There are numerous hair care products commercially available on the market today many of which contain chemicals that can rob hair of needed oils or even worse, damage the hair requiring the purchase of even more expensive hair products. Before you can even realize it your hair care regimen can consist of four or five commercially made products.
The nutrients found in coconut oil are some of the best for your hair.
The shiny quality and increase in hair growth created from coconut oil are unprecedented.
In the Indian sub-continent, most people apply coconut oil on their hair daily after bathing or showering. Coconut oil is effective in reducing protein loss and helping to regrow damaged hair.
Deep conditioner
Dry, brittle hair and split ends are a problem for many of us with medium to long hair. Coconut oil is a great deep conditioner. It’s simple; just rub a small amount of coconut oil into your hair (mostly on the ends) comb hair then put your hair up loosely before bed and just wash out in the morning.
Dandruff relief
You can fight dandruff using coconut oil as a base, by adding essential oils.
Take two teaspoons of coconut oil and add in five drops of lavender or thyme oil to effectively combat dandruff. Once you have the oils thoroughly mixed, just mas- sage it into the scalp. It is important that you understand that dandruff is associated with the scalp therefore that should be the area that you concentrate on mas- saging with the oil mixture. Cover your hair with a shower cap for about twenty minutes. The treatment works well if the temperature of the hair is increased a bit.
You can either walk outside into natural sunlight with your shower cap on or you can use your hair dryer inside your home.
Head Lice Treatment
The chemicals used in commercial head lice treatments come with a long list of possible side effects. Coconut oil is a safe alternative to those treatments. Plus it has the added bonus of being a hair conditioner. Warm up enough oil to thoroughly saturate your child’s dry hair. Apply liberally to the hair and cover the hair with plastic wrap or a plastic shower cap for at least 5 hours. Wash your child’s hair and then use a fine tooth lice comb to comb hair and remove all lice and nits (this part can be time-consuming). The process will need to be repeated 7 to 10
days later to kill any of the eggs that have hatched. As a preventative measure, you can have your child wash his/her hair with coconut oil shampoo and coconut oil conditioner to try to avoid future infestations.
Coconut oil shampoo
It is easy to create a coconut oil shampoo at home by using only a few natural ingredients. The coconut oil shampoo is as effective as any commercially produced shampoo.
The amount of coconut oil required will obviously be different from person to person. It will depend on variables such as volume and length of hair. So, feel free to alter the recipe as you see fit.
Ingredients:
One third of a cup of canned coconut milk
One third cup of coconut oil
One cup of liquid castile soap
Three to 4 tablespoons of your favorite essential oil
Directions :
Start of by melting the coconut oil and canned coconut milk over the lowest flame possible, as the nutrients deplete over higher temperatures. Pour the mixture into a bottle, then add the castile soap. Shake the bottle well, then add the essential oil and shake again to make sure it is thoroughly mixed.
Coconut oil conditioner
Ingredients :
1 cup of virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil
1 teaspoon jojoba oil
5 drops of lavender essential oil
Directions :
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix on high with an electric mixer for about 7 minutes. Then store in an air tight container.
Usage: After shampooing and rinsing hair simply apply a small amount to the ends of the hair, try to avoid the scalp. Let the conditioner stay on the ends of your hair for 3 or 4 minutes and then rinse out.