How Often Should You Oil Your Scalp?

How often should you oil your scalp

As a professional hairstylist, I get asked all of the time how often should you oil your scalp. Today is the day that you will get this question answered! When it comes to oiling the scalp, relaxed hair is a bit different than natural hair, and let me tell you why.

Oil tends to weigh the hair down. The more you use, the heavier your hair will be. For someone with relaxed hair (like myself) that likes for their hair to have lots of body and bounce, your hair will not move like you want it to if it has tons of oil and product on it. For this reason, I always encourage lightweight products (like these) that do not weigh the hair down. However, oiling the scalp is a good practice to add to your hair care routine, especially when you are trying to grow your hair a bit faster than normal. Also, relaxed hair has a tendency to be dry so adding oil can be a great way to stop dryness.

When wearing braids, I oil my scalp more...

Now I'll get to the question at hand. When it comes to how often you should oil your scalp, technically there is no right or wrong answer. That is because, no amount of oil will damage your hair, cause it to break, or cause your hair to fall out or shed prematurely. The more often you add oil though, be sure to use a clarifying shampoo during shampoo day to prevent buildup. So, it is totally up to you on how much should you oil your scalp. For those like me who like body and bounce, I would recommend oiling your scalp about 1-2 times a week, preferably towards the end of the week when you are about to shampoo your hair anyway. I like to oil my scalp the day before I'm going to shampoo it and let it sit overnight as a hot oil treatment. Or, you can also sit under the steamer with the oil on your scalp. Both of these are acceptable.

When wearing protective styles I oil my scalp much more frequently because I'm not concerned with it weighing my hair down. So, when my hair is braided I oil my scalp 5-7 times per week. This also helps to prevent your braided hair from becoming dry, especially if you leave your braids in for more than three weeks at a time. If your goal is to grow your hair then you should oil your scalp at least every other day to help increase circulation in the scalp which is what leads to faster growth. The trade-off will be that your hair may be a bit heavier. I always recommend using oil sparingly because your hair naturally creates its own oils as well. 

If you're looking for a great oil to use to help your hair grow, I recommend this one from the by L. Jones line. It also helps with dandruff and itchy scalp as well!

If you want a step-by-step guide on how you should be taking care of your relaxed hair, grab this book, The Ultimate Guide To Healthy Relaxed Hair and it will walk you through how to be more confident on your relaxed hair journey.