I love using natural oils on my hair and I can be really heavy-handed with them.The list of oils available is endless but I’ll talk about a few of the ones that I use. I’ll group them into the ones that are easily absorbed by the hair and the ones that are not.

Easily absorbent oils

1. Coconut oil: Although this oil is not a protein, it helps the hair retain its protein content. As a result, if you use it regularly, it will make your hair stronger. Excessive use might leave your hair feeling hard. You should also note that your hair might not like coconut oil if it is protein-sensitive.
2. Olive oil: This oil is very moisturizing and it’s great as a hot oil or in your deep conditioners. It can also be used as a sealing oil especially if you have really dry hair or live in a dry climate.
3. Avocado oil: It also has great moisturizing properties. It also serves as  a great carrier oil when mixed with essential oils.
4. Argan oil. My main sealing oil.
   
   

Ceramide-rich oils

Ceramides are a group of lipids (fatty substances) that are naturally found in hair and skin. They help to ‘repair’ the hair cuticle and hair treated with ceramides show increased strength.

1. Hemp seed oil
2. Safflower oil
3. Sunflower oil
4. Wheat germ oil
5. Grape seed oil

Other oils

1. Jojoba oil: This oil is the closest to sebum.
2. Castor oil: It is believed to aid hair growth. Castor oil is extremely dense so you have to use it lightly or mix it with a lighter oil.
3. Palm oil: Found naturally in the tropics and has similar properties to coconut oil.
4. Amla oil: Used originally by Indians. Made from the Amalaki fruit and is believed to thicken hair, treat dandruff and reduce hair graying.

As you can see, there are so many great oils and I don’t want to lose out on any so I end up making oil concotions. (I’m a big time product junkie). Right now, I have 3 different types of ‘oil mixes’: one for my scalp, one as a sealing oil and a third for my prepoo.

• My prepoo whipped shea butter-oil mix: Avocado oil, Castor oil, Coconut oil, Hempseed oil Olive oil, Safflower oil & Shea butter.

• My scalp oil: Amla oil, Tea tree oil, Castor oil, oregano oil & Jojoba oil.
• My sealing oil mix: Argan oil Avocado oil, Castor oil, Olive oil & Safflower oil.

If you can’t mix oils, there are several mixes available on the market so don’t worry. Anyways, I know I’ve talked about a lot of oils but in my opinion, olive oil is the best. It’s absorbed by the hair, very moisturizing, easy to find in any shop and very good for sealing in your moisturizer. If I were to choose only one, it would be olive oil: you can never go wrong with it! What’s your best oil?

Dr Fomsky

*Updated 28th January 2015*

Related articles

• Back to the basics: prepooing?
• How ceramides benefit the hair (longing4length.blogspot.com)
• Castor Oil Gets a Rave Reader Review (bellasugar.com)
• Definition: Coconut Oil (bellasugar.com)
• Frequently asked questions on castor oil (thesizzlingmommy.com)
• Definition: Safflower Oil (bellasugar.com)
• Definition: Almond Oil (bellasugar.com)
• Do I need to oil my scalp?

About the author

Dr Fomsky

Nigerian-born Dr Fomsky is a God-lover, a wife, a mom of three, a medical doctor by day. Plus she owns a Nigerian-based online hair product store called Sizzelle.
Dr Fomsky is very passionate about hair, skin and weight management. Since she's had her babies, she's been struggling to keep her weight and her tummy down!
At night, she likes to read books, write blog posts and leave comments on other blogs. She lives in Alberta, Canada and is also the author of Solving your relaxed hair breakage book .
DR FOMSKY'S HAIR TYPE:
LAST RELAXER DAY: December 15th, 2016
BIG CHOP: January 14th, 2017 Natural Hair, Unknown Porosity, Fine Hair strands, Low to Moderate Density
CURRENT HAIR LENGTH: Unknown
FAVOURITE DEEP CONDITIONER: ??

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