International Beauty Report: Indian Coconut Oil

Do you ever wish that your hair was as perfectly conditioned and shiny as the girls in shampoo ads? It seems that there is a delicate balance between well-conditioned hair and greasy hair, and it’s really easy to make your mane too oily. In India, women use coconut oil to obtain those beautiful, glossy locks of hair.

According to the sources that I found, using coconut oil in your hair is really simple. Just take a small amount and massage it into your scalp and down through your hair. Then, wrap your hair in a towel (I’m thinking one that you don’t love too much because I’m assuming this will get messy), and let it sit for anywhere between an hour and overnight. I think I’d start on the safe side and do an hour at first, since my hair is really light and porous. Then when you are done letting it soak, shampoo your hair as normal!

You can buy coconut oil in a variety of places for a variety of prices. I found a tub of coconut oil that says it’s for hair at Walgreens for $1, and I found a fancy bottle by Indian makeup artist Shalini Vadhera and her line, Global Goddess, for $35. I guess you’ll have to take a look around and see what works for your hair and your budget!

To give you some beautiful hair inspiration, I leave you with photos of two beautiful Indian actresses who have covetable tresses: Deepika Padukone (left; just saw her in Love Aaj Kal and loved it!), and Freida Pinto (right; Slumdog Millionaire).