An Olive Oil Hair Treatment for Healthy Looking Hair

Here's an easy olive oil hair treatment for use at home.

Olive oil is well known for its nourishing properties and it is well regarded as an aid to over-all health.

But have you tried olive oil for your hair?

This is an easy way to enhance the health and vitality of your hair. Olive oil works as a natural hair conditioner. It helps to make your hair softer and more manageable.

It's cheap as chips to do and you may well find that you already have all the ingredients you need in your kitchen cupboard!

What you need

The best quality olive oil you can lay your hands on!

Cold-pressed oils are far superior to cheaper oils. This is because the process of cold-pressing does not destroy the vitamins, minerals and enzymes found in the olives from which it is made.

The very best oils are cold-pressed, extra virgin oils made with organic olives. For more on the benefits of organics, please see my page Why organic?

OK, this sounds expensive but you are not going to need a whole lot of it. Lesser quality oils will still provide some benefit, of course.

It's best to use organic oil because you are putting the oil onto your skin. Skin is permeable and absorbs some of whatever is put onto it, especially chemicals. So, be kind to yourself (and the planet) and use organic oil if at all possible when using this olive oil hair treatment.

You can also add fresh rosemary to the oil if you like. Rosemary is well known for its tonic effects and is another natural hair conditioner.

It's best to let the rosemary steep in oil for a few hours or even for a day or two. Just add a fresh sprig of rosemary to a small bottle of oil.

Picture: Fresh rosemary sprigs. Rosemary is a natural hair conditioner.

You can also try carefully selected aromatherapy oils for your hair to mix in with this olive oil hair treatment. Bay, sage and jojoba all have benefits for hair. Always consult a good aromatherapy handbook or therapist before using aromatherapy oils as some of them are unsuitable for some people.

Most people should have no problems in using olive oil for hair; if in doubt, always consult your physician before embarking upon any treatment.

Read on for how to use olive oil for hair softening. 

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The Olive Oil Hair Treatment Method

Put about 100 ml of oil into a shallow bowl. If you keep your olive oil in the fridge, do this several hours before you need it so that it gets a chance to warm through to room temperature.

Sit with a towel wrapped around your shoulders. Don't wear anything which might be ruined by oil spots (- they will wash out but it's a nuisance.)

Brush your hair through and then part your hair carefully with a comb or brush.

Dip your fingers into the oil and use your finger tips to carefully massage the oil into your scalp.

Re-part your hair an inch or so away from the first parting and repeat the process.

Cover your entire scalp this way, paying particular attention to hard to reach areas like the back of your neck.

When hair and scalp are both well covered with oil, wrap the towel around your head so as to keep your head warm. Now spend half an hour or so relaxing while the olive oil does its work.

When you are ready, unwrap your hair and wash it carefully with your favourite environmentally-friendly hair shampoo. (You may need slightly more of it than normal.)

When your hair is dry you will find that it is soft and silky and easy to manage. If you find that your hair is at all greasy after using olive oil, use less next time and maybe try a shampoo for greasy hair. I've used olive oil for hair over number of years and not found it to create greasiness.

Natural hair care reading

One of the best books I've found on natural hair care is The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances by Julie Gabriel. It contains lots of practical advice on finding and using really green products and avoiding the hyped phony green stuff which is now everywhere.

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