Healthy hair is the result of good hair care. Each day, we style our hair, braid it and set it for the day, but we spend very little time nourishing and hydrating it. One ingredient that has proven to be a blessing for our hair is coconut milk. Yes, you read that right, milk from tender coconut has proteins and micronutrients that penetrate deep and nourish it from the roots. Coconut milk can help strengthen the hair, promote hair growth and fight dandruff and even restore dry hair.
If you are as keen to learn the benefits of coconut milk for hair as we are to share, let's take a look at how this natural and homemade hair mask is prepared.
Coconut milk benefits for hair
Coconut is invariably found in every Indian household. While we use this fleshy fruit for cooking, decoration, and drinking coconut water, we may have easily ignored the plethora of benefits, coconut milk comprises for our hair. Coconut milk can help improve the condition of your scalp, and hair health, prevent hair damage, prevent hair loss and do so much more.
What do you mean by coconut milk?
Coconut milk is essentially made from the flesh of the coconut. When you split open a coconut, you may find tender white fleshy ingredients attached to the hard shell along with some water. The water present inside the coconut is coconut water, which can be consumed directly and has a host of benefits. Coconut milk is made by shredding the white flesh from the coconut and blending it with water, and other ingredients if required.
We know that coconut milk is good for hair, how can we make coconut milk at home?
While you can buy coconut milk off the rack in the market and it may have similar benefits for your hair, there is a cathartic feeling about making our very own nourishing hair care mask from scratch.
Let’s take a look at the steps involved to make coconut milk:
- Take one fresh coconut, and break it into two halves.
- Shred the white flesh of the fresh tender coconut. Collect the shavings and add them to a mixer jar.
- To this mixture, add 2 cups of water and blend it until all the tiny shreds mix with the water to form coconut milk.
- Remove this mixture into a container and strain it with a strainer or a muslin cloth.
- Take the strained mixture and boil this liquid on the stove for 5 minutes or less.
- Collect the heated liquid, cool it down and place it in an airtight container.
- Now place this in the fridge and allow the liquid to chill.
- Take two-three spoons of the coconut hair mask and apply it from the roots to the tips.
What are some benefits of coconut milk for hair?
1. Improves scalp health
Coconut milk contains lauric acid, which is known to enter the hair follicles and nourish them from within. It also helps to hydrate the scalp and gets rid of dandruff.
2. Reduces hair damage
We expose our hair to a whole lot of damage every day. A simple grocery run can add dust, pollution, grease and so much dirt to our hair and scalp. Vitamin E present in coconut milk can help to remove these pollutants from the hair. It also helps to retain the protein already present in the hair.
3. Clears dandruff
Dandruff is caused by an itchy and dry scalp. The application of coconut milk helps nourish the scalp, moisturize and condition it. This also strengthens the hair from the roots.
4. Promotes hair growth
Our hair is made of proteins and is generally strong. But a lack of proper hair care can make it dull, and dry and cause split ends. To ensure that the hair quality is maintained try applying a coconut milk hair mask on a weekly basis; coconut milk can penetrate deep inside the strands and nourish it from within.
5. Slows down hair fall
When we nourish our hair with a conditioning mask made of coconut milk, the hair cuticles and tips get stronger and thicker. This does not allow the hair to break off easily. It even maintains the shine in our hair.
6. Acts as a natural conditioner
Coconut Milk contains fats, proteins, iron, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and potassium, along with nutrients like vitamin B12 and zinc. It is also rich in Vitamin E which helps to condition the hair. Applying the coconut milk mask to your hair once a week can hydrate it as well as deep condition it.
How to apply coconut milk to hair?
While you can directly apply the mask made of coconut milk for hair growth, you can also use it in combination with other ingredients. Here are three ways you can make good use of use of coconut milk for hair
1. Pure coconut milk mask.
One way of ensuring that you get the goodness of coconut milk for your hair is by applying the homemade mask. You can make the mask using the steps we shared above.
2. Coconut milk mixed with Aloe Vera
To include Aloe vera in your routine, mix one cup of aloe vera in the blender along with 2 cups of shredded coconut. Blend the mixture with water until it becomes a thick liquid. Next, empty the ingredients into a cup and place them in the fridge to chill. Apply a gentle amount from the roots to the tips and let the mask stay for 30 minutes or so before you rinse it off with shampoo and conditioner.
3. Coconut milk mixed with lemon
Another combination that works wonders for your hair is mixing coconut milk with lemon. Add a few drops of lemon to freshly made coconut milk. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for a while and until it curdles. Now, apply this to your hair and let it stay for about 30 minutes. Then, rinse off with shampoo and conditioner.
4. Coconut milk mixed with honey (raw) and olive oil
Lastly, a combo that will not only provide nourishment to your hair but also hydrate and promote hair growth. We are talking about mixing honey and olive oil with coconut milk. To make this mask, add one spoon of honey, one spoon of olive oil two 2 spoons of shredded coconut, and blend all these together. Let the mixture cool down in the refrigerator, then apply the mask for 30 minutes and rinse off with shampoo and conditioner.
Frequently Asked Questions on how to apply coconut milk to hair
1. Why is coconut milk good for hair? What are the uses of coconut milk for hair?
There are a multitude of ways to incorporate coconut into our lives, the ones that stand out the most are its uses for hair and for cooking food. Even in this, most of us don’t realise how important coconut milk is for our hair and how to use coconut milk for our hair. The reason coconut milk has been used for hair strengthening according to cocosoul is that it can penetrate up to 90% of our hair strands. It can rejuvenate our scalp and provide our scalp and hair with the nourishment they need to stay strong and healthy
2. When it comes to coconut milk, how long should you leave it in your hair?
Upon application, you can leave the coconut hair mask in your hair for about 30 minutes. This time is sufficient for the ingredients to penetrate into your hair and provide it with all the conditioning it needs.
3. What is the use of coconut milk for hair?
Coconut milk has a ton of natural ingredients, antioxidants and vitamins, proteins and fats that are good for conditioning our hair. It is often difficult to take care of our hair on a daily basis, but by incorporating this hair care routine once a week in our life, we can ensure that our hair is getting all the nourishment and care it needs.
Conclusion
Coconut milk can be easily brought from a grocery store, but what fun is that right? Making your very own hair mask at home is not only an enjoyable process, but it also ensures that you are using pure ingredients and maintaining quality control. While your mask is chilling in the refrigerator, you can further utilize the time to whip yourself up a nice fresh juice using a premium cold press juicer. By doing this you are hydrating your scalp and your body at the same time, so that’s killing two birds with one stone!
We hope you try this at home and take control of your hair care!
