If you have curly hair, you understand the struggle of trying to keep your curls moisturized and frizz-free. Curly hair is often drier because it tends to have lower water content and less sebum distributed along the hair shaft. This loss of hydration typically results in dry, brittle, frizzy curls. But there may be an everyday kitchen staple that can help you achieve your hair goals.
Olive oil have been used for grooming in Mediterranean cultures since ancient times. Packed with emollient-rich oleic acid, palmitic acid, and squalene, olive oil is excellent for your curls.
Olive Oil and Frizz Control
Frizz occurs when the hair cuticle lifts, allowing individual hair strands to puff away from each other, creating a halo of flyaways. Hair tends to frizz more often when you have curly hair. Since each curl has bends and twists throughout its strands, it makes it more difficult for cuticles to lie flat. Olive oil helps by coating each strand and sealing down those pesky cuticles. When your hair cuticles are flat, moisture is locked in, reducing frizz.
Vitamin E is also known as a natural smoothing agent that helps with frizz. Olive oil contains vitamin E, which can smooth unruly curls without weighing them down. This powerful antioxidant also helps prevent environmental damage that may lead to future frizz.
If you use a styling product that leaves your hair with a slight cast, try olive oil. It’s even a quick fix used to «scrunch out the crunch». This lets you get soft, bouncy curls without frizz, even on humid days. Using a minimal amount of olive oil, rubbed between your palms and gently applied to dry curls, helps. Many have found that it can leave hair with a gorgeous natural shine.
Is olive oil good for curly hair when it comes to hydration?
When applied directly to the hair, studies show that strands absorb olive oil, helping to seal in moisture. You need this hydration retention if you have wavy, curly, or coily hair, because your hair texture doesn’t allow the natural oils produced by your scalp (aka sebum) to evenly distribute along the hair shaft.
Curly hair doesn’t allow the oils from your scalp to travel down your strands as they do on straight hair. Olive oil creates a barrier that seals in moisture for your hair fibers and protects your lengths from drying out and becoming brittle. Together, oleic acid and squalene are emollients that soften and smooth your curls by coating your strands with a thin film.
So, ‘is olive oil good for curly hair when it comes to hydration?’ Yes, it is. Not only does this film enhance elasticity, but it also minimizes tangles, snagging, and friction that can cause your hair to break. When your curls have more elasticity, they can stretch without breaking, leading to less breakage and more length retention.
Does It Work on All Curl Types?
Every person’s curly hair journey is different, so results may vary when trying olive oil curly hair treatments. Know your curl type and hair texture before trying any olive oil hair treatments.
Dense, coarse curls have a lot of texture, which allows the olive oil to absorb without weighing your hair down. If your curls always feel thirsty, you may benefit from using olive oil. Low-porosity hair is more prone to product buildup, and heavier oils can feel weighty or sit on the surface, affecting thin hair types. Therefore, use olive oil sparingly, as too much can weigh your curls down.
Apply oil once or twice a week, or only when your hair feels dry, if it has low porosity. Fine and thin hair types should use olive oil sparingly. Too much oil will weigh your curls down, making them look limp and greasy rather than bouncy and defined. Mix olive oil with a light carrier oil, or only apply it to your ends.
How to Use Olive Oil for Curly Hair
The best way to use these olive oil curly hair treatments is as a pre-shampoo mask. Coat hair with oil and wait 30 minutes before washing out with shampoo and conditioner as usual. By doing this, you get the deep-penetrating benefits of the oil while removing any excess oil that may weigh your hair down.
For an extra-intense treatment, heat the olive oil and massage it into the scalp. Allow to sit for one hour or overnight. Heat will open your hair cuticles, allowing them to absorb all those fabulous nutrients. Mix 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil from Spain, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon honey for an easy, deep-conditioning mask.
After shampooing, apply the mixture to the hair and wait ten minutes before rinsing out. Honey naturally adds extra moisture to hair. Lemon juice helps to cleanse away any residue left in your hair. Many celebrities have found beauty secrets that give them gorgeous hair and skin.
Olive oil is a common secret ingredient. Another option is to use it as a finisher after styling hair. Warm a tiny amount of olive oil in your hands, then gently scrunch it into your hair to add shine and reduce any remaining frizz.
Common Mistakes You Want to Avoid
Don’t ever apply olive oil to your curly hair before heat styling. Olive oil has one of the most stable burning temperatures of any oil, between 350 and 406°F. Heat will actually burn your hair rather than help it.
Do not apply olive oil directly to your scalp if you have dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis. Olive oil can promote yeast growth, worsening these conditions.
0 Comments