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Friday, June 24, 2011

The Wonders of Coconut Oil for Hair


Image found at: http://www.afrobella.com/wp-content/afrobella%20images/coconut_oil.jpg


I am so excited! I just got some coconut oil and I can’t wait to prepoo my daughter’s hair and my hair (see yesterday’s blog for information on prepooing: http://tropie7189.blogspot.com/2011/06/natural-hair-regimen-and-pre-poo.html). I’ve heard that coconut oil is great for hair. An article in the Journal of Cosmetic Science* underscores this point:


This study has firmly established the superiority of the protective effect of coconut oil on hair damage in grooming processes when it is used as a pre-wash conditioner as compared to mineral oil and other vegetable oils such as sunflower oil. It not only has a protective effect on undamaged hair but also on chemically treated hair, UV-treated hair, and hair treated with boiling water (i.e., hair in water at 100øC for 2 hr). The ability of coconut oil to penetrate into hair cuticle and cortex seems to be responsible for this effect. Coated on the fiber surface, it can prevent or reduce the amount of water penetrating into the fiber and reduce the swelling. This, in turn, reduces the lifting of the surface cuticle and prevents it from being chipped away during wet combing. A reduction in the WRI is additional evidence of its efficacy in decreasing water absorption. The data presented in this work clearly show the superiority of coconut oil as a hair damage protectant, in the grooming of untreated or damaged hair.


Here is another resource that talks about coconut oil and hair: http://beautyinreason.blogspot.com/2010/08/amazing-results-with-prepooing-with.html. Have you ever used coconut oil as part of your natural hair regimen? What kind of oil do you use? What kind of results have you gotten? Please share!


*The journal article citation is: Rele, A.S. & Mohile, R.B. (2003). Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage. Journal of Cosmetic Science, 54, 175-192.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks a lot for this awesome information of coconut oil. I thing everybody has take benefits from you.


    Smith Alan
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    ReplyDelete
  2. Alan, you are welcome! Glad the information helped!

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  3. Wow, nice article posted about The Wonders of Coconut Oil for Hair. Today hair fall is a big problem before us. There should be proper care and knowledge.The above trick is nice one. I have been using Virgin coconut Oil and have experienced a whole lot of benefits. it should not give you ichiness, so use VCO, apply little amount at a time, allow skin to soak it and repeat application by means of soft massage on sculp or skin daily after bath.

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  4. Hi Hair Oil. Thanks so much for your comment! I too LOVE to use coconut oil on my hair, skin and even as part of my diet. Please keep commenting on the blog. It means a lot to me. Thanks! Tina

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