The benefits of coconut oil on hair has been a big topic over the last few years and remains to be one till this day. Coconut oil benefits for hair are endless. One of its most popular uses is coconut oil for hair growth and coconut oil for hair loss. It’s no wonder this oil is one of the most sought out in the hair care industry. It has nourishing properties that work wonders on your hair.
Using the right amount, coconut oil not only can nourish the hair, but it can also bring your hair back to life, especially if you’re dealing with hair damage. But using too much coconut oil can lead to negative outcomes. With that, here are the things you need to know about coconut oil.
Why Use Coconut Oil for Hair?
Why is coconut oil good for your hair? Organic coconut oil is said to have nourishing properties, but where do those properties come from? The benefits of coconut oil on hair all go back to medium chain fatty acids. These are known to have antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, which do wonders for your hair. The usefulness of coconut oil on hair is backed up by the fact that coconut oil has the richest medium chain fatty acids among all types of oils.
If you’re a mother, then you know that Lauric acid is naturally produced in breastmilk. This acid is good for cellular and hormonal health. Lauric acid is a luxury that many oils don’t have. Luckily, coconut oil does. Because of this, coconut oil is a good at preventing and reversing hair loss.
Coconut oil is a popular oil to use because it gives faster results compared to other oils. This is due to the mentioned properties that most oils don’t have.
It may appear to be ineffective to use a small amount of coconut oil on your hair, especially if you think the oil didn’t penetrate your hair enough. However, precaution is needed if you want the benefits of coconut oil on hair to take effect.
Too Much Coconut Oil Could Be Bad
When applying coconut oil, it’s important to use only appropriate amounts. Too much of a good thing can be bad.
In fact, the benefits of coconut oil for hair are most effective when it’s used in smaller amounts. With that, it’s advised that you first put a small amount of coconut oil into the palm of your hands, and then warm it up by rubbing them together. This way the oil is easier to apply and gets distributed more evenly. A little goes a long way.
Tips on Using Coconut Oil for Hair
There’s a reason why hair care products are sometimes ineffective: they don’t have natural ingredients. It’s the same thing with coconut oil. When the oil is mixed with chemicals, then its nourishing ability diminishes.
When you buy coconut oil to use on your hair, you should opt for virgin coconut oil. Using manufactured coconut oil is just as good as using any other type of hair care product. When coconut oil is manufactured, it becomes impended with different chemicals. Simply said, it’s not pure anymore. Thus, it will not be as effective on your hair.
Here are some ways to make coconut oil more effective on your hair:
- Use Caution When Applying Directly to the Scalp
Although coconut oil is effective in removing dandruff, the oil can actually clog pores for people with certain scalp types (just as it does on certain skin types). This, in turn, can lead to irritation and other scalp problems instead of boosting the benefits of coconut oil on hair.
- Only Apply Small Amounts
Contrary to popular belief, larger amounts aren’t always good. In fact, using too much of anything can worsen your condition and the same is true for coconut oil on hair.
A light coating will get the job done. Apply small amounts at first, until you learn how to perfectly estimate the amount of coconut oil you need.
- Experiment with Other Ingredients
When you mix another component such as eggs, yogurt, or honey, then there may be more benefits that await your hair, compared to when just coconut oil is used.
When Is Coconut Oil Most Effective?
If you’re used to using homemade shampoo, then coconut oil may not be an effective regimen for your hair. Sometimes, the usefulness of coconut oil on hair will depend on the shampoo you use.
The thing with homemade shampoos is they lack the ingredients that remove excess dirt and oil. With that, the coconut oil will not be able to penetrate effectively. To fix this you should wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo every now and then to remove any buildup left on your hair.
Consume Coconut Oil for Maximum Benefits
While applying coconut oil directly on your hair is great, to truly maximize the benefits of coconut oil you’ll have to consume it.
When the oil’s applied to your hair, your hair is kept healthy only from the outside. But when coconut oil is consumed into your system, then the nourishment goes beyond the outside. Your hair will be protected from the inside. This way your hair will not only be healthier but also experience increased hair growth and protection from common hair problems like hair loss and dandruff.
When you consume coconut oil, your system digests it and breaks it down. With that, your body can take all the properties and proteins in the oil and use it to enhance all new hair growth right from the roots.
Benefits of Coconut Oil for Hair
Everyone dreams of having healthy and shiny hair. That’s why we buy hair products that claim to provide the best benefits and make your hair healthy. But as months and years go by, you realize that there’s little to no visible result.
TV commercials can say all they want about hair products, but if you want to see real results, then you need to use the real thing: coconut oil.
Is coconut oil good for your hair? If you look around, you’ll see that almost every hair product contains coconut oil. That’s because of the benefits that go along with the use of coconut oil for hair. These are:
It Hydrates Your Hair
When your body doesn’t have enough water, then it lacks the nutrients it needs to ward off diseases and function properly. As a result, people often end up sick or weak.
The hair works in a similar way. Since your hair isn’t getting enough water it becomes dry. Meaning, it will be frizzier and brittle. At this point, what you need is to rehydrate your hair.
That is something you can do effectively using coconut oil. But why coconut oil? One of the coconut oil uses for hair is rehydration. Sure, you can rehydrate by drinking plenty of water but your hair also needs a direct treatment.
Putting coconut oil on dry hair work wonders. Coconut oil hair becomes softer and healthier. Coconut oil also contains antioxidants and other antibacterial properties that help your hair get and stay healthy.
Natural Hair Care
One of the benefits of coconut oil on hair is hair care. The reason your hair isn’t getting any healthier is because you use a lot of hair products that are supposedly good for your hair, but eventually do harm.
The hair products you use may contain properties that help improve the overall health condition of your hair. But, along with those healthy properties, hair products also contain harmful chemicals that can lead to hair problems such as dry hair, hair loss, and dandruff down the road.
5 Best Uses of Coconut Oil for Hair
Sure, coconut oil is good for the hair, but how exactly does one reap the benefits brought about by this oil? Here are the 5 ways you can use coconut oil on hair.
1. Hair Conditioner
One of the benefits of coconut oil for hair is it’s a natural substance. You must be careful when choosing a hair conditioner because some are stronger than others. Conditioners that have strong ingredients may leave your hair in a worse shape than it was before. But coconut oil is natural, you don’t have to worry about this with coconut oil.
What leads to hair loss and dry hair is protein loss. So, how does one prevent the protein from being lost? You can’t. That’s the job of coconut oil. Its Lauric acid allows it to penetrate deeply through the hair and nourish it inside and out preventing protein loss.
How to Condition Hair Using Coconut Oil:
Using the amount of coconut oil stated above, you can then rub the oil between your palms and spread it thoroughly on your hair. Then put on a shower cap. You can either let it sit for about two hours, or you can let it sit overnight. After that, wash your hair with a mild shampoo, and let it dry.
2. Hair Growth Treatment
The problem with hair treatments is that they can really damage your hair as they contain chemicals that are more damaging than we first thought.
What’s worse is hair treatments can cause a fortune. When you go for a hair treatment and spend hundreds of dollars, you only have a few months before it gets damaged again. Then you need to go for another expensive hair treatment just so your hair gets back to normal again. Basically, it’s a never-ending process.
It’s best to go for coconut oil hair treatment instead. Since it is an all-natural remedy, you can expect nothing but coconut oil benefits for hair. It has all the essential nutrients, like Lauric acid, that clears the hair shaft, leading to a bouncy and healthy hair. Coconut oil is well known as a very good hair growth oil.
People are stuck with the idea that purchasing expensive hair products will cure their hair loss. Little do they know, the reason their hair doesn’t get any better is due to the fact that the damage their hair is suffering from isn’t external. They’re internal, meaning they cannot be fixed from the outside. It has to be from the inside.
You need something that can penetrate into your scalp and cure the damage that comes from the inside. Only coconut oil for hair growth is able to do that.
How to Use Coconut Oil to Increase Hair Growth
You need to massage the coconut oil into your hair to allow it to penetrate inside. The thing about coconut oil is it improves the circulation of blood, which also happens to be the secret to beating hair loss. When you have good blood circulation, hair tends to grow, instead of fall out.
You’ll need to apply the coconut oil and let it sit for 5-10 minutes about three or four times a week. If you’re only interested in hair regrowth and basic hair conditioning, then 1 teaspoon of coconut oil will do.
But if you want to deeply recondition your hair as you’re waiting for it to regrow, a good technique is to add rosemary essential oil to the coconut oil. It’s been proven that rosemary can increase hair growth by 20% compared to only using coconut oil alone.
Also, take note that coconut oil already does a good job of improving circulation. Rosemary oil also happens to have that same benefit. With that, these 2 oils make the perfect combination to increase hair growth.
You need to let the rosemary and coconut oil mix sit on your hair for at least 10 minutes, you can put a shower cap on to keep things from getting messy. After that, you can use a mild shampoo to wash the oil out.
Remember coconut oil isn’t only effective when applied directly on your hair. You can also consume the oil, and the effect will be far more prominent and beneficial. When you put coconut oil on your hair, the shaft absorbs the oil. But when its consumed your body breaks it down and uses all that nutrition and protein far more effectively. Now your hair gets to take advantage of the oils benefits from the inside out.
3. Dandruff Treatment
Dandruff is a common problem among men and women alike. For years coconut oil has been used for lots of dandruff problems.
The use of coconut oil for dandruff goes back to ancient times when chemical-based hair products didn’t exist just yet. All those years, coconut oil had been proven to be a successful remedy for dandruff.
Apart from the discomfort, dandruff can also make you look unhygienic. With that, people try to seek more effective ways to get rid of dandruff, but none of the new discoveries have come close to coconut oil’s ability to cure dandruff.
Common causes of dandruff are fungal infections, dry skin, or even harsh chemicals from hair products.
You never have to worry about those things if you use coconut oil. Coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids that help combat dandruff-causing fungi.
Some of the over-the-counter dandruff remedies your friends usually recommend can do more damage than good. You’ll find yourself hopping from one brand to another wondering if there will ever come a day where your dandruff disappears forever. Coconut oil is one of the only products that can make a difference when it comes to dandruff control.
Sometimes, what causes the dandruff is your shampoo. To rid the hair of dirt and excess oil shampoos use tons of chemicals. This can cause an imbalance in your hairs natural health system. So, if you’ve tried everything but cant get rid of dandruff you might have to change shampoos.
How to Treat Dandruff Using Coconut Oil
Gather essential oils such as wintergreen, tea tree, lavender, thyme, and then mix it with two teaspoons of coconut oil.
It’s important to spread the solution evenly on your head so it penetrates the entire scalp. Wear a shower cap and let your hair sit for a few minutes. If possible, it would be better to sit under the sun. It’s important to let the shower cap heat up, if you can’t sit under the sun, then you can use a hair dryer to warm your head up. This opens your pours and allows for better absorption.
After about 5-10 minutes take the shower cap off, and then wash your hair using your usual shampoo. Do this routine three to four times a week.
4. Styling Hair
Apart from the nourishing and healing qualities of coconut oil, can also be used to style one’s hair. The best part is when you get a cool hairdo, you don’t have to worry about dangerous chemicals getting into your hair because the styling agent you used is 100% natural.
If you use hair straighteners and other styling irons, you make your hair more prone to dry hair and brittleness.
Another way to worsen your hairs condition is by using chemical-infested hair products. The best way to cure and avoid further damage is by using coconut oil as an alternative for your hair styling products.
Coconut oil contains properties that keep thermal power from doing damage to your hair, while at the same time curing all the hair problems that you may be suffering from such as brittle or frizzy hair.
How to Style Hair Using Coconut Oil:
You only need about ¼ tablespoon of coconut oil applied to your hair. If you have thick and long hair, then it would be best to use about ½ tablespoon. Rub the oil into your hands and then begin to spread it evenly on your hair.
You should be careful not to put too much coconut oil because it can weigh down your hair and nobody wants that.
Pay extra attention to the shafts and the ends of the hair. You can then start to style your hair like you normally do.
How to Use Coconut Oil to Fix Frizzy Hair:
You can choose from ¼ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of coconut oil, depending on the thickness and length of your hair, and then rub the oil between your palms. Start from the roots, and then go over until you meet the tip of your hair. Once you’ve evenly spread the oil, you can then use a hair dryer to heat up and style your hair accordingly.
Using Coconut Oil to Protect Hair from the Sun:
Your hair is much like your skin. They both need care and protection, especially when it comes to the sun.
Lucky for you, coconut oil has SPF 8, making it your hair’s ultimate sun protector and hair nourisher. You may use it as a leave-on conditioner to protect your hair from the sun for the rest of the day. On top of that, you may also apply some on your skin so that it’s not only your hair that’s protected all day long.
How to Detangle Hair Using Coconut Oil
Everyone hates tangled hair. Apart from being a hassle to detangle, it can leave your hair damaged afterward. You may use coconut oil on hair to prevent breakage. It works through the shaft, making it almost impossible for your hair to get damaged. Besides, using coconut oil will make it easier for you to detangle your hair.
You only need to spread a small amount on your hair, mostly on the tangled area. With the help of a wide-toothed comb, you can work on your hair starting from the top to the bottom.
If you want to prevent tangled hair, then you should start using coconut oil daily. Apart from the prevention of tangled hair, you also get to improve the overall wellness of your hair.
5. Lice Treatment
Lice are a common problem among women. It happens when one has spent too much time under the sun or if someone doesn’t mind their hygiene enough. There’s plenty of lice treatments available over the counter, but many people find these aren’t effective solutions or just want to do it the natural way.
Coconut oil is one of the most direct ways of curing your problem with lice and making sure they don’t come back. Furthermore, you can also combine anise spray with your coconut oil to make the solution even more effective.
In fact, based on a study conducted by the European Journal of Pediatrics, coconut oil mixed with anise spray is 82% more effective compared to using typical lice treatments, which are only 42% effective.
You may also take the advice of the Israel Medical Association Journal and mix ylang-ylang oil, anise spray, and coconut oil. As per their study, it was found that the mixture of the three solutions boosted the effectiveness by 92.3%. What’s more is that there were no side effects found in all their experiments, meaning to say, it’s safe to use.
Since coconut oil does a pretty good job of penetrating the hair shafts, it keeps lice from coming back by keeping the eggs from attaching to the hair.
How to Treat Lice Using Coconut Oil
If you want to prevent lice from infesting your hair, then you may use coconut oil as a leave-on conditioner. But if you want to get rid of the lice that are already present in your hair, then use coconut oil along with other components. Prepare three tablespoons of coconut oil, along with one teaspoon of tea tree oils, anise, and ylang-ylang. If you have long hair, then you can double the amount specified above.
As soon as you have spread the solution evenly on the scalp, you should start massaging it gently. Use a fine-toothed comb to brush the hair gently. Put a shower cap on, and keep your hair that way for about two hours. It may also help to expose yourself to the sun while keeping the shower cap on. If that doesn’t work for you, then you could use a hair dryer to heat your scalp.
After two hours, you can gently remove the shower cap and begin combing your hair again using a fine-toothed comb. Create a mixture of apple cider vinegar and one cup of water. Apply it to your hair while it is still wet.
Once you’re finished spreading the solution, you need to start massaging your hair again. After rinsing, comb your hair and apply a small amount of coconut oil to your hair. You can either leave your hair like this or use a shower cap, but you must not wash your hair until the next day.
You’ll have to keep doing this routine for 5-10 days for a couple of weeks until the lice are completely gone. The purpose of doing this is to make sure the lice will not be replaced by their eggs.
Coconut oil not only works by killing the lice, but it also prevents them from coming back. So, the moment your head starts itching and you’re pretty sure that dandruff does not cause the itch, then that would be the perfect time to start using the method mentioned above. Lice are easier to prevent when they haven’t spread on your hair yet.
Coconut Oil Hair Treatment: How to Apply Coconut Oil to Your Hair
How does one get bouncy and shiny hair? People often think about luxurious hair products when they want to take their hair care to the next level. Little do they know, the secret to luscious hair is coconut oil.
You may get good results using expensive hair products, but the effect won’t always be enough. The only way to get lasting results is by using all-natural coconut oil.
Indeed, the secret to luscious hair is coconut oil, but how does one use it for his or her own benefit? One of the ways to take advantage is by doing a coconut oil hair treatment, its like a deep conditioning. Here’s a guide on how to apply coconut oil on hair.
Mixing Coconut Oil With Other Ingredients
It’s one thing to use coconut oil, and it is another thing to integrate coconut oil with other products.
Coconut oil is an ingredient that’s almost always present in hair care products. It’s found in hair-straightening products, hair-curling remedies, hair-coloring, and as you can see, there’s even coconut oil hair treatments.
Of course, that’s not the only way coconut oil is integrated with other ingredients. You can also experiment by mixing coconut oil with other oils for better results.
A good combination would be coconut oil with honey since the two combined can make hair less frizzy and more nourished. Another good combination is coconut oil with olive oil. This combination makes coconut oil on dry hair very good.
Things You’ll Need:
- Coconut Oil
- Small Bowl
- Boiling Water
- Small cup
1. Heat the Oil
The first step in turning the coconut oil into a hair conditioner is heating it. However, you can’t just heat it in any way you want. Since you’re looking to turn the coconut oil into a hair conditioner, there are certain procedures that you need to follow.
People usually use a microwave or a pan over a flame to heat the oil, but doing so will result in a degraded quality oil. Instead, the first thing you have to do is to prepare a cup of boiling water in a bowl.
Then, you can use a clean spoon to scoop 2 tablespoons of coconut oil from the container and place it in a glass cup. For best results, you should use extra virgin coconut oil. Apart from that, the oil you use should be 100% organic. If it’s just partly coconut oil, then the effect will not be absolute.
Now, it’s time to place the glass cup of coconut oil in the bowl of hot water. Let the coconut oil stay in the water until it dissolves.
2. Apply the Oil to Your Hair
Now, it’s time to gently and thoroughly massage the coconut oil into your hair. You may need to add more coconut oil to your hair depending on its length and volume. You can apply the oil on wet or dry hair but spreading the oil will be much easier on damp hair.
3. Spread the Oil
You can use a comb or a brush to ensure the coconut oil is spread evenly throughout your hair.
If you’re doing this coconut oil hair treatment for hair growth or scalp health then you’ll also need to massage the coconut oil into your scalp so your pores can absorb the oil.
However, if you’re only after some good hair conditioning, then you can apply the coconut oil a few inches away from your scalp.
4. Let Your Hair Sit for 30 Minutes
You can let your hair down, but it’s recommended that you put on a shower cap, this keeps things from getting messy.
How long to leave coconut oil in hair?
Let the oil sit on your hair for at least 30 minutes, but you can let it stay overnight. The longer it stays in your hair, the better. For optimum results you should go for a lengthier coconut oil hair treatment.
5. Wash Off the Coconut Oil
To wash off the coconut oil, you’ll have to shampoo your hair with warm water (a clarifying shampoo can help remove the oil easily). Repeat if necessary to remove the coconut oil completely.
Let your fingers go through your hair to see if there’s still some oil left. If your hair feels a little slippery, then it means there’s still some coconut oil left.
6. Condition Your Hair
Get a small amount of solid coconut oil and melt it by rubbing your hands togeather. Apply it to your hair as you would your hair polish.
You may skip this step if you think that your hair was already conditioned well enough in the treatment. Once done, you may style your hair as you see fit.
What if You Already Have Beautiful Hair?
There are people who think they have healthy hair because it’s soft and smooth. Sometimes, hair looks healthy on the outside, but on the inside, it’s having problems. You don’t have to wait for the damage to start showing on your hair. You can prevent hair problems from occurring early on.
Buying coconut oil is the last thing that crosses people’s mind when they are in the mall or the supermarket, but know that it’s one of the best things you can get for your hair. Better yet, you should use organic coconut oil for hair. Not only is it loaded with all sorts of properties that keep your hair healthy and beautiful, but it also lacks all the chemicals that may have caused your hair damage in the first place.
Conclusion
It’s a well-known fact that coconut oil has properties that help nourish and nurture hair. Even so, it’s required that you use the oil in small proportions rather than going overboard because too much is not good for your hair. Consuming coconut oil internally is the best option not to mention the added benefits like increase hair growth and overall healthier hair.
Also, if you want to improve the coconuts oil effectiveness, then you need to look for a clarifying shampoo that can easily remove the excess oil and buildup from your hair. That way, the coconut oil can do its magic. Apart from that, you can also mix in other oils to maximize the benefits of coconut oil on hair.
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