Things I am self-concious about: my hair.
It’s getting easier to talk about, but I’ve never truly ever been at peace with the somewhat unruly mass of waves and curls and ringlets genetics blessed me with. I’ve flat-ironed it into submission on the days when things look so wrong, and I’ve pulled and shredded so the lovely thick texture it had pre-year 5 is all but a dream.
I’m desperately trying to condition it back to that stage of no stress, that stage of not really caring whether it needed to be straight or styled or more manageable. And whenever I ask for help or recommendations of products to soothe my 3am anxieties in regards to the dead protein on my head (because really, that is all hair is) – the ever patient, brilliant girls with fabulous hair on my t-list tell me to try oil.
One particular babe has told me exactly which oils to get, where to apply them and what they’ll do for me. And I’m hoping that once I’ve got through a bottle (or two) over a long enough time to start seeing results that I’ll either have hair as fab as hers, or at the very least be more comfortable with mine.
So what’s on trial?
natural rosemary oil
Rosemary oil is supposed to help invigorate the scalp, promoting new hair growth as a solution to thinning hair. It’s to be applied daily to the roots and scalp, massaged in and left overnight. The brand I picked up is Mamado, which is also cruelty free!
jamaican black castor oil
A great oil for moisturising dry scalps, as it’s really rich in omega-9 fatty acids to help prevent the hair from drying out. Basically perfect for my wispy, heat damaged locks. Regular application means you get to see the benefits of moisturised roots and scalp, and it’s also said that this oil can promote hair growth too! La Sonwadi was the brand that I found online to try.
peppermint oil
Lush uses a lot of mint oils in their products, such as roots, to help with head and hair issues. Peppermint oil is quite a strong oil to apply directly, we all know that tingly mint feeling, so it’s a good idea to dilute with water or mix it with a ‘carrier’ oil before application to the scalp. I like to use almond or olive oil, as they’re the oils I have to hand. You can use other essential oils too, but the main issue to avoid is a burning sensation on the scalp. 3-5 drops per cup of water is recommended.
The issues peppermint oil helps combat are: itchy scalp and dandruff relief; helps boost your scalp’s health due to its antiseptic qualities to clear out dead skin and bacteria; helps to regulate oily scalps as the ph balancing effects restore your scalp’s to a more normal level; and finally hair growth!
brazilian keratin oil
Since Keratin is a large part of what our hair actually is, using Keratin oils helps put Keratin back into the hair strands, in theory. Hair loses keratin over time, so it’s one that should be focused more towards the lengths and the ends, rather than the roots.
coconut oil
Coconut oil really can solve all your problems. Coconut oil is bae. Coconut oil is life. For your hair, apparently it stimulates hair growth by getting really deep into the hair folicles, while also promoting the health of the scalp (dandruff and other nasties). It adds ‘luster’, shine, and softness which sounds fab too, as well as helping prevent breakage and split ends – so increasing the overall healthiness of the hair.
I’ve only just started applying oils to my hair so I have nothing to report other than I smell fab and I do most of these as overnight treatments. Apart from the peppermint oil, which I’ll apply after I’ve washed my hair. I got most of the oils from eBay sellers, which isn’t exactly as brilliant as walking into natural health shops and buying them there, but eBay has free shipping and lower prices and I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that my hair doesn’t all fall out. That’d be fun. The coconut oil I got from the supermarket though.
I’ll keep you guys updated though! And if any of you use oils for your hair regularly, or have any tips or things I’ve missed, please tell me~~~
♥
Ohhhh I hope these work for you, Fii! I had no idea there were so many hair oil possibilities! xMartha Jane | http://www.marthajanemusic.com
I absolutely swear by oil for my hair, I honestly don't know what I'd been doing all these years without it???? I really like using the Garnier Ultimate Blends one that comes in a brown bottle, but I'm looking to use more natural options so would be interested to try some of these! Rosemary sounds particularly tempting! Sinéad ♥ fabuleuse, toujours ♥
There's just something about putting oils on my hair which feels wrong to me, but everyone seems to rave about them so maybe I'm missing a trick? Rosemary oil sounds like something worth trying though! xxKimberley // thecolourchronicles.com
Big cheat!!! Coconut oil is about 69p for a massive jar from your local asian/caribbean/indian grocery and it's exactly the same as the ones beauty stores etc sell you. Just the packaging is not as nice xxx
i just follow your blog.www.beautyisallaround6.blogspot.com
I hope they work well for you gorgeous! I use coconut oil about once every 3 weeks and I ADORE IT, but I;d love to know how these work! 🙂 xx
I had all sorts of argan oil but found that my hair looked greasy and weirdly artificial. I then tried the coconut and brazilian oil from Natural Worlds (we had samples from the Bloggers Festival) and though the packaging looks rather medical and clinical, it worked wonders for my hair! Don't overdo it with oils, as your hair can look quickly greasy. Happy Friday!Caz | Style Lingua
I've always wondered about oil treatments but thought they'd make my hair greasy…. I'd definitely be down to try them though!xx, Piahttp://gymbagsandjetlags.com
It depends on the quantities you use – if you use more than your scalp needs for a little kick, then you tip the balance so that your hair becomes greasy. A bit of trial and error at the start usually happens (it did for me) but now I've got into the swing of things 🙂
By the sounds of things I need some peppermint oil in my life! Love this post :)Lilies and Lipbalmxx