As I've mentioned, we do weekly hot oil treatments before everything else. I decided to give details on each step that we take for our routine. This blog will focus on the hot oil treatments.
First I want to explain why I feel like this is a necessary step for us. African American hair is in need of lots and lot of moisture. However, during the washing process, our natural moisture can get stripped from our hair. So hot oil treatments are a way of preparing our hair for the next few steps.
"Oiling your hair before washing it, gives your hair a softening, deep oil treatment. It also provides extra protection so that your hair doesn't get completely stripped during the shampoo process. No wonder hot oil treatments became so popular for a while! Warm your oil in the microwave or cover your head with a warm towel for faster results." (1)
Now, the key to hot oil treatments is the oil. The most effective oils are olive, avocado, and coconut. Be sure that you use extra virgin oils, nothing modified; you want the purest form of the oil that you can find. The molecules in these oils are small enough to penetrate the hair shaft and therefore softens and strengthens our hair. There are multiple benefits of olive, avocado, and coconut oils that I will reference in another blog.
My personal favorites are olive and coconut. I usually mix these two together and then warm in an applicator bottle. (Coconut oil is solid at room temperature but it will melt when applied.)
1. Once the oil is warmed and applied to our hair, I place a plastic bag over our hair.
2. For extra penetration, I will place a beanie or scarf over the plastic bag.
3. I let penetrate for 15-30 minutes.
4. Rinse and begin co-wash!
Very simple but very important step to us. My oldest daughter hasn't had an ounce of dandruff since I started implementing hot oil treatments back in February. Feel free to use either oil by themselves or mix them together! Have fun with the runny oil!!! HA HA!!
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