Coconut Milk as LI?

AliCole

Hey, guys. I'm thinking of buying coconut milk and using it as a LI before coconut oil (my current LI/sealer), but I wanted to know your opinions first, and if anyone ever had good results using it as a leave in.

But if it's too heavy or something, do you know any other natural alternatives, preferably affordable? I'm kinda on a budget.

Thanks for your opinions!

lolo918

I don't know, but I searched it and came up with a thread started by IrishCurl in 2006 under the Recipes for hair and body portion. (I can't post links yet- I googled "coconut milk as a leave in?" and it was the first result.

It sounds interesting, and worth a shot. The thread mentions that it separates to two parts so if you're worried about heaviness you could try just the watery portion first before your oil.
Then if you like that, try the mixed coconut milk parts before your oil.
If that's too heavy you can also try diluting the mixed parts in a spray bottle to spritz on before your oil.

dixygirl

she does it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGa-DYYWS3w
And I do it

sixelamy

It doesn't spoil in your hair at all? How many days do you leave it in before washing? I'm curious.

dixygirl

It stays totally fresh. It is NOT actually milk you know. It is just the content of a coconut which has a very long shelf life. It is a protein & coconut oil rich leave in. Coats and protects the hair with 100% natural nutrients
I go up to a week between cowashes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vFZPMZUYFs
For newbies to coconut milk you can rinse it out. But I use a diluted form of any conditioner for a leave in

sixelamy

Actually, yes it is milk - it comes from the meat of the coconut in liquid form. I'm asking, because pure forms of coconut milk can spoil after a few days, unless you are adding some type of preservative or refrigerating it. If you use an already preserved coconut cream or some such product, then that might be different. I've had flax spoil in my hair, so that is the reasoning for my question.

multicultcurly

I was thinking the same thing about it spoiling. I tend to rinse it out but I use the same coconut milk used for cooking.

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dixygirl

I personally have enjoyed leaving it in my hair on my hair type for decades. If I suddenly start having problems doing so, I will post it here. I also use the same canned coconut milk used for cooking. It is the best for me & contains some amount of coconut oil for $1.50/can!

It is a conditioner & leave in. It usually contains all the coconut oil my hair needs. I would like to say coconut milk is MY holy grail product. If I could ONLY have one product, I'd take coconut milk. :cheers:

coconut milk & dollar store cream rinse to cowash and I'm great!:toothy4::sunny:

fonki

Didn't work or me at all

dixygirl

Well, come to find out, one way of making coconut OIL is to simply boil the thickest part of coconut MILK for and hour and then strain it. So the coconut oil that everyone loves is IN the coconut milk along with other moisture, vitamins and nourishment. Boiling or pressing coconut milk separates it into its components to separate the oil out of the milk.
How To Make Coconut Oil In Your Home - YouTube
My hair loves both parts without separating them. Women in Asia also use a lot of coconut milk to condition the hair and grow it very long and strong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQf3GKd7-mk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_sC9gyEER0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksh6WrFdyO0
or used as a leave in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xGa-DYYWS3w
I used about a tablespoon of coconut milk on my wet hair after cowashing again yesterday. I used that as Liquid in the LOC formula because it liquifies quickly after coming in contact with the warmth of the head. Then I applied a bit coconut oil as the oil. I did not use a cream component in this case because I find that these two elements provide more than enough nourishment and moisture for my hair type. Then I simply air dried. I do very much like how nourished my hair feels this way. When it dried, it felt as if it had a very light hold similar to aloe vera liquid drying in the hair. So it does have some setting properties like a gel or setting lotion as suggested in the video above where the girl uses it as a leave in setting lotion for Pocahontas braids. That means it could double as both your leave in as well as a substitute for your gel in some cases. The combination of the oil and milk left the hair feeling very moist and soft.

I think that like everything else, it totally depends on your hair type and your tastes. I like my hair to have a little weight. It has to be a limited about though because my hair is baby fine although ethnic hair. So I think that if your hair is the right match for the products, coconut milk as well as oil are very nourishing for the hair. My hair is VERY fine like hair of Asian women from India, even though it is curly. So I find that I can do a lot of the same things to my hair that the women in Asia and particularly in India do to their hair. Again. what works for my hair type may not work for yours.

dixygirl

OH NO!! I looked at another brand of coconut milk I have and read the label. This one brand has SODIUM METABISULFITE in it as a preservative! It is highly alkaline and could damage hair according to TightlyCurly.com. Any and all sodium or salt based products can damage the hair.
So unfortunately, I can't use this particular brand on my hair. I will have to cook with it or something.
The Thai Kitchen brand and the other brands that say organic usually have guar gum which is ok for hair according to TightlyCurly.com.
Check the labels of your coconut milk before you buy it and make sure it has a safe preservative in there.

ehpn7

I actually just tried using coconut milk in the last couple weeks-- coconut oil is to heavy for my hair, but I love using coconut oil on my skin (makeup remover, cleanser, moisturizer, lotion, etc) and thought it was worth trying coconut milk.

The spritz bottle I wanted to use didn't quite hold a whole can of coconut milk, so I used everything left in the can as a deep treatment-- I just poured it on between my cowash and conditioner and let it soak in. I was really pleased with the results-- unbelievably soft afterwards! I overdid it with the milk when I sprayed it on for leave-in, and my ends were a little greasy looking. Still, it was really soft, wonderfully shiny (and my hair is NEVER really shiny, no matter what I use) and the clumps were considerably larger than normal.

Since then, I kept the spray bottle of coconut milk in the fridge and spritz a little on after towel-drying with a t-shirt and before gelling. I ran out and went back to my Shea Moisture spray-- stringy curls and frizz again (though that could have been the change in weather). Just restocked tonight, so I'll see how my hair fares with coconut milk + this new humidity.

Jeliah

Hmmmm this had peaked my interest. I just might try this myself.

Jeliah

Well I tried to use the coconut milk as a leave in. When it dried it was very stiff but when I rinsed it out my hair felt very soft and slightly less frizz. I think this would work better as a mild protein treatment for my hair.