Whatever your crown looks like, whether it’s permed straight, naturally coiled or somewhere in between, we’re all on a constant look out for natural oils to keep our hair strong, moisturized and vibrant. Investing in expensive hair products isn’t always cost effective, especially when the products we really need can already be found in our kitchen cabinets, like coconut or grapeseed oil.
Dating way back into ancestral times, jojoba oil has been a go-to staple for hair, nail and skin treatments, especially as manufacturers began adding it to cosmetics in the 1970s. As it finds itself experiencing a more recent boom in the mainstream market, let’s take a deep dive into all the benefits of using jojoba oil for hair and how you should be effectively incorporating it into your routine.
Where Does Jojoba Oil Come From?
Extracted from the seeds of the jojoba plant, a shrub native to the southwestern United States, jojoba naturally occurs in the desert regions of Arizona, southern California and Mexico. Sometimes called a deernut, about half of a seed is made up of the medicinal oil, highly concentrated with monounsaturated fatty acids.
In order to separate the oil from the seed, it undergoes a process called cold pressing, a method which helps the oil maintain its nutritional value. Beyond its hair benefits, jojoba oil has healing properties that treat acne, eczema, cholesterol and heart disease.
Benefits Of Jojoba Oil For Hair
Combatting frizz, Jojoba oil has long been known as a remedy for curly hair, but there’s even more to it than what meets the eye. Jojoba oil is rich in vitamins and minerals that can deeply nourish and revitalize damaged hair, including vitamin B, C and E, as well as copper and zinc.
While fine, straight, type 1 hair may feel weighed down by the heavier oil, curly, textured and coily hair can benefit in a countless amount of ways, including:
- Remedy for dandruff and itchy scalp
- Prevents hair breakage
- Restores thickness
- Prevents hair loss
- Reduces frizz
- Moisturize dryness
- Treats split ends
- Aids in hair growth
- Soothes heat damage
- Restore the scalp’s natural moisture and pH balance
Not only will applying jojoba oil to your hair have it looking immediately luminous and glossy, but it’ll actually have long term lasting effects on its health restoration, as well.
How To Use Jojoba Oil For Hair
When using jojoba oil for hair, it’s important to remember that it’s working to lock in moisture, which is why it works best as the very last step of a wash day routine.
Because it’s a carrier oil, it will not irritate the hair or skin if used by itself. You can warm up the oil and work in up to two tablespoons of it, whether you want to massage the oil onto the scalp, comb it through your entire head of hair or use it as a 20 minute treatment before washing it out.
Similarly, you can add a few drops of jojoba oil to another mix of beneficial hair oils, or to a dollop of your favorite shampoo and conditioner before use. Jojoba oil is known to pair well with other moisturizing oils like argan, coconut and moringa oil.
And if you have some extra cash you’re willing to spend, you can also invest in products that already contain the oil, as many shampoos and conditioners integrate jojoba oil as one of its natural ingredients. Healthy hair advocate Tracy Ellis Ross’ hair line PATTERN features an excellent Jojoba Oil Hair Serum that deeply nutritional for the hair.
Invest In Your Crown
From a damaged hair routine staple, to a tool for glossy upkeep, using jojoba oil for hair treatment is the secret to having head turning hair. Before throwing away big money at expensive serums that may be solely relying on this sacred ingredient, why not go straight to the source first?