Sesame Oil For Long, Strong Hair
Long and strong hair depends on fat. And some of the best fats come from seed and nut oil like sesame oil. Used for thousands of years in India and Southeast Asia, sesame oil helped women grow long, healthy hair and kept it looking nice.
Why Should You Put Sesame Oil In Your Hair?
Sesame oil works two different ways. First, you can put it in your hair to help keep it moist and soft.
The other way is to eat it. Sesame oil has a tremendous amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically, it contains oleic acid, which penetrates your hair quickly from the outside and is one of the primary building blocks from the inside.
Actively massaging a little bit of sesame oil into your scalp every night before bed may help reduce dandruff. It's great at moisturizing your scalp and has some antimicrobial properties that may help reduce flaking itching. In addition, the oil penetrates deep into the roots, letting the hair follicles on your skin absorb the oleic acid.
It's an ancient use for premature gray hair. And there is some evidence it may help darken your hair. Some of the antioxidants may help the hair follicles produce darker hair as well as the sesame oil staining gray hair.
The sun damages your hair significantly, and sesame oil has a natural sun-blocking agent that can reduce the UV rays up to 30%. It's not complete protection, but it can help.
What Sesame Oil Should I Use?
You want to choose a good one, but don't go overboard on your price. Some of the top-of-the-line oil should only be used as flavorings and be appreciated for their taste. The cheaper oils may be cut with lesser oils, reducing their health benefits, so you do want to go a little bit better. But, good middle-of-the-road sesame oil is perfect for putting on your hair.
You do want to choose cold-pressed sesame oil because it retains much of the vitamin E and other nutrients that are generally lost during heat processing.
On top of that, you will find two different kinds of sesame seeds - white and black. Black seeds have higher antioxidant activity, making them better for your hair.
What Else Can Sesame Oil Do For Us
Your hair is not the only thing that's going to benefit. Because sesame oil is so high in antioxidants, it helps your whole body. For example, it helps increase the amount of nitric oxide in your body, which helps to reduce inflammation and increases blood flow to your extremities.
This can help your heart, too, particularly with the right type of omega-6 fatty acids that help reduce cholesterol. The same can help reduce arthritis symptoms when used both internally and when used on the skin of the joint in pain.
Sesame oil is a common treatment for burns and was used in World War I as a primary treatment. It can help reduce burns and healing time, probably through the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Some people with type 2 diabetes may find sesame oil can help reduce their blood sugars, although this requires more study.
How To Use Sesame Oil On Your Hair And Body
It's not as difficult as you might think to use sesame oil to help your hair. There are two primary ways to do it.
Once a week, apply approximately two tablespoons of sesame oil to the top of your head and gently massage your hair from root to tip. If you need more, feel free to use it, just be careful not to use too much and drip all over the place.
Leave this on as a deep conditioner for approximately 20 minutes to 1 hour, and then wash your hair out with warm water.
The second way is to use sesame oil regularly. With a few drops of oil on your fingertips, gently massage your scalp in slow circles. Keep adding a few drops of sesame oil to your fingers until you massaged your whole scalp.
Leave this oil in your hair overnight for deep conditioning. The residual oil will work its way down your hair follicles, helping to moisturize them as well. Be sure to wash out your hair thoroughly in the morning, as leaving sesame oil on your head too long can clog up the hair follicles and pores. You'll also need a protective pillowcase.
Wrap Up
For people with dry hair, graying hair, or who just need a deep conditioning, sesame oil is a cost-effective and safe way to get stronger, healthier hair. We hope you give it a try.