Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil

About Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil

Coconut oil is pressed from the dried meat of the coconut. About half of its fatty acids are lauric acid, a medium-length, straight-chain fatty acid. That small, simple shape is the reason coconut oil behaves differently from most oils: laboratory studies found that it can pass into the hair shaft, while oils such as mineral oil mostly stay on the surface.

In one widely cited study, hair treated with coconut oil before and after washing lost less protein than untreated hair or hair treated with mineral or sunflower oil. That is the basis for using coconut oil as a pre-poo — applying it to dry or damp hair 20–30 minutes before shampooing so the hair swells less and loses less protein when it gets wet.

It also works as a light sealant and shine oil. Below about 76 °F (24 °C) it turns solid, so it may look white or clumpy in the jar in winter; it melts quickly in the hands.

Many people with coily hair love it, but a noticeable number report that coconut oil leaves their hair stiff, dry-feeling or crunchy — often people with low porosity or coarse strands. This is widely reported but not well studied. If that happens to you, try it only as a pre-poo or switch to a different oil. Coconut oil is approved for the Curly Girl Method. Fractionated coconut oil (caprylic/capric triglyceride) is a different, liquid ingredient.