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Growing out your hair can feel like it takes forever. While there’s no magic cure to speeding up the process, research shows the best natural oils for hair growth (including castor oil and rosemary oil) can promote longer, thicker, and healthier hair. Plus, these potent plant extracts help define curls, moisturize the scalp, seal split ends, and help retain length. We turned to the experts, including a trichologist, a dermatologist, and a top hairstylist to understand the strand-enhancing benefits of natural oils for different hair goals.
Castor oil: Sky Organics Castor Oil
Castor oil is stocked with fatty acids that moisturize the scalp and increase blood circulation when massaged and may help with reviving hair on brows and lashes, says Leah Kay, lead stylist at Hair Lounge NYC. With 65,000 five-star reviews, customers praise Sky Organics’ castor oil for its ability to strengthen strands, sprout new growth, and retain length.
How to use: Castor oil is thick, and so you can try mixing it with a carrier oil (jojoba, coconut, grapeseed, etc.) in a bowl to dilute it. Section your hair and massage the oil mixture onto your scalp with gentle pressure to stimulate blood flow. Leave the oil on your scalp for up to an hour, then shampoo it out using a sulfate-free shampoo. If your hair still feels greasy, shampoo it again and condition it as you normally would.
Coconut oil: Shea Moisture 100% Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Leave-In Treatment
Great for all hair types, coconut oil “coats the hair shaft to increase its strength, decrease brittleness, and reduce hair breakage during styling,” says Elizabeth Geddes-Bruce, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology in Austin. This particular leave-in treatment softens, detangles, and defrizzes tresses while leaving your mane with a tropical coconut aroma for days.
How to use: Generously spray this leave-in conditioner on clean damp hair. Or make your own DIY mixture by melting down one or two tablespoons of coconut oil, three drops of lavender oil, and one cup of water. When spraying either one, focus on mid-lengths to ends of the hair. To finish, blow dry or air-dry.