15 Benefits of Coconut Oil on Hair

Coconut Oil is a versatile oil that can be used over 100 ways but listed here are a few ways Coconut Oil can benefit a person’s hair. Everyone will not get the same results because we are all different. Benefits of Coconut Oil on hair is popular worldwide for thousands of years now. Many people living in coastal areas use Coconut Oil as their number one hair product because it grows in abundance.

Coconut Oil For Hair Remarkable Results

Stimulates hair growth by getting into the follicles
Hair strength
Promotes a healthy scalp by nourishing it
Improve the thickness of your hair
Helps to fight against/prevent head lice
Insect bites
Dandruff
Hair breakage
Split ends
Premature aging and decrease excessive hair loss by slowing down hair loss and regrows hair in the process

Coconut Oil has an SPF of 8 and works as a natural sunscreen to help protect our hair from sun damage. It is best if you use coconut oil as a leave in conditioner if you are planning on being in the sun for an extended period. Adults and children can use coconut on their hair and skin as a safe and effective sunscreen.

Benefits Of Coconut Oil on Hair / Coconut Hair Mask Treatments

Hair Loss: India, South America, parts of the Caribbean and other countries have been using Coconut Oil as a hair grooming product for hundreds for years. Boil sage leaves with Coconut Oil, cool oil mixture down, apply on the scalp to help to prevent hair loss. I would recommend leaving the mixture on your hair for about an hour, but some people apply the mixture on their head in the evening time and sleep with it until the morning, wash their hair, and carry on with their regular daily routine and reapply the mixture again in the evening. Massaging Coconut Oil into the scalp for about 10 minutes (3-4 times weekly) will help with improving blood circulation and support hair growth.Coconut Oil mixed with four drops of rosemary essential oil has been known to increase new hair growth by 20% because Rosemary oil also helps blood flow circulation and works well with coconut oil.Other mixtures are:
— Mix coconut oil with lime water (lime juice mixed with water)
— Boil coconut oil with gooseberries, cool it mixture down and apply to scalp/hair.
Hair Damage: Coconut Oil helps to restore hair and contributes to preventing your hair from losing protein because it is rich in lauric acid which penetrates inside the hair shaft quickly and has a high affinity for hair protein. Warning – use a little bit of Coconut Oil at a time because your hair may become too greasy.
Cooling agent for Scalp: Coconut Oil can be applied to the scalp as a cooling agent because it has a cooling effect that will soothe your scalp, people with hotheads and those who have sweaty scalps.
Hair Breakage: Coconut Oil helps to prevent hair breakage because it retains moisture because it has a high moisture retaining capacity and cannot easily evaporate or be broken down. Moisture cannot escape which results in keeping your hair moist and soft and less breakage.
Dandruff: Coconut Oil is an excellent anti-dandruff agent and is better than anti-dandruff shampoos because Coconut Oil contains various fatty acids that nourish your scalp and keeps away dandruff. Using Coconut Oil on a regular basis can help you to keep dandruff away.
— Best Coconut Dandruff Recipe — The best method is to mix Coconut Oil with Castor Oil in lukewarm water and then massage the mixture into your hair at the beginning of your shower and rinse off at the end of your shower. Individuals with longer hair can use a shower cap to keep the mixture on your hair from washing off too early.Other methods:
— Alternate Dandruff Recipe Mix 1 — This is a lengthy process – mix Sesame Oil with Coconut Oil and leave the mixture in your hair for about 30 minutes before washing it off.– Alternate Dandruff Recipe Mix 2 — Teaspoons of Coconut Oil with five drops of lavender, wintergreen, thyme, or tea tree oil and thoroughly massage into the scalp because the oils help to fight against fungus and yeast. Cover your head for about 30 minutes with a shower cap because a heat circulation is desired. You can assist the heat flow/circulation by heating the shower cap with a blow dryer on a low setting. This process should be repeated at least three times a week. You can leave the mixture in your hair/head overnight but wear a shower cap or something to protect your bedding from getting stained.
Lice: Lice are no fun to have on your head and in your hair as it can be embarrassing, very itchy and often recurs again. Most of the chemical lice products can be harmful to our scalps and hair, and that is because of the strong chemical components they contain. It is not recommended to comb wet hair with fine teeth comb because that can cause damage to your wet hair but will help to get some lice/nits out of your hair. It is recommended to apply Coconut Oil to your hair and then combs it with the fine teeth comb because the Coconut Oil will help the lice/nits to slide right off your hair without damaging the hair or breaking the hair.
A study published in the European Journal of Pediatrics mentions that Coconut Oil mixed with anise spray is more effective than most prescription lice treatment permethrin.According to a controlled study, Coconut Oil based spray was 82% successful whereas permethrin was only 42% successful. 33 out of 50 participants in the study said that they had scalp irritation with the conventional treatment.The Israel Medical Association Journal published a study where Coconut Oil was mixed with ylang ylang oil and anise oil resulting in being 92.3% successful in children and there were no serious side effects.Coconut Oil repels head lice because it penetrates the hair shaft which keeps their eggs from attaching to the hair and the oil combinations do not give the lice a chance to survive.— Infestation of Lice: Mix 3 tablespoons of Coconut Oil with 1 tablespoon of ylang ylang, anise, and tea tree oils – use more Coconut Oil if you have thick and long hair. Massage mixture into scalp and throughout hair and comb hair with a fine tooth comb. Cover hair with a shower cap for about 2 hours – try to keep the shower cap as much as possible either by sitting in the sun or using a blow dryer on low setting.The shower cap should be sealed in a plastic bag for disposal after being removed from the head.
While waiting for your two hours to be up, mix 2 cups of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup water in a spray bottle.

Wash hair after 2 hours, rinsing thoroughly, twice, spray the apple cider vinegar mixture onto hair until saturated and then try to pour whatever mixture remains onto your scalp/hair and massage thoroughly. Rinse your hair again and come through with a fine tooth comb, apply Coconut Oil and style as usual.

It is recommended to repeat the above process about every 5-10 days for a few weeks to totally get rid of lice and eggs.
Dry Hair: Coconut Oil will help to nourish your hair and help to prevent it from becoming dry, rough and thin. Apply Coconut Oil in small amounts to your hair to receive the texture you like/acquire. See hair toning and hair conditioner below.
Hair Toning: Mix warm Coconut Oil mixed with lavender essential oil on your scalp at night before bed and wash it off the next morning and repeat for several nights until you get the result you desire.
Hair Conditioning: It is rather easy to make your own Coconut Oil hair conditioner that will keep your hair looking shiny and soft at home that is effective and has no side effect unless you are allergic to Coconut Oil.
Mix Coconut Oil, warm milk, and henna into a texture resembling paste, massage into your hair, leave it on your hair for 20 minutes and then rinse it off.It is best if you apply the warm Coconut Oil to your hair at night and wash in the morning. This process should be repeated for several nights for best results.Worried about soiling your pillow case: wrap your hair up in a soft scarf or cloth shower cap.According to a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science published a study on Coconut Oil and states that Coconut Oil is the only oil that reduces protein loss and performs far better than sunflower oil and mineral oil.– Coconut Oil Hair Conditioning for Short Hair – use about ¼ teaspoon warm Coconut Oil or more if needed.
— Coconut Oil Hair Conditioning for Long Hair – use about ½ tablespoon warm Coconut Oil or more if needed.Using too much Coconut Oil will weigh down thin hair.
Rub Coconut Oil into your scalp and along the length of your hair, cover with a shower cap for about 1-3 hours or longer if you have time, preferably overnight and then wash the oil off of your hair and style as normal.
Boils: Boils on your scalp is no fun especially if you accidentally run your comb over it, ouch!!! Most individuals get boils on their scalp during the winter and others when their head is exposed to the sun/heat for an extended period. The best way to prevent boils on your scalp is to keep your scalp clean as much as possible which requires washing your hair often, and it is best if you can wash it with Coconut Oil mixed with olive oil. It is advised for you to seek the advice of a health care specialist if boils do not go away.
Split Ends: Most people will cut their split ends regardless if there is a little or a lot. It is recommended to apply a mixture consisting of Coconut Oil mixed with almond oil to your hair and massage it for a few minutes if you do not have too much split ends as this mixture will help minimize the split ends.
Detangle Hair: Detangling hair can be a workout for many as it takes a lot of time with a little tugging can often cause breakage. Apply Coconut Oil to your hair shaft to decrease hair breakage during the detangling process and to make removing knots easier before or after washing. Using Coconut Oil on a regular basis will help to prevent hair from becoming tangled but hair continues to become tangles then it might be best to trim a little off of your hair.
Gray Hair and Baldness: Coconut Oil can help to prevent baldness and gray hair, but it might not work for everyone. Mix Coconut Oil with Bhringraj or Eclipta Alba leaf juice and apply it to your hair and scalp, leave it in for as long as you like (preferably overnight) before washing it off.
Majority of shampoos contain Coconut Oil after it was discovered that excessive use of shampoo without oil resulted in baldness all too quickly. Manufacturers started adding Coconut Oil to their shampoos which were commercially accepted and used widely in a vast variety of hair products.
Fragrance: Coconut Oil gives your hair a gentle, soothing smell/aroma that is subtle and a little sweet.
Coconut Oil Shampoo: Coconut Oil shampoo will leave your hair feeling soft and healthy but keep in mind that everyone’s hair is different so please feel free to adjust the below recipe as needed.
Coconut Oil Shampoo Recipe
— 1 cup liquid castile soap
— 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
— 1/3 cup coconut oil
— 60 drops of essential oils (lavender, wild orange, peppermint, lemongrass, rosemary, clary sage, and rosemary)Add Coconut Oil and Coconut Milk into a pot over very low heat to melt the ingredients. Do not use heat level above low heat as it can damage the nutrients. Pour the mixture into a bottle that has a secure lid, add the castile soap and shake well. Add 60 drops of your favorite essential oils and shake it until mixed. Keep in mind that shampoo is not as thick as the shampoos you might be used to so it is best if you apply it on your hair directly from the bottle, wash your hair and rinse.It is best if you wash your hair on a regular basis although there are people who do not recommend washing your hair more than once a week but washing your hair regularly adds many benefits to having healthy hair. Healthy hair along with healthy eating habits results in a healthy you. It is also important to use good hair grooming products that do not contain harmful chemicals (natural hair treatments preferred), has minimal side effects, would not break your hair and cause any harm to your scalp or hair.

Conclusion

Summing it all up, it is important to try natural hair treatments, especially with Coconut Oil. Coconut Oil has many benefits for your hair with minimal side effects. Of all the other natural cures for hair loss, hair regrowth, hair lice, dandruff, dry scalp, boils, split ends and all purpose hair conditioning, Coconut Oil is my go to solution to cure most hair ailments.

Additional resources: Natural Living Ideas, Wellness Mama, Hairlossandcare (photo)