I see a lot of people taking advantage of the quarantine times at home to do hair masks, many are using only Organic Coconut Oil. I wanted explain why you should be using a very small amount if any at all on your hair.
There are many beneficial properties in coconut oil, but what you may not understand is that it mitigates a drying effect because coconut oil is a cleansing oil, which means it actually strips oils from the hair. It also causes protein buildup on the hair that actually blocks the hair from getting the necessary moisture, leaving hair that is dull, brittle and less elastic...aka increases susceptibility to breakage. This cleansing property makes it a great ingredient to use in for skin care especially for oily skin types, but it should never be used at more than 30% for hair, as that's the threshold mark where the moisturizing benefits stop and the drying effects begin. So in short, never use coconut oil at 100% on your hair.
Have you ever used a coconut oil mask on your hair and it felt and looked great for a short amount of time and then your scalp started to itch a little, and your hair looked dull or maybe even felt parched, and then became really oily. Maybe you thought you didn't get it washed out well even though you scrubbed and scrubbed. What is actually happening is the coconut oil stripped the natural oils from your hair and scalp, you further stripped the scalp and hair to get the oil out and it began to over compensate by over producing oil. After applying a coconut oil mask, hair is filled in and coated for a short time (actually creating a barrier from allowing moisture to get into the hair where it's needed most), then your hair is left dry, and brittle with healthy elasticity reduced because it blocks the hair from obtaining the hydration it needs. Hair requires moisture AND hydration to be healthy, for damage to be repaired and elasticity restored.
It is an art and a science to learn the behaviors and interactions of properties of various oils and butters used for a hair mask, and how to blend them in the correct ratios so that your hair benefits from each of them in synergy. Coconut oil in the correct ratio supplies quality moisture that results in increased elasticity and reduced breakage. But too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
Never use coconut oil only on your hair.
If you are looking for a hair mask/treatment that is balanced for optimal hair health, The Essential Homemaker Restoring Hair Oil is a good product to try to see if it will help you. It is a blend of 9 organic butters and oils, with a ratio of 18.1% coconut oil to ensure all the fatty acid goodness is beneficial without the drying effect coming into play.
The Restoring Hair Oil can be ordered HERE or you can message me with any questions!
Andrea
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