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Making new friends in different beauty-obsessed circles has welcomed tons of amazing ingredients into my skincare and haircare routine—and receiving the news on using jojoba oil on hair has been one of the biggest party favours.
Totally mispronounced it for a solid year (it's hoHOba), it was something my friends kept adding to their haircare, like shampoos or leave-ins, making it sound easy enough to at least try. Lighter than a castor oil, but more luxe than a coconut oil, there’s some serious fanfare backing this wonder oil and why its the perfect addition to what you’re already working with. If you’re into hair growth or just amazing moisture, jojoba oil may just be the in-between oil your hair needs.
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Benefits of Jojoba Oil for Hair
What makes jojoba oil for hair so amazing can be attributed to the fact that it’s not really an oil at all! Technically a wax ester (referring to its chemical compound) the benefits of jojoba oil for hair come down to its unique similarity to your skin's own natural oils: namely, scalp sebum! This does make it a lighter oil, but its packed full of perks that fill the gaps of those heavier oils.Moisturizing
As expected, this “oil” is a great moisturizer for hair and skin! Loaded with vitamins E, C, and B this lighter-than-most oils sits well on the surface of the hair shaft to seal in moisture–especially when hair is still wet post-shower.
Because its a wax ester, jojoba oil is more of a sealant as it doesn’t necessarily soak in, but helps seal in other oils and moisturizers. To get a deep conditioning treatment, and to reap that “sealing” effect, pair jojoba with more conditioning oils like:
- jojoba + argan oil
- jojoba + castor oil (Jamaican black castor oil is best!)
- jojoba + avocado oil
Strengthening
Paired with nourishing vitamins E, C, and B, the copper and zinc found in jojoba oil provide us with one of the more versatile benefits of jojoba oil for hair and skin: excellent strength! With proper minerals and vitamins being fed to our hair, we're able to create new blood vessels. For hair, that means strengths AND thickness is added–we love a 2 for 1.
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Imparts Shine
Because jojoba oil sits on the upper layers of your hair strands, it offers a great amount of shine. You can grab shine by using jojoba oil on hair when its wet (like, after the shower) or using a lesser amount, warm between palms and spread onto a dry style for nourished, shiny goodness.Uniquely Moisturizing to Curly-Textures
Huge cheerleaders for washing your hair less, this is especially important for curly hair types as scalp sebum, and all its benefits, have a bit more trouble making its way down the hair shaft. That’s where jojoba oil comes into play!
Because jojoba oil has a super identical structure to our scalp sebum, as in its able to mimic the viscosity and nourishment, it's able to fill in those spots that scalp sebum make have missed (like ends!)
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Nourishes and Repairs Damage
Beyond its super nourishing blend of vitamins and minerals, using jojoba oil on hair is great for repairing damage that comes from heat styling. Looking particularly at the brittleness and splitting that comes from our fave hair tools can be thwarted by the sealing effect of the wax ester nature of jojoba oil. Think of it as the nicest, most luxurious glue sealing the outer cuticle of your hair.
We know split ends can never be glued back together, despite what any beautifully shot conditioner commercial tells you, BUT it can seal in the moisture, making that fraying less likely and less severe.
Total Scalp Care (Like Dandruff!)
Okay, so jojoba oil is a great moisturizer, but did you know it has amazing benefits for scalp treatment? There’s significant anti-fungal and antibacterial properties within jojoba oil making it a perfect addition to scalp treatments too.
These anti-ick properties not only fight off bad bacteria and build up on the scalp, but in doing so, it rebalances your scalp’s pH without over-moisturizing. If you’re dealing with dandruff, this’ll regulate oil production by sending a message to follicles that “hey, we’re good here, no more oil needed!” putting an end to the excessive oil.
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Jojoba Oil For Hair Growth
Unlike some oils that can stimulate hair growth from the follicle, like castor oil or rosemary, the best advice on how to use jojoba oil for hair growth is to supplement it with other oils. That’s not to say jojoba oil for hair growth isn’t a thing! But instead, it aids in hair growth as opposed to stimulating! Here’s how.
One of the unique jojoba oil for hair benefits is the way it’s able to clear scalp buildup while being a moisturizer. Because of that great scalp care we mentioned, jojoba oil dissolves dirt and buildup from the root which helps unblock your follicles. In turn, it eases growth, but doesn’t necessarily create blood flow (AKA new growth).
If you want to get more bang for your oil application, use the inversion method while applying jojoba to your scalp. Where jojoba lacks in blood flow stimulation, an inversion massage can help bring it (like really bring it). Pair with other growth-happy oils like castor oil, lavender oil, and rosemary oil.
