Natural Beauty: Coconut Oil

I don't know if you've seen my haiku for Argan Oil but I'm a girl who seriously loves her oils.

I have curly hair that is very, very dry and that I love to straighten. Since I've started straightening my hair, I've noticed that it's thinned out a lot, it's become incredibly dry and frizzy and it breaks off so easily. I've tried so many products: keratin sprays, deep conditioners, heat protectors, expensive shampoos but none of them worked well or at all. Desperate, I asked my mom what she thought I should do and she told me what they use back home (Sri Lanka) - Coconut Oil.

My grandma has been using coconut oil on her hair since she was young and her hair is thicker than mine (she's more than 50 years older than me). While she, and many others from her generation, leaves it in her hair all day and everyday, I decided to do what works for me: to use it as a deep conditioner. This is now becoming very popular though it's something my grandmother has been practicing for decades and I can see the results.

I massage coconut oil onto my scalp and rub it all over my ends and leave it in for as long as I can - sometimes it's overnight but a lot of the time it's for an hour or so. I then wash it out and wash my hair as I normally would - with shampoo and conditioner. It is a deep conditioner so I would recommend that those with finer hair skip conditioner altogether to avoid getting too greasy. Ideally I would use coconut oil each time I wash my hair but it ends up being that I use this treatment maybe twice a month.

I've definitely noticed a difference - though my hair is still dry, it's not as dry as it once was. It's less prone to breakage and seems to grow much faster. It's also thicker though I'm not sure if it's just falling out less or growing more. I find when I stop using it, my hair thins out quickly which is a sure indication of just how harsh hot tools are on your hair. It's one of, if not the, best deep conditioning treatments I've ever tried. It's a huge bonus that it's all natural and isn't hard on the environment (no chemicals, no tiny plastic packaging).

Have you used a coconut oil hair mask before? Have you noticed a difference? Leave any recommendations for hair oils in the comments below or tweet me @SundayWardrobe!