Coconut Oil Part 2

You may remember that a few weeks ago I bought some coconut oil and wrote about it. At the time of my last post, I had only used the oil as a quick 45 minute hair treatment and loved it. Well since then, I've used the coconut oil a few different ways so I figured it was time to give you an update.

My favorite thing is to leave the coconut oil in as an overnight treatment. I do the same thing as the 45 minute treatment - saturate my dry hair in the coconut oil, focusing on the ends. Then I twist my hair in a clip on the top of my head and cover with a shower cap. I do this right before I go to bed (making sure to put a towel over my pillow).  In the morning I shampoo twice then condition as normal.

After doing the overnight treatment, my hair is softer, a tad thicker, and easier to work with. It dries quicker and has fewer fly a ways. I know I’m going to sound crazy but I swear it is making my hair grow faster!

The results of the overnight treatment are similar to the results of the 45 minute treatment so if you don’t have time to leave it in overnight the difference isn't too significant.

For the time being, I've been trying to do this treatment every time I wash my hair (which is every other day). The nice thing is that it doesn't make my hair greasy. Even on the second day (the day I don't wash), I just spray a little dry shampoo in my hair and I’m good to go! I’ll probably slow down to doing the treatment once a week soon.

from our instagram- pinstersisters

I also have tried the coconut oil as a skin moisturizer. It works but it takes FOREVER to dry. If you want to use it as a moisturizer after a shower, you need to make sure you have at least 15 minutes to sit around before you get dressed. For me it’s difficult to use every day because I shower in the morning before work and I don’t have time to wait around for 15 minutes for the oil to set in/dry.

I recently tried the coconut oil as a lip balm too. I wasn't impressed. It didn't really soften my lips and I didn't like the taste. I’ll stick to my Burt’s Bees.

I recently saw a pin about mixing coconut oil with baking soda as a face wash. I plan on trying that soon and I’ll let you know how it goes.

Source

I also want to try having a teaspoon a day because I've read that it’s super healthy, but I don’t know if I can get over the taste. I’ll let you know how it goes if I try it.

Coconut Oil Part 1

Has anyone else noticed the buzz surrounding coconut oil recently? If you just type coconut oil in Pinterest’s search box, you’ll see hundreds of pins with all different uses and benefits of using coconut oil.

Last week I pinned this from How Does She?. The caption of the pin promised that using coconut oil helps grow your hair longer and healthier.

How Does She?

Then I started to see this pin all over the place as well. It promised the same thing.

longhairstyleshowto

My hair is severely damaged. I've been straightening it almost every day for the last 10 years. I know, I know – it’s terrible for my hair. My hair dresser has been reprimanding me for years. To make it even worse, over the summer I somehow burnt off a ring of hair around the crown of my head. It’s not totally noticeable but I see it every time I look in the mirror. So, when I saw these pins I just knew I had to try them out.

[Side note: I apologize for most of the pictures in this post. I had to take them of myself and I am not the best photographer for self portraits – nor do I particularly enjoy being in photos.]

How Does She recommended using Nutiva’s Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. I was able to find some at GNC for $15 a jar. It was buy one, get one half off – so of course I bought two. Sales people can talk me into anything!

I gave the treatment a go on this past Sunday afternoon. I started by flipping my hair over and spread the coconut oil in my dry hair. The coconut oil is solid in the jar but once you scoop the it out, it starts to melt in your hands- making it easier to put it in your hair.

I focused mostly on the ends of my hair. I ended up putting some more oil in after these pictures were taken. The goal is to saturate your hair in the oil.

I barely used much of the coconut oil - the two jars are going to last me a long time.

Once your hair is saturated in the oil, pull your hair back in a clip and cover it with a shower cap.

I left the shower cap on for about 45 minutes. Then I hopped in the shower to rinse it out. I shampooed twice and then conditioned.

Here is a [terrible] finished shot.

This is after just blow drying. My hair felt so soft! I didn't notice any improvement with my split ends that some websites promised but my hair was definitely less frizzy. I didn’t even need to straighten!

Granted -I’m due for a hair cut. I have one scheduled for Wednesday evening. So that explains the terrible split ends. I'm thinking that if I keep using the coconut oil after my hair cut, it may help to prolong how long I can go before the next hair cut.

Many of the sites said the coconut oil will help your hair grow longer if you use it over time so I’m going to keep using it.

I also saw somewhere that coconut oil is supposedly good for dandruff and psoriasis. I have psoriasis on my scalp which unfortunately causes me to occasionally have dandruff. I didn't notice any difference in the dryness on my scalp with this first use - maybe I’ll see a difference after a few applications? We shall see.

Stay tuned for a few more posts on coconut oil. Tonight, I am going to try and leave it in my hair overnight and see how that goes. I also want to try using it as a skin moisturizer. I’ll keep you posted of course.

On an entirely separate note- Grace created us an instagram specifically for the blog. Our username is pinstersisters. Check it out! We post pictures as we test pins so you can get a sneak peak on upcoming content!

Update: If you like this post, check out my coconut oil update!