If you take your salads as seriously as Kim K, then we bet you know the wonders olive oil can do to your salad or your food in general right from your favourite Mediterranean food to a dip for your bread. However, olive oil is not restricted to food — it’s actually great for to get silky, shiny hair and even taming those pesky flyaways! But, truth be told — just like your usual hair oils, this one might or might not work for your hair so there's some trial and error involved here too. Nonetheless, there's no ham in trying so let’s get into learning more about the things this ‘liquid gold’ can do for our hair — here are 7 benefits of oilve oil for hair.
Champi Time: 7 Olive Oil Benefits For Hair & Best Product Recommendations
Olive Oil Benefits For Hair
Benefits of oiling hair with olive oil are many. It is rich in fatty acids and antioxidants, so it nourishes the scalp and helps coat the hair to add softness and shine. It also keeps your scalp nourished which might promote hair growth too! It is essentially great for those with dry scalps because of its moisturising properties. Here’s are a few more detailed benefits:
Softens Hair
Since olive oil is a natural conditioner, it hydrates your hair and with regular use, can help smoothen and soften the hair. It has Oleic acid, an emollient that softens and moisturises. Olive oil's high oleic acid content is thought to help moisturise the hair by penetrating the hair shaft and restoring moisture.
Manageable Hair
Dry and damaged hair strands make your mane look frizzy and untamed. Olive oil has the ability to repair and reverse the damage (thanks to its moisturising powers), keeping your hair a little more manageable, and less prone to breakage.
Promotes Scalp Health
Massaging olive oil on your scalp, or using good quality products with olive oil helps fight off fungus and bacteria. And when your scalp’s health is good, it strengthens your hair follicles to reduce the breakage and hair fall.
Shinier Hair:
Hair strands are made up of dead keratin so when you apply olive to them, they get coated with a layer of natural fatty acids and nutrients that condition the hair and give them a shinier appearance when used regularly.
Repairs Damaged Hair
Rich in vitamin a and vitamin e; olive oil is antioxidant heavy, and can repair and reverse the damage caused by over-styling, heat, and chemicals if used regularly. It also helps lock-in the moisture to keep your hair’s texture intact.
Reduces Dandruff
As far as we know, there’s no cure for dandruff, though using olive oil might reduce your flakes as it fights off fungus. Also, dry scalps are more prone to sticky dandruff so it only makes sense that you keep 'em moisturised with something loaded with emollients.
Reduces Hair Breakage
Another olive hair benefit is that it reduces hair breakage. It keeps the hair voluminous, and thick which eventually helps with your hair's density.
While the scientific evidence directly linking olive oil to hair growth might not be abundant, it's worth noting the properties of olive oil that make it a possible candidate for promoting healthier hair.
Product Recommendations
Wishcare Cold Pressed 100% Pure Olive Oil
What we love about Wishcare's olive oil is that it's 100% pure and unrefined which means it hasn't been processed with chemicals. This not only means that you are getting the real deal here with 100% virgin oil but also that the nutrients are intact so you will get the complete benefits for your hair.
Nykaa Rating: 4.4/5. Based on 1,733 ratings and 241 reviews
Soulflower Organic Olive Oil
Soulflower is a clean and cruelty-free homegrown brand that uses organically grown produce to make their products, ensuring that they are free of harmful chemicals and pesticides and safe for use on the hair and body. Their olive oil contains no preservatives, fragrances, or mineral oils which gets it brownie points.
Nykaa Rating: 4.4/5. Based on 1,729 ratings and 243 reviews
Nat Habit Pure Olive Oil
You can trust Nat Habit to bring you freshly made beauty and wellness products made using ayurvedic techniques. Extracted from the fruits of olive. The oil is 100% pure, free of adulteration, free of petroleum additives, liquid paraffin and mineral oils. It is non-refined with no solvent residues or chemical by-products so you can use it on your hair and body without any hesitations.
Nykaa Rating: 4.5/5. Based on 39 ratings and 9 reviews
Palmer's Olive Oil Formula Smoothing Shampoo
This shampoo is a great sulphate-free pick that cleanses and removes product buildup without stripping the scalp. It leaves the hair soft with a rich glow, thanks to its moisturising ingredients like Jamaican black castor oil and vitamin e coupled with the extra virgin live oil. It's free from parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, gluten and dyes but does have a light fragrance to it.
Nykaa Rating: 4.3/5. Based on 353 ratings & 117 reviews
Tresemme Botanique Nourish & Replenish Conditioner With Olive and Camellia Oil
If you are someone who uses hair products with sulphates to get rid of the product build up occasionally, then this conditioner from Tresemme can be your jam. It has olive oil and camelia oil that work together on making damaged hair feel softer and manageable. The conditioner's also great if you have dehydrated hair and absolutely need some shine along with moisturised benefits.
Nykaa Rating: 4.5/5. Based on 1,272 ratings and 170 reviews
Plum Olive & Macadamia Hair Mask For Dry, Frizzy, Damaged Hair
Plum's hair masks are super nice and this one with olive oil and shea butter works particularly well on dry, frizzy hair. Both of these work together to give oodles of moisturisation to your hair without weighing them down. It is also formulated with plant-derived film polymers made from tung wood and rapeseed oil, that form a protective film over hair, shielding it from dust and soot in the air.
Nykaa Rating: 4.4/5. Based on 3,171 ratings and 626 reviews.