My No Poo Journey: Coconut Oil

Back when I was pregnant with Bailey, I started reading about Coconut Oil. My main concern was a cloth diaper safe diaper cream and Coconut Oil was the most recommended among the cloth diapering communities I belong to. So, in my quest to prepare for the arrival of our little girl, I went and bought Coconut Oil. Ever since then, I have been opened to the wonderful world that is Coconut Oil and all of its uses!

This post is going to be dedicated to how Coconut Oil can be used to deep condition your hair. If you're following along, you know I have started the No Poo, you can read HERE about it. I am using the baking soda method right now where you use a baking soda mixture to wash and a vinegar mixture to condition. But, who doesn't love other ways to deep condition their hair?!

So... I bring you this post!

Virgin Coconut Oil

Great for many things! It's one of the best hair conditioners and if you go with the virgin and organic, it's completely chemical-free and all natural!

Coconut Oil is one of the best natural hair treatments on the market. It has been used by indigenous people around the wold for centuries. 

Thanks to its bountiful medium chain triglycerides, also known as fatty acids, it will bring back the softness to your hair! Who doesn't love that?!

While modern conditioners work on just the outside even though they tell you they can penetrate the hair shaft to work from the outside in (they can't), Coconut Oil actually works inside and out. It's an amazing conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair as it stimulates blood circulation in the scalp.

Coconut Oil is high in antioxidants, which helps to prevent free radical damage to the body, including heat and environmental damage. Most conditioners on the today's market use processed vegetable oils that will create free radicals and are totally stripped away for their antioxidant power. This causes hair to lose protein and fall out over time. One of the biggest reasons for hair loss is microbial action on the scalp and hair roots.

To protect your hair against them, you need and antimicrobial agent and the Lauric Acid in Coconut Oil is one of them! 

Do you have dandruff? Cool thing, Coconut Oil will nourish the scalp because the oil is a natural antifungal, antimicrobial, antibacterial and has soothing properties! This is why we love it so much for baby butts! But even more so on our hair! It can offer relief from dandruff conditions because dandruff is caused by an internal fungal condition that reaches the scalp, called candida overgrowth. YUCK! With regular use, Coconut Oil can kill the fungus on the scalp and the dandruff issues will be eliminated! Yes, ELIMINATED! How cool is that?!

Since Coconut Oil is readily absorbed into the skin and when applied to your scalp, it is absorbed into the blood for a quick dose of a powerful natural antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial which will build your immunity! Even cooler, eh?! If you want additional benefits from Coconut Oil, you can apply it to your entire body instead of using chemical-laden lotions. Just apply a teaspoon or so from head to toe after your shower, rub it in good and let it absorb! 

So... want to know more about how Coconut Oil will deep condition your hair?! Well, I'm about to tell you! Because Coconut Oil has a very unique molecular structure that easily penetrates the hair shaft, (remember, typical conditioners on the shelf at the store cannot penetrate the hair shaft, even if they say they can.) Because hair is actually a hollow tube, the Coconut Oil will fully penetrate the space and work from the inside out.

For deep conditioning of your hair, use a teaspoon or two on damp hair. So this is perfect if you just dropped the kids off at school, have a few hours and need to take a quick shower! Take your shower then apply your Coconut Oil! Since Coconut Oil is a solid at room temperature, you can either rub it in-between your hands to liquify it, or warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave. My preferred method is using my own body heat to warm it up. When you apply, make sure you are massaging your scalp to allow increased blood circulation. Once your hair is completely saturated, wrap a towel around your head and leave it on for up to FOUR hours! At least leave it on for one hour, but for best results you will want to leave it on longer!

Once your time is up, fully rinse out your hair and wash with shampoo or if you're also using the No Poo Method, wash with your preferred No Poo mixture. You may need to wash your hair a few times to remove all of the oil. After all, it's a deep conditioning oil. This deep conditioning can be done as often as once a week.

**note**

Coconut Oil can and will stain fabric, so make sure you fully protect your clothes and bedding if you plan to sleep with it overnight.

Eventually, you will be able to go HERE for a step-by-step tutorial of myself using Coconut Oil to deep condition my hair! So stay tuned!

Until next time, friends