| |  |  October 9th, 2005, 11:01 AM | #1 | | Long Hair Devotee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: stockholm, sweden Age: 25 Posts: 271 Type: 1b// |
i've heard a lot of people here say hot water is bad for the hair. ok. but.. how come hot oil is supposed to be good for the hair then? i mean.. how can some hot things be bad and some even hotter things be good? |  | | | October 9th, 2005, 11:20 AM | #2 | | Long Hair Guru Join Date: May 2005 Location: Quebec, Canada Age: 28 Posts: 1,381 Length: 0cm/84/125cm Type: 2c/M/ii |
My guess is that hot oil isn't something that you do as frequently as washing. The fact that you probably aren't moving the har around as much during a hot oil treatment might play a role too. Heat helps oil (and conditioners, actually) penetrate the hair better, if I understand correctly. But you aren't getting the penetration to counteract potential damage if you're rinsing off. Those are just my (vaguely educated) guesses, though!  | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 11:27 AM | #3 | | Long Hair Guru Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Buffalo, NY Age: 40 Posts: 6,307 Length: 32/39/? Type: 2c/M/iii |
Heat opens the cuticle of the hair, while cold closes it, making it lie flat.
A hot oil or conditioner treatment is good, because it opens the cuticle, letting the oil soak into the hair.
Finishing a wash with a cool rinse is good because it smooths the cuticle, making the hair shaft smoother, less likely to tangle, and more pleasing to the touch. | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 11:33 AM | #4 | | Long Hair Guru Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Earth Age: 34 Posts: 1,754 Length: 18/Hip/Tbone Type: 3b/3c/M/ii |
Also, when you're using a hot oil treatment, it is really supposed to be more *warm* than hot. Scalding hot water or oil or anything isn't going to be good for your hair, but warm oil or conditioner will help it to penetrate better  | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 12:25 PM | #5 | | Moderator Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: In the closet with Mothra Posts: 6,122 Length: 26"/33.5"/39.5" Type: 2b/F/ii |
Quote: | Originally Posted by CurlyKitten Also, when you're using a hot oil treatment, it is really supposed to be more *warm* than hot. |  I wish the companies would stop marketing the products as "hot oil" treatments. Since hair is protein, truly hot oil will only fry it like meat. __________________ The Big Question 
oil: Japanese camellia
shampoo: Earthly Delight
leave-in: Shea It Ain't So
treatments: cassia; Phytologie Phytomoelle
avatar: Una and the Lion ~Briton Rivière | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 01:34 PM | #6 | | Long Hair Guru Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Upendi Age: 28 Posts: 1,748 Length: 15"/31.5"/45" Type: 1c/2a/M/i |
Everyone said it best. Warmth on your hair opens the hair shaft, and lets the good oil and condish get to where it can work. For best results, you should do a cool rinse after a warming deep conditioning or oiling for super smooth hair! | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 02:04 PM | #7 | | Long Hair Guru Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: BFE Posts: 7,970 Length: 18"?/36"/40" Type: 1c/2a/M/ii |
Quote: | Originally Posted by Flaxen Since hair is protein, truly hot oil will only fry it like meat. |  Doesn't that paint a lovely picture of what we could do to our hair?  Warm oil for me. | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 02:33 PM | #8 | | Long Hair Guru Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: In the castles of my mind Posts: 2,630 Length: ??/21+/?? Type: 2c/3a/M/ii |
This is one of my "hair sins." When I shower, I love to make the water as hot as I can stand it. I also suspect the water is much too hot when I wash my hair, but I just cannot do the cold rinse... brrrrr! __________________ THE ONE YEAR HAIR VOW
July 8, 2006 - July 8, 2007 Life ain't always beautiful, but it's a beautiful life. | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 03:29 PM | #9 | | Long Hair Devotee Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: East Coast, USA Posts: 286 Length: 16/mbl/class Type: 3b/F/M/iii |
Yeah, it's one of my hair sins, too. I am sure I wash my hair in water that is too warm, but I hope my hair will forgive me because I don't see that changing any time soon. I wash my hair in the shower and I can't stand when the water is not warm enough. In fact, I like hot showers. I do cool the water down to "very warm" before washing my hair. But that is as much as I can manage. When we don't have a shower filter, I do a distilled water final rinse and then I throw on a shower cap and get under the hot water to warm up again. I hate being cold. __________________ Hair type: 3b, mix of curly/wavy and fine/medium layered hair with a v-shaped hemline Current length: midback when stretched Short term goal: waist length when stretched by the end of Dec. '07 Long term goal: contemplating classic length when wet
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| | | | | October 9th, 2005, 03:32 PM | #10 | | Long Hair Guru Join Date: May 2005 Age: 62 Posts: 2,407 Length: 27.5/waist/term. Type: 2b/2c/F/M/ii |
Quote: | Originally Posted by seabear This is one of my "hair sins." When I shower, I love to make the water as hot as I can stand it. I also suspect the water is much too hot when I wash my hair, but I just cannot do the cold rinse... brrrrr! | My hat is off to those who can take a nice, soothing, warm shower, then get that cold tap water going on their hair!! I'd be in shock. Yes, I've tried. No, I don't have the guts to do it again!!  __________________ Reached first goal of waist length (pulled straight), on April 28, 2006. Next mini-goal: Hip. Please stop by my My Journal. I've made the best friends here!  | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 03:39 PM | #11 | | Long Hair Guru Join Date: Feb 2005 Age: 50 Posts: 1,920 Length: 23.5/24.5/30 Type: 1c/2a/F/ii |
I think "hot" depends on the person. I like REALLY hot baths, the kind where your skin turns pink from the heat. DH can't even stick his hand in the bathwater, as it is too hot for him. When he takes a "hot" bath, I find it almost unbearably cold. __________________ Visit my journal!  With cookies as a companion one is never alone! - Arcticpixie | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 04:06 PM | #12 | | Long Hair Devotee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: "The Windy City" Posts: 503 Length: 12/24/30 Type: 3c/4a/F/M/ii/iii |  Re: hot. | |
Quote: | Originally Posted by Ursula Heat opens the cuticle of the hair, while cold closes it, making it lie flat.
A hot oil or conditioner treatment is good, because it opens the cuticle, letting the oil soak into the hair.
Finishing a wash with a cool rinse is good because it smooths the cuticle, making the hair shaft smoother, less likely to tangle, and more pleasing to the touch. | Two thumbs up Ursula, I performed a hot oil treatment today, and it went very well. I was just wondering about hot and cold and how it affects the hair. You have totally answered the question. __________________
If they are trying to bring you down, they must be beneath you. | | | | | October 9th, 2005, 06:17 PM | #13 | | Long Hair Devotee Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 326 Length: 18/23/28 Type: 1c/M/ii |
I'm a HOT shower type too. But I found that if I put the room heater on, then I can take a shower with water's that isn't as hot. If the temp of the room is very warm, then the not-overly-hot water doesn't feel bad at all.
We recently replaced the room heater with a good one and it makes a big difference. I turn the heater on a few minutes before I get into the shower so the room's good and warm before I get in the water. try it. | | | | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode |  Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
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