If there is anything you must do to keep your tresses vibrant and healthy, switch to coconut oil.
We have been listening to our mothers and grandmothers praising the oil’s amazing properties right from the time we were kids. But then, how many of us are actually aware of the wide array of benefits it offers?
That is what this post is all about – the numerous ways the humble coconut oil can do your hair good.
Read on to know more!
Coconut Oil – A Brief
In simple terms, coconut oil is nothing but the fatty oil obtained from the flesh of the coconut. This oil is used in cookery and in cosmetic products.
One of its prominent USPs is the way it can benefit your hair. This is why the oil is a favorite in numerous households when it comes to maintaining hair health.
Most of us just know that coconut oil is good for hair. But what we don’t know is the ways in which it can be beneficial.
Following are the numerous benefits coconut oil can offer to your hair.
1. Treats Hair Loss:
This is the single-most common problem that has been plaguing humanity for ages. But coconut oil has always been a natural and handy remedy for the condition.
The oil has been used since ancient times in India for grooming hair and maintaining its health. It has also been combined with other herbs to make various remedies for hair fall.
You can ideally boil sage leaves in coconut oil and apply the mixture to your scalp for improving hair health. This oil can also be mixed with lime water or gooseberries for desirable results.
2. Helps Treat Dandruff:
Dandruff can be a very embarrassing problem – and you never know how effective all those so called ‘dandruff control’ shampoos you see on TV are. This is where coconut oil comes to the rescue.
The various fatty acids coconut oil contains act as effective anti-dandruff agents, thereby helping you cope with the condition. Regularly applying coconut oil can help eliminate dandruff forever.
You can also mix coconut oil with lukewarm water and castor oil in order to cure dandruff.
4. Offers Protection From Lice:
These tiny pests on your scalp can cause you great embarrassment and misery. Most of the OTC products that claim to offer protection from lice can also damage the scalp and hair. But that wouldn’t be the case when you have coconut oil handy.
Simply coat wet hair with coconut oil and use a fine comb to remove the lice.
5. Retains Moisture:
Moisture retention is one of the best ways coconut oil ensures your hair health. The oil has high moisture retaining capacity as it is stable and cannot be easily broken down or evaporated.
It retains the moisture in your hair – keeping it moist and soft.
6. Prevents Hair Damage:
Coconut oil plays a major role in reducing protein loss, both from damaged and undamaged hair. The oil is rich in lauric acid and easily penetrates the hair shaft, thereby keeping a check on hair damage.
Damaged hair is also brittle due to the lack of natural proteins. Coconut oil contains these hair proteins in abundance, and provides nutrition to the hair follicles.
You can slightly warm the oil and apply to the scalp and hair, working from the top to the bottom. Leave the oil undisturbed for an hour, and then rinse with shampoo (make sure the shampoo doesn’t contain harsh irritants).
7. Treats Split Ends:
The most common piece of advice anybody having hair with split ends would get is this – cut them! But if the problem occurs only on a few strands, you can use coconut oil to treat it. Simply massage your hair with a mixture of coconut and almond oils for a few minutes – this helps minimize split ends.
8. As A Conditioner:
The best thing about coconut oil is that it is natural and free of those scary chemicals lurking in commercial hair care products. The presence of minerals, vitamins and medium-chain fatty acids make it an ideal substitute to a leave-in conditioner.
Apply some warm coconut oil to your hair at night, and rinse it off the next morning. Do this every few days for healthy, shimmering and strong hair.
