Hair and Skin Care

Hair Oil - Coconut

Notice: This book was written years ago when I didn't have an ample knowledge on what I wrote about, and basically, when my English grammar sucked. It wasn't until Wattpad Beauty featured this  that I noticed how badly written this was. So this is my hasty attempt at editing and rewriting. I've also decided to constantly update this book, that is, update new chapters whenever I become acquainted with a new beauty recipe. So go ahead and enjoy!

I mean, most of you have heard about hair oil by now. Growing up in a Bengali household, my prominent childhood memories consist of my grandmother generously applying coconut oil to my scalp and hair, and telling me how it will help my hair get 'food'.

 Now, I have read all these Cosmopolitan and Glamour articles on why you shouldn't apply coconut oil to you hair or skin; they ranted about how the oil stops water (or hydration) from getting into your hair or pushes it out of the hair. Eventually, at the end of each article, they always recommend a bunch of hair products which are filled with chemicals to use instead of coconut oil, and make sure they empty your purse.

I want to address this issue as: of course, since oil tend to repel water, it will prevent hydration, but nobody asked you to keep the oil on your hair for 24 hours. The first and foremost, our scalp naturally produces sebum (oil) which helps to prevent the skin from drying off, and maintains the pH of our scalp. Normally with straight hair, the sebum reaches the hair to a greater length and smooths the hair. With curly hair, however, the sebum cannot cover much length, hence curly hair tends to be drier. 

If you apply coconut oil to your hair 1 hour before bath, no matter what type of hair you have, it will smooth your hair, make it softer, and add a nice, natural shine. I wouldn't recommend putting oil in your hair if you have oily hair. Secondly, the oil minimizes the damage caused by the harsh chemicals in your shampoo. Note that you will normally need to wash twice to completely wash the oil off. 

Coconut oil contains mild antibacterial and antimicrobial properties so it has medicinal effects on your hair and scalp as well. You can use coconut oil in different way: you can use it solely, you can you it mixed with castor oil or almond oil, or you can skip it entirely and use a different type of oil for your hair as well. For hair growth, I'd recommend mixing coconut oil : castor oil in a 2 : 1 proportion, heat it, and message it in. If you want to take it up a notch, use coconut oil : almond oil : sesame oil : castor oil in a 2 : 2 : 2 : 1 proportion and heat.

Now, sesame oil is extremely good for your hair, but I will cover that up in another chapter. I have more hair recipes for hair growth as well, but it is kind of annoying to list all of them because it is easy to get confused regarding which one to use. I will post the one that I personally find most efficient for hair regrowth. It works like magic on me, but all I lack is consistency. 

For this, mix 2 : 2 ratio of castor/coconut oil as per you wish and onion juice. Onion juice is well known for its ability to regrow hair or grow hair quick; it contains a high sulfur content that helps blood circulation in the scalp and regenerate hair follicles. Now mix this and apply to your hair. If you have time, keep it on for 2 hours, but if you don't, 1 hour will do. 

However, that might leave your hair smelling of onions, so I added another recipe hair. Hibiscus petals, yes the flower Hibiscus, are  extremely good for hair growth. It is rich in Vitamin C that boosts collagen, and contains amino acids that your hair thrives on. For this, you will need to make a paste of hibiscus petals, add them to coconut oil and heat them for a couple of minutes over low heat. After the mixture has cooled, it is ready for use!