From avocado toast and guacamole, to a creamy addition for your smoothie bowl, avocados have become a staple in the health food scene. This delicious superfood is a great option to provide your body with a source of healthy fat, as they contain monounsaturated, helping reduce cholesterol levels.

Avocados also provide nutrients like vitamins A, B, and E to keep the cells of the body healthy. Its these benefits that make avocado oil such a great choice for salad dressings, sauteed vegetables, and even in skin and hair products! 

When it comes to the health of your hair, avocado oil is often used as a carrier oil for essential oils, helping dilute these more potent oils and providing a natural boost for hair treatments. This oil has gained traction in the beauty world for its ability to support long, strong hair growth and its effectiveness in repairing damaged hair, adding shine to brittle ends and nourishing your scalp. 

5 Reasons Why Avocado Oil is Healthy for Hair 

1. It promotes hair growth. 

Are your regular hair trims and “miracle” drugstore products proving unhelpful with hair growth? Avocado oil can provide your hair with a natural boost of vitamins that nourish your hair to keep it strong and healthy for optimal growth. With B-vitamins like biotin that improve keratin infrastructure, avocado oil helps thicken and stimulate hair growth. It also contains vitamin E, known as the “beauty vitamin,” which helps repair damaged hair and reduce dryness.

Try massaging the oil into your scalp to promote blood flow and unclog your hair follicles. A deep moisturizing treatment can help your hair absorb the full effect of these vitamins, helping nourish long, luscious hair. 

 2. It locks in moisture.  

Avocado oil is high in monounsaturated fats and oleic acids, making it one of the best natural oils that fully breaks through the hair shaft to address dry and damaged hair. These fatty acids work their magic to nourish and strengthen your hair while also protecting it from further damage. Avocados also carries humectant properties, helping lock in moisture for a long period of time.

A study found that the minerals in avocado like potassium and magnesium were helpful in sealing cuticle cells, preventing breakage and bringing back moisture to dry brittle hair. Try opting for a homemade treatment rather than splurging for a hair mask at the salon. You can get that same silky-smooth feeling at a fraction of the cost. 

3. Helps reduce dandruff. 

Your scalp needs the same love and attention as the dry, brittle ends of hair. Applying avocado oil on your scalp can help you reach the scalp’s damaged hair follicles with much-needed moisture, improving dry, flaky skin that turns into dandruff. The oil is also rich in antioxidants, helping fight free radicals on the skin that can destroy hair follicles.

Apply a small amount of avocado oil in your palm for a moisturizing scalp massage before washing and conditioning your hair.

4. It can help detangle hair.  

If you’re constantly battling with your hairbrush to brush out tangled hair after showering, avocado oil may be your new best friend! Try adding a couple of drops of this oil into your daily conditioner, and let it soak for 5 minutes before you rinse. The fatty acids in the oil will lubricate your hair strands, helping brush through tough knots in your hair. 

This is the perfect natural detangler that is free of the usually chemical-laden, artificial products that are loaded with parabens and fragrances. 

5. It protects hair from environmental damage. 

Avocado oil can also protect against sun damage, seawater, or chlorine, all of which tend to dry out your hair. It contains fat-soluble antioxidants and bioactive phytochemicals like vitamin E and carotenoids, all of which protect your hair from pollutants and environmental factors.

Try running some avocado oil through your locks before heading out for a day in the sun, holding on to moisture protecting your hair from sun damage. It can also be helpful in retaining moisture in the colder months; try adding a couple drops of avocado oil to your shampoo for a moisturizing boost. 

How to Use Avocado Oil in Your Hair: 

1. Make a nourishing hair paste. 

Put together a simple hair paste with natural ingredients found in your kitchen: 

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil 

• ½ tablespoon of raw honey 

• 1 egg white 

Mix ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Apply the paste to clean, wet hair, and let the paste sit in your hair for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, and then brush and dry as you normally would. 

2. Make an overnight hair treatment. 

If your hair is in need of major moisture, try this easy overnight hair treatment: 

• Wash and condition your hair as you usually would. 

• Add a tablespoon of avocado oil to the palm of your hand. Rub it into the ends of your hair and then massage into your scalp in circular motions.

• Cover your hair with a shower cap, and sleep with this treatment overnight. In the morning, rinse and style as usual. 

3. Try a hot oil treatment. 

Hot oil treatments can stimulate blood flow in the scalp, making for a spa-like treatment that rejuvenates brittle hair and split ends.

You’ll need: 

• 3-5 tablespoons of avocado oil 

• 3-5 tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil 

• Warm towel 

• Glass jar 

• Saucepan 

• 2 cups of water 

Start by boiling your water in a saucepan. Combine equal amounts of avocado oil and coconut oil in a glass jar, adjusting the measurements according to your hair length – use less for shorter hair, more for longer hair. Next, carefully place the jar of oil in the hot water for a minute or two to heat up – you can use a set of large kitchen tongs to place the jar in and take it out. Carefully remove the jar once hot, and massage the oil into your washed hair and wrap it with a warm towel for up to 20 minutes. Wash the treatment out with warm water and dry and style as usual.

Risks and Warnings for Using Avocado Oil 

An avocado oil hair treatment can provide your hair with benefits in as little as 20 minutes! If you find that the oil works for you, you can use it as a natural alternative to your daily oil serum or hair mask from the drugstore. 

Be sure to test out your body’s reaction to avocado oil beforehand by applying a small amount on your skin. If this causes redness or irritation on the skin, then you can opt for a different type of oil. Avocado allergies are unlikely, but are more common if a person is allergic to latex.

Functional foods for overall health. 

Avocados provide essential dietary fat that can help prevent disease, support heart health, and lower your blood pressure. And as you learned today, avocados are also a great source of oil that can make your hair long and strong! Whole foods such as avocados, as well as many other whole fruit and vegetables, are “functional foods,” or foods high in essential vitamins and minerals that aid your body in functioning well, helping you feel amazing from the inside out. It also helps that these foods are naturally delicious! Check out the IIN Curriculum Guide today to learn more about the small ways that whole ingredients work to improve your health each day.