How To Do A Hot Oil Treatment For Hair At Home

Is your hair dry, frizzy or brittle and breaks easily? Here we recommend hot oil treatment. As a popular option for protecting and nourishing dry, brittle hair, hot oil treatment is getting more and more popular among people. Keep reading to learn more information, including what a hot oil treatment is, how to do an oil treatment by yourself, and so on.

So, What Is A Hot Oil Treatment For Hair?

A hot oil treatment for black hair is a hair and scalp treatment that utilizes a mixture of natural oils to treat dry and damaged hair. The hot oil hair treatment is usually applied from root to ends and works by either heating up the oils before application or by sitting under a steamer or hooded dryer after application. During the hot oil treatment for hair growth, the heat factor will allow for the oils to penetrate deeply into your strands, thus making hair softer, more manageable hair and even bringing a series of other benefits we discuss below.

What Are The Benefits Of A Hot Oil Treatment?

Many of the natural oils used in a hot oil treatment for curly hair have properties that may help protect and moisturize your hair. Therefore, Some of the most important benefits of hot oil treatments include:

1. Protects and hydrates the dry, brittle hair;

2. Improves hair strength;

3. Reduce frizz and split ends;

4. Curb dry and itchy scalp;

5. Relief dandruff;

6. Promote the growth of healthier hair;

Which Oils Should I Use?

Before you get started, decide on the type of hot oil you want to use. Some popular options include olive, almond, and jojoba oils, as well as coconut, avocado, and argan oils.

Coconut Oil: Reduces protein loss and helps to strengthen the hair. If your hair is very dry or extremely curly, coconut oil is ideal owing to its intensive moisturizing properties.

Olive Oil: Contains oleic acid, palmitic acid, and can make hair softer, smoother, and moisturized. Jojoba Oil: Mimics the natural oil of our scalp and helps to reduce dandruff, moisturizes without weighing hair down.

Avocado Oil: Rich in biotin, vitamin B5, and vitamin ER, can reduce breakage and provide incredible slip.

Sweet Almond Oil: Jam-packed with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E and can nourish hair, making it become smoother and softer.

Argan Oil: Rich in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and Vitamin E which help to increase hair elasticity and restore shine.

Rosemary Oil: Stimulates hair growth, strengthens circulation, and helps reduce dry scalp and dandruff.

Lavender Oil: Has antimicrobial properties that can reduce bacterial infections, reduce itching, and even help kill lice.

Although best hot oil treatments for hair use plant-based ingredients, it doesn’t mean they’re safe for everyone. It’s still possible to have an adverse reaction to the oil, especially if you have sensitive skin.

To reduce the risk of a reaction, please look for oils that aren’t combined with synthetic ingredients, and are 100 percent natural. If you’re unsure whether a hot oil treatment for natural hair is safe for you, try doing a patch test a few days before using the oils.

To do a patch test, simply apply a small amount of the oil (unheated) to the inside of your elbow and then leave it there for 24 hours.

1. If you don’t develop any rash or itchiness within 24 hours, then it should be safe to use.

2. If you do react to the oil, test different oils until you find one that’s best for you.

If you don’t want to make your own mixture, you can buy a pre-made hot oil treatment from the drugstore.

How To Do A Hot Oil Treatment

After you have found the oil you want to use, follow these steps to do a hot oil treatment at home.

Step One

First of all, wash your hair with high-quality shampoo and conditioner. After all, hot oils tend to work best on clean hair, which allows the oil to deeply penetrate the hair cuticle.

Step Two

Fill up a large pot with water and put it over high heat, then bring it to a boil. At the same time, pour 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 44 mL) of your oil of choice into a heat-safe bowl. Then place the bowl of oil into the pot and heats the oils up slowly and evenly. If possible, try not to heat your oil in the microwave. The intense heat from your microwave can cause oil to break down, and it may heat unevenly.

Step Three

Once the oil has reached the appropriate temperature, test the oil on your wrist before applying it to your damp hair. Dab a bit of oil onto your finger and drop it onto the inside of your wrist. If it’s too hot for your skin, let the oil cool down for just a few minutes again to avoid burning your scalp. If the oil doesn’t burn your wrist, you can go ahead and start applying it to your hair.

Step Four

To protect your clothes, place a towel over your shoulders before applying the oil. Rub your hands together to spread the warm oil around to the ends of your fingers. Apply the oil evenly throughout your hair and massage it into your scalp.

Step Five

Once the oil is distributed throughout the scalp, cover your hair with a shower cap or a warm towel. Leave the oil in for 15-30 minutes—even longer, overnight.

Step Six

When you’ve let your hair sit for long enough, hop in the shower and completely rinse out the oil from your hair with clarifying shampoo. When the oil is gone, follow up with a conditioner to leave your hair feeling shiny, soft, and healthy.

FAQs About Hot Oil Treatment

1. Do you wash your hair before or after a hot oil treatment?

It is best to apply your hot oil treatment after you have washed your hair. If you want the oil to fully penetrate your scalp and clean hair, you can't apply it to dirty hair. That is because if your hair is dirty, the scalp oil will just sit on top of your hair.

2. Do you put hot oil treatment on wet or dry hair?

You should typically apply hot oil to semi-dry or damp hair. Freshly washed hair is ideal as it helps improve the absorption of the oil. If you want to keep your natural hair looking soft, shiny, and healthy, hot oil treatments for scalp can work effectively in keeping your hair looking and feeling its best.

3. Should I shampoo after a hot oil treatment?

One major difference is that the best hot oil treatments for dry damaged hair are typically applied before shampooing your hair, while oil rinsing is usually done after shampooing the hair, right before applying the conditioner. 

4. Do you condition after hot oil treatment?

The hot oil treatment always comes first. It helps lubricate the scalp and strengthens your hair, which can prevent breakage while applying the mask. Follow it up with the deep conditioning treatment after the hot oil has been applied and washed off

5. How long do you keep hot oil treatment in hair? / Can you leave a hot oil treatment in overnight?

You can leave the oil in your hair for 30 minutes, or for even greater results, you can even let the treatment do its thing overnight. When it comes time to rinse your hair, shampoo twice to get it all out and condition your hair as usual.

6. How often should you do a hot oil treatment?

It’s best to do a hot oil hair treatment every week or every two weeks, depending on your preference. If your hair is very dry, severely damaged, or color-treated, you may want to do a hot oil treatment on natural hair every few days.

7. Can I use hot oil treatment on my wigs?

Yes, you can. The hot oil treatment will make your human hair wigs radiant and supple. We use various oils to restore natural softness, shine, and manageability to the hair on your lace front wigs. It is heat-activated to penetrate deep into troubled hair to control damage caused by chemical treatments, over-processing, whether exposure or blow-drying. Rejuvenates dry, damaged hair by replenishing lost moisture and helps protect hair from further damage. Compared to natural hair, it is best to do a hot oil treatment on your HD lace wigs once every 3 months.