Coconut Oil Changes Texture?

The last time I washed my hair, I noticed that it felt different...like, better different. I couldn't tell if it's because my hair is now beginning to weigh itself down due to its length, thereby making the curls appear more elongated and uniform, or if it's due to the coconut oil that has become, at least for now, a permanent part of my regimen. Aside from the appearance of my curls, they also feel softer. Sorry, the pictures aren't that great, but it was already late so I didn't want to stop twisting for the sake of taking better pictures in the bathroom! lol

Dampened hair with Kimmaytube leave-in. I have my
hand behind it in an effort to show you my curl pattern. 

Maybe this one catches the curl pattern better.

It hasn't even been a month yet and already I think the coconut oil has vastly improved the overall texture and consistent moisture of my hair.

Have you been using coconut oil for a while? 

Have you noticed an improvement in your hair as a result?

And It Just Gets Better...!!!

I took this picture after removing my satin scarf yesterday morning. Now, my hair always has a nice, healthy sheen to it when I use the Kimmaytube leave-in. But this time the sheen was just ridiculous, and although I made some changes to the leave-in recipe, I'm convinced my results are because of my overnight coconut oil pre-poo. I couldn't believe how healthy it looked! And can we say soft and incredibly moisturized?! Holy cow, I was blown away!! I am so in love with coconut oil now!

These are the changes I made to the Kimmaytube leave-in. I added:

• About 1.5tsp of coconut oil (melted)
• 2tsp Vitamin E blend

I added the Vitamin E blend to the recipe last time I made it, but this was my first time adding coconut oil. Shoot, after reading about all its benefits, it's hard not to use it all the time, lol! But, to be fair, I added it to my leave-in so I could skip a step while twisting. The past few times I've twisted my hair, I've applied coconut oil first, then the leave-in, then Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie. This layering of moisture has been great for my hair. I love how it feels and looks afterwards! I learned from Chai at Back to Curly (awesome blog - definitely recommend that you check it out!) that this works great for my hair because the Smoothie seals in the moisture and oils from the leave-in conditioner. I always used to think it was the reverse - that you seal in moisture by first applying a moisturizing cream (a cream that contains water) and then sealing in the moisture from that with an oil. Apparently that isn't the case with my hair. No wonder my hair has been loving this regimen! :)

If you're going to add melted coconut oil to the Kimmaytube recipe, I should warn you that it does harden again, so you'll have little pieces of coconut oil in the mixture after the coconut oil solidifies. I only melted it so I could mix it in easily. The pieces didn't bother me though as it didn't affect my styling ability or the application process.

Coconut Oil and...WHAT??

Source

While researching the benefits of coconut oil, I came across an interesting term: hygral fatigue. I know, it sounds a bit involved and maybe it reminds you of those dreadful days of high school chem class, but it's really simple. Hygral fatigue is the swelling and shrinking that happens as a result of washing and drying our hair. When hair gets wet it swells with water, lifting the cuticles and possibly exposing the cortex, which is the innermost part of the hair shaft. When it dries, this affects the cuticles as well. In order to avoid damage, in most cases it's better to ensure that the cuticles are raised as little as possible, as the raising and closing of the cuticles puts more stress on them. And when cuticles can't close or are damaged, then the cortex becomes exposed and the overall integrity and health of that entire hair strand comes into question. 


So how do we minimize cuticle lifting during the wash process? I've been reading that using coconut oil as a pre-poo treatment is a great way to do this. Apparently, due to the chemical makeup of coconut oil, it has an affinity for the proteins in our hair, therefore minimizing protein loss during the wash process by preventing the hair strands from swelling with too much water. I've also read that coconut oil is one of the fews oil out there that can penetrate the hair shaft. 


Of course I had to put this to the test. Last night I sectioned and applied melted coconut oil to my scalp and hair. (I scooped some out, put it in a little container and sat the container in a bowl of hot water until it melted. I was surprised that it stayed in liquid form for a couple hours.) This was my first time using coconut oil to moisturize my scalp. I just had to do it to see what everyone has been raving about. It has antimicrobial and conditioning properties, meaning it'll keep your scalp clean (bonus!) and healthy. Anyway, I left my hair sectioned in my Goody hair ties and slept in my satin scarf as usual, with a towel on my pillow so the coconut oil wouldn't go through. Tonight I'm going to co-wash. (I've been co-washing whenever I can, but on my last wash day I had to shampoo because of all the product buildup.) I'm excited to see if my hair comes out as soft and shiny as everyone says it will after pre-pooing with coconut oil. Stay tuned! :)

Told you guys I have a lot of hair!! LOL!