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THE best oil for natural hair. A mega summary!

30/11/2012

 
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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
PictureA hair fibre sliced long-ways.
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

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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; 

Tiffany
24/7/2013 01:51:18 pm

urecha
13/2/2014 11:46:15 am

This I think is the answer to my trouble. Smh!!! I feel like an epiphany has been handed to me. Then I feel like a tard for not realizing this. Lol!!! Reading is definitely fundamental.

Tasha
7/8/2013 11:14:32 pm

Great chart. I'm curious, though. What about walnut oil? I've heard that's great for hair, too. How does that fit into the chart?

Gina M
8/1/2014 03:35:14 am

Thanks for this chart!!!! Now I know why mu hair is not retaining moisture like I felt it should be. I was using the oils the wrong way. I was trying to seal in moisture with Olive oil and sometimes Coconut oil and using the Castor oil on my scalp. I've never done the pre poo before, but I'll be trying that along with sealing the moisture in with a blend of castor oil and either coconut oil or olive oil.

Ginagina
22/3/2014 05:01:11 am

I have been using this moisture method on my hair for the last ten years.
I found the chart very useful; thank you for posting it.

Cynthia
29/4/2014 03:11:40 pm

So helpful, i spent hours and hours online...and you just handed me a little summary

jay harlow
21/5/2014 03:49:17 am

Thanks so much for this summary! Intuitively, I got the dry scalp and pre-poo oils right (I use avocado and jojoba oils, respectively). I was at a loss for the best moisture sealing oils, however, Will give refined castor oil or grapeseed oil a try! Thank you!

Carolina
3/7/2014 03:28:33 am

I needed this. My hair shrinks really bad and always feels dry

Nafisa
15/7/2014 04:18:20 am

Thank u so much.

Patricia
4/8/2014 05:06:47 pm

Thanks for the chart. Great info!!!! Love it......

Namukale
10/9/2014 02:49:33 am

Thank you for the chart.

Genrose Brown
26/9/2014 02:08:20 am

thanks much, appreciate.

Henrietta Akpatsu
8/10/2014 06:44:42 am

Thanks for the tips. I also use tea after shampooing hair as the last wash. It helps retain its softness. Coconut oil is great for my hair not forgetting shea butter

Joyce Bonner
3/6/2015 02:25:18 pm

very informative, really learning a lot. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us

rita
23/7/2015 06:12:00 am

Thank very much....God bless


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    By Heather Katsonga-Woodward

    I was a natural hair blogger and mixtress living between London & Chicago from 2012 to 2017. I always thought I was 4C but some say 4B; images below - you decide! Heather xx

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