20 Jan The Best Oils for Natural Hair

On the 4^th of December 2014, I said goodbye to the relaxer (as well as my relaxed hair). I have no regrets. I am happy and in love with my kinky curly hair, my afro! Whilst my experience has been far from a walk in the park, I am grateful for the support online. We are adults finally learning how to take care of our natural hair as we were only taught how to hate it. It is a frustrating process but support from fellow naturals most definitely helps. Overwhelmed by this support, I feel compelled to give back. To celebrate three years natural, I will be sharing my favourite as well as the best oils for natural hair. Whilst all oils can work wonders for all hair types, I can only write from experience; I have 4A, fine, high porosity kinky curly hair.

The first oil I purchased for my hair, castor oil is a must have! It is a vegetable oil often associated with hair growth. I remain sceptical in regard to its ability to aid in hair growth but I can testify, it has thickened my fine kinky curls. It also did wonders to my (once sparse) eyebrows. Castor oil is quite thick. I love to add it to my homemade hair butters; I plan on sharing a few tutorials in the future so watch this space! Moving on to my latest favourite, the ever so popular, olive oil. It is affordable, amazing and the best for sealing in moisture (in winter as well as summer)! I also love the scent. What more can I say?

A little too light for me, grape seed oil is the ultimate thinning solution. It works well with most oils. I use it to thin out castor oil. It is also great for softening shea butter. As a leave-in, I am not too fond of avocado oil but as the main ingredient in a homemade hair mask, avocado oil is brilliant! It will leave your hair shiny and soft. Add avocado oil to any conditioner and thank me later! Moving on to the infamous coconut oil, which I am not a fan of! So, why mention it? Well, I hate to admit it but warm coconut oil is great for detangling and conditioning. It melts away knots. I can only recommend using it as a pre-shampoo treatment (especially before you dye or bleach your curls).

I have saved my favourite for last, the magnificent monoi oil! Words can’t express how much I love this oil. It is simply the best and it smells divine. Monoi oil provides the ultimate seal; it is the key to moisturised hair. The Body Shop’s Spa of the World Polynesian Monoi Radiance Oil is my favourite. Every natural needs monoi oil in their stash. To conclude, I know many will disagree with my selection of oils but this is not a debate. I am simply sharing knowledge. I hope whoever comes across this finds it useful and please feel free to share your favourite oils with me!