Calling all who have dry hair! BECAUSE I have the best DIY treatment for your hair!
In junior high and high school, I was on the swim team and that meant that my hair was always dry due to the chlorine. I would buy those little plastic packs of hot oil treatments at the drugstore…I’m honestly not sure what they’re called but I doubt they’re ‘clean’, as in no shitty chemicals.
It had been YEARS since I’d done a hot oil treatment on my hair, and one day I had the bright idea to give it a go myself. I did a bunch of research on the best kind of oil to use for an at-home hot oil treatment, and coconut oil was the winner because it can penetrate the hair shaft.
Let’s get into the sciency part a bit:
All fats and oils are composed of molecules called fatty acids. There are two methods of classifying fatty acids. The first is based on saturation which many of you have probably heard of. You have saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats.
Another system of classification is based on molecular size or length of the carbon chain within each fatty acid. Fatty acids consist of long chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. In this system you have short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Coconut oil is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).
The main fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid. In fact it’s about 44-52% lauric acid. What’s so special about this fatty acid? It has an affinity for hair proteins. This means that lauric acid LOVES, LOVES, LOVES hair protein. It has a low molecular weight and straight chained structure. This means that it can penetrate INTO the hair shaft. {source}
Let’s get into the benefits of using a coconut oil treatment:
1- It penetrates your hair’s shaft, in addition to sealing the surface: most oils seal the surface, but fail to moisturize your hair’s shaft. Coconut oil has low molecular weight that nourishes your hair from within (as seen above).
2- It softens dry hair: a little coconut oil is used as “silicone” to soften and remove the frizz without weighing it down.
3- It seals scales: coconut oil covers your hair with a protective layer that fights static.
4- It increases shine due to the large amount of fatty acids, it rebuilds and strengthens your hair to help fight damage caused by external agents.
5- It improves hair growth and the secret is to use it every week. Apply coconut oil by massaging it into you scalp and leave it on for about half an hour.
6- It is good for all hair types. It hydrates and nourishes dry and chemically treated hair, and also regulates your hair’s oil and pH.
8- It is antibacterial and antifungal, which means that it helps treat dandruff and seborrhea.
9- It is rich in essential nutrients for healthy growth such as vitamins E, K and iron.
10- It is easy to find in stores and is affordable.
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Here’s my step-by-step process: