Many of us have fond memories of sitting between mama or grandma’s legs as she carefully greased and oiled our scalp. We all remember our hair as flourishing in those days. It’s easy to connect the thick, healthy hair of our youth with mama’s expert oiling strategy; after all, freshly oiled scalps do look shiny, supple and healthy – temporarily anyway. More likely, many other factors were at play and contributed more significantly to the healthy hair we recall from childhood.
First and foremost, as children our hair tend to have extremely low manipulation regimens. They tend not to use harsh products and treatments such as hairsprays, colours, heat and relaxers that have become our mainstay in adulthood. Hair always thrives best in low manipulation environments with ample moisturisation regardless of the products used.
The greasy shine mama may have laid on our scalp may have felt good and looked great from her vantage point, but your scalp likely was struggling to maintain its equilibrium and continue its normal daily business of flaking on schedule. The natural flaking process of the scalp simply cannot occur as efficiently with heavy oils obstructing the surface. The flakes then accumulate and become trapped, causing dryness, dandruff and itchy flare-ups.
The proper way to hydrate the scalp and stimulate natural sebum production is simply through frequent cleaning and conditioning of the scalp. Frequent cleansing keeps the scalp skin clear of any obstructing clutter, and hydration (conditioning) keeps it moisturised and supple.
For those of us who must supplement their scalp oils due to low natural sebum production, or other conditions, a moderate application of our light plant-based treatment oil should do the trick.