Baobab fruit. Image source: Valentin Casarsa/Getty Images
Baobab oil is an ingredient that’s easy to fall in love with. It’s super moisturizing yet non-greasy, and it works wonders for dry, fragile hair. You can gain a lot of the benefits of this oil by simply adding a few drops to your conditioner. But when you need some real, deep hair nourishment, a DIY baobab hair treatment is the way to go.
Baobab oil is derived from the baobab tree, which is native to Africa. The oil is full of vitamin E, fatty-acids, and antioxidants. Translation: It intensely moisturizes the hair and scalp, and it also penetrates the hair strands to heal and protect damaged hair. If you’re struggling with dryness, dullness, frizz, humidity, or damage, baobab oil can seriously help.
An at-home hair treatment is an easy way to get the most out of this amazing oil. But first, you’ll need to get your hands on some 100% baobab oil.
Many products have filler oils and other ingredients, which means you may be getting more of the filler oil than the actual baobab oil! Read the label carefully. It should only have one ingredient – the baobab oil itself.
Baobab Hair Treatment Recipe
For a simple baobab hair treatment, you only need a few ingredients.
- ⅓ cup Baobab oil
- ⅓ Coconut oil*
- 10-12 drops Lavender essential oil (optional”>
*If your hair is sensitive to coconut oil or if you’d rather use something lighter, you can choose any other carrier oil, like almond or jojoba.
- Combine the oils in a heat-safe bottle, jar or bowl.
- Warm the oils briefly. You can do this using the microwave or a bowl of hot water. If you use the microwave, put the container in for about 30 seconds at a time until the oils are thoroughly heated. If you use hot water, simply place the container with the oils into a pot of hot water for a few minutes.
- Test the oil on the back of your wrist to make sure that the temperature is just right.
- Divide your hair into at least four sections. Clip each section out of the way.
- Unravel one section at a time, and apply the warmed oils to your hair from root to tip, including your scalp.
- Put a plastic shower cap on your head. Let the oils work their magic for up to 45 minutes.
- Lastly, shampoo your hair. Rinse and style as usual!
This hair treatment will result in softer, shinier, healthier hair. You can reapply weekly. And since this treatment is for your unique head of hair, you can customize and tweak the recipe in any way that you need to.
If you’d rather go store-bought, there are plenty of hair products with the power of baobab oil in them, here’s a few of our faves ORS HAIRepair Coconut Oil & Baobab Intense Moisture Creme, All I Need Naturally Baobab Growth Oil Cocktail, and SheaMoisture Baobab & Tea Tree Oils Low Porosity Protein-Free Conditioner.
Have you ever used baobab oil in your hair routine? Let us know in the comments!
