One of the most fundamental things when it comes to your natural hair is moisture. Needless to say, I talk a lot about moisture for this very reason.
You have to be constantly trying to find new ways and things that will help to keep your hair moisturised and dry hair away.
One of the things that can help you if you struggle with dry hair is doing a hot oil treatment.
I’ve looked into hot oil treatments quite a bit and there are definitely a few benefits of doing a hot oil treatment for hair that you should know about.
There are many theories out there that say you should do it this way or that way. We are going to look at the best way to effectively do a hot oil treatment that will give you the best benefit for your hair step by step.
***Please note that this site uses affiliate links if you would like to read the legal stuff you can find it here
What Is A Hot Oil Treatment And Is It Good For You?
A hot oil treatment works by coating the strands of your hair with warm (not hot) oil. The oils used in a hot oil treatment are usually plant-based oils such as sweet almond oil and olive oil.
Hot oil treatments are great for those who suffer from dry hair.
Hot oil treatments can be done on all hair types but they are particularly beneficial for those of us with kinky or curly hair.
Our hair tends to get dry quite easily because of the nature of our curls. It makes it hard for the natural oils from our scalp to travel down the hair shaft and to keep us moisturised.
You should especially consider doing a hot oil treatment if you have chemically damaged hair too.
Doing a hot oil treatment can help to combat that but there are also other benefits to doing a hot oil treatment that will seriously make you consider doing one this weekend.
5 Benefits of A Hot Oil Treatment For Hair
1. Strengthens Hair and Adds Shine
When you do a hot oil treatment on your hair you will notice straight away that your hair will have lots more shine.
You will also notice that your hair will have more elasticity too which makes your hair stronger.
When hair is properly moisturised it gets lots more elasticity which is the complete opposite of dry hair.
Dry hair is prone to breakage because there is no room for the hair to stretch without snapping.
This is another reason your hair shrinks after being washed.
Shrinkage is a good thing.
2. Great For Dry Hair and Scalp
No one wants to have dry hair because dry hair is often dull in appearance and brittle to the touch.
Adding lost moisture back into your hair is the perfect way to tackle dryness.
Unfortunately, the elements that surround us can cause our hair to become particularly dry.
Adding a hot oil treatment to your hair routine will do wonders for your hair.
3. Reduces Frizz
Frizzy hair can happen when the cuticles of our hair are damaged. If you have high porosity hair the cuticles of your hair are lifted quite a lot making it difficult to retain moisture and making your hair appear frizzy.
Applying a hot oil treatment can help to seal in the moisture by absorbing the oil and then sealing it in by rinsing with lukewarm water to close the cuticles and making them lay flat.
This will make the strands of hair appear much more smooth and less frizzy.
4. Less Split Ends
Well moistured hair will suffer less split ends so be sure to coat the strands of your hair from root to tip.
5. Increases Blood Flow To The Scalp and Promotes Growth
Once you have coated your hair with hot oil its a good idea to massage your scalp with it too.
This will increase blood flow encouraging more growth.
I don’t really need to say it but head massages feel really good too which an added benefit!
How Often Should You Do A Hot Oil Treatment?
Hot oil treatments can be added to your hair regimen every 2 weeks or every month depending on the needs of your hair.
I know some people like to leave hot oil treatments on their hair overnight but this is not really necessary.
Some people will see a lot of benefit from doing hot oil treatments more often and some will not see much difference in upping the frequency.
It would be hard to say exactly how many times you should do it, you will have to test it out and see what works for you.
How To Do A Hot Oil Treatment Step By Step
The first thing you need to do when deciding to do a hot oil treatment is to decide which oil you want to use.
Some popular choices are sweet almond oil, olive oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil.
Some people even like to mix different oils according to what their hair needs.
If you are not sure which oils to use you can always buy the oils straight off the shelf here.
There are different ways to apply hot oil to your hair. Some people like to do it on freshly washed hair and some do it as a pre-poo on dirty hair first.
Personally I would do it on freshly washed hair to make sure that I can keep as much of the benefits as possible without washing it out.
Doing a hot oil treatment on dirty hair means that you will essentially be washing the oils away afterwards by shampooing or co-washing.
Directions
1. Start on freshly washed hair. Wash it as you usually would whether that be shampooing or co-washing.
2. Warm the oil in the microwave for 10 seconds. Don’t be tempted to heat the oil for too long as this will cause 2 negative effects.
Firstly you will kill all the nutrients in the oil and secondly, you will most likely experience burns from having the oil too hot.
The oil should be warm only. You should be able to comfortably put your finger into the oil without it burning.
You can use an applicator bottle like this one to help you apply the oil to your hair.
3. Head to the shower and apply the oil to each section on your hair at a time. It’s better to work in sections to make sure your hair is evenly coated.
Massage your scalp as well.
4. Cover your hair with a disposable shower cap and leave the treatment on for 20 minutes to allow the oils to penetrate your hair strands really well.
5. After the 20 minutes rinse your hair and apply a leave-in conditioner of your choice.
Hot Oil Treatment vs Deep Conditioner
Hot oil treatment and deep conditioning are both things that your hair needs.
I don’t think it would be a good idea to change one thing for the other. They both serve specific purposes and therefore should be used individually and not in replacement of.
Deep conditioning is meant to help penetrate your hair strands right down to the cortex and to prevent and repair hair damage.
Hot oil treatments don’t penetrate the strands of hair as well as deep conditioners are made to do.
Hot oil treatments are great for adding shine and reducing frizz.
The best thing you can do if you want is to add oil to your deep conditioner. Never replace one in favour of the other.
Final Thoughts On The Benefits of A Hot Oil Treatment For Hair
Hot oil treatments are a great addition to any hair regimen if you use it in the right way.
Always be cautious when heating oil for your hot oil treatment.
Related posts:
The Cherry Lola treatment for natural hair
11 Benefits of trimming your hair
The pros and cons of a braid out vs twist out
