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What are the main coconut oil benefits for hair?

Is coconut oil good for hair? What does coconut oil do?

We have a lot of products that help us stay forever young and beautiful, and coconut oil for hair is one of them. However, with so many new and sometimes cheaper alternatives, is it still worth to include it into your beauty regimen? Let’s see!

A long time ago, when people used only natural substances, coconut oil was one of the most frequently used beauty products. Innovative unnatural mineral oils that appeared lately have nice effects too. However, most of them are short-term, as artificial components provide a cosmetic impact only and can’t help in deep repairing or nourishing. Coconut oil is a remedy for everything. You may rub it into your hair, on your skin, relationship, bank account – pour it over your entire life! All jokes aside, I really advise you to apply coconut oil for hair asap. And this is why.

Coconut Oil Meme

The Top 10 Benefits of Coconut Oil for Hair

Most of us know that coconut oil has a lot of useful properties, but only a few people know what exactly the oil does.

Coconut oil for hair growth. While it doesn’t influence the hair growth directly, it improves the overall health of your hair and this results in a longer length, as long hair is more prone to hair breakage. Use the oil and get your fabulous hair length back.

Prevents hair loss. If you suffer from losing hair, you can use masks with coconut oil for hair regrowth. It contains lauric acid that helps bind the protein in hair and protects the roots. Note, this will not help in case you have serious hair loss problems. Seasonal hair shedding – yes, female and male pattern baldness – no.

– Oil helps to cure and repair colored hair. You can apply coconut oil to bleached hair to help it restore after dyeing. Coconut oil for damaged hair is a great at-home option to avoid overpaying for commercial masks and salon treatments.

– Use it as a sunscreen for your hair. Coconut oil contains microelements, which protect hair from UVA and UVB rays. Especially, in this case, it’s best to use coconut oil for dry hair to keep it protected.

– Coconut oil for curly hair is true salvation, as this hair type is usually dry and needs special care.

– You can use coconut oil for frizzy hair to nourish it and prevent split ends.

– Coconut oil for natural hair is also a great idea, maybe not as a treatment and extreme measure, but as a product to support and protect its health. Try applying a bit of coconut oil for hair straightening as a natural heat protectant.

– Also, coconut oil for thinning hair is a chance to saturate it with strength and useful components.

– One more secret weapon is using a mixture of lemon juice and coconut oil for gray hair to fight against premature pigment loss.

– Using coconut oil for hair styling is a wonderful hack. You may tame flyaways with it and apply it as a hair gel on natural hair.

5 Smart Ways to Apply Coconut Oil to Your Hair

Coconut oil is a good natural moisturizer that also has nourishing and antibacterial properties. If you do all things right, you will see how beneficial the usage of coconut oil in hair can be. Here is how to use coconut oil for hair:

Conditioner. If you decide to use oil as a conditioner, all you need to do is wash the head with your favorite shampoo, then apply coconut oil from mid-shaft to ends, wait a few minutes and rinse it off.

Scalp treatment. This oil has medicinal properties, including the antifungal effect, and resists dandruff. Apply coconut oil to the scalp, massage it in gently for 5-10 minutes and then proceed with your usual hair care routine.

Post wash detangler. You can use warm coconut oil as a mask before bedtime and leave it overnight. Focus on the tips and don’t apply too much oil. This method has a cumulative effect and works amazingly for tangled hair.

Pre-wash hair protector. Take one egg yolk and combine it with two tablespoons of coconut oil. Apply the mask to the hair, leave it for 20 minutes – 1 hour and then wash it off.

Massage. The next mask strengthens the strands and maintains the hydro-lipid balance of the scalp. Mix three tablespoons of lemon juice and 50 ml of coconut oil. Apply the mixture to the hair and leave it on for 45 minutes. Then wash your hair with shampoo.

Coconut Oil for Hair: Before and After

Coconut oil does show great results when it comes to skin and hair care routine. But every body is different and unique. Therefore, you should decide for yourself whether you want to apply coconut oil daily or use it occasionally.

Types of Coconut Oil for Hair

There are different kinds of coconut oil. But how can we choose the best coconut oil for hair? Let’s figure out!

Organic coconut oil — makes your hair elastic and shiny, can be used as a conditioner.

Virgin coconut oil is derived from fresh coconuts and isn’t industrially refined, deodorized, hydrogenated or bleached, it does not contain any additives or preservatives and is a completely natural product. Another definition for this type is cold-pressed coconut oil.

Refined or unrefined coconut oil? Refined oil is only suitable for external use. It improves the appearance of strands, restores them, and prevents dandruff. Also due to the high content of hyaluronic acid, the product moisturizes hair well. Unrefined oil contains vitamins of groups B, A, E, and C. They saturate the epidermis with ascorbic acid, protect from the harmful effects of the sun, and make your hair silky and shiny. It doesn’t contain any harmful additives, so people include it into their healthy diets.

Extra virgin. It’s pretty much the same type as virgin oil; it’s extracted from fresh coconut meat. Its counterpart is pure coconut oil, which is made manually by cold pressing from the dried coconut kernel (the so-called “copra”), due to which it’s quite expensive and not so common.

Fractionated coconut oil is a natural base oil that is easily absorbed into the skin and hair, which makes it the ideal oil for external use. Due to its light emollient effect, this oil creates a protective soothing and breathable layer, leaving no greasy residue. Fractionated coconut oil has excellent compatibility with all essential oils, it is colorless and odorless.

Cooking coconut oil has a fully organic biostructure, contains lots of vitamins and microelements, so you can use it for cooking and for hair too!

Coconut Oil Products for Hair

Coconut oil is included in compositions of various hair masks, creams, shampoos, etc. A lot of women like, for example, a coconut oil spray for hair, as it is a simple and convenient way to improve your hair health and is suitable for most hair types – oily, thin, dry, normal, and dyed. You may DIY this moisturizing spray: mix 1-2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, add 3 drops of lavender oil and a cup of filtered water (or rosewater), add several drops of Vitamin E, and shake everything.

Frequently Asked Questions About Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a valuable product, given by nature. It’s very versatile and simple in use but still causes many questions. So let’s review the most popular ones.

Any Side Effects of Using Coconut Oil on Your Hair? No. The only negative effect can be caused by applying too much oil on the hair when it becomes greasy. Although coconut oil can also be bad for hair when you leave unrefined oil on the roots and scalp for too long – if it’s absorbed into the scalp, hair growth can slow down, and your hair will be getting greasy much faster.

How Much Coconut Oil for Hair to Use? Start with no more than a teaspoon. Then you’ll see.

Before or After Washing? It’s more beneficial to apply coconut oil before washing, as it penetrates the hair shaft, and accordingly promotes hydration and recovery. If you use it after washing your hair, you should “seal” the moisture in the hair. But better entrust this to a conditioner or mask, since pure oil can make some types of hair heavier and greasier.

Is Coconut Oil Right for Your Hair Type? Coconut oil is suitable for most types of hair. All you need to do is experiment with its amount and the components you can combine it with for maximum effect.

What Are the Best Hair Masks with Coconut Oil? You need to choose masks according to your hair type, but most effectively working masks contain such combinations of ingredients:

– castor oil and coconut oil

– tea tree oil and coconut oil

– egg and coconut oil

– aloe vera and coconut oil

Aloe Vera and Coconut Oil for Hair Mask
Coconut Oil + Aloe Vera + Honey, By beautywdbrain

Can You Leave Coconut Oil in Your Hair for Days? Yes, it’s safe. But remember that if you combine it with other ingredients it can have unpredictable side effects, such as dryness or else. So be careful.

How to Wash Out Coconut Oil from Hair? Oh yes, it may be a problem. Read here how to easily wash out different hair oils.

Coconut oil for hair is an ideal remedy. Be careful and choose a high-quality oil – the proper coconut oil is solid, white, and has a pleasant coconut flavor. It will help you restore the health, strength, and shine of your hair, and the effect will be noticeable right after the first application.

Featured Image: www.firestock.ru

by Donna Sullivan
Donna is a hairstylist with 8 years of experience. Ask her about any hair-related problem (haircuts, hairstyles, colorings, hair care) and get a pro advice!