If you’ve ever been to the seaside areas of India, like West Bengal, Kerala, Coastal Tamil Nadu etc, you’ll have noticed that many older men and women, in their 70s and 80s, still have thick jet black hair. This is thanks to the climate and their diet of rice, fruit and fish. Also many locals think their application of pure coconut oil on their hair as a conditioner helps keep it healthy and black.

In our modern society, the cuticles in hair are usually damaged by blow drying, bleaching, coloring, perming, hard brushing or too much water or sun exposure, and this damage shows up as split ends, and coarse, fragile, dry hair that breaks easily. Split ends mean the cuticle has worn away and therefore the inner portion of hair, called the cortex, is exposed, and frayed.

The molecular structure of coconut oil is ideal for penetrating within the hair shaft, and works wonderfully with the natural hair proteins, particularly close to the ends, which have a tendency to be the most vulnerable to splitting and fraying.

Using coconut oil as a hair conditioner

Apply coconut oil to your hair straight after a shower or bath, when the hair is still wet, not dripping wet, but more than barely damp. The coconut oil can be either liquid or solid (pure coconut oil hardens at less than 76 degrees F ). If solid, it will simply melt in your hand as you use it.

Use a touch (about a half small spoon for long hair, less for shorter hair) and rub your hands together and begin the application at the ends of your wet hair, using your oily fingers to distribute it evenly and gently.

Use just enough so the oil will penetrate the hair, without leaving an oily or oily look. Use more at the ends, less in the middle and little, if any at the roots. If you have used an amount that leaves your hair oily, simply leave it on to soak in for 20-30 mins and then re-wash the hair to get rid of the surplus oil. You might experiment a bit until you find the right dose for your particular hair, so you are able to leave the oil in your hair when you have applied it.

Why is coconut oil such a good conditioner for hair?

Lauric Acid : Microbial action on the scalp and hair roots is in charge of much hair fall and hair loss. The Lauric Acid in Coconut Oil is a triglyceride which yields a monoglyceride called Monolaurin when acted on by a species of bacteria. This monolaurin has wonderful antimicrobial properties.

Capric Acid : Another triglyceride present in Coconut oil, that has antimicrobial properties like that of monolaurin.

Vitamin-E : Coconut Oil contains Vitamin E, which keeps scalp and skin healthy and hair rejuvenated.

Moisture Keeping Capacity : Coconut Oil is very stable and doesn’t let moisture escape simply and so keeps hair moistened and soft, stopping breakage of hair.

Anti-Dandruff : Coconut oil is a great moisturizer, and is anti-fungal, so it helps dandruff, whether the flakes spring from dry scalp, or a fungal / yeast condition like seborrheic rash. Do scalp treatments when you do not need to go out in public, or try overnite treatments ( be certain to look after your pillow with a bag covered with an old towel ).

Many users claim that Coconut Oil is a far superior conditioner for hair than any manmade product available in the market and is also better than commercial anti-dandruff products. Be certain to get a pure form of unrefined, organic coconut oil, for example Nutiva, for most impressive results.  See Nutiva Coconut Oil for hair.