5 benefits of coconut oil for men's hair.

When you get serious about taking good care of your hair, you’re going to find a lot of advertising gimmicks.

Companies will talk about pH balances, various nutrients, different oils, flower petal extracts, and a whole lot more. How do you know which things you need? How do you separate the advertising fluff from the things that actually matter?

The easiest solution is to do a little learning. For that, we’re going to give you a tutorial on one of the most important ingredients in hair care: coconut oil.

It turns out that there is science behind the use of coconut oil in hair products, and we’re going to explain exactly how it works.

What is coconut oil?

It’s the oil that comes out of coconuts.

Next question.

But seriously, there are things in coconut oil that you might not already know about, and those elements make it amazing for hair care, so let’s spend a minute talking about it.

For the most part, coconut oil is made from the natural fats produced by coconuts. That might not sound terribly appetizing, but when applied to skin and/or hair, those fatty components can do a lot of good.

Most of this boils down to two simple properties of coconut oil. First, it is made entirely from plant lipids, and roughly 90 percent of those are low-density lipids. While this makes for an unhealthy eating choice, the lipid concentration makes coconut oil very thick and viscous at low temperatures. In fact, coconut oil usually isn’t even liquid until you heat it above 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

As a result, coconut oil does a really good job of staying in place. That makes it more effective at delivering benefits, as it doesn’t just run out of your hair and stop working. It also means that you don’t need nearly as much coconut oil to get a lot of benefits.

The other component of coconut oil is lauric acid. Now, lauric acid is one of the many low-density lipids that make up coconut oil, and this particular acid accounts for almost half of all of them. What’s cool about lauric acid is that it is naturally antimicrobial. As a result, coconut oil is good for hair and skin because it can help protect you from infections and hair damage that stems from microbes.

The five benefits

That got a little bit technical, but now that you know why coconut oil is different from other oils or ingredients that might go into your personal care products, we can talk about how exactly coconut oil helps you.

In general, coconut oil does five things for you:

1. It moisturizes your hair and skin.
2. It creates a hair mask that protects your hair from harm.
3. It works as well on your beard as your scalp hair.
4. It can help you style and shine your hair.
5. It reduces the propensity for split ends.

We’re going to get into each of these benefits in general, but that’s really the gist. If you want all of this, then you need hair-care products that include coconut oil, and as you might imagine, we’re going to recommend a few along the way.

Hydration

If you get a hair-care product that hydrates or moisturizes your hair, it uses oils to do that. You can think of coconut oil as a high-quality lotion for your hair, and it’s extremely effective.

Any oil can hydrate hair, but as we already pointed out, coconut oil is thicker than most options. Used as a base for a shampoo and/or conditioner, it stays in place and offers long-lasting hydration.

In fact, that’s how we designed our Ultra Premium™ Shampoo + Conditioner. The conditioning elements are built around the coconut oil base, and because of its viscosity, it doesn’t completely rinse out of your hair very easily. That’s deliberate. The oil stays in your hair, and it hydrates and protects your hair over time.

Masking

The second benefit that stems from the thickness of coconut oil is masking. Since the oil stays in your hair for a while, it can actually create a mask for your hair. 

Most conditioners aim to do this, and coconut oil is one of the best all-natural ingredients that can create a masking effect. The mask prevents your hair from drying out, even if you’re in the sun all day or doing other things that are bad for hair.

On top of that, coconut oil is naturally antimicrobial, so it’s protecting your hair from bacteria and fungi while it keeps your hair hydrated. Coconut oil is a two-for-one special that protects your hair and makes it healthy.

Beard care

Since we’re dropping bombshells today, we might as well tell you another important secret. Beard hair is different from scalp hair.

Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s talk about why coconut oil is good for your beard and your scalp.

Ultimately, it comes back to these basic properties. Your beard needs just as much hydration and masking as any other hair, and coconut oil is one of the few things effective enough to deal with the wiry, tough hair that you find on most bearded faces.

Coconut oil can soften your beard and make it a lot more approachable, which is really nice if you enjoy intimacy with other human beings.

Naturally, you could use our shampoo + conditioner on your beard, but we’ve made things even easier than that. Coconut oil is a premium ingredient in our Beard Oil. Use a little bit a couple of times a week, and your beard will be hydrated, healthy, and happy.

Shine

Speaking of beard oil, have you ever noticed how the healthiest hair seems to shine? Watch a shampoo commercial. You’ll see what we mean.

This is true for beards too, and a lot of guys use oil for that purpose. 

Well, coconut oil can give you the shine you seek, making your beard even more attractive than it already is. Plus, you don’t need very much coconut oil to get that shine. Use a little Beard Oil when you style. You’ll get the shine, and the masking effect of the coconut oil will help keep your style in place without any of the starching effects you might get from other styling products (like gel).

Split ends

If your hair's a little longer, then you have probably dealt with split ends at some point. They’re frustrating, and they hamper hair growth, so it’s always nice to get ahead of them.

While many people know that dry hair can cause split ends, that’s not the only thing that leads to them. Any exposure to damaging sources (including heat, chemicals, and more) can lead to split ends.

The masking benefits of coconut oil create a protective layer that can prevent split ends before they start. If you like to keep your hair long, you want coconut oil to be a staple in your care products.