Although coconut oil can also be bad for hair when you leave unrefined oil on the roots and scalp for too long – if it's absorbed into the scalp, hair growth can slow down, and your hair will be getting greasy much faster.
Allow the coconut oil to sit on your hair for 20 to 30 minutes after application. If your hair is very dry or porous, you can leave it on longer; some people like to use it as an overnight treatment.
Coconut oil causes protein build-up, blocking off the moisture and making your tresses more breakable, rough, and dry. Massaging it onto your scalp can cause even more dryness or breakage on damaged or over-processed hair.
Smooth coconut oil onto hair and comb it through dry hair. Leave it on for at 15 to 30 minutes to let it absorb. Thoroughly wash hair with a great shampoo (you may need to shampoo twice to remove all of the oil) and conditioning as usual.
Leaving oil on your hair everyday for too long can cause product build-up on your scalp. It may also clog your pores, attract dirt and accumulate dandruff. Oiling your hair everyday also means that you have to wash it with shampoo everyday. This is not ideal to achieve healthy, lustrous and soft hair.
According to Garodia, oil helps strengthen the hair shaft, especially in case of frizzy and dry hair. It's most beneficial when the oil is left in the hair overnight.
If you leave the oil for a long time, it can clog the pores and cut off the oxygen reaching the hair leading to damaged hair, boils on the scalp, and eventually hair fall. Also, oiling is not suitable for people who are suffering from dandruff or have a naturally oily scalp.
1 – Oily skin, oily hair
It should be common sense but, if you do suffer from oily hair or oily skin, an overnight coconut oil hair mask might not be for you. Adding more oil to your hair or skin, especially overnight, is unlikely to improve the problem and may only make things worse.
Does coconut oil make your hair grow faster? Yes, indeed it does. "Coconut oil will definitely help your hair grow healthier, thicker, and longer," Brown confirms. "The vitamins and fatty acids in coconut oil help nourish your scalp and penetrates the cuticle of the hair.
Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid (a fatty acid), which penetrates the hair shaft as well as completely coating each strand, making it water repellent. This makes it excellent at warding off frizz in humid environments, and instantly transforming hair to look healthier.
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!
DRY SHAMPOO
One of the easiest ways to get rid of coconut oil is to use dry shampoo. Dry shampoo comes in handy to absorb excess oils and give your strands a refreshed and balanced feel. Apply the dry shampoo to your hair, making sure to focus on your roots and apply lightly through the rest of your hair.
Rub coconut oil through your hair before you wash it. As a scalp treatment. Before bed, massage a small amount of coconut oil into your scalp. Leave it overnight and wash it off with shampoo in the morning.
In general, it is not recommended to leave oil on for more than 6-8 hours, as that might make things tricky. The oil can attract a lot of dirt, dust, grime and get them to stick to your hair! So, it will take a lot more effort to wash your hair with all this added stuff to wash off.
Benefits of coconut oil for hair
A well-oiled scalp is surely a way to keep your hair follicles healthy. Coconut oil has lauric acid that helps bind the protein in hair, protects the roots and strands and prevent them from breakage. The antioxidants present in coconut oil help boost healthy hair growth.
Dandruff itself does not cause hair loss. However, severe dandruff can cause a person to scratch their scalp so hard that they injure it. Repeated inflammation in the hair follicles can cause damage and scarring, slowing or stopping hair growth. This can cause weak or thinning hair.
How fast does hair grow depends largely on genetics, hormones, and nutrition, however, the average hair growth cycle is a rate of 0.3 to 0.4 mm a day. Most hair strands grow at an average rate of about 0.3 to 0.4 mm a day. So, this means it may grow up to one-tenth of an inch or a little more in a week.
You should never comb your hair immediately after applying oil. You see, hair is more fragile after oiling and your scalp is a lot more relaxed. Combing your hair roughly can cause hair breakage and loss. If you do want to comb your locks, start from the tips and gently make your way to the top.
Applying coconut oil could inadvertently cause further irritation in the scalp because it could make your seborrheic dermatitis even oilier. Call your doctor if you develop widespread rashes and hives from coconut oil.
How long should you leave it on for? While some leave oil in their hair overnight, but usually one-two hours should suffice. “If you apply more oil than you need, thinking you need to coat every strand of your hair with oil, you will need the same amount of shampoo to get it off.
Use coconut oil in wet hair
We recommend that you use the hair oil in wet hair as a finishing, nourishing treatment after washing your hair with shampoo and conditioner. By applying the coconut oil to wet hair, the hair gets an extra moisture boost and is left soft and shiny all day.
For easier absorption and styling, make sure to apply the oil to damp hair. Hair mask: For super-nourishing hair treatment, massage a teaspoon or two of the oil through your hair. Wash it out after a few hours, or leave it on overnight if you have extra dry or damaged hair.