Firstly, make sure it is a PURE oil. There are many things available on the high street that are INFUSED with natural oils: but infused means that the natural oils are just one ingredient, and that artificial chemicals are also at work. Examples of these are:
V05 Miracle Concentrate, enriched with Argon oil
Aussie Take the Heat Leave in Conditioning Cream, enriched with Jojoba seed oil
Naked Smooth and Silky Conditioner, enriched with jojoba oil
(There are many other products like this but these are the ones that came to mind)
NONE of these products are pure: they all contain drying chemicals and silicones (which is basically a fancy word for plastic) to give the hair shine, why would you put plastic on your hair to make it shine?! Bin these products and buy the pure form of these oils. Read on for my favourites.....
Amla Oil- It is by no means an exaggeration when I say that Amla oil is in the top 5 loves of my life: It is simply heaven for hair in a bottle.
I was first introduced to Amla Oil by my science teacher, Miss Rai. Miss Rai had the most gorgeous hair. Just a few inches above her hips, long, glossy and raven black (although once a year she'd come in with red highlights through it, I think she highlighted her hair with henna). I didn't put much effort into my science lessons so Miss Rai would come over and speak to me and the girls who sat next to me. We always used to say to her how jealous we were of her hair and she said it was because of the oils she used. When I asked what oils she told me that her favourite was Amla Oil, made by Dabur. Amla Oil is available from most Asian shops, I live in Northamptonshire so I get mine from the Asian shops in the Queens Park area of Bedford. Many Indian cosmetic brands have their own Amla Oil but I recommend the Dabur Amla Oil. Amla is the Indian Gooseberry. I you do not have any Asian shops in your area then here is a website that you can order Amla Oil from: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dabur-Amla-Hair-Oil-200ml/dp/B000JWM7E6
Olive Oil- Olive Oil is literally like pure hydration for hair. The wonderful Sophia Loren claims to have used it on her hair her entire life. I use olive oil on my hair, too. Olive oil is both a deep conditioner and as it helps with the health of the scalp, a good dandruff prevention. yesterday one of my friends was complainging that her bleached hair felt dry so I recommended olive oil to her (Amla would turn her blonde hair green) and she was pleased with the results. How to use Olive Oil: Heat oil either in a microwave or on the hob of an oven until it is warm but not too hot, start by massaging into the scalp and the applying all over, although I only use Olive oil on my mid lengths and ends, but if you have dry hair then I recommend you apply it all over. Olive Oil is avialable to buy from any food shop, and you probably have some in your kitchen right now! leave Olive Oil on for as long as possible, although I recommend at least 2 hours.
Coconut Oil- Coconut Oil is a wondrous product for hair. It leaves hair very,very shiny but the only issue is it takes A LOT of effort to rinse it out, but it is most definetly worth it. Coconut Oil has a cooling effect on the scalp which is very relexing and obviously a cool environment is ideal for hair: we all know the dangers of heat and hair! The interesting thing about coconut oil (again, make sure you are buying it in the purest form and not some coconut oil enriched shine spray!!!) is that it is actually a solid, but melts on contact with the skin. Again, massage into scalp and spread down the hair shaft, coating each hair and focusing on the ends. Coconut oil has also been used in India for many, many years. Coconut Oil is available in most Asian shops and health food shops. If not then you can order it here: http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=690&prodid=733&cid=182&sid=0&afid=70&safid=AG&scid=14581&cm_mmc=Aggregates-_-Comparisons-_-GoogleProducts-_-HBMVPCGP&of_tid=zRf8YL0qDR2SffY6KhwhDEK9JXqVj-NdzWePgJyAS2FxeHxoPxHrOIl8Uy6nTu4z
Dabur Vatika Enriched Almond Hair Oil- I desperately want to try this after hearing great feedback about it, it is pure almond oil (obviously) and has both the hibiscus and muskroot herbs in it, too.I will get a bottle of this and review it, girls.
Jojoba Oil- This is another billiant oil, it is very similiar to the hair's natural oils so gently nourishes and improves hair health.I will get a bottle of this and review it too.
My Favourite Oil mix- Amla and Olive.
I only wash my hair once a week and spend four days a week with my hair in an Olive and Amla oil mix, so I spend most of my life with greasy hair! But when I wash my ahir it is sooooo worth it as my hair is so healthy. For this mix I massage amla oil into my scalp and put it on the root sections of myhair, then a smaller amount on the mid lengths and some on the ends. I then apply olive oil liberally to the ends and some onto the mid lengths but none on the root. The root is an amla only zone. I do this on the third day after I washed my hair and then rinse it off four days later. It works wonders.
With all these oils, you apply them on dry hair before you wash your hair.The idea of shampooing and then applying a conditioning product is a Western idea and in the ancient art of Indian hair oiling does not make much sense. Apply oils to dry hair, leave on for as long as possible (days if you can!) and then shampoo. There really is no need to buy expensive conditioners when you've discovered the wonders of oiling!!!
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