The Three Oils that Penetrate the Hair Shaft and Why You Should Add Them to Your Holy Grail List

What is the big deal about oil penetration? Sounds like something a family blog wouldn’t even talk about to be honest. But believe it or not, it is a big deal because when an oil penetrates the hair strand essentially the nutrients, vitamins and benefits the oil brings with it can benefit the hair strand from the inside out.

We are all about efficiency around these parts, and while it is fun to experiment will all sorts of oils and products we like to build that holy grail list based on some basics, some high quality basics that your hair can only benefit from.

In other words in every product pantry whether you are relaxed, natural, or have color treated hair you should have your go to protein treatment, your go to moisture based conditioner, your leave in conditioner* and of course your best oils.

In addition to your basics, kind of like in your closet you will have other products that you play with from time to time. Things that you can add basic holy grail products to in order to enhance the product and keep your regimen in tip top shape. In this post we want to talk about three oils that can penetrate the hair strand that we think should be on your holy grail list.

The oils in no particular order are, coconut oil*, olive oil* and avocado oil*. All three of these oils can penetrate the hair strand and can maintain your hair from the inside out.

When we think about water, we know that we use water to wash our hair, and moisturize our hair topically, but we also know how beneficial water is when we drink it. The fact that we can actually keep our hair moisturized just by drinking more than enough water daily is the premise you should think from when we talk about the benefits of penetrating oil.

Now that we have that understanding down, lets get the deets on the oils:

Avocado oil*

I do not know about you but avocados do not last in my home. I do not mind that my entire family loves them because avocados are rich in healthy fats vitamins and minerals.

While avocado oil* in comparison does not have as much beneficial fats, vitamins and minerals as an avocado itself, it is high in monounsaturated fatty acid which is better for penetrating the hair strand.

Along with healthy fats the oil brings with it vitamin E* and moisturizing plant sterols than can moisturize your hair from the inside out.

When we hear that an oil moisturizes your hair, we are all quick to wag our finger and say, oh no little lady, oil seals it never moisturizes.

The truth is some have the same effect of moisture because of the act of penetration and the oils ability to smooth out the strand making it healthier from the inside out. A healthy strand is not a dry strand, so this oil is an exception to the rule.

Coconut oil*

Another great exception to the rules and literally the only oil we would say without a doubt you should have on your holy grail list if you could only have one.

Coconut oil has so many benefits were able to do a post of about 51 of them here on the blog back in the day. The oil acts like a protein in the sense that it can penetrate the strand and bring with it all the nutrients the oil packs.

There is a misconception that if you are protein sensitive you should avoid the oil all together, but the truth is the only similarity it has to protein is the penetration. The molecules are small enough to penetrate the hair strand like avocado oil* making it superior to any other oil you can find.

The oil is rich in lauric acid, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals it has a ton of conditioning properties that are awesome for your hair strand, we cannot even begin to tell you.

Olive oil*

Our final and most maybe most convenient oil of the three if you had to rank them would be olive oil*. I simply say this because we often cook with it, it is much cheaper than high quality coconut oil* and avocado oil*, but that is all relative really.

I love olive oil* because it is one of those basics that can be mixed with shampoo, conditioner, sprays to make them all better and healthier for your hair.

However if we stay on topic here, this is another oil that can penetrate the hair strand and condition it from the inside out.

The other cool thing about penetrating oil is the reduction of hygral fatigue which can be detrimental for the hair strand. As much as we love water, when water quickly enters the hair strand and leaves it, the expansion and quick reduction causes damage to the strand.

This is the foundation of hygral fatigue. When oils enter the strand they take up space essentially reducing the amount of water that can move in and out quickly.

There will be space for the water, but not enough for it to just freely expand the strand the way it would if it was acting on its own accord. Well that’s it: our 3 oils that you need to add to your Holy Grail list now!