You’ve likely heard that coconut oil offers various health benefits. It’s been linked to fighting infections, reducing inflammation, and even hydrating the skin. This is an oil that is promoted in beauty trends and health trends around the world.
If you use other types of oil in your cooking, you may have had people suggest coconut oil as an alternative, especially if you’re on a diet. But did you know that it’s not just the skin and overall health that benefit?
Your hair can gain multiple advantages when you use coconut oil on it daily. This is suitable for all ages, which means babies can also see some benefits when it comes to some hair and head issues.
Here’s a look at the many coconut oil hair benefits that you will gain from by just making a simple switch.
Stop Cradle Cap in Babies
Cradle cap affects the scalp of babies. It can continue into later years and cause problems for the growing of the hair. It’s important to stop it developing as soon as possible.
There are some parents who will sit and pick the scalp to remove the scabbing effect of cradle cap. While there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with this, not all babies like to be picked at. This can also cause infections, as it can lead to removing layers of skin and allowing bacteria to set in. Most health professionals will encourage you not to pick at the scalp, especially in smaller babies.
The picking doesn’t exactly clear up the scalp either. Cradle cap can and often will come back. So you need to find a way to stop it from happening at all.
This means opting for a moisturising treatment. You see, cradle cap is a type of dry skin on the head. There are shampoos and treatments in the pharmacy, but you can also opt for a very natural and healthy alternative: coconut oil.
You just need to put the oil directly on the head and massage it into the scalp. Allow it to work into the head overnight and then rinse it out with cool liquid. You can even leave it on for a whole day in smaller babies. All that happens is the oil can get into hats or clothes and you’ll need to wash them more often. But with babies you’re going to be washing a lot anyway, right?
Other oils do work, too, but coconut oil has the benefit of being a little more solid. You can apply it without being over or in the bath, meaning you’re not struggling with a wriggly baby while trying to massage into the head. This is more like applying a type of gel or wax into the hair, instead.
The oil will get deep into the scalp and moisturise the area. This will help to prevent the cradle cap from reoccurring in the future.
To start with you may need to use the coconut oil on a daily basis. Once the cradle cap disappears, you’ll only need to use it once a week if that. Keep an eye on the scalp to make sure it doesn’t return. If it does, use the coconut oil right away to treat it quickly.
There are no health dangers associated with the use of coconut oil. In fact, there are more health benefits. There are antibacterial properties, so if you have been scraping and cut the head you can help to fight off any chance of skin infection.
Clear Up Dandruff in All Hair
Like cradle cap, dandruff can be a common problem. It occurs when the scalp gets dry and flaky. Bits of skin pull away from the head and flake into the hair. More often than not you can see the flakes in the roots of the hair and sometimes they will shake out.
Dandruff is embarrassing for many people who suffer from it. There just doesn’t seem to be a way to hide that you have it and you struggle to get rid of it with other treatments.
There are plenty of shampoos that say you’ll have dandruff free hair, but how often have they turned out to be beneficial? And do you really want to add some sort of pharmaceutical junk to your hair? Of course not!
You want a natural option that won’t involve washing your hair on a daily basis. After all, that causes the natural oils to stop production even more, making your dry scalp (and hair) worse.
So, it’s time to turn to coconut oil. Like with cradle cap, it gets deep into the skin to help moisturise. It can also help increase the production of natural oils to make dandruff a thing of the past.
Just apply it directly to the scalp and massage it in. You don’t need to do it after a shower, although this can help. When you’ve had a shower, your pores will be open and ready for the moisturising oils. Leave the oil in for 20 minutes or so and really let it get to work. Wash out with lukewarm water.
If you can leave it in overnight, that will be better for your hair. You give the oil more chance to get deep into the pores and soothe the dandruff.
Once the dandruff has cleared up, consider using the oil on a weekly or fortnightly basis. This will help to prevent the dandruff from coming back.
Improve Hair Growth Naturally
Coconut oil won’t just help to stimulate natural oils (and we’ll come to other benefits of this soon). It’s also helps to stimulate the growth of the hair.
The oil gets into the hair follicles and stimulates them. Your follicles are encouraged to grow, so you end up with more hair naturally. There’s no need to speak to your doctor about balding patches or spend money on useless pharmaceutical products.
One of the best things about the oil is that it doesn’t just stimulate any type of hair growth. It stimulates strong hair growth. When you do get your hair back, it will be thicker and tougher than it would be with some of the supposedly beneficial products. You’ll avoid split ends, breakages, and weak roots.
Even if you’re not suffering from hair loss, using coconut oil is beneficial. It will help to prevent hair follicles dying, which just leads to the future problem of hair loss anyway. We all lose hair on a daily basis (usually up to 100 strands) but you can make sure those follicles aren’t damaged in the process so that the new hair can grow through easily.
Create Shiny and Nourished Hair
Who doesn’t love shiny hair? We all want our hair to glisten and look luxurious like the celebrities, but how often does it turn out that way? TV shows and movies just make hair look perfect and it’s impossible to achieve the same looks. At least, that’s the way it seems.
If you have dry or thin hair, you may think that luxurious and bouncy locks are impossible. It’s time to try some coconut oil on your hair.
While there are antibacterial and antifungal properties, there are also nourishment and moisturising properties. Remember the ability to help promote the natural oils seeping through and keeping the scalp moisturised? Well the same principle applies to the roots of the hair.
Your natural oils will be able to seep down the hair easier than before. At the same time, the coconut oil helps to keep the hair moisturised and shiny while your natural oils build. You get rid of the straggly, split ends and have hair that you can be proud of.
And remember that the coconut hair helps to promote stronger hair. I said we’d come back to this benefit. Your hair is less likely to break, even if it was already there before you started using coconut oil. You’re less likely to find it snaps when you create gorgeous looks for it and the curls or crimps hold much easier.
Your hair is fully conditioned from within, so it’s not something that’s just aesthetically pleasing. Every little bit of each strand is conditioned and moisturised. It’s much healthier than it has ever been before.
Protects from Heat and Environmental Damage
There are some elements that we can prevent affecting our hair, but there are others that we have no control of. It doesn’t matter which type gets into your hair. The coconut oil will protect the hair from both heat and environmental problems.
Let’s start with the heat first. Our blow dryers, straightening irons, and the sun are all responsible for damage to the hair. The heat kills the roots, while drying out the oils. While we can use heat-protective coatings, they’re full of chemicals that cause other damage. The other options seem to be not using the heated products, but you can’t always avoid all heat. Can you really avoid the sun? Maybe you don’t have to!
What’s better than a natural protective layer? Coconut oil offers that. It puts up a barrier while deeply moisturising. The next time you’re in the sun or you decide to use your hair dryer, your hair isn’t going to dry out as much. You’ll still have the natural oils to protect it, as well as the coconut oil. You don’t get that straw-like look.
Not that I say “as much.” There’s no way to prevent all types of heat damage and you will still need to take protective steps. Consider limiting the use of your heated products and remember to avoid too many chemicals that will affect the natural oil production, like colouring the hair.
Now what about the environmental damage? There are so many chemicals in the air, including pollution from the cars. And then there’s the wind, rain, snow, and ice. Natural and unnatural chemicals and elements get into the hair and cause issues. They dry out the roots and make the hair look frizzy and broken.
The coconut oil improves the strength of the hair, while offering a protective layer. Like with the heat protection, the coconut oil offers a layer that keeps the elements away from the strands. The coconut oil moisturises from within and helps to promote natural oil production, so even if the outer layers of the hair are affected it will only be temporary. The deeper layers aren’t damaged, meaning the hair remains strong.
Lice Become a Minimal Issue
Head lice are common, especially in school children. They’re annoying pests and there just doesn’t seem to be anything we can do to prevent them. Well, coconut oil does help to make them a minimal issue.
In some cases, the coconut oil can prevent lice from getting a hold on the hair. However, it doesn’t quite prevent them permanently. The great news is that the oil can help to get rid of them quickly without any hassle at all.
Lice have become resistant to shampoos. Like humans have developed a resistance to the overuse of antibiotics, the lice have developed and adapted to the world of lice-killing shampoos. This is especially the case for the eggs, which hatch quickly and cause more of an infestation.
Lice aren’t resistant to coconut oil and they can never become resistant to them. The oil actually smothers the lice, slowing them down and eventually killing them. Once they slow down, you can remove them with a lice comb and stop them from laying their eggs. Unfortunately the oil doesn’t quite kill the eggs, so you’ll need to keep using it on the hair until all the eggs have gone.
With coconut oil being a natural product, there’s nothing to worry about to the skin or hair. Your child won’t find they need to constantly use coconut oil to keep lice at bay and they will end up with fully nourished hair at the same time.
Infections, Skin Problems, and Insect Bites Are Taken Care Of
There’s nothing worse than getting a skin infection in a place that isn’t easy to treat. When the infection gets into the scalp, you’re left with trying interesting ways to get the cream past the layers of hair. And you can’t just shave the hair on your head off, can you?
This is another benefit of coconut oil. The oil is naturally antibacterial, which means it will fight off the infection. It’s also antiviral and antifungal. It doesn’t matter what the disease or infection is. The coconut oil will be able to get in and make sure it is treated.
If you’ve been bitten by insects, the coconut oil will also help. It soothes the inflammation that occurs and helps to limit the irritation of the bite. You’re left with a scalp that is free from redness and bumps. You’ll also find that the hair isn’t affect, whether through lack of growth or lack of strength.
It’s Time to Add Coconut Oil to Your Hair Treatments
You definitely won’t regret adding coconut oil to any hair treatments. This is something that you can use on a daily basis without having to worry about any part of your body becoming resistant to it. This natural remedy is something that has been used for centuries by various cultures and remains a recommended herbal treatment for all types of conditions.
Whether your baby has cradle cap or your school child has yet another louse infestation, coconut oil will help. You may have too much hair loss or need to protect your hair from heat treatments. Coconut oil really is the answer to all of life’s hair and scalp problems.
You can also easily add it to your routine, which makes it a realistic option. It’s affordable and found in the majority of stores, and you don’t need to worry about the mess. Unlike other oils, coconut oil is solid when kept at room temperature. It’s time to add coconut oil to your hair treatments to gain all the benefits.
