Is using a hair oil really beneficial?

Using hair oil will completely stop hair fall

Hair oiling can neither stop hair fall or accelerate re-growth of hair. It rather makes the hair greasy,which attracts dirt and promotes infections. Dirty scalp and dandruff growth on oily scalp may, in fact, increase the chances of hair fall.

Hair oiling decreases dandruff

Most people have an impression that dandruff develops due to dryness of scalp and hair oiling can decrease it. On the contrary, the fact is the oily scalp becomes an excellent breeding ground for fungus causing dandruff. Thus, oiling hair increases dandruff instead of reducing it.

Hair oil makes your hair shiner

Instead of the hair shining, it’s rather the oil particles sticking to hair strands that shine in the presence of light.

Hair oil nourishes your hair makes them grow longer, thicker and darker

A hair strand, beyond the scalp, is lifeless. Hence, anything applied externally on hair cannot nourish it.

Hair oil serves as an effective conditioning agent & increases the hair strength

Hair have a tendency to swell when wet, and shrink when dry. This constant swelling and shrinking is called hygral fatigue. This, over a time, weakens the hair fibre, thereby making it more vulnerable to breakage.

Saturated or monosaturated oil (like coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, castor oil) can penetrate the hair strand, prevent them from swelling or shrinking, thus giving more strength against breakage.

Polyunsaturated oils (almond, sunflower, flaxseed oil) do not penetrate the strands but they form a protective coating over hair strand. This enhances shine, prevents damage of hair from penetration of the aggressive substances like surfactants or environment pollutants.

Oiling seals moisture in hair

Coating of hair oil on the hair shaft helps to retain moisture. Adequate moisture keeps the hair appear healthy and decrease frizziness.

Natural scalp oil sebum falls short to take care of long hair

Sebum secreted from sebaceous glands present in hair act natural hair oil and nourish them internally. As the length of your hair exceeds the shoulder, sebum becomes inadequate to properly keep the hair shiny and lively. As compared to short hair, long hair face various hair problems like dryness, brittleness, & split-ends. Oiling is helpful in grooming long hair, keeping them shiny, and preventing them from breakage, split ends and frizziness.

Benefit of scalp massage

While regular scalp massages with mild warm hair oil will help you relax, this may also stimulate the circulation of blood in the scalp that can help hair grow faster.

After reading this post, it should be clear that oiling hair helps only in conditioning and grooming, but does not alone benefit in hair growth or prevent hair loss. Use of good conditioners or styling products are equally as good as oils for hair grooming and conditioning. So, it is not an essential practice to use hair oil. Having healthy hair does not require a nourishing oil, but it rather requires nourishment from within, that is, eating a nutrient-rich diet.