The main fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid. In fact itâs about 44-52% lauric acid. Whatâs so special about this fatty acid? It has an affinity for hair proteins. This means that lauric acid LOVES, LOVES, LOVES hair protein. It has a low molecular weight and straight chained structure. This means that it can penetrate INTO the hair shaft.
The cuticle of the hair shaft is the outer protective covering. It consists of flat overlapping cells or scales. It is the hair structure that allows substances like water and oils, into and out of the hair. It also protects the delicate proteins which is great.
However the cuticle can become damaged. And it textured and curly hair, this damage occurs at less force compared to Caucasian and Asian hair textures. Cuticle damage is evidence by broken scale edges several cm away from the scalp caused by weathering, mechanical damage, combing, brushing and shampooing. The longer the hair is, the older it is and the more cuticle damage it has sustained. This is one of the reasons the ends of your hair often feels dry, brittle and hard compared to the middle sections or those sections closer to your scalp. The cuticle is especially susceptible to damage from combing the hair when itâs wet.
If you have long natural hair then good for you! Weâre talking 25 cm or longer. It took a lot of work, care and likely some protective styling to get you there. However you may want to keep in mind that the structural integrity of your hair may be impaired because of chipping away of the cuticle. This leads to split ends and fractures and can limit the length you can actually retain, how shiny it is and how smooth it looks.
Coconut oil and your cuticled.
Coconut oil has been known to lead to healthy looking long hair and it likely prevents damage to the cuticle when combing and brushing or using any procedure that involves abrasion. The lubricating effect of the oil on the hair fiber reduces friction which in turn will reduce damage from any abrasion.
 oils that do penetrate will actually increase the softness and manageability and hydration of the hair. Those oils that canât penetrate wonât.
 the effect coconut oil has on hair damage and in order to understand this youâll need to know a little bit about the cuticle.
The cuticle is the outer part of the hair shaft. It is a hard shingle-like layer of overlapping cells, some five to twelve deep. It is formed from dead cells which form scales that gives the hair shaft strength and do the best job of providing protection for it. The hair cuticle is the first line of defense against all forms of damage; it acts as a protective barrier for the softer inner structure. The cuticle is responsible for much of the mechanical strength of the hair fiber. A healthy cuticle is more than just a protective layer. The cuticle controls the water content of the hair fiber; it allows water into and out of the hair.
Coconut oil, when used as a PRE-WASH treatment, helps to reduce protein loss from the hair.
So when it comes to breakage from combing the hair when wet, here is the take home message:
Preventing or minimizing the swelling of the hair shaft IS MORE important than the hair being lubricated.
This is likely a huge reason why women who are part of the 7 Day Hair Rehydration Challenge have experienced less breakage.
Coconut oil also has the great ability to reduce what is called the Water Retention Index (WRI). What is this exactly? Itâs the propensity of the hair to swell. The repeated swelling and contraction of the hair damages the cuticle soâŠ.minimizing this is a good thing!
How much does the WRI get reduced by? In UNDAMAGED hair, itâs as much as 44%. In DAMAGED hair this value is much higher. Another point for coconut oil!
Okay now for the mechanism of HOW coconut oil protects the hair.
So how does coconut oil work exactly?
As a pre-shampoo treatment or conditioner it coats the hair and blocks the entry of water into the hair. A small amount of coconut oil is absorbed into the hair during washing when the hair fiber is swollen. Oils are hydrophobic or âwater-fearingâ; they repel water. So coconut oil on the hair reduces the swelling tendency of the cuticle. This reduces the UPWARD CURVING of the surface of the cuticle. This in turn reduces the CHIPPING AWAY of the cuticle. This reduces PROTEIN LOSS.
Itâs important to understand that the reason coconut oil is able to have this powerful effect on the hair is because of its linear structure and low molecular weight, which allows it to actually penetrate into the cortex.
**This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT:
NOT ALL OILS HAVE THE ABILITY TO PENETRATE INTO THE HAIR DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN STRUCTURE!
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