| Posted by Lou | The time is 6.15pm here in London UK |
Rather a long time ago Pretty Pretty Pretty posited a hairific use for surplus coconut milk, which I tried and was not overly whelmed by. It is rather messy and I found didn't really do much, but at the same time it costs fuck-all and does at least as much as a commercial hair treatment. (Sorry for forgetting to comment saying that, PPP. Better late than never?)
However, reading the post and exploring it further did lead me to discovering that coconut oil is supposedly the holy grail of hair treatments. (And a make-up remover! Will let you know after I've tried that.)
So when I stumbled upon a massive tub of coconut oil for £1 the other day, I decided to give it a go.
Note for any UK people reading this: coconut milk and coconut oil are waaaaaaay cheaper in the "ethnic" food aisles at That Evil Giant Supermarket Chain than they are in the regular aisles. Branded coconut milk with the noodles and cooking sauces = £1.39. Coconut milk in '70s tin with the Caribbean food = 79p*. Every little bit helps! ;-P For me it was much more convenient to leave it in overnight than to be stuck at home for a couple of hours during the day. Therefore my pillow was covered in an old towel (actually I covered it in two old pillowcases and a towel, but there was no need to worry as it barely transferred onto the towel), I rubbed it through, and slept on it.
I did a double-shampoo, but that was probably unnecessary. (Actually a lot of people use coconut oil as a leave-in treatment, and I did notice that it provided instant shine that would be passable if sparingly used.) I also elected to condition, though apparently this is also unnecessary.
And as I said, my hair is now delightfully glossy and shiny and smells like coconut.
It was much more effective than recent commercial treatments I have tried, a heck of a lot cheaper, and bonus: no chemicals!
*My sister works in supermarket management and has this pet peeve that people buy brands and then complain how much they cost when there is an identical non-branded product for half the price that they have chosen not to purchase. I just thought I'd put that out there in the interests of our pet peeve adoration. (As a food snob, I do not have this pet peeve.)
Yes, but does it leave your hair oily?
I know loads of Indian aunties who use coconut oil, but I could never get all of it out (admittedly this was back in the days where my hair went down to my knees).
My personal preference is lemon juice - great for moisturising the scalp, cooling it in summer and getting rid of dandruff (don't leave on for more than an hour though). Your hair comes out soft and shiny. I hear that avocado is a stuff of wonder in hair as well (although I've never tried).
Not even a trace of oiliness - it looks lush and bouncy after 36 hours... I'm increasingly impressed with it!
Not sure I can bring myself to put avacado in my hair!!! (Am assuming lemon would be a danger to hair dye but might google it.)
I really feel like guacamole now. Thanks guys.