Hair can get dry and brittle, especially in the summer months during time spent outside, at the beach, or swimming in a chlorine laden pool. Use of harsh chemical products can also damage hair, but this conditioning treatment helps nourish hair and strengthen it.
Try this easy and inexpensive home treatment that will naturally improve your hair. I even use this on my four year old to make her hair more manageable and easier to brush (she is very tender-headed). This recipe is so simple, it is hard to call it a recipe, but it works really well so I thought I’d share it anyway. Please note that it will leave hair oily and need to be washed/rinsed well as to not leave residue.
If you’re looking for other natural hair care recipes, check out my homemade coconut shampoo, DIY Beach Waves Hairspray and Dry Shampoo for Dark or Light Hair.
Too busy to DIY? Try my Wellnesse brand shampoo and conditioner for all hair types — or try this formula if you have curly hair.
Nourishing Hair Oil Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- 1 TBSP honey
- 1 tsp Epsom salt (or magnesium flakes)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients and whisk or blend well (I used an immersion blender). You may have to heat the coconut oil slightly to soften it. The Epsom salt will still be somewhat gritty but will dissolve and work in to the hair once applied.
- Over a sink or shower, massage the oil through the hair and scalp. Put a shower cap on (or old towel) and leave on for up to 30 minutes.
- In the shower, rinse well, then shampoo.
Notes
Have you ever used oil on your hair? How did it work?
I used this and became a grease ball. I’ve washed my hair 3 times with the detoxing mud shampoo and used a ton of baking soda to try and regain “normal” hair texture to no avail. Any suggestions or at least logic on why this happens to my hair. I feel like I have dry hair, but when I put anything “nourishing” on it such as oil or honey it’s like my hair rejects it and starts detoxing all over again.
For the record, I’ve been commercial shampoo free for almost 4 months and found the mud shampoo to be the best wash around month 2 of this 6 month commitment (which I’m hoping will become lifelong). My hair is a fine blonde and took forever to adjust to no shampoo. Now that it has adjusted, it seems a little dry. I’d love to know what I can do to help nourish it without losing a week to super greasy/oily hair.
You may have coarse hair, not dry hair. People mistake them for each other because they feel similar, but coarse hair is caused by more protein on the hair shaft, whereas dry hair just lacks moisture. If your hair is coarse but well moisturized, putting extra moisture on it may cause it to feel oily and gross. You could try shea butter-based things, but avoid things that will sit on the hair without absorbing in.
Epic Fail!
The closest I could get to raw honey in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was organic unpasteurized which is solid, not liquid. I am going to assume that you need liquid honey for this to work. I had to head up the honey to even begin to mix it with the oils and had to apply it to my hair while warm/hot. It solidified on contact. I could not work it through my hair. What I had was a hot, solid mess!!
So, is there any other recommendation to those of us who don’t have access to raw honey other than regular liquid honey? A supplement to add to replace the lost nutrients from using pasteurized, farmed honey? I’d send a picture; but, it was just….bad. Lol!
Hi Katie! I love, love your site and you have made my journey to a more natural-life fun and easy….I’ve really come to trust your recipes! I’ve used too many to list! Thank you for sharing all you do! Just a tip to rinsing out oil treatments (works like a charm, I promise), DO NOT wet hair! In the shower, work in the shampoo as much as possible WITHOUT water and then slowly, slowly add small amounts of water working in and lathering as much as possible before adding more water. Do this until you have a full lather and then rinse thoroughly. Then shampoo normally a second time and condition normally. No greasy hair after 🙂
Also, just a note to those who commented about the coconut oil making their hair “weird”….I noticed the same thing immediately but then by the end of the week I had the super silky, shiny hair everyone else was talking about….weird! So maybe give it a day or two and see? I personally love it!
back in the day we did VO5 hot oil, but now I use a mixture of coconut, sweet almond, castor, jojoba, vitamin e and olive oils. I put all the oils in tip bottle used to apply hair dye, soak hair and scalp put on a thin shower cap like the ones you get from a hotel. Leave that on for several hours while I’m doing housework and chores, even working out. Then I rinsed my hair in warm water and conditioner. Make my hair feels so soft an much more manageable. I have dense thick super spirally curly hair that sucks up the oil mixture. Took a while to find the proper oil balance and combination that helped me. I do this 2 a month.
Hi Tracey
I realize that your post is from 2+ years ago, but I’m wondering if you still use your oil mixture, and if it still makes your hair really soft and manageable. My hair is similar to yours, and I’d love to know what proportions of oils you use.
thanks! 🙂
I use oil on my hair on a regular basis. My hair is naturally dry and chemicals dry it even more. I use a variation of your recipe that also includes almond oil and avocado oil, in addition to the oils you mention. I also throw in some Argan oil. I leave the oil in my hair overnight along and cover it with a plastic conditioning cap. Works like magic and makes my hair shiny and soft.
I have struggled with SEVERE dandruff/eczema on my scalp for quite some time, saw a dermatologist and spent 28.00 on a shampoo that was supposed to help…IT DID NOT! 2 nights ago I put coconut oil on my scalp/hair, put my hair in a bun, and slept with it on. Next morning I washed my hair thoroughly, and now my scalp is almost completely gone of eczema and dandruff!! I could not believe it! Not to mention, how soft my hair is now!
Can u use this hair oil recipe on color treated hair? I just colored my hair & don’t want the recipe to strip the fresh color. Thanks. Tammy
Just did this with a few tweaks and loved it. Fabulous to do once a week.
Thanks!
I have used hair oil since childhood. From experience, I have learn that any oil that you can lay your hands on works just well. I have used sesame, olive, almond, coconut, safflower, etc. I generally apply oil to the hair and scalp and leave it overnight. If I have the time, I damp a towel in warm water and wrap it around my hair for 15-30 minutes. This makes my hair softer and less dry (which otherwise tends to be dry and static-y. I need to shampoo twice in order to remove the oil thoroughly though.
I use hair rinse or soda and water to get the oil out before I shampoo. Not bso hard to get oil out.
Would the Epsom salt irritate sensitive skin?
I haven’t heard of anyone having trouble with it, but you can certainly omit it…
I have eczema and I use Epsom salts all the time. I put it into my bath or use it as a face scrub (rarely). However I don’t use it when I have flair ups as it will dry out my skin even more and cause intense pain.
On a different note, I have had the coconut oil reaction as mentioned in previous posts, where my hair gets hard and weird.