How to make oil treatments for your hair?

How to care for your hair with vegetable oils

When talking about hair care, oil treatments come up time and again. These treatments deeply nourish the hair fibre and provide the nutrients necessary to protect and soften it. But to best meet the needs of your hair, it’s important to know your hair type and to choose your oils accordingly. So, what are the best oils for different hair types? We’re about to answer that question here!

How to determine your hair type

It is important to know your hair type when selecting hair care treatments. Here are a few hints to help you figure out what hair type you have. Below we describe the three major hair types: normal, oily, and dry.

Normal hair

Normal hair does not get greasy too quickly and generally only needs to be shampooed once every five to seven days. It is easy to detangle and tends to be naturally soft and shiny.

Oily hair

Oily hair is, as the name indicates, oily. It quickly gets greasy at the roots or mid-lengths, as sebaceous glands in the scalp produce too much sebum, an oily film that makes hair supple and shiny. It needs to be shampooed more often (every two days, if not every day).

The scalp can overproduce sebum for many reasons, including hormones, diet, stress, and pollution, among others. Be careful: some hair products, if overly aggressive or used too frequently, can make hair greasy, which tends to encourage us to use more. It’s truly a vicious cycle! That’s why it’s important to choose gentle products designed for oily hair, but also to avoid very hot water, heat in general, and brushing too hard. In fact, the most important thing for taking care of oily hair is gentleness. This prevents you from being too hard on your scalp and from encouraging the overproduction of sebum insofar as you can.

Dry hair

Dry hair tends to break easily, lack shine and softness, and tangle at the slightest movement. It behaves like this as a result of lower sebum production, the role of which is precisely to lubricate and protect hair. Here again, the magic phrase is be gentle! As dry hair is already weak, people with dry hair should choose gentle products and avoid heat and harsh actions such as intense brushing.

Which oils are right for my hair type?

Now that you know how to determine your hair type, it’s time to learn how to care for your hair with suitable oils.

How to treat oily hair

For people with oily hair, the main objective is to regulate sebum production. Vegetable oils are not necessarily the best products, as they tend to increase oiliness. However, you can use “dry” oils to help regulate sebum production:

These oils should be applied to the scalp only, while massaging gently. You can add two or three drops of bergamot, grapefruit (pink or white) or Atlas cedar essential oil to your treatment.

Caring for dry hair

As we saw previously, this hair type is characterized by insufficient sebum production, leading to insufficiently nourished hair. You can try to remedy this by choosing nutritious fatty oils, such as:

We recommend applying your oil treatment to the roots, mid-lengths, and tips so that the whole strand benefits from the treatment. If you wish, you can add two or three drops of ylang-ylang essential oil when making your oil treatment.

Oil treatment for colour-treated hair

Colour-treated hair has generally been subjected to harsh treatments that weaken the hair fibre, which may leave hair dull. So we felt it was important to talk about it in this article too! To care for colour-treated hair, use ingredients that will strengthen the hair without damaging your colour. Nourishing oils rich in antioxidants are ideal:

We recommend applying these oils throughout your hair so that the entire “coloured” part benefits.

I have oily roots and dry tips… What should I do?!

It’s possible for hair to be neither oily nor dry but a combination of both. This is commonly known as “combination hair.” To care for it, all you have to do is apply oils suitable for oily hair to the scalp and those suitable for dry hair to the tips and mid-lengths. Yep, it’s as simple as that!

And where does normal hair fit in?

People with normal hair produce sufficient sebum, so this hair type generally has fewer problems than dry or oily hair. But that’s no reason to deprive it of treatment! It’s best to choose oils that are not too fatty, such as:

Ideally, you should apply your oil treatment to the mid-lengths and tips of your hair, though you can adjust this depending on your hair’s needs at the time.

How to apply an oil treatment

To give your hair an oil treatment, you don’t need to dunk your head in a salad bowl full of it or even to cover your hair until it drips. Two to three tablespoons are more than enough for all of your hair (adjust according to the length and thickness of your hair, of course).

You can apply your oil treatment to damp or dry hair, depending on your preference. We recommend leaving it on for at least 30 minutes, under a warm towel. Afterward, just wash your hair with a gentle shampoo designed for your hair type, apply a bit of conditioner if desired, and then you’re done! Note that if you use an oil treatment with very fatty or viscous oils (like castor oil) you may need to shampoo twice. Normally, you should avoid double shampooing, but here it might be necessary!

We hope this article has given you a better understanding of your hair, its needs, and how to care for it. What are your favourite hair care treatments? Don’t hesitate to share your best tips and tricks with us!