In this article, we will cover how to do a coconut hair mask, and just what it could be doing to those strands.
We all have that one friend that recommends coconut oil for everything: Teeth whitening? Coconut oil. Cooking something? Coconut oil. Rash? Coconut oil. Makeup removal? Coconut oil. You get the idea.
Coconut oil may not be the universal multitasker that some make it out to be.
But, when it comes to hair care, coconut oil does have some promising attributes.
In this article, we will cover how to do a coconut hair mask, and just what it could be doing to those strands.
This is the easy part.
While there are some coconut oil hair recipes out there that have you mix together other items to the coconut oil, I think that just some good old coconut oil works just fine.
Start by grabbing a jar of pure coconut oil, and scoop out about 2 tbsp of the stuff.
Then, warm the oil up using a microwave or just rubbing it in the palms of your hands for a few seconds until it is a warm liquid (but not too hot to ensure that you don’t burn your scalp).
Finally, apply to your hair either by just rubbing it all over or sectioning off portions of hair to ensure an even application.
You can try to focus on the dryest portions of your hair (normally the ends), and if you are prone to oily roots you may want to avoid application there.
Part of deciding to apply a full coconut oil mask to your hair is to make sure that you have a portion of time where you will be ok with your hair looking...pretty greasy.
Some people recommend leaving a coconut hair mask on for 1-3 hours before washing off.
But, to really get the oil absorbed into the strands there is no problem with just leaving the oil on overnight.
If you do attempt an overnight hair mask, just be aware that you will likely get some oil on your face and bedding with this technique. So if coconut oil irritates your skin or you don’t want to wash your pillowcase the next day you may want to skip the overnight technique.
You wash out a coconut oil hair mask just like you would any other hair mask.
The only difference is that, for some people, you may need to shampoo your hair twice to get all of the oil out and prevent hair from looking oily post-shower.
I tend to also follow with a conditioner at this point, but if you think the hair feels conditioned enough with the oil mask, you can potentially skip this step.
You can do a coconut oil hair mask as often as you like!
The only limitation is that if you apply one too often you could potentially risk having your hair look a little too oily, but there are no hair-damaging downsides here.
According to one study comparing protein losses from hair with sunflower oil, mineral oil, or coconut oil researchers found that coconut oil significantly reduces hair protein loss when used before and after styling.
Coconut oil has also been found to penetrate into the hair shaft better than mineral oil and may help reduce the damaging process of constant hair swelling and deswelling.
Overall, coconut oil hair masks tend to leave your hair softer, shinier, and more moisturized.
In addition to improving the condition of your hair, coconut oil has been indicated in helping with scalp conditions including dandruff, dry scalp, and lice.
Need more hair help? If your locks don’t quite seem to have the healthy shiny thing figured out, your hair follicles might not be getting all the vitamins and nutrients they need on a daily basis for fast and healthy growth.
Pick up our pharmacist-formulated StrutVite supplement to make sure all your hair, skin, and nail needs are covered - even on cheat day.
If your issue is hair thinning, our prescription-only women’s Strut Hair Formula may help retain your current hairs while potentially increasing new growth.
For men, we also carry Finasteride and Dutasteride oral and topical options.
Schedule an Online Visit with our doctors today to see how we can help you with your hair issues.
.png)
.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
