Use Vegetable Oil to Condition Your Hair

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Is there anything vegetable oil can't do? It's a prime ingredient in many a delicious dish, it can be used as fuel for cars and it can condition your hair.

We've written before about conditioning your hair with coconut oil, but I thought it was high time to let the full and whole truth be known: you can give your locks a fantastic sheen with many different kinds of vegetable oils, too. As Josh noted in his post, using coconut oil is a traditional practice in Asia and the South Pacific—but that doesn't mean it should be the only kind of vegetable oil you use.

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According to Green Living, many different kinds of vegetable oils will do the trick: if you can't find organic coconut oil, which is their top pick, you should try either sunflower or safflower oil instead. Just make sure they're all natural—organic is always best.

Just apply the vegetable oil directly to your scalp—and check those preconceptions of all oils being greasy at the door. In fact, as GL points out, vegetable oil is especially proficient at cleansing little tiny dust particles that are responsible for dandruff, scalp irritation, and even some kinds of hair loss. Plus, rubbing that oil on in is guaranteed to be as soothing and relaxing as the most luxurious conditioners on the market—there's just something about vegetable oil.

The best way to apply the conditioner, as GL says, is as follows:

Massage a small amount of the vegetable oil into your scalp using gentle fingertip pressure and small circular movements. Comb out to the ends of your hair to ensure that you have coated each strand. Then apply a turban made from a hot wet towel to help it penetrate into your scalp and hair. Leave the oil in for at least an hour (or overnight if possible) and then wash your hair out.

So if you're looking to try something a little different with the ol' head mop, go ahead and give natural vegetable oil a go—it could very well become your go-to conditioner.

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