Top 8 Best Oils for African-American Hair [Plus Essential Oils!]

Your scalp naturally produces oils such as sebum that protect and hydrate your hair, but sometimes your naturally beautiful hair might be able to benefit from a bit of a helping hand. Textured, especially curly, hair is more prone to dryness, breakage, and other similar issues.

The solution? Making use of the best oils for African-American hair that you can find. Certain plant oils are hydrating and can help you maintain and even restore your hair’s natural look and feel. Below we will cover some of the more common oils used for hair care purposes, which you will find featured in many of our proprietary formulas.

1.Jamaican Black Castor Oil
Jamaican black castor oil, also frequently (and affectionately) referred to as JCBO, is hands-down one of the best oils for African-American hair. It may be thick, dense, and heavy, but it’s the good stuff.

Produced from the beans of the Ricinus communis plant, Jamaican black castor oil is full of nourishing, hydrating oils that lock in moisture, soothe the scalp, and can soften and protect hair by fortifying the cuticles of each individual strand.

JCBO is also believed to actively ward off bacterial and fungal infections, and can help prevent breakage, brittleness, dryness, dandruff, and even some issues associated with the scalp, like eczema and itchiness.

2.Olive Oil
Better known as an ingredient in the culinary arts than as a staple of hair care, olive oil can be used to produce a lustrous sheen to your naturally beautiful hair. Like JCBO, olive oil is easily one of the best oils for African-American hair, so it’s no surprise that it is one of the key ingredients in our vegan hair oil.

Olive oil is easily absorbed by both the scalp and the hair’s cuticle, both of which it supplies with helpful nutrients and moisture. It also restores the hair’s cuticle, improving-barrier function to reduce the loss of moisture; it’s even well known for smoothing and softening the hair while producing a beautiful, rich sheen.

3.Avocado Oil
Avocado oil, which is rich in oleic acid, vitamins (like B12 and E) as well as antioxidants, is also an excellent natural hair oil that packs a punch and delivers plenty of benefits.

Avocado oil, which is able to individually penetrate each strand of hair, locks in moisture, prevents the loss of moisture, rejuvenates hair’s natural shine, and can protect against dryness, brittleness and breakage, and frizziness.

Avocado oil is also marvelously beneficial to your scalp, with its rich assortment of vitamins and nutrients. It is said to improve blood flow and fight free radicals. It may even be able to help prevent hair loss.

4.Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is another superstar among natural hair oils, and despite the fact that it contains a ton of saturated fats, it’s remarkably light. This means the molecules in coconut oil are readily and easily absorbed by the scalp and hair where they can work their wonders.

Only a little bit of coconut oil will make your hair look and feel shinier, softer and stronger, and can help prevent dryness, brittleness, irritation and breakage, as well as mitigate problems like split ends.

Coconut oil is also said to help cleanse hair follicles and remove build-ups of dead skin and other blockages, thereby promoting hair growth - it’s also great for your scalp, skin and nails, too!

5.Argan Oil
Argan oil is another perennial crowd-pleaser among natural oils to soften, strengthen and restore hair. You’ve probably already heard of it - it’s in many high-quality hair products and its popularity is only increasing.

Argan oil is lightweight and easily absorbed by the hair and scalp. It’s also full of natural fatty acids like oleic and linoleic acid that moisturize and serve as humectants to help prevent the loss of moisture.

It’s also packed with vitamin E, which is not only a fat-soluble antioxidant but also a particularly effective agent when it comes to soothing worn hair and preventing future damage. It can soften and fortify hair, helping to reduce the risk of breakage, split ends and other mechanical damage.

6.Jojoba Oil
No surprise - Jojoba oil (pronounced ho-HO-buh) is another lightweight oil that, light argan oil, is easily absorbed and packed with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Jojoba oil is rich in vitamins B, C and E as well as minerals and nutrients like copper, zinc and chromium and several essential fatty acids.

Jojoba oil can be used to hydrate the hair and scalp, soften the hair, and can also be used to fortify hair against breakage; it can also be used to control dandruff and may naturally soothe dry, itchy scalps. Best of all, jojoba oil may even actually be able to promote hair growth!

7.Grapeseed Oil
Grapeseed oil, which resists the growth of fungi and bacteria and which is also full of antioxidants, is another excellent, lightweight oil for treating African-American hair. It’s a natural hydrator, emollient and humectant, and it’s full of Vitamin E, which strengthens hair against damage and loss.

Applying grapeseed oil to the hair and scalp will also immediately restore some of hair’s natural shine, making it look and feel softer and shinier. Best of all, grapeseed oil is non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog the skin’s pores. It’s even been promoted as a remedy against hair loss.

8.Monoi Oil
Monoi oil is a little-known treat that comes to us all the way from the South Pacific. This oil is produced from the petals of the Tahitian Gardenia, and it has a pleasing fragrance as well as a list of potential benefits for natural hair.

Its effects are said to be similar to coconut oil, and using monoi oil on hair can restore shine, strengthen the hair strands against brittleness, frizz and breakage, and lock in moisture. Like grapeseed oil, monoi oil is also non-comedogenic, meaning that it won’t clog pores.

Essential Oils - Don’t Miss These!
In addition to the hydrating, restorative oils mentioned above, there are many other essential oils that are frequently included with hair oil blends. While these oils are typically included for their pleasant, cathartic fragrances, many of them provide a number of other holistic benefits.

-Cedar Oil - Cedar oil carries a rich, woodsy, warming scent, and is well known for its potent antimicrobial and antifungal properties.

-Lavender Oil - With a soothing, crisp fragrance that is both earthy and floral, lavender oil is also antimicrobial and may reduce inflammation of the scalp.

-Tea Tree Oil - With its bright, uplifting fragrance, tea tree oil is well-known for a wide list of reputed benefits. Like many other essential oils, it is antibacterial and antifungal, but it also helps moisturize the skin and prevent a buildup of dead skin and oils.

-Peppermint Oil - Peppermint oil has a sharp fragrance that alerts the senses, but it is also implicated in improved circulation and restoring shine to hair. It may even prevent hair loss!

Stay Up to Date with Us
If you have any questions about the benefits of any of these oils, or if you are curious about our vegan hair oil blend specifically, make sure you get in touch with us!

You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you never miss out on news and specials!