From styling and coloring to heat, detangling, washing, and much more, we put our hair through a lot. It is important to keep your natural hair looking and feeling its best, and it’s no secret that hot oil treatments are great for your hair.
You can benefit from a hot oil treatment all year round — and they are great for any hair type! Hot oil treatments act like a spa for your tresses, helping to strengthen your hair and prevent dry, brittle hair and split ends.
Hot oil treatments are also useful for helping to stimulate blood flow, as well as helping with hair growth. They provide many benefits to help deal with common hair care and styling issues such as dandruff, dry scalp, frizziness, moisture loss, and much more.
It is a personal preference on how often to practice hot oil treatments, but many naturals do them weekly, especially in the winter months.
You will need to heat your oil before applying it to your hair and scalp. To do this, you can place your oil in an applicator bottle or in a bowl that is safe for heating. Then, put your oil in hot water if you are using an applicator bottle or the microwave if you are using a bowl.
Make sure to let the oil cool off before applying it to your hair and scalp to prevent burning yourself. Once it’s a safe temperature, apply it, place a shower cap over your head for about 15 to 20 minutes, and rinse. You can also sit under a hooded dryer or steamer. Heat or steam will allow your hair cuticles to open up and help the oil penetrate your hair shaft, which helps with moisture. After rinsing, apply your leave-in conditioner.
When to Apply Your Hot Oil Treatment
It is best to apply your hot oil treatment after you have washed your hair. You don’t want to apply it to dirty hair because your hair will not benefit as much. You want the oil to fully penetrate your scalp and hair, and if your hair is dirty, the oil will just sit on top of your hair.
Applying your hot oil treatment right after you shampoo and before your deep condition is the best time to apply. Some naturals also apply the hot oil treatment after deep conditioning, instead of before. You can use this method if you feel that your hair is really dry and you need maximum moisture.