How Coconut Oil May Reduce the Risk of Grays and Hair Loss
Coconut oil is a natural product that you could use to try to promote hair growth as well as prevent hair loss. What’s more, it may also help reduce the risk of greys. This is because it manages to nourish, repair, and fortify from the roots to the ends.
It’s interesting to know that in one study, using coconut oil mixed with herbs to promote hair growth produced positive results. Therefore, it seems that this product is very good for hair health.
Some people apply it to dry hair and leave it on for a few minutes to moisturize it before washing it, and some people add a little oil to their mask, cream bath, or conditioner, to enhance the effects. All this depends on an individual’s habits and preferences.
We recommend you include coconut oil in your hair care routine so you can start enjoying all its benefits. You may just avoid hair loss reduce the risk of grays if you do.
Why do we get gray hair?
Gray hair doesn’t just appear because of age or stress. The reasons are a little more elaborate than you might think: Melanin loss is a key factor.
First of all, gray hair starts to become noticeable thanks to the loss of melanin, which depletes as we age. However, this compound can also decrease at an early age, even before the age of 20.
Melanin is located under the scalp in a kind of tube we know as hair follicles. The follicles can undergo problems and thus encourage the appearance of gray hair.
The influence of hydrogen peroxide
Secondly, science has identified hydrogen peroxide as a chemical compound responsible for bleaching hair. This directly affects the production of the aforementioned melanin.
Excess oxygen peroxide occurs when the antioxidant enzymes are not sufficient in breaking it down into water and oxygen.
It’s true that there’s still a lot to know about why hair turns gray. However, what’s clear is that bad life habits on top of a bad hair care routine can affect the appearance and health of your hair.
Why does hair fall out?
Every day you lose a certain amount of hair due to the renewal of epithelial tissue. Therefore, it’s normal that when you brush and do other things, some hair falls out.
So, in general, hair can fall out for various reasons, including season changes, periods of great stress, poor hair care (choice and application of an unsuitable cosmetic product, lack of hydration, etc.), hormonal changes, health problems (such as hypothyroidism), and poor diet.
However, there may be times when you spend long periods of time in which you lose a lot of hair on a daily basis and you don’t feel new hair being born in the same amount. In some cases, you may notice areas of thinning hair, and this may lead you to consider a method to combat the problem.
One of the natural solutions that can help is coconut oil, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.
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Coconut oil: A natural product that’s full of potential
Coconut oil can help you take better care of your hair and therefore avoid problems such as excessive hair loss and dryness. Let’s take a look at some of the home remedies proposed for this purpose below.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of coconut oil (45 g)
- 2 tablespoons of sage essential oil (30 g)
Preparation and application
- Mix both oils and put them in a suitable container for heating.
- Put this on low heat, until you get a homogeneous mixture. Once ready, let it cool down to room temperature.
- Apply on all the hair and cover it with a shower cap. Leave it on all night.
- The next morning, remove the cap and wash your hair as usual, with warm water. You’ll notice your hair is silkier and easier to manage.
- Instead of leaving the cap on all night, you can put it on and blow-dry your hair with hot air (at a safe distance) for about 10 minutes. This will accelerate the oil absorption process.
- On the other hand, you can combine coconut oil with some other product of your choice that can contribute to hydration: A homemade mask or a cream bath, a little honey, mashed banana, another oil (such as almond oil, for example).
Instead of leaving your cap on all night, you can put it on and blow dry it with the hot air (from a safe distance) for about 10 minutes. This will speed up the process of absorbing the oil.
On the other hand, you can combine the coconut oil with some other product of your preference that can contribute to hydration. For example, a homemade mask or a deep conditioner, some honey, banana puree, or another oil (like almond oil).
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Coconut oil is a good complimentary cosmetic
Yes, you can use coconut oil to take care of your hair, keeping it much healthier and stronger. However, you shouldn’t just rely on coconut alone to make your hair look beautiful or to reduce the risk of greys. To see results, you’ll need to maintain good living habits in every sense (eat healthily, moisturize well every day) and use the right care products.
If you experience excessive hair loss or gray hair, it’s best to go to your doctor for a check-up to find out what’s causing it and how it can be treated.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Gopala, K. A. G., Raj, G., Bhatnagar, A. S., Kumar, P., & Chandrashekar, P. (2010). Coconut oil: chemistry, production and its applications – A Review. Indian Coconut Journal. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-908X.2004.tb00761.x
- Van Neste, D., & Tobin, D. J. (2004). Hair cycle and hair pigmentation: Dynamic interactions and changes associated with aging. Micron. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micron.2003.11.006