Learn How To Use Coconut Oil For Beautiful Hair (How Long To Leave It In)

If you want to use coconut oil for soft, healthy, luxurious hair, there are a few ways to do it.

You could add some coconut oil to your hair as a mask and leave it in for an hour before rinsing it out, you can apply it just to your ends to help with split ends or use as a weekly hot oil treatment.

Coconut oil works great for most hair types

Keep reading to learn how to use it and how long you should leave it on your hair.

Still Need Coconut? Find It On Amazon 

How to use coconut oil for your hair. DIY recipes

Why Coconut Oil Helps Your Hair

First of all, you might be curious about why so many people recommend using coconut oil for your hair.

There are a few different reasons it can be so great for healthy hair not to mention actually studies showing how coconut oil is remarkably great for your hair.

This includes moisturizing it and getting rid of dryness which really helps with split ends.

Coconut oil’s powerful lauric acid makeup helps it penetrate into the hair shaft better than other oils such as mineral and sunflower oil. 

It can also be really great for getting rid of all that buildup on your scalp that ultimately leads to dandruff.

Using coconut oil in your hair is simple and all you do is adjust the time for how long to leave it your hair depending on what you are doing.

Related: 14 Incredible DIY Coconut Oil Beauty Hacks

How To use coconut oil in your hair and how long to leave it in. DIY Recipes for softer hair.

How To Use Coconut As An Overnight Moisturizing Mask

What you want to do is just get about 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil into the palm of your hands, and rub it in between your hands carefully (don’t make a mess!), to warm it up enough to run through your hair.

It can be helpful to grab a comb after you have applied it to your hair and comb it through to get it evenly throughout your hair.

Leave it in your hair overnight.

Note: You may want to cover your pillow with a towel or wrap your hair for the night so you don’t make a mess.

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How To Use Coconut Oil For Split Ends

A really great way to help your hair when you can’t get a trim is by using coconut oil directly on the split ends.

The steps are as easy as you expect.

  1. First, towel dry your hair after you have washed it.
  2. Grab a small amount of coconut oil right from the jar, then work it through your hair, just applying to the middle through to the ends.
  3.  Avoid applying it near your scalp as you already have natural oils there.
  4. Wrap your hair in a towel and then rinse it out in about 30-60 minutes.

Do this about once a week or so and your split ends will thank you.

How To Use Coconut Oil For Dandruff

It’s pretty simple to use coconut oil for dandruff. Simply apply to your scalp and leave on as explained in this video.

How To Use Coconut Oil As A Hot Oil Conditioner 

Another way to reduce your split ends and condition your hair is by using it as a hot oil treatment.

Hot oil treatments should not be done every day, but instead about once a week or so.

  1. Heat up some coconut oil or other type of oil for about 15-20 seconds in the microwave.
  2. Massage it onto your scalp and through your hair, leaving it up for up to an hour.
  3. You can then rinse it out and wash your hair with shampoo.

Head Lice Coconut Oil + Essential Oil Treatment Recipe

A 2002 study showed that coconut oil mixed with anise and ylang ylang essential oils is very effective in controlling lice infestations and causes no serious side effects.

Apply it to your child’s hair for 15 minutes at a time three times at five-day intervals. 

*Tea tree essential oil is another oil that could be mixed in since it also has lice killing properties.

Try this recipe from Dr. Axe that should be just enough for shoulder-length hair.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon each of ylang-ylang, anise and tea tree oils (can swap for other anti-lice oils according to what you have on hand/what agrees with you or your child)
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup water

This should be enough for shoulder-length hair, but double the recipe for longer hair.

Directions:

  1. Blend the coconut oil and essential oils together.
  2. Apply the oil mixture all over the scalp, massage in well, and pull through the ends.
  3. Comb through the hair with a fine-tooth comb.
  4. Cover your head in a shower cap and allow to sit for 2 hours. If possible, sit in the sun or use a hairdryer to periodically warm up the cap.
  5. Carefully remove shower cap.
  6. Comb hair again before washing and rinsing thoroughly, twice.
  7. While hair is still wet, combine 2 cups of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup water in a small spray bottle. Saturate the hair, spraying ½ the bottle on the scalp and hair.
  8. Lean over the sink and pour the remaining mixture over the hair, massaging lightly.
  9. Rinse thoroughly and comb hair once again with a fine-tooth comb.
  10. Follow with a light application of coconut oil.  Style as desired and allow to remain on the hair until next washing.

Related: 20 Essential Oil DIY Skin Care Recipes

coconut recipes for hair

Coconut Oil + Avocado For Dry Hair

Try this recipe by Trialsntresses.com for dry hair. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 Avocado
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • ¼ cup of coconut milk

Directions:

  1. Mash the ripe avocado until you get a smooth consistency. (think guacamole but smoother)
  2. Add coconut oil to your avocado puree and mix well.
  3. Apply this mixture to your hair and leave on for 20 minutes.
  4. Wash your hair with warm water and make sure to remove the avocado residue. (especially if the avocado wasn’t ripe enough)

Coconut oil for hair - How long should you leave it in.

Coconut Oil + Lemon Juice For Combination Hair

Lemon juice has an oil control action and can reduce extra greasiness in the scalp and locks as well as fight off germs and dirt that clog up hair follicles. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil 
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

  1. Mix the above ingredients thoroughly.
  2. Using clean fingers, apply this to dry scalp and hair.
  3. Wait for 15 minutes.
  4. Wash off thoroughly using enough tepid water.
  5. Let your hair dry naturally, instead of blow-drying, for best results.

How long to leave coconut oil in hair.

Common Mistakes Made With Coconut Oil

Adding more coconut oil to your diet or using on your skin or hair is a wonderful way to benefit from it, but there are also some mistakes people tend to make.

Make sure if you decide to use more coconut oil on a daily basis, you do not make these common mistakes.

1. Allowing Mold To Grow In It

It is normal to have multiple jars of coconut oil in your home and use it often.

The problem with this is that each jar might take a while to use completely, which means a lot of humidity and wet hands going into the jar consistently over time can lead to mildew and even mold.

You definitely don’t want to be using coconut oil that has started to grow mold on it.

A good way to prevent this is by either keeping just one jar in your home and using it up before buying another one and making sure your hands are always dry when using it.

If you use it on wet hair or after a shower, be careful about scooping it from the jar and dry your hands first.

How long to leave coconut oil in your hair

2. Using it on Color-Treated Hair

This is a common mistake mostly because there aren’t enough warnings out there.

You need to be really careful about using too much coconut oil on color-treated hair, as it might cause the color to fade prematurely.

This doesn’t mean that you can never use it on your dyed hair, but that you need to be more careful.

You should only use it about once a week or so, and a smaller amount than others would use.

Note: Test a small section underneath your hair first to make sure it doesn’t cause a major change in your hair color.

3. Letting It Get Too Close to Your Eyes

You need to be really careful when you are putting coconut oil near your eyes, particularly if you are using it as a carrier oil with essential oils.

Coconut oil can burn a little so essential oils can cause even more serious problems if they get in your eyes.

Using Coconut Oil Is Simple

With these simple tips and recipes, you will be on your way to having beautiful, soft, luxurious hair just by applying the coconut oil overnight, on your split ends, or as a mask.

Click Here To Read More Amazing Coconut Oil Benefits

Reader Comments

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