New Routine: Hot Oil Treatments
Last updated on May 27th, 2023 at 01:51 pm
In the past I’ve been a bit against treating my hair this way. It’s not that hot oil treatments aren’t a good hair care practice.
Choosing to skip doing hot or even warm oil treatments was a personal choice because I didn’t feel I needed them at the time.
With an increase in the amount of split ends I’m getting, I feel that incorporating hot oil treatments into my regimen can help.
Benefits of Hot Oil Treatments
The choice to start adding hot oil treatments to my hair regimen again has a number of benefits that go beyond reducing split ends. Hot oil treatments:
- Reduce frizz in the hair
- Soften the hair
- Makes hair more manageable
- Lubricates strands to allow for free movement
- Conditions the scalp
- Adds shine to the hair
- Helps lock moisture into the hair
Let’s examine these benefits of hot oil treatments in more detail.
Reducing Frizz & Adding Shine
Warmed oils help to keep your cuticle lying flat, thereby reducing frizz. When the cuticles are smooth, light is better reflected onto the airshaft, making it appear shinier.
Softening Strands & Increasing Manageability
When applying a hot oil treatment to your hair, the warmed oil melts into your strands and softens them while also increasing manageability.
Conditioning the Scalp
Depending on the property of the oils or what you add to the oils (ex: peppermint essential oil), the anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties can help to soothe an inflamed scalp.
Lubricated and Moisturized
When giving your hair a hot oil treatment, moisture is locked into the strand and the hairs are lubricated. Lubricated strands are the best because they keep neighboring hairs from tangling upon themselves, thereby reducing breakage.
Oils to Use for Hot Oil Treatments
There are many different oils and oil blends that can be used to do hot oil treatments. Actually, you can use any oil to do a hot oil treatment. However, there are certain oils that perform better than others.
I personally have so many oils in my supply that I haven’t been able to commit to any one. Many of the oils I have possess the ability to strengthen the strands. The plan however is to use up all the oils that I have so that I can focus on only the very best.
Reducing split ends
Since oils are lubricants (as well as sealants), I intend to use them warmed to keep my strands well conditioned with the goal of keeping my hair manageable and reducing breakage & split ends.
My personal collection of hair oils
Starting with single ingredient oils, I currently have:
- Organic Castor Oil – a very thick oil that’s great for sealing the ends of fine natural hair; stimulates hair growth with consistent massaging (3-4x a week)
- Organic Sweet Almond Oil – rich in vitamin E, this oil can protect hair from UV Damage; also helps balance oil production in the scalp therefore keeping dandruff and dry scalp at bay
- Organic Cold Pressed Hemp Seed Oil – newer on the scene for hair care, hemp seed oil can help strengthen and thicken strands over the long haul, as it’s rich in protein and fatty acids
- Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – called a “moisturizing” oil (although it has no water in it, olive oil contains vitamin A, vitamin E and a number of antioxidants that protect keratin (a huge part of the hair structure) as well as softening and conditioning the hair. I cook with this too.
- Organic Virgin Coconut Oil – chock full of vitamins and minerals, this is the king of oils as its properties allow the oil to penetrate the hair strands to protect hair from damage during the cleansing process. I also use this to cook with.
- 100% Pure Avocado Oil – like coconut oil, avocado oil can penetrate the hair shaft; this oil helps strengthen strands to prevent hair breakage; I also cook with this.
For oil blends:
- Jamaican Black Castor Oil Infused with Rosemary – thick and rich, this oil blend helps stimulate hair growth; can be used for hot oil treatments as well as sealing
- Organic Amla Oil (in a base of Sesame Seed Oil) – penetrates the scalp and strengthens hair at the root
- Melanin Haircare Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend – Created by everyone’s favorite Youtuber, Naptural85, this oil blend detangles, softens and seals; it’s a mix of a number of the great singular oils: sweet almond, avocado, jojoba, Argan, baobab, sage, and geranium, plus vitamin E
- TGIN Miracle Repair Anti-Breakage Serum – reduces breakage, prevents splits and revives dull lack luster hair
- Henna Sooq Cocoveda Ayurvedic Coconut Oil – rich in herbs Henna, Neem, Bhringraj, Amla, Brahmi, Shikakai, Hibiscus, and Methi, this oil blend softens the texture of hair, increase natural shine and promotes hair growth
- All Things O’Natural Hair & Scalp Treatment – a calming and soothing blend that helps to detangle and condition the hair and scalp
This collection of oils has evolved over time. As I use up the oils, I do not plan to repurchase all of them. As I mentioned, I want to use the best of the best and I think that is:
Melanin Haircare’s Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend – As the name states, it has multiple use. You get a lot for the money and it’s rich in many of the single oils I use. My intention is to use this oil solely for sealing and styling.
Henna Sooq Cocoveda Ayurvedic – I’m a huge fan of herbs for hair care. This oil blend is great for scalp massages as well as hot oil treatments and pre-poos. Also, since it’s in a base of coconut oil, it can easily replace my single ingredient coconut oil. That allows me to keep it all for my cooking.
Organic Castor Oil – This is by far the best thick oil for maintaining your ends.
Hot Oil Treatment Application Demo
In the following video, I share my application of an oil for my hot oil treatment. This is how I used to do these treatments in the past before I stopped doing them and this is how I will resume doing it.
I didn’t mention it in the video but the oil in the bottle was warmed by sitting it in hot water for about 10 minutes.
In my next post was going to share more on the final routine (nightly scalp massages) I’m adding back to my hair regimen but I decided to break things up a bit.
So, in my next post I’ll be sharing some “fresh start” hair “resolutions.”
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