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Coconut Oil for Hair: Your Complete Guide
What is coconut oil?
Coconut oil is a base oil that comes from the pressing of copra (dried coconut kernels). It is 100% fat (80% of this is saturated fat), high in calories but contains no cholesterol! Coconut oil is pretty versatile and is used in haircare because its chemical structure, mainly made up of lauric acid (a medium-chain fatty acid), helps reduce protein loss in the hair shaft (Healthline). Stick with us until the end to find out even more benefits… You don’t want to miss this!
Why we use unrefined and cold-pressed coconut oil
Coconut oil is one of the five base oils included in our ByErim Hair & Beard Oil formula, and we choose to include only the unrefined and cold-pressed kind! Why you might ask? When coconut oil is refined, it goes through more processing, while unrefined coconut oil is minimally processed, remaining more natural and retaining a strong coconut flavour. Oils are often refined by filtration with a bleaching clay, and while this removes impurities, it also strips some of the nutrients found in the oil (Harvard School of Public Health). Our founder, Erim, chose unrefined coconut oil for the product because the ByErim team believes that the more natural an oil, the better! No additives, no potentially harmful chemicals... Your hair will love you! Cold-pressing an oil basically means it was extracted without the use of heat and also that more nutrients were retained because of this. While this process is more expensive to carry out and extracts a lower amount of oil than expeller pressing (extraction using high pressure and high heat), cold-pressing produces the highest quality of coconut oil. Here at ByErim, we think it’s totally worth it, and we’re sure you will too!
Is coconut oil good for your hair?
Coconut oil is generally considered good for your hair and scalp because it has moisturizing and sealing qualities that help reduce breakage and split ends. It penetrates deeper and quicker into the hair shaft than most oils because it is mostly made up of medium-chain fatty acids, which gives the oil a long, straight structure (Holland and Barrett). Coconut oil is perfect for treating dry hair because it reduces protein loss in the hair, conditions it, and helps in the regrowth process of damaged hair. Because it is so moisturising, it is also great for scalp health and can help prevent dandruff if massaged into the scalp regularly (ResearchGate). All these functions of the oil support hair growth and length retention, bringing you one step closer to your hair goals!
Coconut oil for short hair
Short hair may come with some frustrations like limited styling options, which could lead to experimentation with new styles that may require daily maintenance. And we all know that playing with your hair all the time is never a good thing! Coconut oil comes in to save the day by moisturising and conditioning the hair so that breakage is reduced even in the face of hair manipulation.
Coconut oil for afro hair
Afro hair is super coily, which makes it dry and textured by nature and prone to knots, often leading to breakage in the hair (NCBI). Although everyone’s scalp naturally produces oils, these oils usually have a harder time travelling all the way to the ends of afro hair because it’s so coily. In contrast, straight hair enjoys a lot more of these scalp oils because it’s easier for the oil to reach the ends of the hair. Think of yourself as a naturally secreted scalp oil sitting through a train ride at an amusement park versus sitting through a rollercoaster ride. You’ll probably make it to your destination in one piece with the train but by the end of the rollercoaster? Not so full to the brim we reckon. What coconut oil does for afro hair, as we’ve touched on earlier is sealing moisture in the hair when applied sparingly, which is needed for dry and textured hair types like afro hair. This results in way less shedding and breakage over time, boosting hair retention and thickness!
Coconut oil for curly hair
Curly hair usually gets dry and tangled for the same reason as afro hair though not to the same extent. The curls cause knots and make it harder for naturally produced scalp oils to coat the full length of hair strands, leading to frizziness. Coconut oil helps here in a number of ways! It helps detangle the hair by providing lubrication and treats frizzy hair by penetrating the hair shaft. And some of the oil stays on top of the hair to give it shine.
Coconut oil for grey hair
Grey hair is known to be coarser and stiffer than regular (darker) hair strands (NCBI). As we’re sure you’ve heard enough times by now, coconut oil is great for this type of hair because it softens it and gives it a nice shine.
Coconut oil for natural hair
It should be pretty obvious by now that coconut oil will do bits for your natural hair no matter what it looks like. Whether straight, wavy, curly, or coily, your hair and scalp will always require moisture, sealing, and conditioning. That’s exactly what we’re offering with the ByErim Hair & Beard Oil. Coconut oil is only one out of eight of the pure natural oils on our ingredients list so you know we come correct!
Coconut oil for beards
Aside from being used in hair care, coconut oil is also very popular in the skincare world, making it a great product for beard care. It’s a two birds, one stone situation; the oil conditions the beard, giving it a lovely sheen whilst softening the skin underneath in the process. With coconut oil on your beard, it’s goodbye flaking and dead skin, which is why our ByErim Hair & Beard Oil is the one for you!
Coconut oil for bleached hair
Hair when bleached often becomes super dry, breaking easily and frizzing up. This happens because the chemicals in bleach remove colour by breaking apart your hair proteins (PubMed). Just like with other types of dry hair, coconut oil comes to the rescue by sealing moisture in your hair and preventing protein loss. It also helps your hair to look a little less fried by giving you shine, you know the one!
ByErim offers luxury, eco-friendly haircare products backed by science, culture, and years of tradition! If you are impressed with the benefits of coconut oil (only one of the ingredients in our Hair & Beard Oil) you will absolutely love what the ByErim oil as a whole will do for you!
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