Benefits of Coconut Oil For Hair – Natural Hair Care Treatments

Coconut oil has been used in India and other parts of Asia as a hair treatment for many years. Used as a hair treatment and a conditioner, coconut oil is known to add bounce and shine to dry and damaged hair. When combined with other essential oils, coconut oil makes an excellent dandruff treatment.

Coconut oil, which Asian and Pacific cultures have used for centuries to treat an array of illnesses from athlete’s foot to urinary tract infections, boasts antiviral, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. In addition, recent research notes coconut oil’s ability to penetrate viral cells and fight off viruses that cause flu, hepatitis C, and even HIV, according to the Coconut Research Center.

For body care, the oil moisturizes, soothes, and forms a lipid barrier that wards off sun damage. It also combats wrinkles and skin discoloration and promotes healing. The oil’s health-promoting nutrients pass readily through the skin, so using it topically brings benefits that go more than skin deep.

Recent research shows that coconut oil has the ability to penetrate the hair shaft and reduce protein loss as compared to other oils such as sunflower oils or mineral oils. Making a hair treatment out of a good quality coconut oil is fun and easy to do. Here is how.

Benefits of Coconut Oil for Hair

Coconut oil has always been widely used in the Indian subcontinent since ages. Though in today’s globalized world the youth tend to look down on the use of oil on your hair, there is no denying the horde of benefits that this age old product gives your hair.

The health benefits of coconut oil are attributed to the presence of Vitamin E in it; however, it is its antioxidant properties that really make it irreplaceable for your hair. Antioxidants fight free-radical reaction (essentially a chain reaction which greatly damages skin), thus strengthening your scalp. Coconut oil is also a known antimicrobial, with both antifungal and antibacterial properties. What this can do in keeping your hair healthy and free of infections can only be understated.

Coconut oil works directly on the hair shafts, strengthening the roots, promoting new hair growth, making it soft and thus easily manageable. Further, it also helps in spreading the natural oils of the hair resulting in increased hair luster. Coconut oil heated with petals of the hibiscus flower, also results in an abundance of hair growth.

Other than this, regular use also helps in keeping your hair cool which is vital for healthy, vibrant hair. No wonder then, that so many of the hair products sold over the counter are based on this organic ingredient.

Coconut Oil for Hair Growth

Coconut oil has a long association with skin and hair care. It has been used since ancient times to get a soft, supple skin, and thick, long hair. This oil can nourish each hair strand by penetrating deep into the hair shaft. It adds shine and softness to hair follicles and prevents hair breakage and dryness.

Coconut oil adds strength and vitality to hair and is also known to have anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Therefore, it can be used for common scalp problems and to heal insect bites and pimples of the scalp. It can also keep lice away from the scalp. Coconut oil promotes overall scalp health, which is crucial for the growth of healthy hair.

Coconut oil is an excellent emollient, being a rich source of fatty acids like oleic acid, linoleic acid, lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid. It can provide the much needed moisture to the scalp and hair. Coconut oil is specially ideal for dry hair, which is more prone to hair breakage and damage.

For getting the maximum benefit from coconut oil, it should be warmed and then messaged gently on the scalp. Leave it overnight and then wash it with a mild shampoo. If not washed properly, this oil can clog the hair follicles inhibiting hair growth. Many people claim that virgin coconut oil is the best for hair and skin. However, long, healthy, and thick hair is not the only advantage of coconut oil; It has many other health benefits too.

How Coconut Oil Protects Hair

Coconut oil contains many proteins and nutrients, such as glycerides and fatty acids, essential to nourishing the hair. Bruce Fife, in his book “The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil,” an extract of which is published on the website Coconut Connections, writes extensively about how the ingredients of coconut oil help the skin, and subsequently, the scalp and hair.

The ingredients of coconut oil are thought to help fight damaging free radicals, responsible for the aging and destruction of skin and hair. Coconut oil protects and repairs the skin and hair by removing dead skin cells, softening the skin and hair, and repairing the underlying tissues.

How To Use Coconut Oil As Hair Treatment

• Put a teaspoon of coconut oil on your palm.
• Gently massage your hair and scalp with coconut oil for few minutes. Then cover your hair with a bath cap.
• Dry your hair with a hair dryer by using a maximum heat level that you can resist it. Dry your hair until it completely dries. Alternatively, simply leave it for an hour or two until it becomes entirely dry.
• Shampoo your hair, and followed by conditioner (if you want). In fact, if you apply coconut oil for hair regularly, your hair will become very soft and shiny look without a need of expensive shampoo and conditioner.

Advice:

Coconut oil is suitable for use by everyone, according to Len Price, in his book “Carrier Oils for Aromatherapy and Massage.” People of the South Pacific and Asia, who have used coconut oil for hair care since childhood, rarely go bald or have gray hair. Use virgin coconut oil, which is unfractionated and unrefined, for the best results.