How to use oils in your hair care routine.

Oils are exciting, they invigorate the senses, create a sense of luxury, and inspire hope of moisturized, long, healthy tresses that can withstand anything. However this isn’t the case with all oils and I am not talking about just any product branded as hair oil, I am specifically referring to natural oils such as carrier oils and essential oils. 

What are Carrier Oils?

Carrier oils are oils that are typically sourced from the seed, kernel, or nut of a plant, they often have little to no scent and are often used to dilute essential oils.

It’s very important to understand and know exactly what you’re trying to achieve when adding oils to your hair, are you looking to moisturize? Are you looking to add shine? Not all oils do the same thing and you could be causing some serious damage instead of good. There are penetrating oils that penetrate the hair shaft and support moisture retention as well as sealing oils which are oils that coat the hair and lock in and seal what’s in the hair shaft. Factors that determine an oil's penetration ability are how much triglyceride and short-chain fatty acids it contains – as well as how the components of the triglyceride are arranged. Penetrating oils do not necessarily provide moisture but help the hair's ability to retain moisture. It’s important to keep in mind that everyone's hair is different, for some people coconut oil makes their hair feel extremely soft and moisturized for some it causes their hair to feel stiff and dry, so there is no one solution  for everyone's hair, it’s honestly a process of trial and error. 

 

How to use carrier oils in hair?

 

You can use carrier oils in a variety of ways, below are just a few examples:

 

Pre-Poo: Treat the hair before washing to prevent the stripping of natural oils during the wash process. Saturate the hair with an oil of your choice and leave it on for at least 30 mins before washing hair with shampoo.

 

Oil Rinse: involves locking in the moisture after washing and conditioning the hair. After conditioning/deep conditioning your hair, pour the oil of your choice all over your hair strands to seal the moisture from the conditioning process. 

 

What are Essential Oils?

 

Essential Oils are the essence of the plant, the plant's aroma or essence is extracted to form these oils. These oils are extremely concentrated and should never be applied directly to the skin, they often need to be diluted. Essential oils usually provide stimulating or soothing properties and can aid in hair growth and provide a natural fragrance to the hair. 

 

How to use essential oils in hair?

 

Again essential oils are to never be applied directly to any part of your body, to use essential oils add 2-3 drops to a carrier oil and you can use it on your scalp to create a stimulating effect, a word of caution some people may experience allergic reactions, including itching, swelling, and irritation when using essential oils, so always do a small patch test first. 

 

Again the most important thing to keep in mind when using oils is to ask yourself what are you trying to achieve, don't just use an oil because it's a trend, you like the smell or because your favorite hair influencer uses it, asses your hair, do your research and go from there.