Beauty Notes: Jojoba Oil

Having wavy, thick, course hair, I've spent a considerable amount of time trying to find products that can manage and improve the health of my hair. Very little works. Too many products are drying and, promises of manageability aside, I refuse to heat-dry and -style my hair. It takes enough work to make it healthy. I don't want to add more work to offset damage.

After finally giving jojoba oil a try, I've found that it works quite well to provide definition, softness, and manageability to my hair. Jojoba oil works by coating the hair, smoothing the surface and reducing surface friction/frizziness. In turn, my waves lose some of their blockiness and looks more defined. My hair feels softer, as well, due to the oil coating my hair.

However, jojoba oil isn't penetrative. Instead, it works something like silicone to coat the hair, preventing moisture from entering or leaving the hair shaft. This means that whatever positive effects are gained from jojoba use go down the drain, literally, when you shower. I've found no cumulative effect from jojoba use, either in terms of hair health or hair dryness. For all its similarity to silicones, it doesn't dry out or damage my hair the way silicones do.

Due to the success of this trial, I'm interested in trying other types of oils for my hair, particularly coconut and avocado, as these could potentially lead to healthier hair. However, this is no looking a gift horse in the mouth - I'm just pleased to have (finally) found an inexpensive option for keeping my hair healthy.