The Many (and Mighty) Ways to Use Oils on Natural Hair

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Last updated on September 2nd, 2022 at 06:41 pm

Oils are one of your hair’s #1 protector – preferably natural oils. Next to your conditioner, I’d say it’s the most important product in your hair care regimen. Why?

Natural oils accomplish so many tasks for your hair. On top of it, there are so many natural oils that you can use. Many have dual benefits so we’ll look at three very popular natural oils in more detail but before we do, lets examine the many ways that you can use natural oils.

Lubricating

Another word that can be used simultaneously for oils is lubricants. Oils lubricate your hair to Prevent single strand knots (SSKs) and tangling.

When your hair is nice and “lubed” up, it allows for the free movement of the individual hairs so that they don’t cling to each other, causing dreadful tangles and knots.

The Base of Your Hot Oil Treatments

Hot oil treatments are done to alleviate dry scalp, prevent frizz, and minimize styling damage. Well, you can’t have a hot oil treatment without an oil!

Certain natural oils work best for your hot oil treatments because they promote moisture balance within your hair. These oils include (but aren’t limited to) avocado, almond and olive oils.

Sealing in Moisture

When your hair is dry, it’s prone to breakage. Keeping your hair moisturized is key to keeping it soft and pliable. Water is what moisturizers your hair but it’s an oil that seals in that moisture for a certain period of time.

Of course, the moisture-eval process is something you’ll need to repeat often so it’s best to use single natural oil or combination of natural oils to do so..

Add Slip to Your Conditioner

Sometimes you have a great conditioner but it doesn’t allow for smooth distribution to your hair. Adding an oil to your conditioner helps to improve the slip so that it can be applied and rinsed out easier.

Scalp Massages

Scalp massages have been shown to stimulate hair growth but only when done in conjunction with…you guessed it – oils. Oils like Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Rosemary essential oil (mixed with a carrier oil) are popularly used for scalp massages.

Finger Detangling

Finger detangling is the gentlest way to remove shed hairs from your head. However, it can’t be gently done with just your fingers. Oils are required to prevent excessive breakage. You can even combine an oil with a conditioner for a 1-2 punch: finger detangling + pre-pooing

Three Natural Oils to Always Have Available

Now let’s take a look at how to use three of the most popular oils in your hair that I mentioned earlier: Argan Oil, Coconut Oil and Castor Oil

How to Use Argan Oil on Natural Hair

Argan oil is probably one of the most luxurious natural oils you can use in your hair. it can be used many ways but in my humble opinion, the best way to use Argan oil on natural hair is to use it on the ends of the hair as well as at the roots.

The ends are the best place to use Argan oil because it can really help to reduce breakage and split ends which most commonly occurs on the ends.

Also, Argan oil is quite beneficial for helping to prevent hair loss while simultaneously helping to thicken the hair.

One way to use Argan oil in the scalp area is to add it to a shampoo. You’ll even find shampoos containing Argan oil like this one from Moroccanoil:

Moroccanoil Hydrating Shamp...Shop on Amazon

How to Use Coconut Oil on Natural Hair

Coconut oil is likely the most popular natural oil to use in hair. Yet, it’s often used in the worst possible way – sealing.

Because coconut oil sort of mimics a protein treatment, using it to seal moisture into your hair is not the best use of this oil. This is why hair often feels hard when its used as a sealant.

The best way (and in my opinion), the only way to use coconut oil on natural hair (any hair really) is to pre-poo.

Coconut oil works its magic when you apply it to your hair 1 hour prior to shampooing. It will work at protecting the integrity of the entire shaft from what’s called hygral fatigue. Hygral fatigue is damage caused from the hair shaft expanding and contracting during the cleansing cycle.

Coconut oil is also really effective when adding it to a conditioner that treats the hair but will be washed out.

If you haven’t noticed, the key to using coconut oil on natural hair in the most effective manner is to put it in, let it do its work and wash it out.

How to Use Castor Oil on Natural Hair

Castor oil is a very thick and rich oil. For those with fine hair, it can be a bit heavy so there’s myriad of ways to use castor oil on natural hair based on how thick the individual strands are.

If you have fine hair, the way to use castor oil is to massage your scalp with it at night a couple times a week. You don’t want to do it too often because that will lend itself to oily roots. Another way to use castor oil on fine natural hair is to seal the ends of twists or braids with it. You don’t want to use it on twists/braids that are the base of a twist out or braid out.

If you have thicker stands of hair, you have more flexibility with how you use castor oil in your natural hair. You can literally use it for scalp massages, sealing and more.

Both fine hair naturals and thick stranded naturals can add castor oil to a deep conditioner. Since it will be washed out when the deep conditioner is washed out, there’s no concern for it weighing the hair down.

List of Additional Natural Oils

God has provided us with so many different oils through natural. You’ll need to experiment to see which of the oils work best at achieving what you want for your hair. I shared three very popular oils and their use. Here’s a list of additional natural oils to try out:

• Grape Seed Oil (great for use in the winter)
• Jojoba Oil (great for use year round but especially summer)
• Olive Oil (wonderful for adding slip to other hair products)
• Coconut Oil (the best for doing a pre-poo)
• Avocado Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Sweet Almond Oil
• Castor Oil (my fave for scalp massages)
• Macadamia Nut Oil
• Rosemary Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Brahmi Oil
• Argan Oil (my fave for adding shine)
• Sesame Oil
• Safflower Oil
• Mineral Oil (my least favorite. I never personally use)

What’s your favorite natural oil to use on your hair?

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