For some reason, we as African-American, have the notion that that shiny hair equal to healthy hair. Well it is not. If your hair is really kinky (very tightly coil) your hair will not be as shiny as someone with looser curls or even straighter hair. The kinkier and denser the hair is, the less likely it will shine far away.

Ever wonder why Europeans wash they hair every 2-3 days. The simple reason is that they hate the fact that their hair is always shiny and oily, hence why they wash their hair every day. Now we on the other hand, want to make our hair shiny, minus the oily look (can anyone say Jerry Curls). Just because your locks are not shiny doesn't mean they’re not healthy.

This post is about accepting your hair and changing how you think of oils and the use of oils. By the time you’ve finished reading this post you should think of oils as a way to moisturize your locks, and not as a shine producer. Now before I start, did you know that your scalp produces its own oil? On the diagram you will notice the Sebaceous gland, that gland is what produces oils on your scalp.

Below is a brief description about the Sebaceous glands taken from Wikipedia.

Sebaceous glands secrete the oily, waxy substance called sebum (Latin, meaning fat or tallow) that is made of fat (lipids), wax, and the debris of dead fat-producing cells. In the glands, sebum is produced within specialized cells and is released as these cells burst; sebaceous glands are thus classified as holocrine glands.

As you can see, our scalp does produce its own oil, the only people that would really notice it is someone with straight or looser hair pattern. The reasoning behind that is quite simple. The oil that the Sebaceous glands produce can easily travel down the hair shaft of someone that has straight hair vs. someone with very tight coiled hair. The looser the curls, the more easily the oil will travel down the hair shaft. That is why we don't necessarily need to wash our hair every day, because our hair just doesn't grab the oil as easily as straight hair would.

Now you are probably wondering about all the pictures you have seen with shiny locks and saying to yourself, “I want that look!” Well you can get that look by faking it. When I mean faking it, I mean putting unnecessary oil on the hair to make it "look" shiny . Also note that hair type plays a role as well. The ways you can go about making hair that is not normally shiny "shiny" is by putting heavy oil on it, but keep in mind that it is a temporary fix, and you will have to use a large amount of oil to create that look. A product that is commonly used for shine is Shea Butter. Another common option is using pure essential oil (not diluted) on your locks. I don’t recommend the options I listed above because A) Over time, putting unnecessary oils & products on your locks will cause major build up over time and B) If you have very thick locks, you can also introduce mildew.

Now you are wondering why you need any kind of oil for your locks. The simple reason is as follow - you need oil as a moisturizer. Now if you hair is dry then I do recommend adding oil to your routine just for moisturizing’s sake. I would suggest using oils such as Jojoba & Avocado Oil. Oils like these two for example are very good because they don’t penetrate the hair shaft as much. Below I list some of the oils that are very good for the hair and scalp, even if some of the oil does penetrate the hair shaft, they do come with extra benefits.

List of Good Oils & Interesting Facts

1. Jojoba oil is a fungicide, and can be used for controlling mildew.
2. Avocado oil helps to heal the scalp and leaves the hair with a superior moisturizing effect.
3. Castor oil is a humectant as it draws moisture into the hair and skin.
4. Coconut oil is excellent as a skin moisturizer and softener
5. Olive Oil can use as a deep conditioner and a dandruff controller
6. Aloe Vera oil can be use as an astringent (reduces oily build up) and fix damage from heat appliances

Please note that the above are what I consider carrier base oils and not essential oils. There is a big difference between carrier base oils and essential oils. I will talk about essential oil in a future post. Also note that if you are going to experiment with oils, make sure you make a future plan to do a BS wash & ACV Rinse.