Your natural hair needs natural oils, among other things, to grow. One of these natural oils is avocado oil. Usually, people use avocado oil to moisturize their skin and protect it from the sun's UV rays, or as cooking oil to improve the overall health of their heart. Similarly, you can use avocado on your natural hair because it is rich in just the right nutrients that your hair needs. In this article, I will be explaining what avocado oil is, highlighting its benefits for your natural hair, and how you can your own avocado oil at home.
What is Avocado Oil?
Avocado oil is simply oil that is extracted from the avocado fruit. First of all, the expert thoroughly washes the avocado. Next, they remove its skin and seed. Finally, the expert grounds the flesh until it forms a paste. After that, the flesh is malaxed for between 45 minutes to one hour (this could happen when you cook the avocado on medium heat and stir at intervals until the oil starts to appear on top). While this process is a hot-pressed one, natural hair experts still consider avocado oil to be cold-pressed. Finally, there is the separation of the oil and the water, after which the oil is placed in a clean bowl ready for use.
DIY: How To Make Your Own Avocado Oil
This quick and helpful video by DiscoveringNatural will teach you how to make your own avocado oil.
What Are The Benefits of Avocado For Natural Hair?
As I mentioned earlier, avocado oil is rich in nutrients and vitamins which your natural hair needs. These include vitamins A, D, and E, lecithin, oleic acid, and potassium, among others. Here are 7 ways your hair will benefit from using avocado oil:
1. It adds moisture to your natural hair
Natural hair needs moisture to grow. The oleic acid in avocado oil fully absorbs itself in the hair shaft and provides the hair with moisture. This helps to strengthen the hair and prevent it from breaking. Also, avocado oil is a great sealing oil due to its lightweight nature. A sealing oil helps to lock in the moisturizing cream you may have applied to your hair. This way, your hair stays hydrated for a long time. The result is that you get healthier hair.
2. It protects your natural hair from dandruff
Dandruff can happen as a result of dry itchy scalp, product build-up, or even hairstyles that are too tight. This results in discomfort, flaking, or even hair breakage. Due to its ability to easily absorb itself in the hair shaft, avocado oil can help protect your hair from dandruff. And if you already have dandruff, the nutrients contained in avocado oil can help reduce the flakes.
3. It improves your scalp health
Avocado oil contains monounsaturated fats and oleic acid which helps resolve dryness on your scalp. A moisturized scalp is a healthy scalp and this also results in healthy hair roots. To moisturize your scalp, simply put a few drops of avocado on your palm and massage it into your scalp. This also helps to increase blood circulation to the scalp.
4. It protects your hair from the sun
Natural hair care experts agree that when natural hair is exposed to the sun for a long time, it can cause damage. This can lead to split ends, thinning, discolouration, among others. Avocado oil is rich in vitamin E which can help protect your hair from damage caused by the sun. Also, the vitamin E in avocado oil has healing properties which can help repair general hair damage.
5. It increases hair growth
If you're looking for a hair oil that would help your hair to grow, you should go for avocado oil. Avocado oil has vitamin D which helps your hair to create new follicles. It is from these follicles that new hair grows out. Simply massage the avocado hair through your scalp and hair.
6. It doesn't leave build-ups or strong smells on the hair
While natural hair oils are great for your hair, some of them like the Jamaican Black Castor Oil leave strong smells on your hair. Also, oils like coconut oil tend to leave solid residue on your scalp after a while. In addition to this, oils like olive oil and castor oil tend to leave your hair greasy and heavy after use. Avocado oil, on the other hand, is lightweight and so does not leave solid residues in your scalp. It also spreads easily over your hair without making it heavy or greasy. Furthermore, it has a mild smell.
7. It helps you detangle the knots in your hair
Knots in your hair can cause it to tangle and you may even lose some hair when you try to take the knots out. Avocado oil is one way to take out the knots in your hair without breaking or losing much hair. Simply apply a drop or two to your finger tips and gently untangle the knots.
How Do You Use Avocado Oil For Natural Hair?
You can use avocado oil in these ways:
- You can use it as a hair mask by whipping it together with banana, honey, and coconut oil.
- If you are dealing with hair breakage, avocado oil will help reduce it until your hair is repaired.
- Finally, you can use avocado oil as a leave-in conditioner.