Dec 4, 2008
A Little Science Experiment Starring Dry Witch Hair.
A reader recently told Bossy that a temporary hydrating solution for her ruined hair would be an oil treatment — and when they suggested oil treatment, they were not referring to this:
They were referring to this:
So Bossy decided to try it, since her newly purchased cap met with mild enthusiasm, where mild enthusiasm equals everyone hated it except for one Guns N’ Roses fan:
Here’s what Bossy did first: she poured a little bit of olive oil into a glass:
And then Bossy took this glass containing olive oil into the shower and applied the oil to her hair after shampooing and conditioning:
Once out of the shower, Bossy ran her fingers through her hair to remove any tangles, and then she let it air dry. It may surprise some of you to learn the olive oil left Bossy’s wet hair feeling, well, oily.
But of course the hair was still wet. Because this is what it looked like once it was fully dry:
So. It’s been over 24-hours since Bossy applied her conditioning treatment. And after careful consideration of the results, what exactly is Bossy’s final opinion regarding the use of olive oil?
What, no Mayo?
C’mon! That makes good salad, too!
It has been a long time since I had long hair, but I used to do a hot oil treatment periodically. I’m not sure how much they cost today, but they were relatively inexpensive at the five and dime.
With the hot oil treatment you shapoo, etc. after the treatment.
SO here is the deal you have to get out of the shower with the oil and a whole egg then cover it with a plastic shower cap for a really long time (several hours) Write a bunch of blog posts then wash it off then it will be awesome. Trust me it is very dry here in Alberta and this works GREAT
Sometimes only a haircut can cure things.
Sometimes we have to worry about other things and just let it go….or grow in this case. This too shall pass, but you are getting some great blog material out of it.
Bossy is BRAVE for putting olive oil on her hair. I used to use hot oil treatments from the drug store and have had much success.
I so put olive oil in my hair sometimes (and even on my face)! However, I usually comb it through at night to let it condition while I sleep, and then wash it out in the morning. It’s really good if you mix a little honey in too and use it as a hair mask. I’m all about the cheap at-home beauty remedies
and it DOES make my hair really soft.
Just seeing the picture makes my face break out. Because that’s exactly what would happen if I conditioned with oil. Truthfully, olive oil? Automotive oil? Same difference to my head.
I never put a conditioner in my hair until after the shower! Then I put about a nickel sized amount in my palm and spread the conditioner across my palms, then I apply to the back of head first and across to the front; scrunching as I go. (run on sentence I know) This is way less oily than olive oil and your hair absorbs just enough to be not frizzy.
P.S. I recently heard that Safflower oil is the oil closest to that which is produced by our bodies… so if you want to opt for an oil don’t go with olive!
Jeeeeezzee, Boss!
Just quit being so vain and cut the shit off. It will never return to the prior luster and sheen–Bossy ITS RUINED!!
dont you remember the 80s??
just get a cute, sassy short cut, fercrissakes.. No use walking around with the Axl rose hat -or- the hay on your head. YOU CAN DO IT!! its just hair.
—or you could get a cute Kathy Griffin wig. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaahhahahahahaha!!!!
I’m of the mayo persuasion myself. But the curls look FAB Bossy!
I’m with Lisa – cut it off – it’s just hair, it WILL grow back. I know it will be cold and blah blah blah, but what better time than winter to wear a stocking cap for a couple of months! Find somebody with cute short hair and ask where they get it cut. Have 2 G&T, close your eyes, and let the stylist have his/her way with your hair!
forget the cut…..color that mop.
What did the hair look like? I was too distracted by the roots to notice. A joke I can make, now that I got my hideous-er roots colored on Tuesday!
Honey, it’s called Tree Oil, and you can find it in the shampoo version. It fixes everything from dandruff, dry scalp, dry hair, damaged hair, oh, and even kills & smothers lice. Not that I would have any experience using it on my scandalous spawn’s head…
LOL…I have used coconut oil by someone’s suggestion. The chunks and smell (not as sweet as you might think) did not make a good impression. And I used it BEFORE I washed!!
Any recipes with coconut oil?!
My friends and I buy whatever on-sale L’Oreal brand hair color or perm kit we can find, and then throw the contents away – except for the tiny tube of conditioner that comes inside the box. That little tube of conditioner is worth it’s weight in gold. Apply after shampooing, let it soak in for as many minutes as you can stand, then rinse. Daily after that, just apply a pea-sized amount to your damp hair after showering and let it dry in your hair. Your hair will smell good and be shiny and feel great. Your welcome!
This will not work well for your poverty party stuff but then again maybe it is cheaper than going to a stylist.
Use Morrocan oil … will do wonders. I have very coarse dry hair and after washing I just put a small amount on my hands and run it through my hair. Hair is perfectly silky shiny and soft with no grease or left over residue. While it seems expensive one bottle will last years.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=205422&catid=11899&brand=58686&trx=PLST-0-BRAND&trxp1=11899&trxp2=205422&trxp3=1&trxp4=0&btrx=BUY-PLST-0-BRAND
Hmmmm…. I think maybe Bossy needs to wash the olive oil out of her hair, or there will be an oil slick on her pillow case. You could try what Britney Spears did- shave your head? But please don’t let the papparozzi take pictures of you getting in and out of cars with no panties on! That would create a lot more problems than just dry hair and appears to lead to being committed to a psych ward, which is not where Bossy wants to spend the holidays!
I dunno, those curls look GREAT to me! If it doesn’t feel good, maybe you need to wash the oil out after a few hours? Is there any way you can just apply the oil to the ends, not all over your scalp? But what do I know, with my spaghetti-straight hair…
Maybe I’m crazy, but I love how it looks. I’d love to be able to scrunch and end up with that. I end up with something that looks like this: _____________ or |||||||||. All straight. But I also agree with some of the other posters. If you hate it, cut it off. It’s hair. WGAF? =)
bossy..get thee some old school V05!! or, try my new favorite: Garnier Fructis Instant Melting Conditioner and the Instant Melting Masque.
and they are all cheap, so totally poverty party approved!
I don’t wish to pimp my own site on your blog, BOSSY, but trust Tootsie. You want this:
http://vintagethirty.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-seem-to-be-pimping-lot-of-loreal.html
Also what Gia said about the Morrocan oil.
And what Sherry said about the L’Oreal home color kit conditioner. Which, you can get JUST the conditioner on drugstore.com.
gee honey, your hair smells delicious
Bossy, Bossy. You’re a Curly Girl. All you need to do is STOP USING SHAMPOO. I swear by all that’s holy that it WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE, or at least your life with your hair.
I learned this from a book called Curly Girl, written by a stylist who specializes in curly hair. You can get the book’s most important info here: http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair. Essentially, you wash your scalp with conditioner–which cleans it but doesn’t strip oils from your hair–and rinse, then condition the length of your hair as usual. With GOOD conditioner–buy the good stuff; you can afford it ’cause you won’t need shampoo anymore!
My hair is long and curly and has never looked or felt better. Everybody I’ve turned onto this method says the same thing. And to think I once used curling irons! Blow dryers! To think I once used to get PERMS!!!
Wow. It took till No. 13 in comments for someone to mention your root issue.
My two cents – get thee to a salon, like, there is one in Wilmington, DE called Pagave and like, let Paul solve all your hair issues for goodness sake!
After reading all of this I feel bad about being essentially bald not one bit.
Uh, um, Bossy dear-me thinks you need to have your roots done honey. I know everyone’s been stretching out the weeks between visits to the hairdresser thanks to the economy, but it’s time dear Bossy, it’s time.
When my hair went from wonderfully to boring brown, I looked at my dad and aunt’s lovely silvery hair, held my breath for a couple of decades, and waited to follow their lead. It’s silver all on its own now. My forever-(bottle)-blonde sis looked at it recently and sighed that if she could be sure hers would be that color, she’d quit coloring hers. There’s the rub: how can she know? I know, how nice for me. It’s that holding-the-breath-for-decades issue that’s the tricky part.
It’d be a wrenching change but I’m thinkin you’d be fabulous with short, curly locks. I lurf your curls.
Brave bold Bossy, sharing all her hair woes with all her Bossettes. Bossoids. What are we?
Where is the Kerastase that your sister in law turned you on to, after spying it in Jennifer Aniston’s shower? That is good stuff, I have been told, for dry hair.
so bossy? now is probably not a good time to mention the rootage you got goin on… but listen. we share a common bond – the dishwater blonde sisterhood, so i am just tellin you like it would be told to me. its time to go get foiled dear.
I don’t think those are roots — I think it’s the olive oil.
I’m pretty sure that the order is (1) oil, (2) shampoo, (3) conditioner.
I have three word for you: Clairol. Natural. Instincts.
Good news: it costs <$10 per box, it comes with ~2 weeks’ worth of a wonderful conditioner, it is a temporary (28 day) color (you will have no roots), it is very kind to your hair.
Bad news: using a lighter shade yields “subtle results” (i.e., not much lightening).
More good news: if you’re going gray, the gray takes on the blond.
I’ve tried that too. I looked like puberty embodied with the greasy roots. I once tried putting olive oil in my bath and it just floated around in big, green globules. Aaah, soothing.
Bossy, you need your haridresser to do your roots ONLY next time.
Also, as the daughter of a hairdresser I only use Redken hair products. You should find a salon that uses Redken. It’s a little on the pricy side, but so is spending money on a bunch of shiat that doesn’t work.
The olive oil does work wonders – I’ve used it once a week for the last ten years or more. I warm it a little and add rosemary essential oil – it creates SHINE! – and sleep with it in. Wash your hair the next morning, and if you must use conditioner, only put it on your ends.
Apparently North Americans are obsessed with cleanliness, and not only do we shampoo way too often, apparently we use way too much shampoo, as well. And the whole lather rinse and repeat thing? Worst thing you can ever do.
Bossy’s hair looks fabulous. Seriously.
Coconut oil is much better than olive oil. And it smells nicer too. But as with all oils it takes forever to rinse it out of your hair and the added risk of getting that greasy look.
We use coconut oil around here.
1. apply warmed (liquid) coconut oil at the end of the shower.
2. rinse with hot water.
3. go to bed with oily hair
4. wake up- shampoo and condition as usual
5. air dry
6. marvel at soft, shiny, bountiful hair!
Apply oil. Let it soak in for a while. Go directly to applying shampoo — do NOT wet hair with water while oil is still on. Shampoo, rinse and repeat if necessary.
What does your pillow look(smell)like?
I know nothing ’bout no curly hair.
The dressing though? Divine.
The New York Italian Boyfriend Hairdresser called.
He wants his Bossy back.
I bet the oil will work, But you’ll hate it until it does.
I’ve never done it, but I’ve heard lots of people say it works.
Now, me, I’d go the ALMOST Britney Spears route, because I like very short hair. But that’s just me.
Your sequence is off, is all. Microwave oil until superwarm, massage into hair, wrap in a warm towel and hang around until UPS man shows up at your door and sees you like that. Then shampoo and condition. It really works.
Ooooh, I feel your pain. Just got done with two weeks of calico hair after getting impatient and trying out a new “colorist” who was recommended.
Effing highlights…. more like spotlights.
I will second washing your hair with conditioner.
It works. Try it.
Ooo, Bossy, your readers are some sharp-shooting critics.
Me, I have virgin dark brown hair and know not from these crazy treatments.
asian women use olive oil in their hair to condition and maintain and they have beautiful hair. so the advice wasn’t bad. olive oil is great for a lot of things including hair. they usually leave it on for a day or overnight.
if you want to try a good shampoo and conditioner, try the shampoos at Bath and Body works. i tried them and i’m sold on how soft they make my hair. they smell good and really made my hair soft.
And check out the Phyto line at B&B also, because they have a couple of products, esp. the anti-frizz product, and i was sold. i mean there will always be days when hair isn’t cooperating period for many factors. but these items always gave their results.
also, biolage has good products for hydrating. but then i am sure you knew all of this. i’ve been struggling with my hair for four plus years now.
and when you need a really good lift, try the Redken Protein pack. leave it on 20 mins and rinse it out (sometimes you can put a towel around it and heat it) and it works so nicely.
You’ve gotten a lot of advice, and here’s my extra 2 cents ~ Pantene conditioner for women of color. Sounds weird since I’m really about the white-est white woman around but it really helped.
xoxo, SG
Oh, thanks for bringing back a painful High School memory:
“Seventeen Magazine” told me to use egg yolks for strong, beautiful, boy-attracting locks.
“Seventeen Magazine” did NOT tell me that, once dry, said locks would smell like a “wet dog,” which were the exact words Ginger Sproul shouted out in the middle of Algebra II. As in, “PEW, what smells like a WET DOG?? JENNY, IT’S YOUR HAIR!!!”
Suffice it to say, boys were not attracted.
Uh… How much oil did you use, exactly? Because when you apply oil as a leave-in conditioner, you’re supposed to apply one or two drops, and ONLY on the ends.
Emily is right. If you use a whole shot glass full of oil then you can expect to have oily looking hair.
You’re doin’ it all wrong!
ur doin it wrong.
Yes, apply oil to your hair, and it’ll be a bit oily (you don’t need much! Half a palmful is enough for waist-length hair). Leave it ’til your next wash, and ooh and aah over the lovely soft results.
I have extremely thick hair that touches the chair when I sit down. And I use a dime-sized amount of olive oil, rub it into my palms and then lightly smooth it over my hair from the neck down. I’ve never had any issues and I always get good results. Same with coconut, jojoba or camellia oil. You only need a tiny bit, you used way WAY too much of it, that’s the issue, here. You have very short hair and it doesn’t appear to be very thick. You will only need a few drops.