My Favorite Oils And How I Use Them
Ever since I was 18 living in California, Australia and Dubai my hair has been under the sun non stop, the pool, the beach, the wind, the sand, and even worse all the blow dries that I do for myself and the ironing from modeling job, my hair got very dry, and still would if it wasn't for all those natural and cruelty free oils that I use weekly to recover from the bad stuff and keep them healthy and shiny.
Here are my favorite oils , how I use them, and why.
#organic
#crueltyfree
#vegan
SHEA BUTTER
I really do not want to put any chemical on my hair (or skin), so I always go for unrefined, raw and organic products which you can find easily on Amazon (US & France), or pretty much anywhere online, I don't have one special brand that I use for shea butter.
Why shea butter
As you need to protect your skin from the sun, you need to protect your hair from the UV rays as well with the pollution. Living under the sun all year, I protect my hair from sun exposure with shea butter which naturally contain SPF of 6, and create a barrier against the chemical pollutants in the air. Very similar to the silicones used in commercial products, it also creates a great barrier that creates a protection for your hair against irons and hairdryer.
The smell isn't really pleasant, you can add a drop of your favorite essential oil, or like me, mix it with some coconut oil.
How I use it
I mix an equal amount of melted shea butter, coconut oil and water (40g of each) mix it all together and transfer the mixture to a spray bottle. You can spray some into your hair after the shower, and brush to coat your hair and protect them from the heat, or you can just spray some before going out to protect them from the sun. I always bring it with me when I go to the beach.
COCONUT OIL
Again, it really is important that you get a pure, organic and unrefined coconut oil. There's just so many in the market you can pretty much get it anywhere.
Why coconut oil
Coconut oil is one of the greatest moisturizers for dry hair it prevents from hair breakage and split ends. It also stimulates hair growth getting deep into the follicles which also slow down hair loss, and least but not last, it adds luster, softness, and shine to the hair.
The smell is just amazing, sweet and exotic, really my favorite.
How I use it
As I mentioned above, I mix it with some shea butter and use it before going out by spraying a little bit on my length to protect my hair from pollution and sun exposure, and a moisturizer, plus, it gives a shiny glow to my hair and a very pleasant smell. It's important to not overspray as it's very oily, you just want your hair to be finely coated with the mixture
I love to use coconut oil as a treatment, I get some oil in my hand and warm it up by rubbing my hands and starts applying all over my hair (section by section) and repeat until there's enough, and to finish and it's the most important, I will do the same (get some oil, rub it into my hands) and apply it to my scalp, and massage for it to really get deep into the follicles and give all the hair the strength it needs, from the root basically. I like to keep it for a few hours, so you can keep it overnight and wash your hair in the morning or do this on your day off!
GRAPESEED OIL
Must be 100% natural, pure, raw, cold-pressed and hexane free, be even more careful with grapeseed oil because for some reason they love chemicals in this one. And I feel like a lot of people are confused about this, organic doesn't automatically mean natural, so double check babes. I like to get this one when I'm in the US, or that one when in France, and that one while in Dubai.
Why grapeseed oil
Grapeseed oil contains a lot of vitamin E, which helps repair hair (and skin), and is able to build new tissue. When applied to your scalp it stimulates the follicles by bringing it a lot of nutrients which encourage healthy hair growth. Grapeseed oil is extremely rich and offers lots of other benefits for your hair with minerals, proteins, linoleic acid and else, such as strength - you'll notice your hair being much less "elastic" - prevents split ends, thinning, breaking, frizz, and will help your hair look shiny.
How I use it
I love to apply some on my length on a daily basis (if I don't spray shea butter/coconut mixture, either one or the other depending on how my days gonna look like), the grapeseed oil is very light in contrast to the shea butter, so it really depends on what your purpose is, if you like me would like to use it as a hair finishing oil you can just get a little bit on your palms, rub it and apply on your lenght, not only you'll get a deep moisturizer but will get glossy locks.
I use it as a treatment too, the exact same way I do it with the coconut oil, and I feel this one is even richer and gives more to my hair, but it's important to switch as each oil provides different nutrients your hair needs. I warm up the oil in my hands and apply it to my hair including the scalp, gently massage a little and leave it in for a few hours (2 to 5 hours is best).
ALMOND OIL
Get it raw, free of all chemicals and organic.
Why almond oil
Almond oil is super rich in zinc and magnesium which are the two most important nutrients to control hair loss. With weather changes especially, this will help you a lot with hair loss. You can get shiny hair with almond oil as well, as I've previously said, all different oils will bring something different to your hair. Each of your hair is naturally protected by an oily substance, but sometimes because of the beach, the sun, pollutants, frequent use of shampoos, blow dries etc, this protective coat naturally made by your body can vanish and results in breakages and split ends that reduce the length of your hair. The good news is, you can use almond oil to restore the protective oil layer.
How I use it
To prevent hair loss, once a month I will generously apply the oil directly on my scalp, rub gently until it's absorbed, leave it overnight, and wash my hair in the morning. To restore the natural protective oil of my hair, I usually rub a few drops between my palms and run my hands through the entire length to coat every hair evenly, and add a little bit more at the very end of my hair or the dryer parts, on clean hair. It's not only good for your hair, it'll give it very nice shine.
ARGAN OIL
Get it raw, free of all chemicals and organic.
Why argan oil
Argan oil certainly is almost (after the baobab oil) the best of all (for my taste), it does pretty much everything, you can use it as a sun protector, you can use it to protect your hair from the sea and the pool, to give a shiny glossy style, treat hair loss, and eliminate dandruff. To me, the smell is very strong and I really couldn't carry it with me all day, so I rarely use it to go out as a sun protector, or hair oil, I love to use it to give my hair a deep treatment and treat dry hair and control frizzy hair.
How I use it
I usually pour the oil in a bowl and warm it up a little in the microwave and part my hair to apply it (generously), from the root to the very end, and finish with a gentle scalp massage until most of the oil is absorbed and leave it for at least 5 hours, then wash my hair.
OLIVE OIL
100% natural, free from any chemicals, organic and cold pressed.
Why olive oil
Rich in vitamins A, E, and antioxidants, this oil protects the keratin in your hair, and bring moisture back. Olive oil smoothes away breakage, splitting and frizzy flyaways.
How I use it
I use olive oil two different ways, as a hair oil and a treatment. For the treatment, as for the other oils, I like to warm up the oil a little first and apply it all over my hair insisting at the very end of my hair and without forgetting the scalp. I give myself a gentle massage to absorb the oil from the roots to the follicles, and also increase blood circulation which helps hair growth, leave the oil on for a few hours (about 5 hours generally), and wash my hair. I love to also use this oil as a serum, to keep my length moisturized, glossy, protected and make the frizzy hair go away. When my hair is styled, I warm up a couple of drops into my hand and work it evenly through my hair.
BAOBAB OIL - my favorite of all
Organic, pure, and raw.
Why baobab oil
Ok, so first of everything, baobab fruit contains more antioxidants than any other fruits on Earth (whaaaat), so that's enough reason to start using it now. This oil is magic, you guys. If your hair is dry and dull it'll revive and bring your hair back to life.
How I use it
My go-to for hot oil treatment. As usual, I heat up the oil in the microwave, part my hair and gently massage the oil mixture into my scalp working down through the ends of my hair. Then, for about 5 minutes I blow dry my hair, and leave it on for a couple of hours and wash the oil of, do a first shampoo, and apply baobab oil again from scalp to the end of my hair (on wet hair), wrap a hot wet towel leave it on until the towel has cooled, repeat this same step, and wash my hair. You can do this hot oil treatment with any oil, I usually do it with baobab oil because I've noticed it worked best for me. Also, I always add a few drops of baobab oil to my usual conditioner to add moisturizer and shine. And to finish, I use this oil as a serum to style my hair as well as it's very light and non-greasy. I bring baobab oil with me everywhere I go when I travel.
MACADAMIA OIL
100% natural, and organic
Why macadamia oil
Rich in fatty acid, it deeply nourishes your hair from the follicles to the ends, brings strength and gives an instant boost to your hair with a very glossy style and healthy hair look. This oil is very light and non-greasy!
How I use it
I love to use macadamia oil as a finishing oil to finish my style with a glossy look. And sometimes I use it as a treatment, on dry hair, I heat up the oil in the microwave, part my hair, apply from scalp to ends, massage, and leave it on for a few hours before washing my hair.
With love,
Joanna.
