Coconut Oil for Hair.

Why coconut oil behaves differently from other hair oils

Most oils sit on the outside of the strand and act as a coating. Coconut oil is unusual because its main fatty acid, lauric acid, has a small, straight molecule that moves into the hair shaft rather than staying on top. That is why hair treated with it before washing loses less protein to the water, and why it feels different from argan or jojoba even though all three look the same in the bottle.

It also means coconut oil can be too much of a good thing. Hair that is already protein-heavy, or hair that has had a keratin treatment, sometimes turns hard and brittle after repeated coconut oil use. If that happens, swap to a coating oil and keep coconut for pre-wash only.

Virgin, refined, cold pressed: which jar to buy

Virgin and extra virgin oils are pressed from fresh coconut without heat or solvents. They smell strongly of coconut and keep the most of what was in the fruit. KTC 100% Raw Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Niharti Organic Virgin and Sunny Isle Jamaican Organic Extra Virgin all sit here. Refined oils, such as KTC 100% Pure Coconut Oil, Parachute and Tropical Sun, are processed further, have almost no smell and cost less. For hair, the difference is smaller than the price gap suggests.

Then there are the products built around coconut oil rather than sold as it. Bella Curls Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Masque, Blue Magic Coconut Oil Hair Conditioner, ORS Coconut Oil Hairdress, Truzone Coconut Oil Shampoo and the Yari Naturals coconut and black castor oil line all do specific jobs a jar of oil cannot.

Pre-poo is where it earns its keep

Warm a spoonful between your palms and work it through dry hair an hour before you wash, or the night before if you have time. Cover with a cap. Shampoo as normal afterwards. This softens detangling, limits the swelling that raw water causes, and leaves the hair less stripped after cleansing. Shea Moisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Hot Oil Treatment is the ready-portioned version of the same idea.

It works as a sealing oil too, on damp hair over a leave-in, but keep the amount small. Coconut oil is heavier than it looks once it has cooled on the strand.

The British winter problem

Coconut oil sets solid below roughly 24 degrees, which is most of a UK house between October and April. A jar that poured in August turns into a white block by November. Scoop a small amount and warm it between your palms for thirty seconds, or stand the jar in a mug of hot water. Do not microwave it, since hot oil on the scalp is a burn risk.

Winter is also when it does the most good. Central heating takes indoor humidity to around 30 percent and hair loses water to the room all day. In summer, when outdoor humidity here runs 75 to 90 percent, a lighter hand keeps hair from going limp.

Who it suits

Coarse, dry, low porosity 4A to 4C hair generally loves it, particularly as a pre-wash. Curls in the 3A to 3C range do well with it before washing and in small amounts as a sealer. Fine and wavy hair is easily overwhelmed by a pure oil, so the Fantasia IC Coconut Oil Mist or the ORS Nourishing Sheen Spray with coconut oil are the better options there.