Your Ultimate Guide to break down why your hair oil may not be working for your hair and the proper way to use hair oil!
If I had a dollar for every time I had a client sit in my chair and tell me they put oil on their hair and their hair is still dry, I would be on my way to Dubai! Over and over I see clients who struggle to keep their hair soft and moisturized and of course the solution that seems to be to add oil to you routine but that is not the case! I already know this is going to be on of the most controversial topics, especially in the black hair community, but this topic must be discussed in order to move forward towards a healthy hair lifestyle!
Let's debunk some myths on oiling your hair and scalp, and learn how to properly structure a healthy hair routine for healthy, moisturized hair.
Hair Oil is a Sealant not a Moisturizer!
When discussing hair oil, I like to compare it to cooking fried chicken. When you put that oil in the pan, the oil is designed to coat and protect the pan from getting burnt and ruined. However, once you wash and dry that pan and the oil is still in the bottom, your quickly realize then the pan was never penetrated to begin with, and it's still dirty!
The same thing is happening with your hair! If I have dry hair and instead of moisturizing my hair with some type of moisturizing agent I use oil, I have just coated the hair and sealed in the dryness of my hair as well as prevented any moisture to penetrate my hair!
Yes hair oil is a positive addition to your hair regimen but if you are not using it in the proper order you are just making a preventive problem worse. When you really think about it, sometimes hair oil can be an illusion or a cover up. It will make you believe that just because you no longer see the dry scalp, or when you touch your hair you see “product” that your hair is moisturized, but that is not the case.
Understand that I am not saying to do away with all of your hair oil completely! I am simply saying there is a right and wrong way to apply oil to your hair. Keep reading this guide and I will show you how!
Hair Oil Is Not For Everyone!
Contrary to popular belief, not everyone shouldn't be using hair oil on their hair! I remember years ago I had a client who had seborrheic dermatitis and told me to never tell my clients who have similar scalp issues to use any type of hair oil because it will make the issue worse and here is why.
One thing that dandruff, psoriasis, and seborrheic dermatitis have in common is yeast. This yeast is called Malassezia and can be harmless to the hair and scalp. However, this yeast feeds off oil and once excessive oil is present, it can disrupt the natural balance of the scalp.
Because of this, adding in the use of hair oils can cause flair-ups in the hair and scalp and create the perfect environment for these scalp issues to thrive. If you have dandruff, psoriasis, or seborrheic dermatitis, and are wanting to keep your scalp under control, the last thing you want to do is feed the very thing that you are wanting to control!
There are medicated hair oils and other hair products that you can use over-the-counter that you can use instead of the other hair oils on the market. However, if you have these issues, I highly recommend that you see a dermatologist. They can help treat these and other scalp conditions and prescribe medicated hair oils, shampoo, and conditioner to help get your scalp under control and keep these scalp issues at bay.
How To Properly Apply Hair Oil
It may be hard to believe, but there are right and wrong ways to apply hair oil to your hair! Improper use can cause your hair to be water and moisture resident and product dependent and you don't want that! Follow these simple steps on how to properly moisturize your hair and watch your hair change drastically over time!
Shampoo your hair with a clarifying shampoo first, then follow up with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.
If you choose to apply any deep conditioning or protein treatments, do them at this step.
Apply a lightweight leave-in conditioner of your choice. These can either be cream based or a spray it's up to you. I highly recommend these!
Add in your hair oils of choice! Make sure your hair oil is lightweight and absorbs into the hair and scalp and doesn't sit on top. Also, make sure your oil of choice is not loaded with too many synthetic oils!
Lastly, style as usual!
If you need any product recommendations, please visit my Amazon Store Front! Thank you so much for reading! Show me some love in the comments and share with your favorite person! See you in the next one!
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