Hair oiling is an age-old ritual, tradition, and practice throughout South Asia. It’s rooted deep in history and is a practice that has prevailed through dark times. Hair oiling in South Asia is a way for friends and family to bond, a practice of self-care, and a beauty secret for beautiful hair. In this blog post, I will dive into teaching you how to properly oil your hair.
Why You Should Oil Your Hair
Oiling your hair is a great practice for several reasons. Learning how to oil your hair, and doing it regularly, means increased hair growth and healthier hair. By massaging the oil in your scalp and hair strands, you are providing the necessary nutrients and nourishment for your hair to be strong and healthy. Just like we need healthy fats for our body to thrive, our hair strands need these healthy fats to prevent breakage and environmental damage.
The act of massaging your scalp provides necessary blood circulation to an area that doesn’t always get enough circulation at the crown of your head. The increased blood flow can increase hair growth and density over time. Who doesn’t want that?!
Learning how to oil your hair is also an act of self-care in my opinion. Not only is it incredibly relaxing, it helps you decompress and reduce tension around your head and scalp. It provides a lot of relief and keeps your hair balanced.
How to Pick a Type of Hair Oil
There are thousands of options for hair oils out there. You can make your blend of oil or buy one online.
Some of my favorite hair oils are amla, ashwagandha, Brahmi, bringrahj, pumpkin seed, coconut, and dashmool. Many of these are potent South Asian oils that have been infused with herbs shown to increase hair growth and promote a healthy scalp.
I’ve linked some of my favorites below so you can get started with learning how to oil your hair.
How to Oil Your Hair
If using an oil that has a dropper, start with your part and apply a few drops of oil. Gently massage it in with the soft pads on your fingers. Create another part a few centimeters over and do the same. Continue this around the front of your head and in the back as well. If done correctly, you should have oil throughout your scalp. Make sure not to drench your scalp in oil, just a few drops in every part is enough.
Then continue using your fingers and gently massage your scalp, like you are shampooing. Try to avoid getting your hair tangled by being gentle with the massage. Do this for at least 5 minutes and keep the oil in for at least 20 minutes for best results. The longer the better for both aspects.
If you want to apply oil to the ends of your hair, first split your hair in half. Then add a dropper full of oil to your hands. Distribute the oil throughout your hands, then to one-half of the hair.
Once done massaging, do a soft French braid or low bun to let the oil saturate the hair. You don’t want to do any kind of tight hairstyle.
*If your oil does not have a dropper, pour a bit of oil into the palm of your hand. Use the fingers of your other hand and dip the tips of your finger into the oil. Apply this to each part to mimic about the same amount of oil from a dropper.
How to Wash Your Hair
The biggest concern when learning how to oil your hair is how to take it out. You will need to shampoo your hair twice to get the oil out properly. You can use any shampoo for this, sulfate-free shampoo works as well, although you may need to shampoo thrice. You can also use your clarifying shampoo.
Final Thoughts
I hope you found this blog post on how to oil your hair helpful. Hair oiling is a beautiful, age-old tradition. I hope you enjoy this little piece of history and self-care ritual. If you found this post to be helpful, please comment and share it!
With love,
Aditi <3
Aditi Rani – Figuring Out Life in Your Twenties
*Disclaimer: This is not professional advice. Some links are affiliate. By clicking and/or purchasing, I may receive a commission. It does not alter the price or change your buyer experience.
