The reason why coconut oil destroys your hair...
It’s pretty difficult to open up a beauty cabinet and not find coconut oil among all the other millions of beauty products we house in our bathrooms these days! It’s been praised as a trusty makeup remover, moisturizer, hair mask, shaving cream, teeth whitener and all over beauty savior.
But… is it? I personally think that coconut oil is extremely drying and isn't an oil that should be used by every hair type. In the beginning I bought right into the coconut oil hype right along with everyone else. I instantly loved how easily it took off my makeup and how silky my legs felt after using it as a shaving cream. But one thing never quite worked for me was...coconut oil as a hair mask. Every time I tried it, my hair always felt super dehydrated. I couldn't understand why my hair would feel even more brittle after my treatments than it did before. It never occurred to me it could be the very thing I was using to “hydrate” my hair that was sucking the life and color out of it instead! I began to research further only to discover...
Coconut oil is not for every hair type. Yes you heard me... COCONUT OIL IS NOT FOR EVERY HAIR TYPE! It's all about the porosity of your hair. Coconut oil can penetrate inside the hair shaft due to its small molecular size, and also because it contains la-uric acid which has a high affinity for hair proteins. This can be great for fine to medium hair that lacks natural hair proteins because protein is what gives the hair its strength and structure and results in healthier, shinier hair. But if your hair is dry, stiff, brittle, or coarse, then it’s best to stay away from coconut oil. It sounds counter intuitive, I know–wouldn’t you want to use coconut oil to help dry stands? I have lots of curly hair that tends to be on the dryer side (especially in the summer) and definitely I fall in this category. Coconut oil can cause protein build up for these hair types, blocking your hair from much needed moisture which makes your hair even drier, stiffer and less elastic. And less elasticity means more breakage when combing or styling. Therefore, using coconut oil as a hair mask can actually make your hair drier, brittle and more damaged than it was before!
Shocking right? Even though I had a feeling something wasn't right when it came to my coconut oil hair masks, I was still shocked to find this out. Which brought me to another thought–how are more people not talking about this? Coconut oil literally dried the heck out of my hair and it took me over a year to figure it out. I do want to make one thing clear though– Coconut oil is loaded with tons of rich fatty acids and has many beneficial properties for your health. But coconut oil can offer the most benefits when consumed. Healthy hair starts from the inside out, and incorporating coconut oil into your diet may lead to stronger, healthier and shiner hair. So for people with hair like me, try adding more coconut oil to your diet for stronger, healthier hair versus applying it topically to your strands! I hope this cleared up some things for you about coconut oil! Xoxo, Madison