Coconut Hair Oil


Coconut Hair OilIf we be honest here nobody likes having bad hair. And women are probably a lot more protective about their hair than men. Yes, I know plenty of guys who spend hours preening themselves and getting their hair just right, even spending big money on having it designed and cut, but they still won’t ever have the same attachment to it as women do.

That aside if Allah has blessed you with a healthy head of hair it is just as important to maintain it regardless of your gender. There are hundreds if not thousands of hair care products available these days all preying on our fears and vanity, promising to transform your Troll Doll hair into a condition Goldilocks would be envious of.

Each product claims to go one better than its rivals and when a competitor product comes along they revamp the current range into a ‘version 2’ which is usually identical to the first one just with new packaging. Look beneath the fancy bottles and designer names and you get a whole load of mixed up chemicals with only a sniff of natural ingredients included for marketing purposes.

They are designed to make your hair look good in the short term but cause damage in the longer term. To then rectify the damage caused these ingenious companies bring out a bigger, better and usually more expensive product. And you, the customer, are now caught up in this marketing loop.

So What Can You Use?

The most effective and best products to use are the traditionally made oils. They are friendly to the human body and have pure natural additives which are assimilated into the hair and work with the cells to give a long lasting and beautiful result.

One of the most versatile of these oils is coconut hair oil

The Coconut tree is a tropical plant that is mainly found in coastal regions of the world. It has various uses to man (and women!) from its medicinal usage to being used as a drink or simply eaten as a food source. The coconut fruit is rugby ball shaped, having a hard brown shell. Its inside has a white meaty layer protecting the liquid content in the middle. Coconut trees are tall with a narrow stem and all the fruit and leaves are found at the top half.

Extraction of coconut oil

There are two ways that coconut oil product is extracted from the fruit which are the dry and wet processes.

  • Dry process – This process requires the inside white meat to be removed and dried using fire, sun heat or kiln which produces the copra (dried meat of the fruit). This is then compressed or dissolved with other solvents to produce the oil. The by-product of this process, which contains high protein and mash, is then fed to the mammals and livestock as it has low edible value to humans.
  • Wet process – This is used for Coconut fruits that are of 2-20 months and still considered young. Here the meat is removed, washed and wet milled or dried. The residue is then pressed in a screw like manner to produce the oil. It can also be extracted by grating the raw meat, mixing it with water then being dried to a moisture content of 10-12%; the oil is then extracted using a manual process.

Okay so that’s the boring school lesson bit – what exactly does Coconut oil do for you?

Benefits of Coconut Hair Oil

Coconut Hair OilConditioning: Coconut oil is used to condition hair. It makes you hair look perfect and pure. Continued use will add a shimmer and sleekness to your hair in just a few days.

Dandruff: It helps in getting rid of dandruff in your head, which due to drying out the scalp, destroys the quality and texture of your hair. Mixed with lukewarm water, coconut oil is applied on the head and to treat the dandruff. It can also be blended with sesame oil and applied maintaining a clean and smooth finish to your hair.

Dry Hair: Those with dry hair can use coconut oil to moisturize it resulting in a softer and shinier appearance.

Stimulant: Coconut oil has been known to stimulate hair growth as it penetrates deep into the follicles and adds much needed nutrients to catalyze the production of more proteins for the hair.

Coconut oil is the first plant oil that has been used on human hair for this purpose due to its effectiveness

Natural Protector: It protects the hair from fatigue damage caused by the fibres retaining water. Coconut oil prevents this condition by coating the fibres reducing water absorption.

Since it is a natural product, it contains natural and vital elements providing anti-fungal value forming a defence against fungal diseases thus leaving the hair and scalp healthy and strong.

It also contains the necessary vitamins responsible for the growth of hair. It encourages the growth of healthy and long hair free from the factors that bring about loss of hair strands.

Head Lice: It is believed that coconut oil has the ability to treat head lice. When used with anise spray it is almost twice as effective in getting rid of the head lice compared to many other widely used treatment options available.

 Non Hair Use: Coconut oil is also great as a makeup remover, especially around the eye lids and lashes reviving them and providing a healthier look rather than being burnt by the makeup chemicals resulting in a rigid and rough look.

How to Use Coconut Hair Oil

There are a couple of thoughts on whether you should use Coconut Hair Oil before shampooing or after. Personal experience has found that using coconut oil first and shampooing after provides best results.

Regardless of the before/after shampooing question the actual applying process is the same:

Coconut Hair OilSTEP 1 Ensure your hair is damp before applying.

Pure coconut oil is solid at cold temperatures but melts quickly once immersed in warm water. Place the oil bottle into a jug (or similar) of warm water and once it has melted pour a small amount into the palm of your hand.

How much you use will be subject to trial and error and the length and type of hair you have but usually about a teaspoon for short hair and a tablespoon for longer hair provides a pretty good measure.

STEP 2 Rub your hands together slightly to spread the oil and massage into your hair. Try and massage as many hair strands as you can, especially the ends, and go deep into your scalp too.

STEP 3 Leave hair for a minimum of ten minutes but you may leave it overnight if you wish. Once done shampoo your hair as normal and either blow dry or let it dry naturally.

STEP 4 Comb and style as usual.

It is evident that people who live along the coastal regions have healthy and attractive hair. Most especially people who live in areas where coconuts grow such as the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and other parts of the Caribbean. The use of coconut oil by those residing in these regions has made their hair the envy of many in the western world.

This natural goodness in the oil has helped give them the natural beauty they have not only in their hair but in their skin too. Studies have also shown that these users tend to use the modern day solutions much less in their regime saving themselves from the wrath of chemical related imperfections.

Since the times of our ancestors coconut oil has been used not just in hair but also in their daily lives as a dietary addition as well as for cosmetic purposes. And we all know sometimes the old traditions are the best traditions.


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