Whether we over use a blow dryer, we use aggressive shampoo or spend to much time exposed to the sun, the results is always that our hair is a bit “abused”, and we don’t like it.

But it takes very little to restore body and nourishment to dry hair … infact, to build (or rebuild) the hydro-lipid protection of hair, vegetable oils can come to the rescue!

Linseed oil, for example, is an excellent natural remedy for hair and is useful for counteracting split ends.

Its restructuring properties are due to its particular composition in fatty acids that sees a high presence of Linoleic Acid (13.0 – 19.0%) which helps the hydration of the hair regulating the loss of water and Alpha Linoleic Acid (45 , 0 – 60.0%) which maintains its elasticity and strength. These are called “essential” fatty acids because, despite their vital need, our body is not able to produce them.

Linseed oil, as well as other vegetable oils, can therefore be very useful for our health and beauty. At one condition, however: it actually has to be “natural”, not deprived of its properties by aggressive extraction and processing methods, which render the product inert, devoid of active ingredients (essential fatty acids and vitamin E), in short, only a fatty substance , without any curative effect.

Here is why it is good to choose a good quality oil. The characteristics for a good quality linseed oil are basically three:

1. Being extra-virgin, that is obtained with mechanical procedures, without industrial refinement or chemical additives.
2. Being obtained by cold pressure, so that no residues (about 30%) have been heated to obtain more yield degrading the active ingredients.
3. To be organic, that is to say, that no fertilizer, or herbicides and chemical pesticides have been used in cultivation. It is very important because these elements are soluble in fatty substances, and therefore in non-organic products they end up in the raw product.

 How to make a treatment with a vegetable oil

Here’s how to use linseed oil on your hair to enhance its beneficial effects:

1. Moisten the hair (preferably with a nebulizer), the humidity will facilitate the penetration of the oil.
2. Apply oil to the hair, but not on the scalp: it needs other treatments, it could be suffocated. To make the oil penetrate better in the hair, massage each strand for a few seconds and insist on the ends.
3. Wrap the hair in a clean towel moistened with warm water and then cover everything with a shower cap (plastic ones). This is for two reasons: a) the humidity  must remain in the hair, and not evaporate in air, b) heat, makes the oil more penetrating and allows a better infiltration of the active ingredients.

Leave the application as long as possible (in any case, not less than 30 minutes). Rinse with a mild shampoo.

A piece of advice for the most daring

Before applying the oil, mix in a bowl the amount you need for an application with some egg yolks. Then add some water to the mixture that will easily mix with the fatty substance. In this way it is possible to obtain a rich emulsion of proteins and lipids with a strong restructuring power.

Let me know in the comments below.

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