You love to cook with avocado oil … and it’s even improved your dry skin, but have you tried other avocado oil uses, like for hair?
Using avocado oil in your daily hair care routine is a surefire way to decrease dryness and improve texture, no matter your hair type.
It’s natural, it’s very affordable, and it’s likely already in your home. Is it time to consider avocado oil as your new go-to hair oil?
Health Benefits and Avocado Oil Uses
Avocado oil comes from pressing the inner flesh of avocado fruit. As you may already know, avocado and its oil are rich in beneficial nutrients that can boost your health, both inside and out.
Is avocado oil good for your hair?
Avocado oil is a rich source of essential fatty acids, including oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, as well as linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid.
The fatty acid content of this oil is one of the main reasons why it can do so much to improve dry scalp and hair conditions.
It naturally conditions and strengthens the hair, leaving it healthier and shinier.
Let’s take a closer look at the many benefits of avocado oil for hair:
1. Protects Hair From Damage
According to a scientific paper published in 2015, “Oils play an important role in protecting hair from damage.
Some oils can penetrate the hair and reduce the amount of water absorbed in the nose, leading to a lowering of swelling …
Applying oil regularly can enhance lubrication of the shaft and help prevent hair breakage.”
One of the main oil benefits for hair is its ability to coat the hair with fatty acid-rich moisture and protect it from damage.
Common causes of hair damage include exposure to the sun, seawater, or chlorine.
Before spending time at the beach or pool, you may want to consider coating your hair in avocado oil to prevent the drying effects of these environments.
Another common source of damage is the use of hot hair tools such as a blow dryer or straightener.
Applying oil to the hair before the use of these tools can act as a natural heat protectant.
Hair coloring treatments can be yet another source of damage.
Using oil as a hair conditioner or mask after treatment can go a long way to prevent dry and brittle hair as a result of bleaching or coloring.
2. Aids Hair Growth
While research hasn’t necessarily shown that avocado oil can promote hair growth, it is a nutrient-rich oil that can help to boost the health of hair when used internally as well as topically.
It can also work as a natural hair growth aid when it’s used as a carrier oil for essentials oils like rosemary oil and peppermint oil,
which have both been linked to the prevention of hair loss and promotion of hair growth.
You can also combine more than one carrier oil with many essential oils as a DIY remedy for thinning hair.
For example, you can mix essentials oils of rosemary and peppermint with carrot and avocado oil for hair growth.
3. Keeps Hair Knot-Free
It’s never fun when hair gets tangled. This can especially be a problem for kids who don’t like to brush their hair, but it commonly affects adults too.
Beautiful hair can become knotted very quickly. Weather conditions such as a windy day can also leave hair in knots. Dry hair can also grow knotty.
Putting a small amount of oil in the hair before brushing can help to keep it moisturized and knot-free. It can also help to detangle it.
4. Reduces Dandruff
Dandruff is a skin disorder affecting the scalp that results in excessive shedding of dead skin flakes from the scalp.
Having skin that is too dry or too oily can both contribute to this common concern.
Using a natural oil like this one topically can help in both situations.
If the skin is too dry, avocado oil provides nutrient-rich moisture, or if the skin is too oily, the application of oil can signal to the skin’s oil glands that they don’t need to produce so much oil.
To improve or prevent an itchy, dry, flaky scalp, it can help to massage natural oils like this one into the scalp regularly.
You also can combine essential oils like rosemary and tea tree with castor oil and avocado oil for hair growth as well as dandruff control.
Avocado Oil for Hair Uses
There are so many potential oils uses for hair. It’s great for all kinds of common hair concerns.
How to use avocado oil for hair:
- As a hot oil treatment: Forget those store-bought hot oil treatments with a bunch of unnatural and questionable ingredients and simply apply some warmed up avocado oil to your scalp and hair. Cover your head with a shower cap or towel and let it sit for 30 minutes before washing and conditioning as usual.
- For scalp massage: Scalp massages are so relaxing and therapeutic, and avocado oil is perfect for using on the scalp (or body) for a massage.
- As a natural hair mask or conditioner: Depending upon your hair goals, you can either coat your entire scalp and hair with oil, or you can apply it just to the ends. Leave the oil in your hair for 15 to 30 minutes, or you can even leave it overnight.
- To tame split ends or flyaways: Rub a drop or two of oil between your fingers and apply to areas of concern. If you have beautiful hair, it may only take one dip to do the job. You can always add more, so start with a smaller amount and see how that works out.
- As a heat protectant: Before blow drying your hair or using other heat-producing hair tools, rub a dime-size amount of oil into your hands and apply it to your hair, paying particular attention to the ends. You can use your fingers or a comb to spread the oil throughout your hair.
- As a carrier oil to promote hair growth or decrease dandruff: Use avocado oil as a carrier oil with essential oils to target specific hair concerns like thinning hair or dandruff.
How long do you leave avocado oil in your hair?
If you’re performing oil hair treatment or using avocado oil for dandruff, it’s best to leave the oil on your scalp and in your hair for about 15 to 30 minutes so it can soak in.
If your hair is severely dry or damaged, leaving avocado oil in for a more extended amount of time is a good idea.
If you’re using a small amount of oil as a heat protectant, split end treatment, or flyaway tamer, then you only need a drop or two of oil to put in your hair when it’s either wet or dry — and simply leave it in.
If you’re wondering how to make avocado oil for hair growth and other uses, it is possible to make avocado oil at home.
But it’s also straightforward to find 100 percent pure avocado oil in your local grocery store, health store or online.
Coconut Oil vs. Avocado Oil Uses for Hair
If you’re comparing avocado oil versus coconut oil for hair, you can similarly use the two oils for your hair and scalp.
For hair dryness, split ends, flyaways, and knots, you really can’t go wrong choosing either oil, because both will provide moisture that will help to improve these common hair concerns.
Both coconut oil and avocado oil can be used to moisturize the scalp to improve dryness and dandruff. Yeast-like fungal (Malassezia) infections commonly cause dandruff.
If dandruff is the primary concern, then you may want to opt for coconut oil — because many studies have shown its antiviral, anti-fungal, and antibacterial properties.
Risks and Side Effects of Avocado Oil Uses
It is possible to be allergic to avocado and avocado oil. If you have an allergy or sensitivity to avocado, avoid using avocado oil internally or topically.
It’s a good idea to perform a patch skin test before using avocado oil for hair and skin to make sure you don’t have any unwanted reactions.
Final Thoughts on Avocado Oil Uses
- Avocado oil is a natural and affordable way to boost the health of your hair.
- Avocado oil benefits for hair include improving dryness, split ends, flyaways, and knots.
- Look for 100 percent pure avocado oil for cooking and topical use.
- Avocado and coconut oils can be used similarly for the hair. Still, if dandruff is the primary concern, the anti-fungal properties of coconut oil make it a more therapeutic choice.
