Can You Grow Long Hair without Oil/Grease?

[Ms Red]

Hi Ladies,

I was wondering... Back in the 90s I heard Oprah raving about how African-American hair grows best without the aid of oil or grease. I believe her stylist suggested that oils and grease clog the pores on your scalp, thus preventing (or at lease stifling) hair growth. . .

Have you personally found this to be true? With all of our "PJisms," I'm almost certain that more than 50% of us have WGO, MTG, Shapleys, EOs, and every other leave in conditioner in our cabinets. Can we truly grow our hair longer without oils and grease? I am from the South and heavy-handed. I never believed in that "dime-size" amount of product that they always swear by and if I don't "grease my scalp" I feel like something is missing from my regimen!!

My question is... have you grown your hair without the help of oils, grease, moisturizers, etc. Or with minimum product?? Do these products really clog our pores over time, or can this be alleviated by washing your hair more than once a week?

Since getting my hair cut (2.5"), I am tweaking my regimen and want to know the best way to utilize my oils, grease and moisturizer.

*cupcake*

 

[Koffie]

Girl......

You betta use them oils and grease. Being from the south myself, my mother always had Blue Magic on my scalp, and I have NEVER been bald, and my hair has ALWAYS exceeded shoulder length.

 

[Jewell]

Although my hair was still healthy when I stopped greasing my scalp for a while, it looks way more lush when I do use oils/grease. My mother always used some Blue Magic or Indian Hemp too, and my hair has never been shorter than about 3 inches past my shoulders since 1st grade. I just kept cutting it, or else I would have been waist length years ago. I have gone back to greasing my scalp, and I LOVE IT. My answer is yes, you can grow long hair without them, but as for me and my hair, we use grease/oils.

When I went to a stylist in L.A. while out there in 2001, and she was criticizing me for greasing my scalp, when her hair was something fried and dry. Not saying grease would eliminate that problem, but at the time, my hair was past bra-strap and looked like a lion's mane because it was so thick and my natural hair color is light brown. And, I had been greasing my scalp since I was old enough to do my own hair.

 

[Poohbear]

im sure u can grow hair without oil/grease but i wouldn't recommend that you stop using them. i love oils & grease! as long as you don't use too much, your hair will look fine.

 

[ThickHair]

A friend of mine is a no pooer and no oiler and her hair grew out just find. She is a NP member. (Going to get Fotki link)

http://public.fotki.com/alken41100/
password: cowrie

ETA: Her last update was in February, but the pictures are great.

 

[deedabug]

i dont depend on oils and grease to make and keep my hair healthy...grease and oil cant do it all...

also i think greases and oils that have some type of hair stimulant in it helps alot....

since im back to using grease...i still do everything else the same that i was already doing as a natural....so because of that i think thats why grease doesnt harm my hair

 

[Ashee]

Your hair will grow regardless of what you put in your hair... It's all about nutrition at the end of the day... If you're not taking care of your health, all else means nothing - POINT BLANK!

The added oils/grease is just to help some with manageability.... that's all
-HTH

 

[FashionistaNY]

For me, the more products I put in my hair, the less it thrives. I found that the more I put oils/grease on my scalp, my hair sheds more.

For me, it is sufficient to wash every 4-5 days and grow hair. My hair thrives off water the best.

 

[Honi]

I agree with Fashionista. My hair loves and thrives from the moisture (water) most. I use only oils. I don't use grease on my hair or scalp.

 

[Tru_Mind]

My hair grew long without oil and grease when I was relaxed...but it was dry...so I wouldn't recomended it either. I didn't use grease, because my hair didn't like grease(still doesn't). I didn't use hair oils, because I thought the hair oils were just an oily grease. Not anymore...I love my hair oil.

Then again, maybe a good moisturizing shampoo, and conditioner(if you can find one) can be enough.

 

[kizzylonghair]

Use Oil on my scalp as a child!!! But now I know the difference between

GREASE AND A MOISTURIZER, I dont think u need Grease on the scalp!!!

I do love my Oils, jojobo Oil, Carrot Oil etc, not heavy grease, what u used to press your hair with. Essentials oils do more for the hair from root to tip

Kizzy

 

[Ms Red]

Well, it looks like I'm back to oils and grease then.... I just HATE dry sandpaper hair!! I'm with yall on this...

 

[sprungonhairboards]

Well, it looks like I'm back to oils and grease then.... I just HATE dry sandpaper hair!! I'm with yall on this...

If you have dry sandpaper hair you need a good conditioning moisturizer. Oils and grease do not add moisture and aren't supposed to.

 

[kizzylonghair]

If you have dry sandpaper hair you need a good conditioning moisturizer. Oils and grease do not add moisture and aren't supposed to.

I AGREE, I am little embrassed to say. But its only about a year ago. I found the benefit of conditioner!!! How to use and what to use. Getting this bit right changes your whole hair. Without grease or Oil

Kizzy

 

[Ayeshia]

hecks yeah..Ive been doing it since my BC a year and a half ago. I recently started using oil maybe three months ago.

 

[Ms Red]

So far I have only used Humectress & Motions CPR.

I know that people have raved about Humecto and other conditioners as well. Any suggestions?

 

[Maxie5452]

I haven't put any oil/grease on my scalp for the past 6 months and my hair has grown without it. Not to mention the movement and the fact that i can run my hands through my hair without having a hand full of grease.

Before i cut grease out of my regime i read Cathy Howse's "Ultra Black Hair Growth" and it describes in detail why our hair does not need grease to grow.

-Hope this helps

 

[Ebony]

I never use grease. Oils I do use when I do an overnight deep conditioning with olive oil, when I wear buns & weaves I use jojoba/vit e. THose are my only exceptions because even the slightest bit weighs my hair down. Moisturizing has been key for my hair growth & I use Scurl lightly once a week. It doesn't weigh my hair nor is it oily.

 

[baglady215]

If you have dry sandpaper hair you need a good conditioning moisturizer. Oils and grease do not add moisture and aren't supposed to.

But for me, they have helped to retain the moisture. My hair is porous, and any moisture would literally evaporate by the end of the day. Grease/oils (right now it's shea butter ) have helped me to "lock in" the moisture. Shoot, it's 4:20 and my hair is still feeling good!

 

[baglady215]

So far I have only used Humectress & Motions CPR.

I know that people have raved about Humecto and other conditioners as well. Any suggestions?

I can't say it enough... ORS Olive Oil Replenshing Pak !!!

 

[Ms Red]

Thanks everyone!

BagLady: I have the ORS pak but haven't used it yet. Now I'll be using it very soon!! )

 

[Mizani_Mrs]

I haven't greased/oiled my scalp in like 4yrs. I used to a while back, but i figured since my stylist doesnt grease my scalp then it must not be a smart thing to do. also I heard what Oprah said also so I stopped. I used to only use the ORS hair sheen spray in my hair. now i recently started oiling my hair, and my hair loves it. i still dont oil my scalp though. and surprising my hair absorbs it, my hair isn't greasy. I noticed that sometimes when i have breakage that oiling my hair a lil bit usually stops the breakage until i can wash/condition it. It makes my hair shiny and tame, and if i moisturize correctly, the oil does not weigh my hair down. which surprised me. I just dont see a reason to oil my scalp????

 

[Champagne_Wishes]

I haven't greased my hair in a year or more. The reason why is that my hair was never moisturized and my hair needed some type of water based moisturizer and a oil based to seal it the moisture. Basically do what makes you happy with your hair.

 

[sprungonhairboards]

But for me, they have helped to retain the moisture. My hair is porous, and any moisture would literally evaporate by the end of the day. Grease/oils (right now it's shea butter ) have helped me to "lock in" the moisture. Shoot, it's 4:20 and my hair is still feeling good!

Oh ok, yeah as long as you put it on wet hair I was thinking more of everyday use on dry hair. And shea butter is for me THE best for locking in moisture.

 

[IntelligenceisBeautiful]

I don't know about the grease, but don't you need oils to seal in moisture?

 

[CarLiTa]

When I was a kid, my mom used to grease my hair all the time. I don't think it was to help with growth because I had hair regardless... I think she mostly used them because I had dry scalp with lots of flakes. When I started doing my own hair, I didn't use grease so much, except when my scalp was really dry, and sometimes on the hair shaft. But then sometimes it did'nt matter, i would still shed BADLY because i had split ends... that was two years ago. I would still have dry scalp because I would always forget to grease it, because it took too much time; I only did it once a week, twice if I remembered.

Last summer, when I started taking a multi-vitamin, my dry scalp was GONE. I realized it was internal, and with washing more often, I don't even need to do anything to my scalp because it stays moisturized. My hair grows fine with or without it. I might start greasing once a week again though, just to see if it would make a difference in growth, although I doubt that if it does make a difference that it will be significant.