LCO Method: What It Is, How To Do It, Benefits, And More

Hydration is the cardinal to salubrious natural pilus, and that'due south why the LCO method is so popular among naturals. It gives your curly strands the moisture they crave.

If you want to soak up some LCO method knowledge, yous're in the right place. We will take a deep dive into the LCO method and explore what it is, why it works, and how to do it.

Table of Contents

• ane What Is the LCO Method?
• 2 Should You Use the LCO Method?
• three The LCO Method Acronym
• four Products to Utilize for the LCO Method
  • four.1 Leave-ins
  • 4.2 Creams
  • 4.3 Oils
• 5 How to Practise the LCO Method
  • five.1 Selection Up Your Supplies
  • 5.2 Ready Your Natural Pilus
  • five.three Get to Layering
• half dozen LCO Method Dos and Dont's
  • 6.one Dos
  • 6.2 Don'ts
• seven Can You Do the LCO Method Every Day?
• 8 The LCO Method and Straight Hair
• nine Pros and Cons of the LCO Method
  • ix.ane Pros
  • 9.2 Cons

What Is the LCO Method?

The LCO method is a hair moisturization technique that involves layering pilus products to impart lasting moisture to the hair. The technique is most commonly used on curly natural hair, which is prone to dryness.

In society to understand the LCO method, you need to empathize the LOC method. The original LOC method was named by Alikay Naturals founder, Rochelle Graham Campbell after existence created by Chicoro, writer of a hair growth volume named 'Grow It'.

The acronym LOC stands for Liquid, Oil, Cream. When doing the LOC method, you should apply your go out-in, your oil, and then end things off with a cream.

Just with the LCO method, the final two steps are reversed. The LCO method stands for Fifty iquid, C ream, O il, where you lot utilize the leave-in get-go, then the cream, and the oil last.

Should Y'all Utilize the LCO Method?

The LCO method is not for everyone – it'southward specifically for Curlies with low porosity hair. If y'all're not sure what hair porosity is, we can help.

Low porosity hair has tight cuticles that lay almost flat, making this hair type very hard to moisturize. But once you manage to moisturize your depression porosity hair, the moisture is hands retained for days.

High porosity hair, on the other paw, has raised cuticles (oftentimes caused by chemic processing, rut styling, or other impairment-inducing practices). Since the pilus cuticles are raised, the pilus readily accepts moisture but loses it very chop-chop.

Hair porosity is not a subject that everybody knows well-nigh. Luckily, if you're unsure of the porosity of your hair, you can find out in just a few minutes.

Examination your hair porosity by putting a strand of clean hair in a cup of water and waiting for a few minutes:

• Depression porosity: If you run into your pilus floating on the surface of the water after several minutes, then information technology has low porosity. You lot'll too detect that water seems to sit on summit of your pilus instead of being readily absorbed.
• Medium porosity: If the hair neither floats nor sinks to the bottom, the pilus is considered medium porosity.
• Loftier porosity: If the hair sinks to the bottom of the cup of h2o, y'all have high porosity hair. You may likewise discover that your hair soaks up products easily but gets dry once again before long.

If you take loftier porosity pilus, we recommend that y'all explore the LOC method, equally it's more geared to high porosity pilus.

The LCO Method Acronym

The LCO method requires you to have 3 steps equally indicated by the acronym LCO. In the below department, we will requite you boosted data about each LCO method step:

• Liquid – The "L" in the LCO method represents liquid. The liquid that you should use for this step is a water-based get out-in conditioner, though some use water with success.
• Cream – The "C" in the LCO method stands for cream. Gyre butters, styling creams, and foam moisturizers all autumn into the "foam" category. In the LOC method, the foam comes last, simply in the LCO method, it comes second.
• Oil – The "O" in the LCO method stands for oil. For this step, you'll apply a lite oil to your hair. A couple of the most widely available lightweight oils include coconut oil, olive oil, and argan oil. Lightweight penetrating oils will impart much-needed moisture to your strands, despite low porosity hair's tendency to resist wet. We suggest against using sealing oils if you have depression porosity pilus, equally they can leave your hair super greasy, especially after applying your leave-in and cream. Likewise, they'd be useless on depression porosity hair, being that it doesn't necessarily need assist with moisture retentivity – it needs penetrating moisturizers, instead.

Products to Use for the LCO Method

One of the nearly significant issues that people take when trying out the LCO method is not knowing which products to employ. To make things a bit easier, nosotros'll requite you some groovy product choices to start off with:

Exit-ins

Carol'southward Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-in, Marc Anthony Strictly Curls, and Shea Moisture Carbohydrate Pikestaff Go out-in – These spray leave-ins are all great to utilise for your "L."

They are formulated with water every bit the first ingredient and contain moisturizers and humectants like aloe vera and glycerin. They are lightweight enough to penetrate and securely moisturize low porosity strands.

Creams

Shea Moisture Roll and Manner Milk, Curls Creme Brule, and DevaCurl Super Foam are great options to utilize for your "C." They all take nourishing ingredients and won't go out your curls greasy or weighed down.

Oils

For the "O," become for lightweight penetrating oils like Kate Blanc's Argan Oil and Coco & Co. Kokosnoot Oil.

Note that while these products work bang-up for thousands of people, your hair is unique and may react better to other products. Still, these products provide a great starting point.

How to Do the LCO Method

Keeping my hair MOISTURIZED LCO Method | Low Porosity Type four Hair

Now it'southward time to acquire how to do the LCO method. It's not adept plenty to slap a liquid, cream, and oil on your pilus haphazardly. For the best results, follow the steps beneath:

Option Up Your Supplies

To go started, brand sure that you lot have the following supplies ready:

• Water-Based Exit-in
• Penetrating Oil of Your Choice
• Cream styler or moisturizer
• Alligator Clips or elastics (optional)
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Wide-tooth rummage
• Towel (optional)

Set up Your Natural Hair

Preparing your natural hair for the LCO method is crucial because layering products on muddy hair could render them ineffective. Hither are the steps you should follow to get your hair gear up:

Wash Your Hair Thoroughly

A practiced wash is the first footstep in prepping your pilus for the LCO method. Wash your hair similar you ordinarily would with a moisturizing shampoo.

If you are experiencing buildup of any kind, switch out your regular shampoo for a clarifying shampoo.

In example y'all haven't heard, sulfate shampoos are notorious for leaving your hair dry, so dry that it may even feel brittle and crunchy.

Likewise, if you use sulfates on your pilus regularly, it would defeat the purpose of hydrating your hair using the LCO method. So, whether y'all opt for a moisturizing shampoo or a clarifying shampoo, we recommend choosing one without sulfates.

To get your hair clean and preserve its moisture, focus the shampoo on your roots rather than your ends.

Scrub your scalp with the pads of your fingers and only move the shampoo downwardly the length of your hair correct earlier rinsing.

If your hair does not feel clean after the commencement shampoo, you can do a second shampoo session. It's crucial that your hair is clean and ready to receive moisture earlier you get started with the production layering process.

Status Your hair

One time yous've completed the shampoo session(s), it's time to condition. Manipulate some conditioner into your hands and employ it to your hair.

Since your ends are the most fragile and damaged parts of your hair, make sure that yous coat them thoroughly.

The perfect time to detangle your hair is while the conditioner is on it. But grab your wide-toothed comb or apply your fingers to detangle.

Equally you'll see in the following steps, the LCO method requires a bit of hair manipulation. To brand sure that the process is equally painless equally possible, it's wise to minimize knots and tangles.

Dry Your Hair

Some think that your pilus should exist sopping moisture to do the LCO method, but that'due south non true. If your hair is soaked, at that place may non be sufficient room in the hair shaft for the liquid, cream, and oil.

The easiest way to become your pilus dry enough for the LCO method is to towel dry it. To remove excess water from your hair, you should gently pat it with the towel or wrap it up in the towel then take it down after several minutes – information technology's all-time not to wring your hair out.

You could also let your hair to air-dry completely, simply it's not necessary.

Get to Layering

Next, we'll talk about how to layer your products. This is the most of import part, so we've spelled out every pace yous should take in the below list:

• Split your pilus. Use a rattail rummage to separate your pilus into 4 to 6 sections, and and then secure each department with alligator clips or elastic bands. Y'all could as well braid each section down, merely this will take longer than the clips and rubberband bands. Some may want to skip this step, merely it'due south not recommended. Applying each of the products in sections helps you go them practical evenly and tin make your hair easier to work with.
• Apply your Liquid – To start, release i of the sections and spray information technology downwards with your leave-in conditioner. Once yous call back y'all've thoroughly wet the section, run your fingers through the section a few times for good measure. Y'all can also use a comb if that'southward your preference. After spraying and combing/finger combing the section, resecure it with your elastic, alligator clip, or braid it. Then, use the leave-in to the rest of the sections i by one.
• Apply the Cream – Employ your chosen cream to each of the sections and comb it through. Merely similar in the previous stride, have time to ensure that all of the hair is coated in the product.
• Apply your Oil – Apply your chosen oil to all of the hair sections. This is the final layer of moisture that you'll exist adding to your hair. And then, be sure to add enough to comprehend all of your strands. But practice your all-time not to overapply the oil since it tin cause your pilus to take on an unnatural smoothen and even ruin your fashion. After applying the oil to each department, run your fingers through each department for even distribution.

Later on completing the LCO method, you can go out your hair every bit it is or way information technology every bit you lot normally would.

LCO Method Dos and Dont'southward

The LCO method may seem easy, merely when you become down to actually trying it, y'all could encounter problems. So, before you swoop in, nosotros'd like to share with y'all some dos and don'ts to help you through the process.

Dos

• Do call back that while the LCO method works for many, it doesn't work for everyone. If you lot've tried the technique many times with dissimilar product combos and aren't seeing the results you'd like, peradventure a different variation of the LOC method (LO, LOCS, LOCO) would be a ameliorate fit for you.
• Do be sure to utilize your liquid, cream, and oil all the fashion to the ends of your pilus. With healthy, moisturized ends, yous'll experience less breakage and enjoy enhanced length retention.
• Practise proceed rails of how your hair looks before, during, and afterward doing the LCO method. This way, you'll exist able to determine whether the technique is working for you.
• Do pay attention to the ingredients in the products you lot use for the LCO method. Products with natural ingredients are often much better for your hair than those with synthetic ingredients. Also, check whether your products are water-based – hint: they'll have water listed equally one of the height 5 ingredients on the packaging.
• Practise endeavour the LCO method for a few weeks before making a judgment call on whether information technology's working.

Don'ts

• Don't get discouraged if the LCO method doesn't work for you the first time. The technique is only every bit adept as the products yous use – if the products yous cull don't mesh well with your hair'due south chemistry, y'all may not get a good result. Try multiple product combinations until you discover your "holy grail" combo.
• Don't skip the pilus prep stride. Doing the LCO method on muddied hair is a waste of time. The products will not be able to exercise their magic if they sit on top of dirt and droppings and never make contact with your hair.
• Don't add besides much of whatsoever of the products. More is not always better. Y'all want to add enough product without going overboard.

Can Yous Practice the LCO Method Every Day?

If you're wondering whether you lot tin can practice the LCO method every day, the answer is yes. Withal, you should probably do it less often because of the phenomenon of moisture overload.

When you moisturize your pilus as well much, the hair can become dull, overly stretchy, and weak. So, to avoid over moisturized hair, yous should do the LCO method every time you wash your hair (once a week or twice a calendar month).

If your hair is parched and desperate for moisture, you tin can do the LCO method every few days.

The LCO Method and Straight Hair

Though the LCO method is virtually commonly used past people with curly or wavy pilus, those who take chronically dry directly pilus may be able to use parts of information technology.

By this, we mean that you may do good from layering a leave-in and and then cream, or a leave-in and an oil. You could even try layering all three: leave-in, cream, and oil.

Still, it's of import to know that straight pilus is easy to weigh down. Then, effort not to apply likewise much of any one production. Information technology may help to apply each product sparingly at first and so add more than if needed.

Pros and Cons of the LCO Method

If you lot're all the same on the fence almost whether yous should try the LCO method, that'due south understandable. Possibly learning about the pros and cons will make the decision a bit easier.

The LCO method comes with its own unique pros and cons. Let'due south examine them in the beneath section:

Pros

• Layering your products the LCO fashion can help your low porosity curls retain wet between washes. Moisturized hair stands up to manipulation and the external elements, leading to increased length retention.
• The method is piece of cake to think, and then in one case you get it down, information technology'll become second nature.

Cons

• There are so many production combinations you tin can use. This can make it challenging to determine which products to choose for your leave-in, cream, and oil and how much of each product you should add together to your pilus.
• The LCO method requires yous to experiment with different products to determine which ones volition piece of work for y'all. This means that yous could end up spending a pretty penny until you find the correct products for your unique hair.

Many find that the pros far outweigh the cons, only you volition have to exist the approximate of that.

Our promise is that this commodity has reduced your level of dubiousness regarding the LCO method and encouraged you and others in the natural hair community to give information technology a try. We accept a feeling you'll meet a dramatic deviation in your pilus!

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Source: https://www.curlcentric.com/lco-method/

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