Natural Journey: No More Coconuts...Oil, That Is!

    If you've been following my posts about my recent challenges with my twist-out, you know that I have used coconut oil for my LOC method, and conditioners that also have coconut oil and shea butter as a base. All over the internet, everyone touts these oils as miracle serums to reduce dryness and breakage while going natural. I did not see any reason not to believe all of the claims. 

                      

   

But then, months in to my transition, I noticed that it became very difficult to achieve the soft, silky twists and curls that I was seeing at the beginning of my journey. My hair had become dry, dull and stiff. It was brittle and crunchy and would not hold a twist for more than a few hours. Forget about a two-day flat twist-out; by then, I found that wearing a bun was becoming the usual hairstyle after one day of the LOC method, and to solve the problem, what was I doing? Dousing my hair with more and more coconut oil and coconut oil-based products, including my shampoo and conditioner. In the morning, taking down my hair always ended up in a frizzy puff that made me look like a nutty professor.

    I happened upon an article from Black Doctor.org about not using coconut oil to moisturize your curls. I began to wonder if this was yet another fly-by claim about another method, but it wasn't! 

    As I read, I learned that coconut oil is not water soluble, among other caveats that create a situation that causes dryness and breakage. 

    The more I read, the more I learned that olive oil, not coconut oil, is better for my hair. When I followed the suggestions from the web site, the results were incredible: Once again, my hair was shiny, soft and silky, and held a twist for more than two days. I now use a sulfate-free shampoo, and read labels carefully to watch for heavier oils that can damage my hair. While it might be okay to use it occasionally, coconut oil and shea butter are no longer a part of my LOC routine, and I have noticed little or no shedding or breakage since I have began "dieting" on olive oil and jojoba oil. 

Watch my video to see how I put my oil mix together, and what I do to achieve a beautiful head of lush curls that last me almost the whole week! 

    Another lesson along my natural hair journey!