The Many Uses of Avocado Oil for Your Hair

We don’t often consider how we take care of our outer body is affected by the products we put on it.  Using products we can eat on the outside of our body is just as important as what we put on the inside of our body.  Enjoy today’s article from one of my nutritional endocrinology students, health coach and licensed cosmetologist Drena Bennett.

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Hair, for the human race, is a very important part of our appearance and self confidence.  There is a combination of factors that are attributed to hair and scalp problems, such as eating habits, deficiencies in the body, genetics, and the water that we use to bathe with.

The water in our showers, if not filtered, contains chemicals that can harm our hair and skin.  In some cases, there are several shampoo and conditioner products for consumers to buy that have a number of chemicals in them, such as phytates and sulfates, that contribute to the  damage done to the hair.

Avocado oil can help in reversing some of the damage created by these abuses.  With regular use, this nourishing oil can help your hair and skin recover and begin the path back to health along with the rest of your body.

The Benefits of Avocado Oil for Your Hair

Avocado oil is very beneficial to the hair.  Among some of the benefits avocado oil provides to the hair are:

• Preventing hair loss
• Moisturizing the hair
• Treating dandruff
• Strengthening the hair roots
• Adding shine to the hair
• Healing the hair shaft due to heat damage from blow dryers, flat irons, and curling irons.

Many of the vitamins in avocado oil are some of the very same vitamins that help with hair loss.  Among these vitamins are vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, vitamin K, folate, and pantothenic acid.

The largest amounts of vitamins in avocado oil are from vitamin E and vitamin B6.  The B vitamins work on a deeper level by penetrating into the cortex to strengthen the hair.

The work vitamin E does is for actually repairing the damage done to the hair.

The monounsaturated fats in avocado oil are higher than extra virgin olive oil, therefore allowing it to heal the hair better.  Many people suffer from dry, damaged, and weak hair from the many chemical services they put their hair through, not to mention the environmental pollution that can wreak havoc with it.

When applied in a hair mask, these monounsaturated fats will nourish, strengthen, and improve the hair’s overall condition.  Massaging avocado oil into your scalp also promotes blood flow to your hair follicles.

These treatments help more nutrients to reach the follicles quickly and stimulate new hair growth.  Massaging the oil into your scalp makes it a viable treatment against hair loss because it restores the scalp, as well as making the hair follicles stay tighter into the bulb under the scalp.

Avocado oil can be used to fight dandruff.  Use it once a week to discourage bacteria from forming, as well as the thickening of the scalp bacteria that causes the scalp to shed this skin.  It can also tame brittle hair that seems to fly everywhere from lack of moisture and protein.

Choosing an Avocado Oil

The best way to choose an avocado oil is to choose one that is in its purest organic form.  There are some other things to think about before buying avocado oil.

First, check how it is extracted.  Has the purity of the avocado been preserved?  In its purest form, the avocado will have very low acidity levels, and the presence of artificial additives will be low.

Avocados do not require large amounts of pesticides as it is raised, so this makes it easier to find those pure forms of the oils.  A rich form of avocado oil is dark green in color.

The less processed the oil is the more vitamins, nutrients, amino acids, and other essential minerals there will be in the oil.  The cold-pressed versions of avocado oil are preferred for use because they don’t disturb the monounsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, and high levels of antioxidants like vitamin E.

 How to Use Avocado Oil in Your Hair

Avocado oil can be a great addition to hair products you have already purchased.  It can be added to your shampoo to create a product that is less likely to strip away the natural oils from your hair that has already been dried out and damaged.

Using shampoo that has avocado oil in it will also reduce the swelling of the hair shaft that happens during shampooing.

You can also add avocado oil to the hair when braiding it to remove the fly-away hairs, as well as massage it into the ends of the hair to create silky smooth ends and give it shine.

Avocado oil doesn’t harden or create a gummy affect on the hair so it can be used without worry.

There are 5 steps to applying avocado oil on the hair.  This is a hair mask that penetrates deeply into the hair follicles creating strength and shine.

1. Mix 2 teaspoons of vegetable glycerin and 2 teaspoons of avocado oil in a bowl.  You may need more for longer hair.
2. Mix thoroughly for about 1-2 minutes.  Use a whisk for better emulsifying.
3. Take the solution and apply it to your clean hair.
4. Wait 2 hours and rinse. You can put a plastic bag over your hair and sleep with this on overnight for a deeper hair mask.
5. Wash the oil out of your hair with water. Tepid water is best.

Enjoy your new soft hair!!

Do you use avocado oil?  If so, please share what you do with it.

Drena Bennett has been in the health and beauty industry for 35 years.  She has owned salons, studied biochemistry, organic gardening, and is currently a student in Dr. Ritamarie’s Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner training program. She has a desire to help people to reach their goals and aspirations in their health and life directions.  She currently raises large gardens of organically grown foods to feed many needy families, and works part time in a salon.  She researches information on a daily basis to improve her skills in all areas of interest.

Reference for more information:  For more information on avocado oil and hair loss, click here