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Is Coconut Oil for Permed Hair Good or Horrible?

Folks are wondering about coconut oil for permed hair and I can understand why…

Fact is…

…even the highest-rated no-lye perm relaxers weaken your precious strands, leaving them susceptible to split ends and shedding.

It’s a no-brainer that the desire to use natural ingredients such as powerful carrier oils like fractionated coconut oil or Moroccanoil Light Treatment might sound appealing, even essential.

After all, natural hair mavens have been touting this oil as a natural 4C hair lifesaver of sorts for decades but can this oil work the same magic for permed hair? Can you use coconut oil on relaxed hair?

Can I Use Coconut Oil on Permed Hair?

Coconut oil has been in use for hundreds of years as a natural way to improve the quality of our skin, hair, and scalp.

Coconut oil contains a high concentration of fatty acids, vitamin E, and other compounds that allow it to penetrate the hair and deliver many antimicrobial benefits to the scalp. That's one of the reasons it's used as a great pre-poo for relaxed strands.

Virgin fractionated coconut oil provides a host of nutrients that help to enhance the overall quality of this hair. It's no wonder, so many hair care products in today’s marketplace contain this ingredient.

Given this information, it is only fair to wonder if these coconut oil benefits are transferrable to permed hair.

There are multiple approaches for using coconut oil on permed hair, including the pre-poo process, deep conditioning hair masks, or everyday application before or after styling.

Benefits of Using Coconut Oil for Permed Hair

There are multiple benefits in choosing to use coconut oil on permed hair.

Coconut oil’s ability to improve the rate at which your hair grows and treat scalp conditions such as dandruff to promote a healthy base are reasons enough to add this product to your hair care arsenal.

Still unconvinced about coconut oil for permed hair?

Let’s take a closer look at three more benefits of using coconut oil on relaxed hair.

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Coconut Oil For Permed Hair: Improves The Strength of Hair

Chemical hair treatments, such as a perm relaxer, can often leave hair dry and brittle.

Coconut oil can help to improve and even restore moisture levels to hair that is desperate for hydration. In doing so, coconut oil gives hair flexibility a boost and reduces the risk of breakage with simple styling techniques.

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Coconut Oil For Permed Hair: Restores Shine

Thanks to its ability to penetrate the hair, coconut oil gives dull hair much-needed vibrancy.

Just a few drops of coconut oil can restore shine, leaving it to look and feel smooth in appearance.

Many people prefer coconut oil over standard products that contain silicone or other ingredients similar to the makeup of silicone.

Coconut Oil For Permed Hair: Repairs Hair Damage

Coconut oil for permed hair is a powerful antioxidant-rich oil that fights free radicals.

Free radicals can damage your hair follicles, leading to thinning hair or even baldness. Free radicals cause hair to age faster.

This accelerated aging process causes hair to gray prematurely, weaken and even break.

Coconut oil can reduce the risk for additional damage with consistent use by blocking harsh chemicals from penetrating the hair shaft.

Can You Leave Coconut Oil In Your Hair For Days?

If you’re wondering “Can I leave coconut oil in my hair for days?”, the answer is no. Although leaving coconut oil in your hair for a longer period of time can help with nutrient absorption, you shouldn’t go past leaving it in overnight.

Leaving coconut oil in hair for multiple days can cause your hair to lose moisture if your hair has too much protein, causing it to become brittle, stiff and dry. 

Leaving coconut oil in your hair for days can make the situation worse as it contains amino acids which are the building blocks of whole proteins.

Don’t get me wrong though:

Using coconut oil for permed hair can provide a more intense treatment to your hair the longer it is left in (within reason – just don't leave coconut oil in your hair for days!).  

Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids as well as a multitude of amino acids.

The term "acid" is a bit misleading because these nutrients can actually help to strengthen and guard hydration in your hair, especially if it's chemically damaged or lacking in protein, which is often the case for perm relaxed hair. 

It also helps that coconut oil for permed hair is high in other vitamins and minerals, including the antioxidant vitamin E, which can help to protect against free radical damage and oxidative stress caused by perm chemicals.

So yes, use your coconut oil for permed hair but don’t leave it in for days and days.

How To Use Coconut Oil On Permed Hair

You want to know how to use coconut oil on permed hair in different ways? OK, good.

While relaxing hair makes it soft and manageable, it also weakens it. Coconut oil is an excellent complement to relaxed hair. So here’s how to use coconut oil for permed hair.

Add a few drops of coconut oil to your favorite moisture repair hair conditioner for extra strength and shine after each wash.

If your hair is damaged, use coconut oil for permed hair as a pre-shampoo conditioner. Allow the coconut oil to soak into your hair for 30 minutes before washing it. As usual, wash and condition.

To moisturize and repair relaxed hair, use coconut oil as a hot oil treatment. Put the coconut oil in a small container and submerge it in hot water. Put on a plastic cap and apply the hot coconut oil for permed hair to your hair. Wrap a towel around your head to allow the hot oil to penetrate the hair.

When you want to add shine to your hair, massage a dime-sized amount of coconut oil into it.

NHP Wrap Up: Coconut Oil For Permed Hair

We cannot close this discussion about coconut oil for permed hair without addressing the elephant in the room, and that is the controversy that sometimes accompanies coconut oil. 

It is important to note that too much coconut oil can adversely affect your pores, hair, and scalp.

A heavy hand of this oil over a prolonged period can weigh your hair down, leaving it to look and feel greasy. No one wants to leave a stain everywhere they go.

Additionally, too much coconut oil can compromise the structure and strength of your hair, leaving it susceptible to breakage, thus having the opposite effect of what you are trying to achieve.

Excessive use of coconut oil can clog pores, triggering a nasty bout with folliculitis.

Folliculitis can leave your scalp red and inflamed. If follicles remain inflamed for too long, it can disrupt your hair growth cycle, which can transcend into more significant problems such as hair thinning and hair loss.

The moral of the story here is that coconut oil for permed hair can deliver fantastic results, but you still need to be careful not to overuse it or leave it in for days.

The best thing you can do is to use this product in moderation. Mix it into your hydration shampoos and favorite deep conditioner hair masks.

If you use 100% pure fractionated coconut oil for permed hair this way you’ll get really good result and super-cute hair.

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