How to use hair conditioner effectively

While hair oiling is becoming popular all over the world, many people are still confused about why and how to oil their hair regularly ? This article will give you the answer.

Hair oiling is an ancient Indian beauty and self-care practice that is gaining popularity around the world as more and more people learn about its benefits. But simply oiling your hair is not enough. You need to know the specific method and frequency of oiling your hair because doing it haphazardly will not yield results and may cause more problems than benefits.

How many times a week should I use hair conditioner?

The ideal frequency for oiling your hair is once or twice a week. Since oil is sticky and greasy, keeping your hair and scalp greasy can attract impurities. These can get into the pores of your scalp. Therefore, it is important not to oil your hair too often and to let your hair and scalp breathe.

Factors affecting the frequency of applying hair conditioner

How often you oil your hair also depends on your shampooing cycle. If you shampoo more frequently, say four times a week, then more frequent oiling is a must. Likewise, if your shampooing cycle is less frequent, then the frequency of oiling can be reduced accordingly.

Another factor that determines how often you should oil your hair is your hair type, texture, length, and thickness. Thick, coarse, long, and curly hair needs to be oiled more often than thin, fine, short, and straight hair.

Understanding Scalp Oiling

Many people don’t realize this, but oiling your scalp is much more important than just oiling your hair. Oiling your hair is not about the amount of product you use, but how you massage your scalp. While oiling is just a lubricant, massaging your scalp has a number of beauty and other benefits.

A study conducted by the Journal of Physical Therapy Science that performed scalp massages on 34 female office workers demonstrated that the process reduced the participants’ blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones, thereby increasing relaxation. Speaking of the hair care benefits of scalp massage alone, another study demonstrated that it significantly increased hair thickness.

Besides, people of all ages, hair types and walks of life can benefit greatly from applying oil to their scalp and should include this in their self-care routine.

Steps to apply hair conditioner

• Step 1: If you have medium to long hair, add 10 to 12 drops of your favorite carrier oil to a small bottle. Then, add 2 to 4 drops of your favorite essential oil to the bottle and mix well with your fingers. You can adjust the amount depending on the length of your hair.
• Step 2: Dip your fingers in the bottle and rub the oil in for effective application. You can also choose to soak a small cotton ball in the oil and squeeze it onto your scalp for more effective application.
• Step 3: Start massaging the oil from the sides of the scalp to the center, moving back and forth to evenly cover all areas with the product.
• Step 4: Massage the oil into your scalp in circular motions for at least 5 to 7 minutes.
• Step 5: Next, apply the oil to the length of your hair by massaging slowly and firmly. No need to add more, try to massage until the middle of your hair length.
• Step 6: If you have long hair, take a little more oil on your fingers and apply it to the drier ends of your hair.
• Step 7: If your hair doesn't fall out easily, you can gently run your fingers through your hair to ensure the hair is evenly distributed.
• Step 8: Do not brush or tie your hair for several minutes afterwards to avoid hair breakage.

Hair Oils Worth Trying

Hair oils include carrier oils and essential oils. Carrier oils are essentially plant-based lipids used to lubricate and moisturize dry hair, while essential oils are concentrated aromatic herbs that provide various hair and scalp care benefits.

It is important to use the right type of hair oil that suits your scalp condition, hair type and specific requirements like hair growth, dandruff control, frizzy hair, premature greying of hair etc. Moreover, you should always invest in natural hair oils instead of synthetic products containing paraffin which do more harm than good. The popular types of hair oils available today include:

• Coconut oil
• Almond oil
• Argan oil
• Castor oil
• Tea tree oil
• Rosemary oil
• Peppermint oil
• Rosehip oil