The Highlights
- Sweet almond oil is packed with vitamins and minerals (like vitamin B7, aka Biotin) for healthy, smooth hair.
- Sweet almond oil is one of the lighter oils and can be combined with other heavier oils to make a nourishing and damage-repairing hair treatment.
- Its benefits for your hair include strengthening and moisturising it, promoting hair growth, and protecting it from sun damage.
Move over almond milk, sweet almond oil is our new favourite elixir. Used for centuries as a natural remedy for hair and skincare, this golden and versatile oil is packed full of essential vitamins and minerals that make it a powerful ingredient for healthy hair.
Lots of beauty brands have touted sweet almond oil's benefits on your skin, but over here at Sitting Pretty we think it's even better for hair!
Jump below for all the sweet almond oil benefits for your hair and how versatile this oil can be for your hair concerns.
What is Sweet Almond Oil?
Sweet almond oil—not to be confused with "almond oil" or "bitter almond oil"—is a natural oil derived from the seeds of the sweet almond tree. Sweet almond oil is a carrier oil, while the other two are often created as essential oils which are more volatile and don't evaporate off hair and skin.
Sweet almond oil is produced by cold-pressing almonds, which helps preserve the natural properties that make this oil great for beauty routines. It's rich in vitamins A, B, and E, as well as essential fatty acids and minerals like magnesium and calcium.
Read Next: How to Hydrate Hair After Bleaching
How to Use Almond Oil on Hair
Hair Oil
Why buy expensive hair serums and oils when you have sweet almond oil? It instantly adds lustre and shine!
Wondering how to apply sweet almond oil to your hair so it won't look greasy?
Post-shower, take a few drops of sweet almond oil and rub it between your palms. Run it through the middle to the ends of your damp hair; not only nourishing your locks but detangling them, too.
Sweet Almond Oil Hair Treatment
This is one sweet almond oil hair product you'll want to keep tubs in your fridge! If you suffer from brittle locks due to extreme chemical treatments and heat styling, combine sweet almond oil with olive oil for a DIY hair treatment.
This homemade sweet almond oil treatment for your hair is so nourishing and repairing, it'll feel like you're actually doing an expensive salon treatment.
Sweet almond oil is rich in vitamin E and B7, also known as Biotin. Olive oil contains oleic acid and squalane, both ingredients form a protective barrier over your hair to prevent further damage and seal in moisture.
Once a week, combine equal parts sweet almond oil and olive oil. Apply it throughout your hair, making sure to concentrate it on the ends, and leave it for 15 minutes.
After, thoroughly wash your hair with a shampoo and conditioner and see the instant transformation!
Read Next: How To Use Rosemary Oil For Hair Growth
Sweet Almond Oil Benefits for Hair
1. Promotes Hair Growth
If you've ever wondered what the benefits of sweet almond oil are for hair growth, the answer is biotin and magnesium—two essential nutrients in getting thicker, longer hair.
You've likely heard of the benefits of biotin as a supplement, but when used topically it too can help prevent hair loss and thinning. Magnesium works similarly to the beloved inversion method for growing hair: it helps promote growth by improving blood circulation to the scalp, which in turn boosts cell turnover.
So adding sweet almond oil into your at-home scalp massages is an amazingly easy way to feed the follicles and get hair growing!
2. Moisturises
As a natural moisturiser, sweet almond oil can penetrate deep into the hair shaft, providing long-lasting hydration. Full of rich fatty acids that help to nourish and condition the hair, this oil helps hair look and feel softer (win!) and healthier (double win!).
Plus, when hair is properly moisturised and conditioned, it prevents further breakage, frizzing, and split ends! Which always makes hair look shinier and more lustrous. In short, hydrating hair is always a good idea.
3. Reduces Dandruff
Another sweet almond oil benefit for your hair is its ability to reduce dandruff, itchy scalp, and other scalp irritations caused by more minor bouts of scalp bacteria. It contains anti-fungal properties that help reduce the yeast and sebum overproduction that are quite common causes of dandruff.
Try massaging the anti-fungal benefits of sweet almond oil at home with a simple scalp massage before bed or the shower. It's especially great if you have dry skin or irritation caused by the sun because of its extra moisturising qualities!
4. Strengthens Hair
One of sweet almond oil's main properties is its vitamin E content: a powerful antioxidant that can help to strengthen hair and prevent hair breakage.
Like in skincare, vitamin E helps to improve the elasticity of the hair, making it less prone to breakage from heated styling tools, brushing, or ponytails.
Because this oil is pretty light, try adding a few drops to your regular finishing oil to help nourish your ends and get stronger locks.
5. Deep Conditions Hair
Not only a great moisturising oil, sweet almond oil is also rich enough that it can deep condition thirstier strands. When used as a deep conditioning treatment, like an overnight mask, this oil is able to penetrate deep into the hair shaft, providing long-lasting hydration and nourishment to the hair.
By massaging sweet almond oil into your scalp and ends, it can help soften rougher textures and improve the look of frizzing.
Just like a great conditioner in the shower, sweet almond oil can make your hair more manageable and easy to style with regular use!
6. Protects Hair from UV Damage
One surprising sweet almond oil benefit is that its high level of fatty acids and antioxidants can help protect hair from sun damage and UV radiation. This is not at all to say it's a replacement for your usual hair SPF or physical coverage like hats and umbrellas, but it can provide a protective barrier around the hair, preventing it from becoming dry and brittle due to sun exposure.
Definitely add sweet almond oil into your leave-in conditioner in the sunnier months to help protect your hair from UV damage and keep it hydrated and healthy.
