Oily Locs and Scalp (When too much of a good thing goes bad).

Welcome back to Locs Talk, where I talk about all things Locs and Loose-Natural Hair. This week's discussion is OIL, yes oil. So many loose-natural and Loc'd folks live by oil and believe it solves all their problems to having dry hair and scalp. Well, what if I told you that is only partially true. In fact, too much can cause additional dryness and even worse lead to some serious scalp and skin conditions that can be catastrophic if you're not careful.

So, in this discussion I am going to talk about two major topics, first, the pros and cons of using oil, and how to use it properly; second, I will discuss how to properly wash your hair to cleanse oil and other products out of your hair/Locs safely and sufficiently. All the information I share is researchable. I work hard to do the research and find documented scientific proof that supports what I talk about. Every day is a learning experience as a Loctician, the education never stops. Be mindful of the difference in thickness and density, between small extract essential oils and thick dense oils, the thicker and denser, the more it will likely just sit on the surface. It is essential to learn how to use oil on your hair and scalp properly and to know when to use it.

Let's first look at the pros of essential oils for your scalp.

1. Moisturizes your scalp: oiling your scalp is a great way to add useful vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids to your hair.

2. Stimulates blood circulation: massaging oil on your scalp 2-3 times per week, helps to stimulate blood circulation and contributes to hair growth as well relaxing the body.

3. Aids dry scalp and dandruff: used as a sealant to a water-based moisturizer, the oil & moisture added to your scalp is enough to hydrate it and prevent the flareup of flakes and dandruff.

*Note: diluted oils that can melt into the scalp and hair and are best to prevent buildup and clogging of pores. Hence the previous note of the essentialism to using oils with minimal thickness and density.

Let's now look at the cons of oiling the scalp and hair.

1. Too much oil can make your hair look greasy: too much oil can give your hair/Locs an overly shiny and dirty look. You definitely don't want your Locs to look overly shiny and dirty. Adding oil on top of the natural oil your hair already produces is a lot. Applying in moderation every 3 days or so with oils that are high in vitamins and minerals, and low in thickness and density, will suffice.

2. Too much oil can cause buildup: You ever wash your Locs and see this white thick pasty stuff at the base of your new growth where your loose hair meets with the Loc'd hair? Yeah, that stuff, well that is a buildup of oil, product, flakes, and dandruff. Sounds pretty gross huh. What if I told you that the oil is not only likely the cause but is the glue holding all that gunk together. While one of the pros to oiling the scalp is an aid to prevent flaking and dandruff; too much oil will encourage it and increase flaking and dandruff. Remember last weeks' discussion on Seborrheic Dermatitis, when I said one of the causes is oily skin? Well, too much oil promotes overgrowth of Malassezia Yeast (the organism that lives on your skin), which causes your immune system to over-react and that results in an inflamed scalp. Do you see the ripple effect here?

*Note: The cons happen as an effect to using TOO much oil, not to using oil in general. Oil in itself is not bad, it is improper use and abuse of using oil that is problematic.

Now, let us view some of the most nourishing and beneficial oils to use and why.

1. Jamaican Black Castor oil stimulates hair follicles to promote growth.

2. Jojoba oil pronounced (huh-how-buh), a great aid to help decrease flaking and dandruff and also works well for thinning hair.

3. Argan Oil serves a variety of nutrients. It's packed with fatty acids and antioxidant vitamins. This oil also leaves your hair feeling super soft.

4. Peculiar Roots Growth Serum is great to help increase hair growth. It penetrates and stimulates inactive hair follicles, and it is gentle enough to use daily. This is one of my favorite oils because it is a blend of needed oils for a healthy scalp and promotes hair growth. It contains oils that include Biotin (vitamin that stimulates hair and nail growth) and a combination of all the oils I listed above to name a few.

5. Peculiar Roots conditioning oil (my personal favorite) used to stimulate and moisturize your roots and scalp. The ingredients include a special blend of essential nourishing oils chuck full of vitamins and minerals to keep your roots healthy. My favorite thing about it is how it just melts into your scalp and hair without leaving heavy and oily residue and the smallest amount is so effective when used.

A well formulated blend of essential and nourishing oils is very beneficial to help prevent buildup that likely results in seborrheic dermatitis outbreaks, which naturally is why Peculiar Roots conditioning oil happens to be my favorite. So, why is oiling beneficial? Your scalp is skin, it's just on your head and covered with hair. But, just like the skin on your body, it can dry out when it's not being properly cared for. It can become flaky and scaly and worse, filled with bacteria that can cause irritation and blemishes. Remember, too much of a good thing is not ideal and can go bad very quickly. While the benefit of oil is to help lock in moisture, it also locks in bacteria. It can enter the follicles and simply sit there. This can lead to inflamed follicles and that can cause infection, pain and inflammation (swelling, tenderness, and abscess). This can damage the follicles severely, if oil is not properly removed on a regular basis. This is why I cannot say this enough, DO NOT over-use oil on your scalp and hair and DO wash your hair not only regularly, but properly.

So, how do you wash your hair properly to assure your scalp is thoroughly cleansed of oil and dirt that can cause bacteria? Here's how to cut grease without damaging your hair or irritating your scalp. People with oily hair, typically straighter hair that is textured at 1A-2C, generally has to wash on a daily basis. This is not true for a thicker textured hair at 3A-4C hair textures. However, for thicker textured hair, cleaning the scalp daily without washing the hair is possible (see last week's blog on Seborrheic Dermatitis for steps to cleansing the scalp without washing your hair). When you have thicker textured hair, loose natural or Loc'd, washes can be a minimum of once per week without the risk of washing away the hair's natural oils and nutrients and a maximum of 4 weeks. I do not recommend going beyond 4 weeks between washes on thicker textured or Loc'd hair of any type. That is simply my professional opinion on it.

Shampoo Properly

It's not rocket science, no, but you can wash incorrectly and end up with oily scalp and damaged hair. Proper wash consists of gently working in a small amount of shampoo (not half the bottle) into the scalp. Heavy suds do not equate to clean hair and scalp. Massage gently with the fingertips avoiding the use of your fingernails. Aggressive scrubbing can bruise and irritate your scalp and cause it to produce more oil which in turn leads to seborrheic dermatitis. Focus much on the scalp where the oil is most saturated, the shampoo will run throughout the length of your hair as you continue to massage it in and rinse.

If the length of your hair/Locs is oily, then you are saturating your hair with too much oil, which will cause a barrier to build, and moisture won't penetrate the hair. That will lead to excessive dryness and eventually will cause the hair to break. The natural essence of oil in your hair is developed at the roots. So, the oil that is added to the shaft of your hair/Locs should be minimized and used only as a sealant to lock in moisture on your Locs. Minimized usage on the shaft of your Locs/hair, will make it easier to properly cleanse the hair without using harsh shampoos and other heavy duty cleaning agents.

Next, condition properly. Use of conditioner on Locs is highly recommended for fully Loc'd, mature and aging Locs. However, for younger Locs, starter and budding Locs, but not fully loc'd, the Peculiar Roots 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner is a great recommendation I tested it with one of my clients who volunteered to let me wash his hair with the 2 in 1 for his first 7 months before his Locs were fully Loc'd. The shampoo and conditioner combination are well formulated and provides just enough conditioner to help your Locs maintain its moisture without changing the texture of your developing Locs.

Use products that are formulated to help properly cleanse oily hair. A great clarifying shampoo would suffice. I highly recommend Peculiar Roots ACV clarifying shampoo for this, or the sweet orange castile shampoo. You can also use both for one wash day. I have read about and viewed video footage of people using agents not meant to be used on your hair. This is a mistake, not only because of chemicals that are harsh on your hair, but also the elevated pH levels that can knock your hair's natural pH levels way off balance and cause severe damage to your hair/Locs. DO NOT use cleaning agents that are not meant to be use on your hair, agents like dish washing liquid, yes you read that correctly. I have seen people use dish washing liquid to wash their hair/Locs, BIG mistake! Unless your goal is to inevitably dehydrate and lose your hair, don't do it. Many people in the Loc community use dish detergent to wash their Locs because it cuts the grease in their Locs. But if you need to use something that strong to cleanse grease from your hair, then you are using entirely too much grease.

Avoid using products with silicone. There are many products, including shampoos, conditioners, creams, and styling products, that contain silicone to help smooth hair and add shine. Silicone can build up on hair and make it look dirty, oily and weighed. Silicone can also prevent beneficial moisture from getting into the hair shaft. Avoid ingredients the end in "cone" read your labels. You see often, I highly recommend the products I personally use (Peculiar Roots), I don't require you to use it as if there is nothing else, I just highly recommend it, and those that has tried them, has never looked back. They are Peculiar Roots tribe for life. There is no need for me to discredit other brands to lift up Peculiar Roots. What it has done for me, my family and my clients, I want to share with others so they can embrace and have a wonderful experience in their Loc journey.

Moving forward, I just want to say this; Be gentle handling your hair/Locs. Irritating your scalp can actually over stimulate your scalp and cause your oil glands to over produce oil. This includes playing in your hair too often, such as Loc twirling, head scratching, running fingers through your hair etc. The more you play with your hair, the worse it looks. My youngest son had a habit of playing with his Locs often last year when he was home remote learning and no matter how often I told him to stop, he had trouble stopping, mostly because it was a coping mechanism to help him get through that rough period through this pandemic. No matter how much care I put into taking care of his hair to minimize the damage, it took its course and damage occurred, but has since been repaired and restored to perfect health as things got better for him. You will see pics of his Locs in the Portfolio of this website. Of all my clients and Loc family, his Locs has been the most admired.

Moisturize regularly to keep your scalp hydrated. Again, this helps to prevent dryness, that leads to symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis. Preconditioning before shampooing is a great aid in removing excess residue from the hair/Locs. Peculiar Roots has a wonderful Deep Conditioning Moroccan Argan Hair mask that is perfect for this step. Another great pre-shampoo moisture mask is Aloe gel, which is also available at Peculiar Roots. It is important to thoroughly rinse your hair/Locs of all residues left from shampoo and conditioner. Not doing so properly can buildup and cause irritation and inflammation and by now, we all know where that leads.

Last helpful tip for washing properly. GO NATURAL! Straightening irons, hot air blow dryer and hooded dryers, give a smooth finish, but can aid in dehydration and make your hair look greasy faster. Greasy hair/Locs does not equate to healthy hair/Locs. Let your hair air-dry and embrace its natural texture.

In conclusion, remember that Oil is essential for the health of your scalp and hair, but also remember that TOO much of a good thing can go bad. Next week we will go further into depth of keeping your scalp hair/Locs clean and healthy. We will also discuss the benefits & downfalls of using products with the right ingredients and ingredients that aren't beneficial to the health of your hair/Locs that can have a long-term effect of causing damage.

Peculiar Roots Products recommended throughout this blog:

-Growth Serum Oil

-Conditioning Oil

-Refresher Spray for moisture routine

-ACV clarifying shampoo

-Orange Castile shampoo

-2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner

-Rose conditioner

-Black charcoal conditioner

-Deep Conditioning Moroccan Argan hair mask

-Aloe Vera gel

All items are available on www.peculiarroots.com and use the discount code Pammielocs10 at checkout to save $$$