Coconut oil is liquid gold in the hair care world. It’s a foolproof choice when it comes to moisturizing, softening, and taming frizz. I personally use virgin coconut oil as part of my hair regimen. As a teenager, I obsess with coconut oil, which really paid off to this day. Even before I had the money to splurge on various hair products, coconut oil is my go-to fix. Proof of the benefits of putting coconut oil in your hair is my thick, lush, and shiny tresses. I can’t remember the last time I had split ends either, thanks to this amazing oil.
Benefits of putting coconut oil in your hair
Are you wondering what coconut oil can do to your hair? Here are 8 of the perks I enjoyed over the years and still enjoying to this day:
1. It’s a natural moisturizer
Coconut oil is a powerhouse moisturizer. And you know what the best part is? It’s very cheap, and you can easily purchase a bottle at the nearest drugstore.
By moisturizing your hair, coconut oil prevents breakage. Both unrefined and refined coconut oil is found to have the same moisturizing properties.
The fatty acids in coconut oil are responsible for its moisturizing benefits. If your hair is frizzy, dry, and coarse, slathering it with coconut oil at least 30 minutes before your next shower will do wonders. Upon rinsing, your hair will feel softer, smoother, and more manageable than before.
Also, coconut oil is rich in lauric acid that penetrates deep into the hair’s cuticle. It helps moisturize and strengthen the hair strands.
2. It’s a deep conditioner
Instead of using conditioner products loaded with synthetic chemicals, you can switch to coconut oil. It’s a natural and deep conditioner that will tame flyaways and make your hair softer. The result is a more comb-able and manageable hair, which comes handy during styling.
What coconut does is strengthen your hair shaft. This will prevent breakage and damages to your hair.
If you want to boost your hair conditioner‘s effectiveness, you can add a few drops of coconut oil on it as well. Coconut oil offers excellent benefits for those with curly and coarse hair in terms of conditioning. In fact, experts found that coconut oil is much better than other essential oils used on hair care products.
3. It prevents damage on color-treated hair
If you’re worried about damaging your color-treated hair, you can use coconut oil as a natural conditioner. It’s a very gentle oil that you can use a protectant even before dyeing your locks. Coconut oil acts as a shield against the harm of bleaching and heat, especially if you’re aiming for a platinum blonde color.
Aside from that, coconut oil doesn’t fade your hair dye, which makes it an excellent regimen for color-treated hair. So when it doubt as to what conditioner you can use on your new hair color, you can reach for a bottle of coconut oil.
Right after dyeing your hair, rinse off any leftover dye. After that, apply coconut oil immediately all over your locks. Put a shower cap once your hair is fully covered and leave this on for three hours. After three hours, wash your dyed hair with regular shampoo. The result would be soft, voluminous, and healthy-looking hair.
4. It’s a quick frizz solution
As a kid, I used to have frizzy hair. It really made it difficult for me to style, so my hair is always on a ponytail until my mom told me about using coconut oil. I tried the first time, and the results are really mind-blowing. This isn’t an exaggeration, but I’ve never felt my hair that soft before.
Also, if you have split ends, coconut oil will make a big difference. Although it’s not a magic potion, it will still soften up your hair’s cuticles and tips. The best part is it will tame frizz all over your hair so it will be more manageable for styling.
Remember that frizz happens because your hair is too dry. When you use coconut oil, the lost moisture is replenished with added nourishing benefits.
5. It can help eliminate lice
Here’s one major benefit of coconut oil: removing lice. Rubbing coconut oil all over your scalp will help kill the parasite. Make sure that you apply it from roots to tips, then massaging it thoroughly all over the scalp. The oil itself can eliminate a large population of adult lice harboring in your hair.
If you want to kill the eggs, you should follow it with a small amount of apple cider vinegar. But if you find the smell of apple cider vinegar repulsive, you can use tea tree oil instead.
The good thing is that coconut oil is safe to use, even for kids.
6. It boosts hair growth
Coconut oil is a natural hair grower, no matter what your hair type is. As long as you don’t have skin sensitivities, it will make your locks longer, healthier, and thicker. Take this from someone (me!) who has used coconut oil for years.
This oil is rich in vitamins and minerals that boost the growth of your hair. Treating your hair to a coconut oil hair mask once a week will do the magic.
Aside from that, the fatty acids in the coconut oil remove the excess sebum in the hair follicles. This encourages hair growth. In just a few months, you will see a difference, which is way cheaper and more convenient than experimenting with tons of commercial products.
7. It’s a wonderful detangler
As a type of oil, there’s no doubt that coconut oil is a great detangler. It will help loosen up knots and mats, no matter how thick your hair is. It’s also a reliable solution in case your toddler got its hair in a hot mess of tangles.
It’s safe to use and has a very nice scent. You only need to use a few drops and massage it all over the knots. You don’t have to rinse your hair if you only used a small amount. The good thing is that the coconut oil will also nourish your locks, so it’s like hitting many birds with one stone.
If you or your child always gets tangles, you should keep a bottle of hair-grade coconut oil at home.
8. It helps combat dandruff
Before shampooing your hair, you can treat your scalp with coconut oil. Let the oil sit on your scalp for a few minutes so it can kill the dandruff bacteria and dandruff itself. This will make it easier to wash off dandruff flakes and other nits on your hair.
You can do this twice or thrice a week until you no longer see dandruff. Aside from removing the flakes, the oil will also restore your scalp’s health while making your hair softer and stronger. And if you want to prevent dandruff from recurring, make it a habit to treat your hair to a coconut mask weekly.
Some reminders before you use coconut oil
As much as coconut oil is useful and beneficial, some people may have sensitivities or allergies toward it. This is why you should always try it on a small spot in your scalp before slathering your entire head with it.
Also, apply only a thin film layer so the oil won’t weigh your hair down too much. This is especially true if you’re going to leave the oil in.
When it comes to absorption time, about 20 to 30 minutes is enough. However, for dry and porous hair, longer absorption is needed to moisturize deeply.
It’s not wise to use coconut oil on your hair daily, especially if you’re treating your entire head. The extra softness may weigh the hair down. This is something you need to avoid if you have fine or wispy hair.
Last but not the least, don’t rinse your hair with soap after using coconut oil. I’ve read about this in some forum where they use soap to get rid of the slippery texture. While this will really remove the oil, it will also harm your hair.
Conclusion
The benefits of putting coconut oil in your hair are good reasons to keep a bottle in your grooming kit. It helps fix a myriad of hair issues without serious side effects. As long as you don’t have allergies to coconut oil, it will be a wonderful part of your hair regimen.