# Olive oil in hair **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411 "2005-07-13T21:02:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/1 "2005-07-13T21:02:04Z")
Reading another post got me thinking about the scene in _The English Patient_ where Hana tells Kip to use olive oil to wash his hair. Ooookay. I like olive oil on bread, veggies and certain body parts but I cannot imagine the mess it would make if I tried to wash my hair with it. Is this something people actually do or was it a poorly researched line in the movie? ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/2 "2005-07-13T21:33:48Z")
I’ve known people to use it as kind of a “conditioning” treatment in spas in SE Asia, India and Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/3 "2005-07-13T21:36:53Z")
No answer for the OP, but related questions: Scenes from Biblical movies of someone getting their feet washed in oil by a pretty girl who uses her hair to rub the stuff in. Are there Bible verses to back this up? How would a person get the oil out again, or would they bother? Primative VO5? I’ve heard that the way to get dredlocks if you don’t have kinky hair is to slather your locks in Vasaline or a similar substance. True? If so, is it possible to wash that out, or do you just have to wait until it grows out? Also, (haven’t seen the movie) was the olive oil supposed to kill lice or something? Or just to smell like salad dressing? ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/4 "2005-07-13T21:47:50Z")
The olive oil isn’t to wash his hair - it’s to put in afterwards. A little bit as a conditioner. If I recall, Hana says, “Olive oil - for your hair.” Not “Olive oil, to wash your hair with.” Olive oil also works pretty well to make your hair “day-old.” Lots of people have hair that becomes much easier to style when it’s one-day dirty. Most wedding hairdressers will tell people getting an upswept hairdo not to wash their hair that morning. But if you did, or it’s still “clean,” you can put a tiny bit of olive oil in and it gets enough body to be much easier to put up. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/5 "2005-07-13T21:52:48Z")
The Romans used oil in their bath houses to clean the skin; the oil is spread on, where it binds to the dirt - it’s then scraped off, taking the dirt with it. any excess can be wiped off with a towel. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/6 "2005-07-13T22:05:01Z")
\ I wish I had known this before drenching my hair with oil. I probably shouldn’t have used pesto either. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/7 "2005-07-13T22:06:48Z")
I remember a character in a Ngaio Marsh novel putting some on to his hair before going to a cocktail party. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/8 "2005-07-13T22:19:35Z")
I used to have a roommate with very curly long thick hair, and she regularly used olive oil as a post-shampoo conditioner. Apparently nothing else would get it even remotely manageable. (And certainly her hair never looked or smelled “oily” or rancid as far as I could tell.) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/9 "2005-07-13T23:10:15Z")
Now I can’t get the image of Shelly Duvall naked singing “Good Morning Starshine”… _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/10 "2005-07-13T23:11:34Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Now I can’t get the image of Shelly Duvall naked singing “Good Morning Starshine”… _shudder_ …out of my head. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/11 "2005-07-13T23:18:21Z")
> [@Padeye](#): > > Reading another post got me thinking about the scene in _The English Patient_ where Hana tells Kip to use olive oil to wash his hair. Ooookay. I like olive oil on bread, veggies and certain body parts but I cannot imagine the mess it would make if I tried to wash my hair with it. Is this something people actually do or was it a poorly researched line in the movie? If I remember my readings, the old Romans used olive oil to clean themselves. They would lave it on then scrape it off. The oil would then be sold as an aphrodisiac. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/12 "2005-07-13T23:18:39Z")
Woosh. 'splain, please **jayjay** ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/13 "2005-07-13T23:20:26Z")
**Mangetout** beat you to the punch, **ouryL** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/14 "2005-07-13T23:29:10Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > Woosh. > > 'splain, please **jayjay** Read as: Olive Oyl in [_Hair_](http://www.michaelbutler.com/hair/holding/Hair.html). ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/15 "2005-07-13T23:30:24Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > Woosh. > > 'splain, please **jayjay** Reference is to Olive Oyl, played by Shelley Duvall in the Popeye movie. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/16 "2005-07-13T23:34:53Z")
> [@Padeye](#): > > \ I wish I had known this before drenching my hair with oil. I probably shouldn’t have used pesto either. If you have _angel_ hair, I’ll be right over. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/17 "2005-07-13T23:51:35Z")
Haven’t you ever heard of a hot oil treatment? ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/18 "2005-07-14T00:07:27Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Read as: Olive Oyl in [_Hair_](http://www.michaelbutler.com/hair/holding/Hair.html). Aha. That’s what I get for not hanging out in Cafe Society more often. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/19 "2005-07-14T00:08:35Z")
No one is interested in my dreadlock question ☹ ---
**Author:** ![La\_Llorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@La\_Llorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/La_Llorona)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411/20 "2005-07-14T04:36:07Z")
I’m interested in your Bible questions, though! > [@Pullet](#): > > Scenes from Biblical movies of someone getting their feet washed in oil by a pretty girl who uses her hair to rub the stuff in. Are there Bible verses to back this up? Here are two stories that deal with people rubbing _perfume_ into other people’s feet with their hair, not oil: [one](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%207:36-50;&version=31;) and [two](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2012:1-8;&version=31;). I suppose it could be a perfumed oil, but the first story does seem to make a distinction between oil and perfume: > [@Jesus](#): > > You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. I’m not quite sure why people rubbed it in with their hair, but it does seem to have been well-known enough not to be commented upon as unusual. That second story always gave us the most trouble in theology class, too. “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me”? Ouch! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-oil-in-hair/312411.md?page=2)