Coconut Oil for Strong, Shiny Hair




coconut

Coconut oil is one of the healthiest and most beneficial natural products known to traditional civilizations. Although for decades it was unfairly demonized by the Western medical establishment and cheap, rancid, highly processed vegetable oils and synthetic hair-care products were pushed onto the market instead, coconut oil is presently making its triumphant comeback. Nowadays, more and more health-conscious Americans prefer to use natural products to benefit from the vast cornucopia of their nourishing, antioxidant, antiviral, cleansing, strengthening, and antimicrobial properties. Extra-virgin coconut oil that comes from traditionally-maintained and still unpolluted tropical areas is one of the most miraculous gifts of nature that can greatly benefit not only your hair but also your entire health and vitality.

Coconut oil has a long history as a traditional skin and hair remedy. People with dry, itchy skin, eczema, dandruff, or dermatitis, as well as those suffering from dull, thin, shedding hair, will benefit enormously if they add generous amounts of cold-pressed coconut oil or, alternatively, coconut cream, to their daily menu. Topical applications represent another successful way to treat ashy skin, dry scalp, and hair loss. Weekly or even daily scalp massages with coconut oil will heal, revitalize, and rejuvenate your hair follicles within a few months.

What makes coconut so unique and beneficial for us? Just like tropical palm and kernel oils, coconut oil is more saturated and stable than other fats existing in vegetables, nuts, and fruits. It is about 92 percent saturated and mostly consists of beneficial medium-chain triglycerides. Of especial interest is lauric acid - an essential fatty component that exists in huge quantities in mother’s milk and many tropical oils. In fact, coconut oil is the biggest depository of lauric acid, from among those available for everyday human consumption. The only other source for a Westerner is butter coming from grass-fed cows and goats, but coconut oil contains a considerably higher percentage of health-promoting lauric acid. This fatty acid has very strong antifungal, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties. It is able to cure fungal infections, yeast overgrowth, parasites’ contamination, dysbacteriosis, and other intestinal disorders. When ingested or applied onto the scalp, coconut oil fights infections, fungi, parasites, and a whole range of harmful bacteria. It is an established fact that large amounts of coconut oil have always protected tropical peoples from contaminated foods and various microbes and fungi so prevailing in their everyday life.

Another unique quality of coconut oil is its immune-boosting action. Since hair loss often mirrors weakening of the immune system and accompanies many autoimmune diseases, a daily consumption of coconut oil is a powerful measure to strengthen both the immune system and hair. In fact, many cases of alopecia (sudden loss of hair) have an autoimmune nature. HIV-positive people, as well as those suffering from AIDS, often complain of excessive hair loss. Naturopathic doctors advise such patients to consume daily about 25 grams of lauric acid to fight immune system weakness - and this amount is contained in four tablespoons of coconut oil.

Thanks to its stable saturated fat content and a large percentage of lauric acid, coconut oil can be kept without refrigeration for many months without going rancid. It can be easily incorporated into cooking, frying, and baking, just the way it has been used by tropical populations for millennia. Unique nourishing qualities of coconut oil also make it an extremely beneficial skin and hair remedy. In fact, I always recommend my friends and clients to use natural, additives-free, cold-pressed coconut oil instead of expensive and laboratory-produced body and face creams and synthetic, loaded with petrochemical waste, hair-care products.

Therefore, it you experience hair loss, particularly if it is accompanied by dry, ashy scalp, dandruff, eczema, or psoriasis, start using extra-virgin coconut oil on a daily basis. Consume several tablespoons of it in smoothes, in baked goods, or just off the spoon. In addition, massage your hair with generous amounts of coconut oil several times a week before shampooing. Make sure you reach deep into the hair follicles to nourish hair roots and halt hair loss.

Coconut oil can be successfully substituted for equally beneficial coconut products, such as creamed coconut, additive-free whole coconut milk, or desiccated coconut.

Christiana Roberts

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Posted on February 28, 2008 
Filed Under Hair Care, Hair Loss Treatments

Comments

One Response to “Coconut Oil for Strong, Shiny Hair”

  1. Martin on April 25th, 2008 7:27 pm

    Coconut oil is the only oil i use on my face. It is much better and cheaper than the artifical creams you can buy. The only disadvantage is that if you put too much on, it can leave your face looking shiny.

    Another type of fat i have been experimenting with recently is beef fat, the kind you can buy at the supermarkets.

    Because it has a high cholesterol content, i find it excellent for preventing my skin from drying out.

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