Hair care is not for everyone – but not taking care of your hair can leave you with a variety of ills. These include early graying, balding, scraglly/extremely dry/tangled/lumpy hair… It’s really horrible if that happens!
My hair – as I said in my earlier hair care post – is rich black and unlike my cousins it’s neither greying nor falling off. In fact my hair is in great shape and continues to be so because I take excellent care of it.
Hair is an overall indicator that your body is functioning correctly – so having superb hair means your body is in perfect tip-top shape! Be sure to check out the latest research on this.
Today I’ll explore using oils to improve hair quality and strength using a good hair oil. This method naturally results in an added shine; but you need to be careful in both quality and quantity of the oil used. I will add Hair Buddha’s experience into this research so we can actually compare notes and help you! But remember – using only organic hair oils will give the absolute best results; so don’t just buy any old thing.
Jojoba oil is ideal for sensitive scalp and fine thinning hair.
This oil is highly beneficial for people with oily scalp. It closely resembles the scalp sebum, the oil produced by our skin. This oil penetrates into the skin and acts as an excellent moisturiser. It also helps to loosen the sebum in the hair follicle, cleansing the scalp and removing the clogged debris.
Sesame oil is perfect for dry and damaged hair
It is highly recommended in ayurveda due to its healing and nourishing properties. It’s commonly used as a base oil in many ayurvedic preparations. It’s packed with some amazing fatty acids – oleic and linoleic fatty acids. These offer great skin softening and skin regenerating qualities.
Sweet Almond Oil works best if you have dry, or brittle hair
This oil is a light feeling and nourishing oil. The flavonoids and omega-6 fatty acids in almond oil controls shedding and promotes healthy hair growth. This oil also contains a high amount of vitamin E which helps to strengthen tiny capillaries of the scalp and therefore boosts circulation.
Coconut Oil – my personal favourite – is great for soft, fine or oily hair
Cold pressed virgin coconut hair oil has a wonderful aroma of fresh coconut cream. This oil has an ability to penetrate the hair shaft and is great for both damaged and undamaged hair. High in saturated fatty acids, coconut oil is extremely moisturising and promotes healthy hair. In comparison to other oils it is less greasy – because of high tannin contents.
Now – I’m not one to fight the spectacular healing and nourishing qualities of Sesame oil (that Ayurveda prescribes) – but my personal favourite is Coconut oil.
Let’s see why this helps:
1. Improves blood flow to your scalp
Oiling hair is the most important ritual in traditional hair care. Oil massage increases blood flow to the scalp. The increased circulation brings additional oxygen and nutrients to the hair roots.
2. Protects your hair from damage
When you shampoo, it absorbs water causing the outer layer of hair (cuticle) to lift up. When it dries, it shrinks back to its original state. Your hair oil restores the natural oils and allows the hair to come back to its natural form quicker, plus it heals the damage caused by harsh soaps and shampoos.
3. Naturally conditions and detangles your hair
Oiling conditions and improves strength and elasticity of your hair. Even after shampooing, a minuscule proportion of oil remains in your hair, which is non-evident but it works to protect and nourish your hair. Naturally adding a dose of hair oil every now and then will help ensure this quantity stays right at all times.
But it doesn’t end there! In addition to oil, Honey allows your hair to grow fast, rich and beautiful too. Look out for my next article on hair care – using honey to make it look sexy!
Remember – bad hair is an indicator of ill health. Personally I can relate to this – since I remember my great-grandma’s beautiful luxuriant hair started thinning out so rapidly just before she passed :'(
Wellness Tree Shoppe: We have some special extra-rare plant oils coming soon. I’ll update a link here once it does so you can have a look. Watch this space.