Hair care requires a lot of attention. However, we live in a chemically fueled world where it is hard to tell what exactly we are putting into our bodies or on our hair. So it might be time for those who want a better way to look into more natural alternatives using ingredients that came into this world the same way we did: naturally.
There are tons of products out there marketed as the best thing for our hair, but what is the truth? Some of the most popular ingredients for natural haircare include egg, coconut oil, olive oil, and even honey. However, which is the best?
Each of these ingredients has its own particular traits that can benefit your hair. But deciding on which to try out can be difficult if you are flying blind. That is why this article is here. To try and shed some light on which of these four ingredients is best for hair care. So, let us dive on in and see how these different substances stack up as hair care products.
How Does Egg Help Hair?
While you might typically associate eggs with breakfast, they can be a handy tool for hair care. Eggs are packed with nutrients and vitamins essential for us as human beings. When eaten, they are primarily good for an intake of protein and these vitamins. However, when used topically, eggs can become an immensely useful tool for enhancing the health of your hair.
One of the most valuable effects of egg hair care products is that they can protect your hair from being damaged. This is due to the vitamins found in the egg's yolk. These vitamins include vitamins A and E along with folate. There have been studies connecting these vitamins in eggs that actively promote hair growth and bolster the health of existing strands.
Additionally, eggs have iron, which is beneficial to your hair growth. Specifically, iron is known to promote the production of new cells in the body. This includes the cells responsible for hair growth and the cells that compose the strands.
Therefore, it stands to reason that egg-based hair products will enable you to grow thicker and more resistant hair. As a result, there will be substantially less breakage, and you will also find yourself shedding fewer hairs. This can be a godsend for those who suffer from thinning hair.
All it takes to reap the hair-based benefits that an egg offers is to apply it directly to your scalp. Then, you will be able to absorb the vitamins through the follicles from which your hair grows. Since the egg matter, and therefore the vitamins, are being introduced directly to the cells that promote hair growth, you might soon experience its effects in growing a healthier head of hair. That said, we have yet more substances to cover.
How Does Honey Help Hair?
Honey is another substance that has seen a great deal of attention in the hair care industry. Honey is more than just a sweet treat; it can be used to create many products, including hair products. In addition, honey has some backing in research.
One of the main benefits that honey offers for hair is that it can enhance your hair's luster. Honey has emollient and humectant traits that allow it to moisturize your hair rather effectively. The emollients in honey soften and smooth out the hair and cause them to shine a little more than it had before. This moisturizing effect also offers benefits for the scalp beneath the hair. After all, a dry scalp can lead to damaged or poor hair.
Honey also has a concentration of protein that might enable it to promote growth, similarly to egg-based products. However, honey has far less protein when compared to eggs, and much more would be needed to reach the same levels of growth. So, ultimately, honey offers more to promote the aesthetic values of your hair than recovering or strengthening it.
There has been some research that has backed up honey's ability to promote hair growth further. In this respect, it is on somewhat even footing with egg-based products. For example, a study from 2013 found that honey promotes the growth of epithelial cells that make up the ducts and follicles in the scalp. These are responsible for hair growth, so a substance that helps them form is liable to help your hair grow out. However, even honey does not mark the limits of what might serve as a hair supplement.
How Does Olive Oil Help Hair?
Olive oil is a fairly common hair care supplement. This is primarily because it has been cited as having several benefits for overall hair health. For example, olive oil was purportedly supposed to improve your hair's shine, softness, and resilience. However, there has been little to no scientific evidence to back up those claims to date. There has only been one benefit scientifically associated with olive oil and hair care.
Specifically, olive oil is an excellent source of oleic acid, palmitic acid, and squalene. These compounds are emollients which, as you might recall, was what gave honey its moisturizing effect for hair. Therefore, the primary benefit olive oil can offer for your hair is as a moisturizing agent that can improve the shine and softness of your hair. This is the only scientifically supported effect olive oil can offer.
Olive oil is thought to be able to do this because it smooths out the cuticle of the hair. This results in a nice sheen and hair that is softer than it would otherwise be. However, this means olive oil is most suitable as a conditioner with little to offer in hair growth or reinforcement. So, while olive oil might be underwhelming compared to egg and honey, we are not quite finished.
How Does Coconut Oil Help Hair?
Coconuts are likely something you have long attributed to tropical locales like Fiji and Hawaii. After all, it is one of the most famous tropical nuts in the world. However, one of the genuinely great components of a coconut is the oil it can be used to produce. As a result, coconut oil has become a common ingredient in many health supplements for countless purposes. What might shock you is that coconut oil has a lot to offer to promote your hair's health. In many respects, coconut oil is better than most other oils for this purpose.
In 2003, a study was conducted to review the effects of coconut oil, amongst other oils, on hair health. The researchers behind the study did so by measuring the protein concentration in the hair after each oil wash was complete. The result found that those who used coconut oil suffered far less protein loss when compared to the subjects who used mineral or sunflower oil. As you will recall, a higher protein concentration promotes stronger hair that is more resilient to shedding.
The truly remarkable thing is that the study found that coconut oil had similar effects on natural hair strands, those that had been bleached, those that had been exposed to ultraviolet light, and even those exposed to chemical treatments. The reason behind coconut oil's superiority in protecting human hair has to do with the chemical structure of the oil.
Coconut oil is mainly composed of lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid that is much easier for the body to absorb. This means that coconut oil has less trouble entering our systems and dispersing its effects.
Coconut oil also has some bonus benefits for your hair that most other products cannot provide simultaneously. This includes:
- Preventing Lice: A study found that coconut oil mixed in with anise showed 40% more efficiency at treating head lice than the mainstream chemical product.
- Sun Protection: Coconut oil has been found to have a sun protection factor of 8. This turns it into a power UV filter that can protect your hair from sun damage.
- Dandruff: Additional studies have discovered that coconut oil has antimicrobial effects that help to counteract the symptoms and effects of dandruff. Given how common dandruff is, this is a very beneficial effect.
Coconut oil shapes up to be one of the most valuable tools for protecting the overall health of your hair and scalp alike. This has cemented its popularity as a hair care product that will likely leave you feeling more confident in your hair's health and quality. First, however, we will go into a little more detail about how it stacks up against the other supplements in the next section.
Which is the Best?
Eggs, honey, olive oil, and coconut oil. Each of these substances has become a common sight in hair care products the world over. However, when compared to one another, which can indeed be given the title of the superior product?
We feel it is probably best to take this in ascending order. Starting with olive oil. Given that olive oil's only real effect on hair is as a moisturizing agent, it can easily be assigned last place in this little competition. While maintaining a moist scalp helps with the shine of your hair, it is not quite enough compared to other products.
The next rung on the ladder is a little harder to narrow down. While egg and honey both provide similar benefits to the growth and resilience of hair, honey offers more moisturizing and cosmetic benefits. However, the low protein concentration of honey makes the regenerative traits of egg-based products a little more reliable than those of honey-based make. So, we will leave honey and egg products tied for second place.
This leaves coconut oil. Given all of the benefits it has to offer your hair, we are inclined to award it first place as the best hair care product discussed here. So, if you are looking for a natural product to revolutionize your hair care regimen, coconut oil is your best bet.
With that said, our little discussion has ended, and you now have the information you need to make an informed decision on a natural hair care product. But, you might be wondering what comes next.
Keep it Natural
Natural products are becoming an unfortunate rarity in a world where chemical shortcuts are becoming the norm. With the competition between olive oil, honey, egg, and coconut oil hair products ending in a decisive victory for coconut oil, you are now equipped to take advantage of its benefits. Many products are available that focus on using coconut oil to offer its effects in full force. The real question, of course, is figuring out where to find a coconut oil-based product for your hair care needs.
To that end, we at Bella All Natural are here to help. We believe in the natural approach for all issues you might face. Hair care is no exception. Fortunately, we offer hair care products for two of the four products being evaluated here. We offer bottles of egg-based shampoo and coconut oil-based shampoo that could be the perfect addition to your daily hair care routine. If you want to take your hair care to the next level, check out our website and order a bottle of either one today.
Have you ever given any of the four listed options a try? If so, which one was it, and what were your thoughts on the results? If not, would you consider giving any of them a go now? Which option catches your eye the most, if any? Additionally, have you tried out either our coconut oil-based shampoo or egg-based shampoo before? If you have, what were your thoughts on either of the products? Be sure to let us know exactly what you thought! We're hoping that you absolutely loved them!
Please feel free to leave all your thoughts, comments, and stories in the comments section down below! Not only would we love to hear what you think, but your comments may also help other readers down the road in making a purchase decision! We greatly look forward to hearing from all of you!
