When I was a kid, when I stayed over at friends’ houses, my friends and I would always make homemade hair masks out of coconut oil and egg yolk because that’s what we learned from a series of YouTube videos. You can’t imagine how horrified my mom was when she saw a bunch of 12-year-olds smearing this homemade, devilishly messy mixture all over our heads. But this was a joke at my mom’s expense because our hair always felt super soft and looked ultra shiny afterwards. That’s because coconut oil is the key to smooth, moisturized hair.
Take a look at the ingredients of your favorite shampoo, leave-in conditioner, or hair oil and you’ll likely find coconut oil. Not only has coconut oil become a common ingredient in many hair products, you can even apply it directly to your hair to give it a major shine boost. But before you just slather it in your hair like I did as a kid, it’s best to learn exactly what it does for your hair. Don’t worry, we’ve got all the details on coconut oil below, including where it comes from, how it replenishes hair, how best to use it, and which coconut oils you should keep in your shower.
What is coconut oil?
Coconut oil is the oil extracted from coconuts that can be applied to skin and hair, usually to lock in moisture. However, not all coconut oil is the same. Dermatologist Ryan Turner, MD, mentions that coconut oil comes in three different forms: fractionated, hydrogenated, or virgin. “Fractionated and hydrogenated oils have been further processed to keep them in solid and liquid forms, respectively, while virgin is the purest form,” he explains. Virgin coconut oil turns from solid to liquid depending on the temperature.
Try these coconut oils for hair:
Viva Naturals Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil
Handcraft Blends Fractionated Coconut Oil
Now 10% discount
Okay 100% coconut oil for hair and skin
Now 11% discount
Palmer’s Coconut Oil Hair and Scalp Oil
Now 20% discount
Regardless of the type, any coconut oil has a great moisturizing effect on your hair – we’ll go into more detail about that below.
Benefits of coconut oil for hair:
According to hairstylist Jerome Lordet, coconut oil has some pretty amazing benefits for your hair. “It moisturizes dry hair, can reduce frizz, and adds shine,” he explains. “Regular use on damaged hair can also improve its health over time,” he adds, as coconut oil coats your hair, helping to reduce water loss. But aside from giving you glass-like shine and super-soft strands, celebrity hairstylist Marc Ballance also mentions that coconut oil can treat a number of scalp issues, including dandruff.
Coconut oil may be able to help soothe your scalp because not only is it rich in fatty acids (aka super moisturizers), but it also has antimicrobial properties, meaning it can kill bacteria, viruses and fungi, explains Dr. Turner.
Is coconut oil good for hair?
Yes, coconut oil can be good for your hair because of the benefits listed above. But you should consider your hair type, goals, and concerns before simply applying coconut oil to your entire head of hair. “Coconut oil is quite heavy, so thick, coarser hair textures will benefit the most from it,” says Dr. Turner. “For those with fine or thin hair, it may be too rich—and it can be very difficult to wash out,” he adds.
If your hair is severely dry and brittle due to hot tools or chemical treatments, coconut oil can help restore health and shine. Plus, it’s completely safe to use pure coconut oil on your hair. “Hair oiling is a time-honored practice and has been practiced for centuries around the world, including in Africa and South Asia,” says Dr. Turner. He recommends that those with coarse, brittle or thick hair use coconut oil as a restorative mask once or twice a week. Just be careful not to overdo it—too much can weigh hair down and make it look greasy.
There are also plenty of hair products containing coconut oil (and other hair restorers) that can intensely moisturize your very dry hair. These options can be used on all hair types, but our experts especially recommend them over virgin coconut oil for those with finer hair:
Experts for hair products with coconut oil love:
Crown Affair The Ritual Shampoo
Lordet loves this shampoo from Crown Affair for its rejuvenating cleanse that leaves your hair silky soft and bouncy. It contains a unique coconut surfactant system that naturally cleanses your hair without stripping it of essential moisture.
Kiehl’s Amino Acid Conditioner
For an extra boost of moisture that won’t weigh your hair down, Ballance recommends this conditioner. It contains a range of moisturizers – including coconut oil, jojoba oil and amino acids – and they say it can be used daily (so you don’t risk weighing your hair down!).
oribe Oribe Run-Through Detangling Primer, 5.9 oz
To combat stubborn knots and protect your hair from future damage, Ballance recommends this primer detangler, made with nourishing coconut oil to add softness and shine to hair.
Is it okay to leave coconut oil in your hair?
Yes, it’s OK to leave coconut oil in your hair, but you shouldn’t leave it in forever, girls. Lordet recommends using it as a conditioning mask before washing, and leaving it in for either an hour or two or overnight, depending on your hair texture. (The coarser and curlier your hair, the longer you can leave it in.) Wash it out in the morning for softer, shinier hair. Remember, coconut oil is heavy, so even a small amount goes a long way. You really only need to rub a quarter-sized dollop through your hair to experience the conditioning benefits.
What is the best oil for hair?
There are many oils that can rejuvenate dry, damaged hair – from coconut and argan oil to castor and rosemary oil. However, Lordet says there is no one oil that can be called the best of the best. “It all depends on what results you want to achieve,” he explains. However, if your main goal is to revive brittle, chemically treated hair, he mentions that coconut oil is the most rejuvenating as it penetrates deep into each individual strand and improves moisture.
Ope! Just more hair products with coconut oil that we are obsessed with:
Kopari Organic Coconut Melt
OGX Nourishing + Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum
Now 11% discount
Briogeo Farewell Frizz Rosehip, Argan and Coconut Hair Oil
Final thoughts:
If you’re in desperate need of a moisture boost, coconut oil can work like a miracle to hydrate and add shine to your hair. It’s full of fatty acids that smooth your hair and give it plenty of softness. Plus, these fatty acids protect and nourish your scalp when you use hair oil. And pretty much any hair type can benefit from it; consider your hair type though, as it can be quite heavy on fine hair. But the best part? It smells like a real tropical vacation.
Meet the experts
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Maria Honkus is a contributor to Cosmopolitan with six years of experience researching, writing and editing beauty stories, including reviewing the top non-comedogenic sunscreens and the search for the best Baccarat Rouge 540 Duplicates. She is an authority in all beauty categories, especially hair care. For this story, she interviewed three skin and hair experts to learn more about coconut oil and its positive effects on your hair.
Mary Honkus is a freelance writer who covers beauty, home, fashion, health and wellness (call her a jack of all trades!). She was a staff writer at Real Simple, People and InStyle, and her name can be found in numerous other publications. When she’s not testing the latest and greatest products, you can find her on the rooftop of her Hell’s Kitchen, trying out the hottest new restaurants in NYC, or recording her podcast, Good Trouble NYC. Follow her on Instagram.
