You probably use coconut oil for your hair, or maybe not.
Well, if you do, reading these benefits of coconut oil for hair growth will help you see why you should continue.
And if you don’t, reading this should be just the push you need to include this excellent natural oil in your hair care regimen.
Fortunately, coconut oil is not just excellent for hair but also readily available in most places.
So, after learning about these astounding benefits, you wouldn’t have to stress a lot to get one and see for yourself!
Let’s start with the various ways you can use coconut oil on your hair.
Uses of Coconut Oil for Hair
1. Pre-pooing
Coconut oil is an excellent choice for pre-pooing. (Short for pre-shampooing)
Applying it as a protective layer before shampooing helps your hair retain oil and moisture that would otherwise be stripped off by shampoo.
Its nature also prevents your hair from absorbing too much water than necessary when you wash, preventing possible hair damage.
Tips:
- Apply coconut oil on hair 20 minutes before you shampoo.
- Ensure to apply on the middle parts of your hair as well as hair ends.
2. Pre-dye Mask
If you use hair dye often, you are probably already aware of the few downsides of dyes on hair.
In case you didn’t know, it could cause hair dryness and brittleness because of the chemicals involved.
Not necessarily, though!
Applying coconut oil to your hair before dyeing helps your hair to remain supple and soft after the process.
What’s more?
It also fastens the dyeing process and prevents possible itching.
Tips:
- Next time you want to dye your hair, apply coconut oil the night before and cover with a shower cap overnight.
- Do not wash off the coconut oil before dyeing.
3. Leave-in Moisturizer
Another way to use coconut oil on your hair is as a leave-in hair treatment.
Applying it to your hair before going out helps to moisturize your hair and seal in present moisture.
Especially if it is on a sunny day, the sun’s natural heat helps it penetrate your hair even more because your hair cuticles are opened up.
4. To Minimize Frizzles
No one loves it when those dry, crispy hair strands alter the look of their hair a few days after styling.
Arrgghh!
They can be so frustrating.
Well, once again, coconut oil can come to the rescue.
Applying coconut oil when styling your hair helps minimize frizzles because it adds to your hair’s moisture.
That way, you can rock your styles for an extended period.
Coconut oil can also be a pre-trimming remedy for split ends.
When applied, it smoothens the cuticles on your split ends, so your hair does not look too worn out before you find time to trim it.
Tips:
- Use coconut oil as a styling product when next you style your hair.
- Mix coconut oil with other styling products that work for your hair.
- Use coconut oil-based styling creams.
5. Detangling
Coconut oil can be used on hair to ease detangling.
One tip to detangle virgin hair is to ensure that it is damp before you start.
Coconut oil does just that.
All you need to do is to rub it on your hair before you detangle it, focusing on the tangles.
You might want to spray your hair with water before applying it.
Of course, the amount of coconut oil you’ll need for this process would depend on the texture and volume of your hair.
6. Before Swimming
Next time before you dive into that refreshing pool of water, you should apply coconut oil to your hair first.
Why?
The chlorine present in pool water can cause excessive dryness to your hair or even go as far as bleaching it.
This tremendous natural oil can, however, serve as a protective coat against chlorine absorption as well as reinforce your hair’s natural defense.
Tip:
- Apply coconut oil to your hair before swimming.
7. Conditioner
Another use of coconut oil is as a conditioner.
Conditioners help to ease the detangling process, improve the strength of hair, and prevent hair breakage.
Coconut oil can do all that, so yeah, it fits in as a conditioner.
Tips:
- Apply coconut oil on hair after shampooing and comb through.
- Add coconut oil to your usual conditioner and use it.
8. Dandruff and Lice Control
If you deal with any of these on your hair, it is more reason to use coconut oil.
By moisturizing the scalp, coconut oil reduces scalp dryness, thereby controlling flakes.
Its antifungal properties may also enable it to fight the fungus Malassezia, the root cause of dandruff.
Coconut oil can be used for lice control by applying it after rinsing the hair with apple cider vinegar.
This is necessary as coconut oil alone cannot kill the nits laid by lice in the hair.
Tips:
- Apply coconut on your scalp and comb through the hair, leave for some minutes, then rinse out thoroughly.
- Mix other helpful oils (tea tree oil, almond oil, and lemon oil are examples) with coconut oil and use as above.
Note: It is essential to thoroughly rinse out coconut oil after use as any oil remnant would only worsen the situation.
Effects of Coconut Oil on Hair Growth
Doubtless, there are many good reasons to use coconut oil for the hair.
However, there is no research evidence to prove that it increases the rate of hair growth or hair length.
Nonetheless, here are some of the benefits of coconut oil for hair growth.
1. Nourishes the Scalp
Coconut oil contains vitamins and fatty acids, nutrients necessary for a healthy scalp.
It, therefore, provides nourishment for the scalp and clears the hair follicles.
This creates the needed environment for hair growth, making it easier for your hair to grow as it should.
2. Reduces Split Ends
Of course, the only way to get rid of a split hair end is to trim it.
But applying coconut oil to your hair tips prevents them from splitting in the first place!
Since dryness is one of the major causes of split ends, moisturizing your hair ends with coconut oil regularly does the trick.
The amount of hair we lose due to split ends is almost non-negligible.
Coconut oil saves you a great deal of that loss.
3. Prevents Protein Loss
Here’s one confirmed by research!
A research study on three popular hair oils proved coconut oil to be an excellent choice for preventing protein loss, both for healthy and unhealthy hair.
This is due to the abundant Lauric acid in it, which improves hair protein structure.
This practically means that your hair is saved from breaking and stays healthy.
4. Penetrates Cuticles
Your hair cuticle is the most crucial part of your hair since it serves as a protective layer.
It is like a gate that lets in necessary ingredients into your hair strand.
Coconut oil penetrates the hair cuticles and seals moisture.
This prevents hair damage due to damaged cuticles, lack of moisture, or over-absorption of water, contributing to healthy hair.
Bottom line: Coconut oil gives your hair just what it needs to grow.
Given these benefits of coconut oil for hair growth, it is reasonable to conclude that your hair grows faster and longer with coconut oil than without it.
Benefits of Putting Coconut Oil in Hair
Apart from enhancing your hair growth, here are six other benefits of coconut oil for hair.
Read on!
1. Adds Luster
If you have ever put coconut oil on your hair, I bet that you can testify to the fact that it makes the hair shiny.
The first thing that attracted me to coconut oil was how it made the hair look after application.
This excellent moisturizing oil is nature’s gift for shiny, glossy hair!
2. Reduces Dryness
Not only does your hair become shinier with coconut oil, but it also feels smoother and softer.
Remember that it penetrates the hair cuticles, can be used as a conditioner and contains vitamins and fatty acids?
All these enable it to prevent your hair from being dry.
Oh! And one more. Remember that it can also be used to pre-poo?
This means that it also reduces dryness due to shampooing.
3. Prevents Heat Damage
Coconut oil protects your hair against damage from heat styling tools such as hairdryers and straighteners.
It is a top natural heat protectant.
It can also aid the repair of hair suffering from heat damage.
4. Provides Nutrients for the Hair
Of course, our hair cannot do well without the necessary nutrients.
By improving protein structure and providing vitamins, coconut oil gives the hair the necessary nutrients.
This means healthier and thicker hair.
5. Prevents Sun Damage
Coconut oil can prevent your hair from sun damage, but only to an extent.
However, it is useful as an addition to natural sunscreens that protect your hair from harmful rays of the sun.
6. Scalp Treatment
Coconut oil is also well known for its many benefits for the skin, which benefits the scalp.
The vitamins and fatty acids contained in it enrich the scalp and can clear the hair follicles.
Apart from this and the fact that it provides moisture to the scalp, it also helps prevent infections due to its antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Extra Tips on Coconut Oil for Hair Growth
Here are things to keep in mind regarding the use of coconut oil on hair:
- Coconut oil tends to make your hair oiler than you would want, so start by using a little amount of it.
- Include coconut oil in your diet for more results.
- Avoid using coconut oil in its solid form. You can melt it quickly by placing in a microwave or rubbing it between your palms.
- Coarse hair will benefit more from argan and marula oil in place of coconut oil.
- You may mix coconut oil with other natural hair products for many uses. Here are examples of what to mix with coconut oil for hair growth: Aloe vera gel, lemon juice, banana, honey, and olive oil.
- Check out this list of great products to get you the benefits of coconut oil for hair growth.
Conclusion
So far, we have seen the uses, effects, and benefits of coconut oil for hair growth.
Coconut oil may not give you the ‘Rapunzel hair’ length, but it is worth including in your hair care regimen.
Whether your hair is relaxed or natural, it can always benefit from coconut oil in the various ways explained above!
Hey, hair lover, this post may contain affiliate links. So if you buy a product through a link in the post, I’ll earn some commission at no extra cost to you.
I will get it ASAP…. thanks for tipping me about the knight in shining armor
Lol great. Thanks for stopping by, Blaise.
Nice one! It was was really helpful
I’m glad it helped! Thanks for reading!