Last Updated on September 7, 2020 by Janie Wilson
Would you like to know whether straightening hair with coconut oil is possible? If you would like to know more about it, please read the following post.
To begin with, I always thought that using hair straighteners after applying coconut oil on hair could end up in a disaster. A couple of months ago, Jennifer, a close friend of mine, spoke about the use of multipurpose coconut oil. She explained that she had huge success by putting coconut oil on her hair before straightening it.
She wanted to convince me, so she sent me a few snaps as well. That’s how she takes care of her hair. Her hair never gets damaged and stays soft and smooth after she started using coconut oil on her hair. To her hair straightening is quite a simple job.
My friend’s process of straightening hair with coconut oil
For a deep treatment, you should apply coconut oil on your hair. Then, you will have to cover it with a shower cap or an old hat. This will produce some heat so that the coconut oil can penetrate the hair shaft. You should now leave it on for half an hour or all night and then wash it.
Having learned a few things from her, I got interested in this subject. So, I talked to a few beauty experts and hair- product researchers and learned a lot about it. Here, I would like to share my experience and knowledge with you so that you can benefit as well.
If the question is whether coconut oil protects your hair from the heat of the flat iron, the answer is definitely “yes”. Coconut oil can indeed be a powerful barrier against the heat of the flat iron on your hair.
Why Does Coconut Oil Provide Good Heat Protection For Your Hair?
Those who are like me and have been ironing their hair for years must have experienced all kinds of difficulties. For one thing, in the search for perfect smoothness, we may take extreme measures to take care of our hair. But in the end, we always end up damaging the hair fibers.
The truth is simple. What I have learned over all these years is that you shouldn’t bleach, dye, iron, or blow-dry healthy hair. It does more harm than good to your hair. It allows me to have a clean, frizz-free hairstyle at any time of day. Recently, there has been much interest in learning more about the benefits of coconut oil for hair.
I already knew that coconut oil is an amazing provider of hydration treatment. Whether you leave it in your hair overnight or apply a nourishing treatment for half an hour, it helps the hair in many ways. I also knew that coconut oil protects the hair from damage caused by the chemicals used for bleaching. But, I was unaware that it can also protect your hair from the heat of the flat iron.
And I found that out by accident. It was two months ago when I started ironing my hair. Then, found that I didn’t have a single drop of the heat protection oil I regularly use. And if there’s one thing I generally never do is to flat iron my hair without using a heat protector first.
When I was ready to leave the house and buy a bottle of heat protector, my phone rang. It was Jennifer, who, after knowing what had happened, advised me with a smile to use coconut oil before flat ironing to protect my hair.
My first reaction was utter disbelief! I thought she was crazy. I was afraid that after applying the coconut oil, my hair would end up burnt and destroyed. But she assured me that she had been using it for two years. She was so insistent that I have to give it a try.
I knew my friend well enough to know that she would never destroy her beautiful hair. And it never looked burned. After all, coconut oil is a good carrier. This means it is less volatile and can be cold-pressed or extracted with other oils. It is also rich in organic acids such as oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. They are excellent softeners that nourish and protect the hair.
All that remains is to find out why coconut oil does not burn hair when used with a flat iron.
And it has something to do with what scientists call the “smoke point”.
What is the smake point of coconut oil?
The smoke point marks the max temperature the oil can withstand before it starts to smoke or burn.
The answer is coconut oil can withstand a temperature up to 177 Degrees Celcius. This means that if you run the flat iron even at this temperature, the coconut oil will protect the hair from the heat of the iron. But if you exceed this temperature, the coconut oil will end up being harmful to your hair. But that’s not all, you’ll end up burning your hair. If the coconut oil is close to the smoke point and you exceed it, it will also reach the flashpoint. This means it will start producing gases that can be harmful to your health.
So, the main point is, you can spread coconut oil on your hair before flat ironing it. As long as the temperature of the iron does not exceed 177 Degrees Celcius.
How do you protect your hair if the temperature of the iron exceeds 177°C? Well, in such a case, you have two choices left.
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Use another natural product, such as avocado oil.
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Or use silicone-based heat protectors
OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO PROTECT YOUR HAIR
Well, chances are that you are an ultra-natural cosmetics consumer. Or a die-hard fan of such products. In that case, if you need to use a smoothing iron at a temperature above 177° C, avocado oil is your choice.
It is an expensive product. However, it protects your hair up to a temperature of 271° C, which is great! The other alternative is silicone.
SILICONE-BASED HEAT PROTECTORS
Silicones are one of the most commonly used ingredients in hair products to protect hair from the heat of irons and hair dryers. They are called polysiloxanes by biochemists. When silicone is combined with these organic substances, it becomes a powerful defense against the heat. This is because it is immutable, even when exposed to high temperatures.
At the same time, it blocks the hair’s natural moisture. Thus, it minimizes damage to the cuticle and prevents the hair from weakening. I have recently used the Insta Natural Heat Protector. I like it because it adds natural ingredients like argan, castor oil, and sunflower oil. It is also easy to use because it comes in a spray form.
Coconut Oil Before Straightening Hair: HOW TO USE IT
Since I wanted to protect myself from split ends, I didn’t use silicone for my hair and used coconut oil instead.
I melted two or three tablespoons of oil in a double boiler. You should remember that cold-pressed coconut oil always works great. Since I had an empty spray bottle in the house, I put ten tablespoons of water in it and added the oil.
After I divided my hair into sections, I sprayed them with my spray bottle. Then I dried my hair with a hairdryer and started to iron it.
When I finished, my hair was frizz-free at the end. I didn’t see other damage. But the truth is that my hair didn’t look as shiny as when I used silicone heat protectors.
Still, I prefer to use coconut oil as heat protection for my hair. This is because, in the end, it protects your hair from the heat of the iron and the dryer without spending a fortune.
Wrapping up
Hopefully, this post about straightening hair with coconut oil has given you enough ideas about using coconut oil. You should now know how you should proceed with it before using the flat iron on your hair.
Yes, you will have to ensure that no harm is done to your hair thanks to the use of flat iron on your hair. If you follow the steps I do, you will be able to flat iron your hair as well as protect it with a natural heat shield called coconut oil. For, coconut oil does its job very well, not to mention that it is quite cheap and easily available.
