceited or dramatic because my hair NEVER received so much attention and admiration.  Here is my hair after using Wild Growth oil for about a week:



Before Wild Growth my hair was as dry as straw, frizzy and easily tangled.  But not only does the oil conditions it actually makes hair thicker and last longer before falling out.  In other words, less hair comes out whne combed or brushed which makes combing less stressful.  My temples were thinning.  In fact they were practically bald.  I was so self-conscious of the bald spots I actually rubbed a lttle eyebrow pencil on them to make less noticeable (at least they seemed that way to me, someone probably thought "why is she penciling in her temples?").  Well, Wild Growth solved all that for me.  Not only has hair on temples grown back in but even better than before!  If only Naomi Campbell knew about Wild Growth.  Here are before and after pictures on my right temple:

I will be using Wild Growth for the rest of my life.  It won't be the only oil I used but it will be a staple.  It's sold at Sally Beauty stores for $7.99 (here in Los Angeles) for a 4 oz. bottle.  Those four ounces go a long long way, I probably buy  every four months or so.

Oh yes, one last thing.  Wild Growth comes in two types.  The heavier, original oil is in the white bottle and the lighter oil comes in the yellow bottle, both for the same price.  If you can, buy both, if you can only buy one get the white bottle.  I use the heavier oil on my scalp alone and the lighter oil on my hair.  Typically I run out of the yellow bottle faster than the white bottle so I try to buy two yellow bottles and one white bottle.  I especially rubbed the oil into my temple area but I did my ENTIRE scalp. 

My scalp itched - a lot - but this is a common occurance judging from the blogs and forums

I really believe in this product - I have not exaggerated anything - and I will be offering Wild Growth for sale on my site in the near future!

Coconut Oil - Another of Nature's Gifts to Hair

Before I go into all the benefits of coconut oil for the hair I want to clarify what kind of coconut oil is best for the hair.  Any coconut oil that says "virgin" (there is no such thing as "extra virgin") or "pure" is the kind you want.  It doesn't matter the brand, as long as you see one or the other.  From what I've seen so far coconut oil from the Phillipines is labeled "virgin" and  the oil from India is labeled "pure".  So either one is the same thing.

The coconut oil on the left is good for hair while the oil on the right is a mixture of coconut oil with other oils.  Although it's not "pure" or "virgin" it's still useful for oiling the canopy of the hair.

Coconut oil taken internally supposedly destroys viruses (I say "supposedly because viruses can't be destroyed, only contained)  because it contains something called "lauric acid" which is also in human mother's milk. Lauric acid allows coconut to penetrate the hair shaft and start to build-up until it fills the cortex, building up the hair strand from within.  This takes several applications, so once again, consistency is the key to improvement.

The lauric acid in coconut oil can penetrate the cuticle to the cortex and fill it out.

To help the oil reach the cortex of the hair it should be applied when the cuticule is open which happens when the hair has been drenched with warm water.  Coconut oil can be used as a coating oil but I find that it's best when mixed with other oils such as lemon oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil.

Pre-Oiling the Hair

I was watching the news the other day and saw President Obama and the First Lady in an Irish pub drinking a pint.  I was struck by the shine of the First Lady's hair, it gleamed like a mirror and I couldn't take my eyes off it.  Her hair looked so healthy and neat.  I began to wonder how often Mrs. Obama oils her hair and what kind of oil does she (or her stylist) use.  I wonder if she or her stylist applies oil as a finishing touch to only the canopy  (top layer) of her hair or does she pre-oil.

According to ancient practices that are still in use in India, the Middle East, North Africa and regions close by, oiling the hair is always done before shampooing rather than after.  When I first read about this it didn't make sense to me. It seemed that if the hair is coated with oil then shampoo wouldn't be able to get at the hair strand to clean it or at least make it more difficult to do so.  Also, I felt that oiling "dirty" hair was, well, kinda dirty and it didn't make sense to coat the hair with oil only to wash it right out.  But on the other hand, it's been around for centuries so something about it must work.

I found this article that explains the benefits of pre-oiling, what kind of oil to use, and how to do it.  I pre-oil now on a regular basis and it makes a world of difference in texture, pliability and tangles.

Here is another picture of the First Lady's beautiful hair as it shines in the London sun:

Pre-oiling makes hair shiny without being "greasy".