Trying to decide on an oil? Which oil you go for should depend on what you want to use it for!

For the scalp, e.g. if your scalp is dry

You need something that is light, so it doesn't clog up the pores and very rich in Vitamin E to nourish the scalp :

• Lightest oils: jojoba, coconut oil and argan oil. Jojoba has the added advantage of having a similar structure to sebum - the oil that the scalp naturally produces for itself;
  
• Most nutrient-rich oils: avocado and argan oil are very rich in vitamin E (they both have more vitamin E than olive oil.)
  

Pre-shampoo treatment

You need an oil whose fatty acids can penetrate the hair fibre. Why?

According to the Science of Black Hair, hair swells when it is wet and shrinks when it is dry. This constant swelling and shrinking is called hygral fatigue; overtime it weakens the hair fibre thereby making it more vulnerable to breakage. You can avoid hygral fatigue by applying an oil that is high in saturated fatty acids and/or monounsaturated fatty acids before the shampoo. These types of fatty acids can penetrate the hair shaft so that when you wash the hair, the hair fibre doesn't swell as much and is therefore less prone to weakening from hygral fatigue. 

The best oils (from the one with the highest content of saturated fats and/or monounsaturates):

• Jojoba oil (100%: 98% monounsaturates, 2% saturated)
  
• Coconut oil (97%: 6% monounsaturates, 91% saturated)
  
• Avocado oil (88%)
• Olive oil (86%)
• Sweet almond oil (71%)

Sealing in moisture

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are too large to penetrate hair's cuticle layer. Most of them bind to the outside of hair and stop moisture from escaping. Whilst the "pre-shampoo oils" mostly work by strengthening hair from the inside, oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids operate from outside the cuticle layer of hair.

The best oils (from the one with the highest content of polyunsaturated fatty acids are):
Castor oil (89%)
Flaxseed oil (73%)
Grapeseed oil (70%)

Shelf-life

Note that most oils should keep well for a year plus except flaxseed oil whose shelf life is only 6 months! You can prolong the life of flaxseed oil by keeping it in the fridge. Some oils have an almost indefinite shelf life, e.g. castor oil and jojoba.

How about this whole acid/alkaline thing?

For the most part, oils are weakly acidic. However, even if the oil is weakly alkaline it doesn't mean it will cause you any harm. Try it and decide whether or not your hair agrees with it.

But ... oils make my hair dry!

If you think an oil is drying your hair out it could mean you're using it wrongly. Remember oils are NOT moisturisers. Oil and water repel each other so to get the benefit of an oil use a proper moisturiser first, e.g. leave-in conditioner and oil should follow after that.

You might also like:
The supersonic benefits of argan oil on natural black hair
6 fabulous benefits of avocado oil on natural hair
8 Benefits of Castor oil for natural hair & a warning!
6 top benefits of coconut oil - a MUST for every natural hair regimen!
8 great benefits of jojoba oil on natural hair
5 benefits of sweet almond oil on natural hair

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.


References:
Investigation of Penetration Abilities of Various Oils;
Acid/alkaline chart (Natural Health Center), LookChem; NaturallyThinking; Balance pH diet; GardenOfWisdom; 

Please note that I am not a doctor (my husband is) but all the below information is from credible sources (listed at the end of this blog). 

What is seborrhoeic dermatitis?
A rash or inflammation of skin that usually comes up in areas rich in sebaceous glands e.g. the face, scalp and centre of the chest.

How common is it?
Pretty common: 3-5% of people globally are affected by it.

Is it more prone in certain age groups?
Yes: young adults, the elderly and infants

What causes it?
This isn't fully understood. What is know is that a yeast called Malassezia (present in skin) plays a part in its development. Other possible causes include:

• Neurological or immunodeficiency diseases, e.g. Parkinson's disease or HIV
• Tiredness
• Stress 
  
• Cold weather

What does NOT cause it?

• What you eat, i.e. diet
  
• Genetics
  

What are the symptoms of scalp seborrhoeic dermatitis?

• Soreness
  
• Itchiness
  
• Flaky skin
  

What does seborrhoeic dermatitis look like on the scalp?
Bumpy, red (if you're light skinned) with greasy-looking white or yellowish scales. The rash may weep.

How is it diagnosed?
Your doctor should be able to tell, however, it can be difficult for doctors to distinguish seborrhoeic dermatitis from psoriasis.

Can it be cured?
No, it can only be managed. This means you might have to take a treatment continuously or on and off for many months or years.

How is scalp seborrhoeic dermatitis treated?
Your doctor might prescribe:

• Medicated (anti-fungal / anti-yeast) shampoos with one or more of the following active agents: zinc pyrithione, coal tar, selenium sulphide or ketoconazole 
• To help reduce itchiness/soreness: a cream with a strong steroid might be prescribed to be used occasionally and sparingly
• For severe inflammation: pimecrolimus cream or tacrolimus ointment     
• A salicylic acid-based ointment can be rubbed in at night and washed off in the morning
• A scale softener, e.g. you might need to soak the scalp in warm olive oil
• For a stubborn rash: oral anti-fungal / anti-yeast medication. 

To avoid repetition, please read the second half of the blog on psoriasis for a few more dos and donts unique to those with natural hair.

You might also like:
Managing scalp psoriasis and your natural black hair
13 Top Tips for Keeping Natural Black Hair Moisturised - No More Dry Hair!
Solutions for a burnt scalp e.g. due to hot water or direct application of essential oils

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

References:
The British Association of Dermatologists
NHS Clinical Knowledge Summary

I have a mild preference for British over US medical sources because the UK system is not-for-profit so the sources won't have a money-making motive in them.

Petroleum aka petrolatum is actually a highly effective sealant. If your hair is properly moisturised using a petrolatum-based product on top will compeletly stop any moisture coming in or going out.

But that's where the benefit stops, the same benefit is also a disadvantage because petrolatums and mineral oils leave a heavy film over hair making any following moisturising efforts hard or even completely pointless.

Petrolatums and mineral oils have no moisturising ability at all!

If your hair is looking sleek and shiny after you use them, it's nothing to do with moisture, these chemicals just happen to be greasy-textured so that glow is purely cosmetic.

If you have ever relaxed your hair you will remember vaseline being put round the edges of your hair and on your ears to prevent burns. That is how strong a barrier petrolatum is. Vaseline is pure petrolatum.

If petrolatum isn't so good for hair why's it so pervasive in black hair products
Because it is cheap!

Should I immediately stop buying anything with petrolatum?
Not entirely. I recently learnt from the Science of Black Hair that the higher an ingredient is listed on packaging, the more of it there is inside the product. So if mineral oil and petrolatum are listed quite low down, there isn't much. 

One product that my hair loves but that has petrolatum is my Cantu Shea butter! Petrolatum is about 6th or 7th on the list. The only problem is that even from that you can't tell what percentage of the product is petrolatum.

Personally, I don't think petrolatums and mineral oils are entirely bad. Nothing keeps my lips crack-free like vaseline and when I was a kid good old cheap vaseline kept my skin looking shiny. BUT there is one difference between skin and hair: skin is constantly being rubbed by clothes, people etc so the petrolatum rubs off. Your hair is not being constantly rubbed, if it was you would probably have mega-high breakage rates!

I've had a couple of people contact me after burning their scalp because their water was too hot or because their skin made contact with undiluted essential oils e.g. peppermint oil.

Types of burn:

1. First degree burns are surface level, they only affect outer skin
   
2. Second degree burns have blisters because the outer layer of skin and the first inner layer (the dermis) is affected
   
3. Third degree burns are very severe and need immediate medical attention. If you have third degree burns you're probably not going to be checking for remedies on the internet.

If you have first degree burns, these are some quick solutions:

• Run the burnt area over cool water ~ you could stand under the shower if you can tolerate the cold or just bend your head over a tub and hold the showered head over your head for a while (5 to 15 minutes depending on how you feel).
  
• Rub aloe vera gel over the burnt area, it's got a soothing effect.
  
• If you have a small aloe vera plant you can actually break off a piece and dab it over the burnt area of the scalp, it has a very cooling effect too.
  
• Rub antiseptic cream over the burnt scalp area.

• If you are going to your doctor don't rub anything onto the wound, stop at cold water because it will be easier for your doctor to assess your scalp if there are no products on it.

If you have second degree burn or worse, see a doctor. If your scalp is still sore after 3 or 4 days also see a doctor. Normally, after the initial shock your scalp should cool down and start healing quite rapidly after about 24-48 hours.

What not to do!

• Don't apply freezing cold (ice-like) water or ice to the area. The ice especially can damage skin tissues.
  
• Do not rub butter, vaseline or any other petroleum/petrolatum based oil on the wound.
  
• Don't keep touching or rubbing your scalp, let it heal.
  
• Obviously don't use harsh chemicals e.g. relaxer on your hair and avoid washing and conditioning until you're healed. From my experience you should make a full recovery within one or two weeks at the most.

If your hair has been yanked out due to burns, don't freak out, in many cases it will grow back.

References:
How can I treat minor burns? (wiseGEEK)
How do I deal with minor burns? (NHS)

Shampoos are generally formulated as mildly acidic with a pH ranging from 4 to 6.

The corresponding conditioner is then formulated to be more acidic with a pH ranging from 3.5 to 5.0.

Why does this matter for your hair?

As pH falls hair constricts and becomes less porous, i.e. your hair retains moisture much better and is shinier. This means that as you clean your hair, the lower the pH of the final product used in the process, the better your hair cuticle is sealed off.

What if you don't want to use a shampoo and conditioner in the same line?

There are a couple of simple solutions:

• Either check that the pH of your conditioner is lower by getting pH paper or
  
• Rinse conditioner out with cool water. Cool water also helps to flatten and close of the hair cuticle

For the most part, the shampoos you find in your local store are too harsh for natural hair. They will more than likely dry your hair out too much - due to strong detergents called sulphates/sulfates. This has led some to follow "no poo" hair regimens.

How to clean your hair without shampoo:

1. The water-only method

You wash your hair with warm water only. Warm water helps to dislodge oils and and dirt. As you wash your hair, you massage the scalp and squeeze the hair gently to rinse out the dirt.

Who might the water only method suit?

• People with short hair
  
• People who don't use heavy products on their hair e.g. those with lots of petrolatum, any vaseline-like hair products e.g. Sulfur 8 or Blue Magic are heavy
  
• People who have just done some exercise and feel their hair needs a quick refresh; personally, my hair seems to love sweat so exercising alone won't cause me to wash my hair.
  

Is water-only a good idea? 
I don't know, I have never tried it but here is one lady that had a negative experience with the water-only method.

2. The baking soda (or sodium bicarbonate) method
Under this method, a couple of tablespoons of baking soda are mixed with two or three litres of water and used to wash the hair.

The result/benefit of washing with baking soda:

• Hair feels soft, fluffy and clean
  

The disadvantage of washing with baking soda:

• The clean look and feel are mostly cosmetic
  
• Baking soda is rough, abrasive material. The Science of Black Hair describes it as "fine sand" and that "its grittiness is very damaging to black hair"
  
• Importantly, baking soda has a pH of 9 (it is weakly alkaline whilst healthy hair is weakly acidic with a pH from 4.0 to 5.5). Weak relaxers have a pH of 9. Alkaline substances cause hair to swell and become more porous thereby weakening the hair fibre
  

3. An apple cider vinegar (ACV) wash
I probably wouldn't use this weekly but if you wash your hair with water only you can use apple cider vinegar for a stronger wash when you have build up from hair products.

Mix half a cup of ACV with 3 or so litres of water then wash your hair with it. I usually use an old milk bottle for ease of pouring it onto my head.

Advantage of use ACV

• It makes hair look shiny
• The pH of neat apple cider vinegar ranges from 4.25 to 5.00 so it agrees with the pH of hair.
  

There is no golden rule but I'd say at least once a week. Less than this is probably too infrequent.

Washing your hair is important because:

1. It is the supreme source of moisture for natural hair. Water does not dry out hair;  harsh shampoos do.
2. Wet hair is more elastic than dry hair and can therefore be styled and manipulated more easily than dry hair.
3. A clean scalp is crucial for healthy hair growth
   

If wet hair is so great why NOT wash or co-wash daily?

1. Shampooing strips hair of natural oils, minerals & nutrients needed for healthy hair & growth
2. All the handling and detangling causes some breakage. 
   

• The shorter your hair the more often you can wash it because it tangles less. 
  
• The longer, thicker and more curly your hair is, the less you need wash it. It tangles more and takes longer to get greasy
  

That said, two or three times is plenty even if you go to the gym daily. 

Some people co-wash daily, however, on my 4B/4C hair which takes me about 2.5 hours to detangle, condition and moisturise, daily simply wouldn't work. You are the master of your hair so start of with a weekly wash and adjust that if you think it's not enough.

Reference: 
The Science of Black Hair, pages 26, 43-4, 99
How often do you really need to shampoo? (webmd)

My mum started relaxing my hair when I was c.4. I am anti relaxer because I believe over a 23 year period it reduced the health and thickness of my hair. Perhaps I just used it incorrectly, that said...this blog is focused on managing natural hair only. I don't try to sway people either way.

Going natural made me start enjoying my hair in a way I never had before. I personally find the natural kinks and curls much sexier and more authentic. That's just me though; everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

You might also like:
Most Popular Natural Hair Bloggers in the USA
UK Natural Hair Blogs - A Comprehensive List

Keeping black hair moisturised is our biggest challenge. If you follow most of the below tips you will help to keep your hair soft and hydrated. Hydrated hair breaks less.

1. Wash your hair at least weekly. 

Water is the supreme moisturiser. When you wet your hair the water molecules actually penetrate the hair shaft and make the hair softer and more elastic. 

Moisture = hydration, hydration = water, hydrated hair = less breakage.

2. Use a shampoo and conditioner within the same product line or test the pH of your chosen shampoo and conditioner to ensure they complement each other.

Conditioner is meant to be more acidic than shampoo. The lower pH of the final product used in the cleaning process (typically the conditioner) helps to seal off the hair; sealing the hair means hair cuticles are smoothed down and moisture is held in better. A shampoo and conditioner within the same product line will be developed with this requirement in mind.

For example, the shampoo of one brand may have a pH of 4.5 and the conditioner 3.5 meaning that your hair is properly sealed off. But if you then go and use a conditioner of another brand whose pH is 5.0, this sealing off process won't happen properly.

3. Deep condition every week.

Deep conditioners contain moisture-boosting elements and proteins that a) strengthen the hair cuticle and b) enhance the hair strand's moisture.

I didn't know this until recently but not all conditioners are made equal. There are five main types:

• Instant conditioners
  
• Cream-rinse conditioners
  
• Deep conditioners - you want this one
  
• Moisturising conditioners
  
• Protein conditioner
  

The weaker types (e.g. instant conditioners) are designed for daily use, some are designed for weekly use, e.g. deep conditioners and some shouldn't be used more than once a month (e.g. those very high in protein).

4. Finish every wash off with a cold rinse

Washing your hair with warm water helps to dislodge dirt and oil. It also increases the hair's porosity i.e. the cuticles open up so that all the good stuff from your shampoo and conditioner is easily absorbed.

Rinsing your hair in cold water at the end of the washing process will help to flatten the cuticle and lock in moisture. I also do this when I wash my face. It helped to clear up my acne.

5. Apply a moisturiser to your hair before you apply any oil.

Oil is not a moisturiser. Oil and water do not mix hence oil, if at all used, needs to be applied last so that it stops moisture from escaping. Oil is fantastic at locking in moisture.

In terms of applying hair products (leave-in moisturisers, creams, oils), you need to figure our which order keeps your hair most moisturised: LOC Method or LCO Method.

6. Buy a good moisturiser.

Moisturisers can be water-based or oil-based. In oil-based moisturisers water and oil are blended using "emuslifiers"; emulsifiers stop the water and oil from separating. A shea butter based moisturiser is the best option in my opinion.

A buttery one works best on wet hair and a creamy one is fantastic for dry hair.

7. Avoid petrolatum, petroleum and mineral oils.

Although they are great for sealing in moisture, they provide no additional benefit.

That said, if you have a moisturiser where one of these appears low down the list of ingredients, it means they don't form a major part of the moisturiser. According to The Science of Black Hair, "as a rule of thumb, these sealants should never be listed in the top five ingredients of any moisturiser you use".

8. Seal-in the moisture with a good oil.

Great oils for sealing moisture within the hair cuticle (most to least preferred):

• Coconut oil
  
• Jojoba oil
• Avocado oil
  
• Argan oil
  
• Castor oil
  
• Sweet almond oil

9. Drink lots of water. 

A lot of hydration operates from the inside out.

10. If you have a dry scalp massage a small amount of oil onto it regularly.

Keeping a dry scalp moisturised will ensure that the scalp's environment is conducive for hair growth and is efficiently supplying hair with oil (sebum) to help in the hydration of hair.

The best oil you can apply to your scalp? Jojoba.

Jojoba is very similar in structure to sebum (the oil produced by the scalp) and as such is my oil of choice.

11. Spritz your hair with water twice a day.

This will help to keep it hydrated. Note that if your hair is damaged or if you have a build up of minerals on your hair (e.g. from hard water) or if you're using a product high in petrolatum/petroleum/mineral oil, water will find it hard to penetrate to the cuticle.

12. Sleep with a satin bonnet at night and/or use a satin pillow case

Cotton absorbs the moisture from your hair a lot more than satin does. In addition, satin fibres are smoother than cotton ones so you're less vulnerable to breakage with satin.

13. Wear protective hairstyles when the weather is harsh.

If it's very hot or windy your hair will dry out VERY quickly.

Reference: The Science of Black Hair by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy

You might also like:

• Queen of Kinks, Curls & Coils ~ Your Dry Hair Days Are Over
• Moisturising Natural Black Hair: LOC Method vs. LCO Method
• The ultimate moisturiser for natural African hair: water!
• How to Use Essential Oils as a Natural Hair Conditioner

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.