Kathleen McCoy, BS explains why coconut oil helps maintain hair health.
6 Best Uses of Coconut Oil for Hair
May 3, 2019
Lush, shiny, manageable and healthy hair can be yours — with the benefits of coconut oil! Have you been tempted to clear out your commercial conditioners, serums and styling products that damage your hair (and possibly your health) over time?
Well guess what? You can replace them with this all-natural solution. Coconut oil is rich in antimicrobial properties, lauric acid and medium-chain fatty acids that strengthen hair, condition the scalp and help hair to regrow.
While we’ve been hearing about the internal health benefits of coconut oil for quite sometime, it’s time to bring light to coconut oil’s other uses, one of which is using it as an all-natural, multi-tasking hair care product. Rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, the nourishing benefits coconut oil for hair keeps your hair strong, shiny and looking great!
Benefits of Coconut Oil for Hair
Coconut oil is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids, and it has antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties. This allows coconut oil to improve the appearance, texture and health of our hair. When used on hair, coconut oil is able to:
- improve hair dryness
- improve scalp health
- protect hair from protein loss
- protect hair from UV exposure
- fight infections and fungus
- support hair growth
- add volume and shine
Research published in the International Journal of Trichology indicates that coconut oil has protective effects on hair damage in the grooming process. This is due to its ability to penetrate into the hair cuticles and cortex.
And study results published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science suggest that is able to reduce protein loss in both damaged and undamaged hair. It can be used before shampooing your hair or as a post-wash grooming product. This coconut oil benefit is due to the oil’s lauric acid content, which has a high affinity for hair proteins, but a low molecular weight, allowing the oil to penetrate inside the hair shaft, according to researchers.
When we regularly shampoo our hair, it extracts hair surface lipid matter and damages the structure of the hair. Plus, conventional hair care products sometimes contain toxic ingredients that can strip the hair and leave it looking dull. If you look on the ingredient labels of many of your favorite cosmetics and hair products, you will find coconut oil listed. However, most cosmetics and hair products also contain other ingredients that can be harmful to your health, while actually damaging your hair and skin. The harsh chemicals in commercial hair care products can leave your hair flat, dry and damaged.
