I used to praise it myself and tell everyone to use it. Guilty! I even had my hairstylist recommend it to me, swearing that it improves texture and allows for excellent hair growth. But after working in salons for 5 years, I now know for sure that coconut oil is probably one of the worst things you could ever put on your hair. Here’s why.

It doesn’t penetrate the hair.

What does this mean and why do we care?

When we use treatments, as coconut oil is supposed to be one, we want it to go inside of the hair, not just sit on top of it.

Coconut oil sits on top of the hair and doesn’t penetrate the hair at all, no matter how long you leave it on. This is because the molecules are simply too big.

What about products that contain coconut oil?

Products that include coconut oil in their ingredient list have chemists working on extracting the good molecules out of the coconut oil and making the molecules small enough to penetrate the hair.

In other words, thanks to science and modern technology, a chemist takes the good part of the oil and makes it into a smaller molecule able to penetrate the hair shaft. Usually chemists mix it in with an ingredient that helps it penetrate into the hair.

Just because your hair mask says it has coconut oil in the ingredient list, doesn’t mean someone threw a tablespoon of it in the mixture, and it certainly doesn’t mean you should go into the kitchen and DIY it.

It will smoke when you blowdry.

Clients who use coconut oil religiously have a thick layer of the oil sitting on top of their hair, and the hair will smoke when you blowdry.

“Do you see the smoke?” I would ask my clients who used the oil.

“Yeah?”

“That’s the oil. It sits on top of the hair and burns when you blowdry. It’s just buildup.”

It dries out the hair

I personally used coconut oil for years, and then I watched my clients use it as well. And let me tell you, it dries out the hair. It doesn’t give shine or brilliance or any of the things we’ve been promised. The ends always looked frayed and brittle.

I used to think that if I just used it for a little bit longer, it would work eventually. That never happened, and once I switched to professional products like Hairstory New Wash, did my hair actually start growing.

It clogs your pores and gives you pimples

Coconut oil is comedogenic. When used on skin, coconut oil will give you milia or little bumps. Your scalp is part of your skin, and using coconut oil will give you bumps on your scalp. This is no bueno.

Coconut oil just made my hair feel like I had build-up or a film on my hair. It was always flat and lacked volume.

How do I remove it from my hair?

If you’d like to get rid of the oil residue on your hair, use a clarifying shampoo like the OUAI Detox Shampoo. Your hair and scalp will thank you!

Lather and leave it on for a few minutes. After a few uses you will be able to know when your hair is feeling lighter.