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Got frizzy hair? Weird waves? Overall damaged, unkept looking hair? Want a healthier, more attractive mane?
Look no further than coconut oil.
According to studies such as https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12715094/ it has to do with protein loss.
"The findings clearly indicate the strong impact that coconut oil application has to hair as compared to application of both sunflower and mineral oils. Among three oils, coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product."
Explained in simple terms: when your hair gets wet, its structure weakens. The longer it remains wet, the more protein it loses, and the weaker it becomes. This leads to frizziness and bad looking hair overall: hair that breaks, with weird shapes, that lacks shine and strength. Coating your hair in coconut oil before washing creates a protective film that preserves the hair strand's vigour, ensuring you can wash it without weakening it.
Washing your hair can damage your hair slightly: it can not only strip it of all its natural oils, leaving it naked and brittle, but it can also weaken it through protein loss (as seen above). You should therefore only wash it when needed, i.e. when it's about to start becoming gross. This changes from person to person, but keep in mind that if you've been using shampoo daily or almost daily all your life your scalp is used to being stripped of oils by those aggressive chemicals, therefore you will need some time (during which your hair WILL get greasy) before it will adjust to being washed less. Personally, I wash my hair once a week. If you have issues with dandruff, washing more often won't really fix it, you just need better shampoo: for dandruff specifically, I recommend Kerastase's anti-dandruff shampoo. It is a bit expensive but very effective.
NOTE: I am assuming the reader is already knowleadgeable in the basics of hair care: dry hair at a distance of 15cm+, don't use super hot air, use conditioner, avoid shitty chemicals in your shampoo/conditioner, diet etc. If you know nothing about the basics, please educate yourself.
You can find a lot of material here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6HEhd6eFIAmnwoi77hnNIw but you will easily find thousands of guides online; lastly, keep in mind that unlike skin, male and female hair is EXACTLY THE SAME, so anything that works for women also works for men.
If stored at a colder temperature, or during colder seasons, coconut oil may become more solid and less liquid: in that case, please warm it up in the oven (low temperature, for a short time until it melts, careful not to burn it!) before using it: it needs to be liquid.
Phase 1: Wet your hands with warm water. Now, use your hands to wet your hair a bit. It does not need to be soaking wet, but wetting it a little opens the hair strands and allows the oil to penetrate more deeply. Pass your wet fingers through your hair thoroughly, then comb it slowly to ensure there are no knots.
Lastly, dry your hands.
Phase 2: Now, take a little bit of coconut oil in one of your hands. Rub them together to warm it up, then start applying it the same way as Phase 1; you will find coconut oil is very thick and viscous, and it will spread nicely over your hair without a lot of effort. Focus on the lengths and the ends: the roots don't need as much oil since an oil buildup on the scalp can lead to dandruff. If your hairline is a little frizzy too, you can apply some coconut oil to the hairline using your index finger, but make sure you're applying it on the actual hair and NOT on the scalp.
Phase 3: Once your hair is lathered in coconut oil, put the hair cap on and go to bed. If you have long hair, you will need to put it in a topknot and tie it up before applying the hair cap. Sleeping in the hair cap allows the oil to fully penetrate the hair and coat it perfectly all over. The heat of being trapped in the hair cap will also amplify this process' results greatly.
Phase 4: When you wake up, wash your hair. First, rinse the coconut oil off with warm/cool water (avoid a strong water jet: water needs to gently wash it out) working through your hair with your fingers. Then, apply shampoo (don't go overboard with shampoo or you'll negate the coconut oil's effects: apply shampoo to the SCALP, not to the HAIR LENGTHS. Shampoo does not need to stay on your scalp for long: after a minute or so, wash it out gently). Then, conditioner, and leave it on for 5 minutes. Wash it off gently once again, and finally dry your hair.
Note: This is basically a hair mask. Doing this more than once a week won't yield additional results on the long run.
Look no further than coconut oil.
WHY COCONUT OIL?
You've probably already heard of coconut oil being used as a beauty product. So what is it that makes it so great?According to studies such as https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12715094/ it has to do with protein loss.
"The findings clearly indicate the strong impact that coconut oil application has to hair as compared to application of both sunflower and mineral oils. Among three oils, coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product."
Explained in simple terms: when your hair gets wet, its structure weakens. The longer it remains wet, the more protein it loses, and the weaker it becomes. This leads to frizziness and bad looking hair overall: hair that breaks, with weird shapes, that lacks shine and strength. Coating your hair in coconut oil before washing creates a protective film that preserves the hair strand's vigour, ensuring you can wash it without weakening it.
WASHING YOUR HAIR
Ever noticed how your hair is at its frizziest after you've washed and dried it, while it looks stronger and shinier a few days after washing?Washing your hair can damage your hair slightly: it can not only strip it of all its natural oils, leaving it naked and brittle, but it can also weaken it through protein loss (as seen above). You should therefore only wash it when needed, i.e. when it's about to start becoming gross. This changes from person to person, but keep in mind that if you've been using shampoo daily or almost daily all your life your scalp is used to being stripped of oils by those aggressive chemicals, therefore you will need some time (during which your hair WILL get greasy) before it will adjust to being washed less. Personally, I wash my hair once a week. If you have issues with dandruff, washing more often won't really fix it, you just need better shampoo: for dandruff specifically, I recommend Kerastase's anti-dandruff shampoo. It is a bit expensive but very effective.
NOTE: I am assuming the reader is already knowleadgeable in the basics of hair care: dry hair at a distance of 15cm+, don't use super hot air, use conditioner, avoid shitty chemicals in your shampoo/conditioner, diet etc. If you know nothing about the basics, please educate yourself.
You can find a lot of material here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6HEhd6eFIAmnwoi77hnNIw but you will easily find thousands of guides online; lastly, keep in mind that unlike skin, male and female hair is EXACTLY THE SAME, so anything that works for women also works for men.
WHAT KIND OF COCONUT OIL?
Cold-pressed all natural coconut oil is what you should be looking for. Don't go for weird hair masks containing coconut oil, just get the actual coconut oil. You can find it pretty easily online.If stored at a colder temperature, or during colder seasons, coconut oil may become more solid and less liquid: in that case, please warm it up in the oven (low temperature, for a short time until it melts, careful not to burn it!) before using it: it needs to be liquid.
HOW TO USE
We are going to use coconut oil to minimize protein loss before washing. The night before the day you are going to wash your hair (can be once a week, twice a week, or whatever your scalp requires), get a few tablespoons of coconut oil (adjust quantity based on hair length: I have hair slightly past my shoulders and I use 3 tablespoons). Also get a wide-toothed comb (wide teeth are less aggressive to hair and cause less breakage) and a hair cap (even plastic ones are okay). If you have long hair, you may also need a hair tie.Phase 1: Wet your hands with warm water. Now, use your hands to wet your hair a bit. It does not need to be soaking wet, but wetting it a little opens the hair strands and allows the oil to penetrate more deeply. Pass your wet fingers through your hair thoroughly, then comb it slowly to ensure there are no knots.
Lastly, dry your hands.
Phase 2: Now, take a little bit of coconut oil in one of your hands. Rub them together to warm it up, then start applying it the same way as Phase 1; you will find coconut oil is very thick and viscous, and it will spread nicely over your hair without a lot of effort. Focus on the lengths and the ends: the roots don't need as much oil since an oil buildup on the scalp can lead to dandruff. If your hairline is a little frizzy too, you can apply some coconut oil to the hairline using your index finger, but make sure you're applying it on the actual hair and NOT on the scalp.
Phase 3: Once your hair is lathered in coconut oil, put the hair cap on and go to bed. If you have long hair, you will need to put it in a topknot and tie it up before applying the hair cap. Sleeping in the hair cap allows the oil to fully penetrate the hair and coat it perfectly all over. The heat of being trapped in the hair cap will also amplify this process' results greatly.
Phase 4: When you wake up, wash your hair. First, rinse the coconut oil off with warm/cool water (avoid a strong water jet: water needs to gently wash it out) working through your hair with your fingers. Then, apply shampoo (don't go overboard with shampoo or you'll negate the coconut oil's effects: apply shampoo to the SCALP, not to the HAIR LENGTHS. Shampoo does not need to stay on your scalp for long: after a minute or so, wash it out gently). Then, conditioner, and leave it on for 5 minutes. Wash it off gently once again, and finally dry your hair.
Note: This is basically a hair mask. Doing this more than once a week won't yield additional results on the long run.
OTHER USES?
You may also use coconut oil as a generic anti-frizz product, but be careful not to use too much as it can make your hair get REALLY greasy. If you are in a hurry, you may also simply apply it 30 minutes before washing your hair and then wash it off. The results won't be as dramatic as the night-time hair mask described above, but it will still impair protein loss greatly, leading to better looking hair regardless.
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