Since ancient times, when speaking about female attractiveness, they mean the beauty of hair. And the point is not whether they are long or short, smooth or curly, flowing or fluffy, but how well-groomed they are. But sometimes women worry more about the color and shape of their haircut than about the health of their curls. Whereas there is a simple and effective way to maintain their elasticity, softness, shine and even richness of color longer - cosmetic care with vegetable and essential oils.
Knowing how to properly apply nourishing oil to your hair, as well as choosing the right one for the structure and condition of the strands, you can achieve amazing results.
What is especially important is that masks, wraps and compresses made from cosmetic oils not only give hair shine and silkiness, but also treat it. By enriching the follicles with useful substances, natural vegetable and essential oils promote active hair growth and prevent excessive hair loss. By filling the cavities between the scales with their dense composition, they solve the problem of split ends and fragility of strands. And penetrating into the structure of curls, they strengthen them, imbue them with vitality and make them soft, flowing and manageable in styling.
The rich vitamin composition and wide spectrum of action of cosmetic oils allow them to be used as a powerful restorative agent for weakened strands of any structure and length.
Terms of use
When selecting cosmetic oil for your hair, and even more so when mixing them for one procedure, it is important to know not only the functional orientation of each component, but also take into account their general compatibility. And also remember about the possibility of allergies, especially to exotic ingredients. Therefore, before using aromatherapy, masks, wraps or compresses based on vegetable or essential natural oils, you need to make sure of their individual tolerance. It can be easily tested by placing a drop on your wrist and observing the skin reaction.
Applying oils at home
- Before use, cosmetic oils should be heated in a water bath to 40-50 °C.
- To prepare your own fruit hair masks, you should first grind the fruits in a blender, then combine them with warm cosmetic oil and mix well again.
- The usual duration of action of combined masks on strands is from 20-30 minutes to 1.5-2 hours, and in their pure form, plant extracts can be left on the hair for 8-12 hours.
- Not all masks can be rubbed into the roots - check the permissibility of this on the label or in the instructions for use.
- To enhance the effect of a mask or wrap, do not put a plastic bag or shower cap on your head (you can overheat your strands) - it is better to use a terry or flannel towel.
- For preventive care, it is enough to apply oil to the hair once a week, and to achieve a therapeutic effect - every 3 days for 2-3 months.
Owners of voluminous hair and short curls often argue about how to properly apply masks based on vegetable or essential oils to their hair. Some people wrap dry strands with them before washing, while others spray them with a spray bottle immediately after a shower, while still wet. There are also those who forcefully rub them into the roots and along the entire length of freshly washed hair, and after 15 minutes they go back to the bathhouse. There is also disagreement about what temperature they should be - cold, warm or hot.
But experts agree: before use, cosmetic oils must be heated to + 40 degrees and certainly in a water bath - this way their aromatic essence will be fully revealed, better absorbed into the hair, roots and skin and will maximize all its beneficial properties.
It is correct to apply cosmetic oil only to clean, well-combed, dry hair (or slightly damp, thoroughly towel-dried). There is no need to specifically wet the strands - oil masks are already sufficiently saturated with moisture and moisturize the curls on their own.
A little secret - so that after using such rather greasy wraps, the strands do not appear dull and greasy, before the procedure they should be washed with the most ordinary shampoo that does not contain collagen. This way, the oil will not fall on the greasy film, but directly on the hair, which will also enhance the penetration of all biologically active substances into its structure.
If you need to oil the roots or on colored curls, the mask should not be rubbed harshly or forcefully or left on for too long.
Warmed up and carefully and gently driven into the follicles with your fingertips, it will penetrate where it is needed and with what intensity it needs, and also will not cause irritation. To increase blood circulation in the scalp, even such a light self-massage will be enough, while the follicles will remain intact and unharmed, nourished with valuable microelements and enriched with vitamins useful for the growth of healthy curls. By the way, to distribute the oil from roots to ends, just comb the strands with a sparse comb and lightly beat with your fingers. And it is important to remember that such procedures should not be carried out before dyeing - the coloring pigment will not penetrate into the clogged hair shaft.
After applying the oil solution, it is better to tie long strands in a knot (not tightly) so that they do not fall apart or get tangled, and short curls will be smoothed out and will not interfere. Then wrap it in a terry towel for the amount of time indicated on the label of the cosmetic oil chosen for the procedure - usually from 20 minutes to 3 hours, but sometimes longer. If the strands are lubricated with natural plant extract in its pure form, then you can safely do household chores for 10-12 hours or go to bed.
The best way to wash off a mask with cosmetic oil from your hair is as follows:
- shake the shampoo with your hands directly on oiled hair - without water;
- as soon as foam appears, rinse the strands under running warm water, then repeat the “shampoo-foam-water” procedure;
- rinse the curls with herbal infusion or vinegar or lemon solution.
Beneficial features
Cosmetic oils for hair care are rather fatty substances created on the basis of extracts that are obtained by cold pressing of beneficial plants and are practically insoluble in water. During industrial production, their natural organic base is often replaced with a mineral or synthetic one and mixed with fragrances, preservatives, dyes and other delights of chemical cosmetology. Which, to put it mildly, does not add any usefulness to them, and therefore is increasingly reviving the interest of beauties in natural hair care products.
Vegetable oils are completely safe because their composition is similar to human sebum. They are great for almost everyone (even with irritated and very sensitive scalp) and extremely rarely cause allergies. Natural plant extracts are perfectly absorbed, delivering maximum beneficial substances to the strands, and are used either in pure form or as a biologically active vitamin supplement to store-bought masks. They are equally good for all hair types, beneficial for the delicate skin around the eyes and for dry and aging skin of the face and scalp.
With the help of vegetable oils, you can strengthen not only curls, but also nails, as well as eliminate cosmetic defects of the skin of the face, hands and body, and even treat some dermatological diseases.
Properties of vegetable oils
- Anti-inflammatory.
- Normalization of secretions.
- Activation of collagen synthesis in the scalp.
- Gentle cleansing and aromatic toning.
- Softening and moisturizing curls and roots.
- Thickening thinning and strengthening weakened strands.
- Saturation with useful microelements along the entire length.
Essential oils differ from vegetable oils in that they are more concentrated and less fatty. They cannot be applied in their pure form to the roots and hair - you need to mix a few drops with vegetable or synthetic cosmetic oils or with ready-made balms, shampoos or masks. Otherwise, incredibly rich essential compounds will harm the fragile hair structure and delicate skin.
Essential oils - for hair strength
- Activation of skin regeneration.
- Follicle restoration.
- Strengthening hair roots and structure.
- Active saturation with vitamins A, C, P, B and D.
- Nourishes and smoothes strands along the entire length.
- Stimulation of curl growth and aromatic toning.
- Elimination of dandruff, itching, oiliness and dryness.
- Stabilization of the functions of sebaceous secretions.
- The ability to thicken hair, lighten its tone or remove color.
The most popular means
- burdock, flaxseed, almond, grape and cocoa butter - general strengthening and nutrition of the follicles and scalp, activating hair growth and giving a healthy shine;
- castor, coconut, sea buckthorn and ylang-ylang oil - treatment of damaged and weakened strands, restoration of split ends, getting rid of dandruff;
- wheat germ oil - effective elimination of excessive hair loss;
- argan and peach oils - saturating the hair with useful substances, promoting natural radiance, increasing thickness and volume;
- amla oil - giving strands lightness, softness and silkiness;
- jojoba and macadamia oils - abundant hydration, high-quality restoration and smoothing of dried out strands along the entire length
You will learn how to properly apply oil to your hair and which oil is best to buy from the video.
Knowing how women applied oils to their hair back in ancient times Egypt can preserve their beauty for many years. In the east, natural products used for hair growth, shine, strengthening roots, and feeding them with vitamins were very popular.
Today, hair oil, as a natural product, is superior to many medicated cleansers containing synthetic substances.
How to properly apply oil to hair
Some types of oils are used not only to treat hair, but also to care for eyebrows and eyelashes:
- castor oil (is perfectly absorbed into the hair, reaching deep into the roots, forming a layer that protects it from external damage);
- almond oil (used without additives, prevents fragility);
- burdock oil (mainly used against dandruff and dry hair);
- flaxseed oil (supplies hair tissue with nutrients);
- jojoba oil (normalizes fat content, maintaining hair freshness).
To get the full effect, you need to follow the rules, which clearly indicate how to properly apply oil to your hair:
- any type of oil should be spread along the length of the hair (not on the head) with a cosmetic brush and combed with a massage brush;
- in order to accelerate blood circulation and blood flow to the roots, it is recommended, without pressing, to massage the scalp with your fingers;
- to get a full result, you need to wear a plastic swimming headdress, but do not pull it tightly so that air can penetrate;
- It is recommended to keep the mask on for 2-3 hours, then thoroughly rinse the oil from your hair. There are oils that can be left on all night (jojoba, flaxseed);
- If your hair is oily, you should not keep the mask on for a long time. As a rule, in such cases, the hair is washed off after an hour.
Jojoba oil is the only product that can be rubbed directly into the scalp. It helps nourish hair follicles with vitamins and penetrate nutrients deep into the roots.
Which hair is best to apply oil to?
It should be noted that there are two categories of oils: essential and vegetable. Herbal masks are applied in their pure form, without any additives, for several hours (maximum 3 hours), or overnight. The duration depends on the type of mask. The oil must first be heated by steam until warm.
Essential oils are added to the detergent (shampoo, or other hair washing products) in an amount of only 3-4 drops, otherwise you can burn the scalp, ends and roots of your hair.
The question of whether to apply oil to dry or damp hair still remains relevant.. Essential oil masks are used in the process of washing hair, as they are additives to the detergent. The mask should be washed off 4-5 minutes after applying it to the strands.
Vegetable oils are divided into fatty (castor, sea buckthorn, burdock) and non-fat, or as they are called dry (cocoa butter, jojoba). The duration of the procedure depends on their quality. Oily types of masks should be left on the hair for no more than an hour (or less - 45 minutes). Cocoa or jojoba butter can be left overnight.
When asked which hair is best to apply oil to, the presenters cosmetologists have one answer: the hair should be damp (not wet). An exception is castor oil applied to dry split ends of hair. It prevents the process of their damage.
Purpose of vegetable oils
Each vegetable oil has a specific purpose. Knowing which hair to apply castor oil to, you can overcome hair loss and fragility. The castor mask is applied for an hour. Unlike other herbal masks, castor oil, like jojoba oil, can be lightly massaged into the skin. Having reached the roots, it strengthens them and restores damaged pores, which accelerates the growth of new hairs.
Burdock oil is very popular among women who want to have long, voluminous hair. Burdock mask is an excellent growth stimulator, and this happens in a short time. The mask is an excellent anti-dandruff remedy. The results of burdock oil can be observed immediately after washing your hair. With proper washing after drying, the hair visually increases in volume and length.
Flaxseed oil is used to enrich the entire body with vitamins. It is also an excellent hair care product. Flaxseed oil has the property of restoring and moisturizing hair, which prevents the appearance of dandruff. As a preventive measure, it can be applied to the hair regularly. After a flax mask, the scalp becomes sensitive to the perception of nutrients, the hair is soft, as if slightly damp.
Sea buckthorn oil is one of the types of herbal masks that promote strong hair growth and prevent baldness. It is valued for its wealth of nutrients, large amounts of vitamins, which have a beneficial effect on hair quality.
Advice! It is recommended to use natural hair cleansers as often as possible. First of all, they are safe, do not cause allergic reactions, and most importantly, they have medicinal qualities.
If you regularly use cosmetic hair oils as part of homemade masks, you can significantly improve the condition of your curls. Find out which of them will perform what function, what properties they have and how they are used correctly. Review of the best oil mask recipes.
Many women today refuse the active and frequent use of store-bought hair care products. At the same time, not everyone likes to turn to various food products for help in this important matter, from which it is so popular today to make homemade hair masks.
But there is an intermediate link that is no less effective than store-bought products, and no less natural than products from the refrigerator. These are cosmetic oils for hair (in principle, they can also be used for skin and nail care). They are also used in Korean cosmetics, which can be ordered here:
They are produced from various beneficial plants by cold pressing and are chemical fatty substances that do not dissolve in water. They should be distinguished from less fatty, but more concentrated essential oils, which cannot be used in their pure form, unlike cosmetic ones.
Review of cosmetic hair oils
Any cosmetic hair oil is a natural moisturizer and protector. The fatty acids in its composition envelop each individual hair with a film that performs several functions at once.
- Firstly, prevents moisture from evaporating from the surface of the curls and scalp.
- Secondly, serves as a protective barrier against the impact of ultraviolet radiation and other external negative factors.
- Third, creates a lamination effect, i.e. makes the strands unusually shiny.
In addition, each individual oil has a host of beneficial properties:
- burdock has a general strengthening effect on the scalp, roots, and strands themselves;
- castor copes well with dandruff, improves the condition of dry, thinning hair;
- coconut you can treat split ends and damaged, injured hair;
- linen nourishes and strengthens roots, activates the growth of frozen strands;
- argan will help grow long, thick, voluminous hair;
- sea buckthorn has excellent restorative properties: treats damaged, very thin strands, gets rid of dandruff, can be useful for split ends;
- almond provides regular care for normal hair type;
- jojoba has moisturizing and restorative properties;
- oil amly will provide softness and silkiness to curls;
- peach will give the strands a pleasant aroma, additional volume and natural glow;
- grape useful for weekly nutrition of the usual type of curls;
- macadamia necessary for abundant and high-quality moisturization of dried strands;
- ylang-ylang is an excellent restorative agent for sore, tired curls;
- oil wheat germ prevents hair loss, is used as a medicine against baldness (alopecia);
- cocoa moisturizes, stimulates hair growth, gives it shine.
Of the above, there are oils that can be found for 30 rubles per 50 ml (burdock or castor, for example), and there is the same volume of product for 800 rubles (argan). Which one you choose will depend on the scalp and hair problems that you experience and want to get rid of with the help of cosmetic oil.
Naturally, financial capabilities will also play an important role. One of the selection criteria from all this diversity is individual tolerance.
Most cosmetic oils are made from tropical, exotic plants and contain various powerful, active, irritating substances that can cause an allergic reaction.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended that every hair product prepared on the basis of cosmetic oils be checked for an allergic reaction.
This is far from the only rule for using them at home to care for curls.
Recommendations for the use of cosmetic oils
Many people reject cosmetic oils as hair care products. There are two main reasons - the greasy shine that they leave on the hair and the difficulty of washing off, because they do not dissolve in water. In fact, these difficulties and undesirable effects can be easily avoided and without suffering if you know the small but important feminine tricks.
PREPARATORY STAGE
- Cosmetic oils must be preheated. It is better to do this in a water bath, separately from the other components of the mask. The optimal temperature is no more than 50 °C and no less than 40 °C. Heat accelerates the action of biologically active substances, in particular fatty acids, which become more liquid, which means they are better absorbed by cells and penetrate deeper into the skin and hair structure.
- Cosmetic oils in masks must be thoroughly mixed with other ingredients. It’s better not to do this in a blender, because you’ll have to wash it very thoroughly every time. You can beat it manually with a special whisk. Experienced beauties recommend mixing regular products with a blender, and only then pouring oils into them and mixing again. It turns out neat, uniform consistency and without lumps.
- To prevent your hair from appearing greasy and dirty after oil masks, it is better to rinse it thoroughly with regular collagen-free shampoo before this procedure. The oil will fall directly on the living hair, and not on the sebaceous film, which will prevent the penetration of active substances. The second principle of the preparatory stage for applying a mask is that in this case it is not at all necessary to wet your hair even slightly. Cosmetic oils already provide moisture for curls: excessive amounts of moisture will be of no use. So apply oil masks to clean, dry, well-combed strands.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
- The oil mask primarily affects the hair roots., into which it is rubbed with palms and fingertips dipped in the prepared solution. Such self-massage will simultaneously have a positive effect on blood circulation in the scalp, which affects the rate of hair growth.
- After the roots are processed, With your palms dipped in the mask, you need to iron the strands along their entire length - from the roots to the very ends. After this, it would be good to comb the curls with an infrequent comb - then the mixture will lie evenly on the hair, without lumps, and saturate each strand.
- In a plate with the prepared oil solution, moisten the ends of your hair generously, since almost all cosmetic oils are excellent at fighting split ends.
- After processing the head, the hair is pulled into a loose knot on the top of the head so that the strands do not fall apart.
- A plastic bag is put on top and tied (a shower cap can replace it). Be sure to insulate it all with a terry towel.
- Now you can relax, lie down and enjoy the procedure. The duration of action of cosmetic oils on hair is from 20 minutes to 3 hours. If you use them in their pure form, you can make night cosmetic masks based on them.
RINSE
- This is the moment that usually causes difficulties. Fatty oils do not react to a stream of water directed at them and remain on the hair. But a more aggressive shampoo with various chemical formulas in its composition will easily react with them. Therefore, first, directly dry, without water (it is only allowed to lightly moisten your palms with water for adhesion), you need to beat the shampoo on your head along with the mask.
- After foam has formed (there won’t be much of it due to the lack of water), you can wash everything off using the usual method.
- The last rinse can be done with a herbal decoction, lemon water, vinegar solution - all this will only enhance the effect of oil masks.
FREQUENCY OF APPLICATION
- Such masks can be used once a week for preventive purposes and simply for regular hair care.
- If scalp problem much deeper and requires treatment, then masks are used up to three times a week.
- After 15 procedures, it is recommended to take a break for a month and switch to a different type of mask.
Compliance with these rules will not take up a lot of your time, but will turn the procedure for weekly hair care into a pleasant pastime. You will be pleased not only with the result, but also with the process itself.
Negative reviews of oil hair masks, dissatisfaction with them, and dislike of cosmetic oils can only be explained by inability to handle them.
If all these tips are followed, any of the proposed recipes for homemade masks with cosmetic oils can rightfully take the place of your favorite product.
Recipes for homemade masks with hair oils
Homemade hair masks with oils are distinguished by their universal effect. They moisturize, nourish, strengthen, heal, restore. Additional ingredients enhance or, conversely, weaken the effect of the base cosmetic oil. Therefore, look first of all at the main function of a particular mask - exactly what problem you can solve with its help.
- Restoring damaged hair
Beat kefir (2 tablespoons), burdock oil (3 tablespoons), peach oil (2 tablespoons). Add essential oils of lavender (3 drops) and cedar (2 drops). Action time is within two hours.
Whisk almond oil (2 tablespoons), milk (1 tablespoon), oatmeal, ground to flour (1 tablespoon). Can be kept on your head for 2-3 hours.
Whisk 3 tablespoons each of grape seed oil and rose extract. This mask can be made for the whole night.
- UV protection
Beat 2 tablespoons of grape seed, wheat germ, and jojoba oils. This mask is good to do in the summer for half an hour.
Beat 2 tablespoons of grape seed and jojoba oils, add 3 drops of rosemary and lavender essential oils, 2 drops of cedar and thyme to the mask. The longer you keep this mask on your head, the more effective it will be on your hair.
- Against hair loss
Beat 4 tablespoons of castor oil with 2 tablespoons of vodka. It is better not to leave masks on your head with alcohol for more than half an hour, because you can get burned.
- Moisturizing mask for dry hair
Beat burdock oil (1 tablespoon), cognac (1 tablespoon), aloe juice (1 tablespoon), yolk. This mask contains cognac, so the maximum you can leave it on your hair for is 30–40 minutes.
- Mask for oily hair
Beat peach oil (1 tablespoon) and jojoba (2 tablespoons), add oatmeal (2 tablespoons). This mask can be left on your head for 20 to 50 minutes.
Beat macadamia (2 tablespoons) and lemon juice (2 tablespoons). Lemon can be irritating to the scalp and can often become a source of an allergic reaction, so it is better to limit the duration of action of such a mask to half an hour.
Beat honey and cinnamon powder (3 tablespoons each), coconut oil and macadamia oil (1 teaspoon each), add lemon essential oil (6 drops). A cinnamon mask accelerates blood flow, and in order not to harm the skin with this spice, keep it on your head for no more than half an hour. You should also keep in mind that this product is best used for blondes, because the lightening effect on some strands is quite powerful.
The main thing is to follow the above recommendations and proportions. Naturally, the dosage of oils and other products is approximate (for medium-length hair), so correlate it with your curls: reduce or increase.
Don't be upset if something doesn't work out the first time. Cosmetic oils require a delicate attitude, so the art of using them as hair care products will need to be learned gradually.
But then the results will delight not only you, but also those around you: after all, they will give your hair a new life - health from the inside and beauty from the outside.