We love our customers, but you know who else we love? Our critics.
Their voices and views help us prove why Halo & Skye is so impressive. We get a lot of questions about coconut oil. One perspective is about whether to include coconut oil in some of our products. It's a debate that never ends.
Some people love it, while others say it just doesn't work for them. So, is coconut oil the hero or villain?
It's both, and it all depends on who you ask. Coconut oil penetrates the hair shaft at the deepest level out of all the oils tested in a lab. This allows it to bond to the keratin protein within the hair, helping to strengthen it, reduce porosity, and prevent protein loss.
The problem for some is that they may be protein-sensitive or have low porosity (meaning the cuticle is tight and doesn't easily absorb moisture or products). People who get keratin or protein treatments on their hair would also fall into this category. This extra "filling" action can be too much, resulting in straw-like and stiff hair. It can make the hair brittle, dry, and prone to breakage. This is essentially protein overload.
The second mode of action for all oils is to serve as occlusives. This means they create a protective barrier on the outside of the hair. If you apply coconut oil to hair that is already dry or dehydrated, it doesn't add any moisture - it just locks the dryness in.
The key to using coconut oil is to determine the hair's porosity. If you have low porosity hair, coconut oil can lead to build-up on the hair since its mode of action differs from other oils and butters, leading to dryness and breakage as discussed above. On the other hand, if you have high
porosity hair (absorbs and loses moisture easily), the more open cuticles allow the coconut oil to penetrate and give more structure to damaged hair, hailing it as a hero product for reducing frizz and retaining moisture beautifully.
Our Masque and Protect does not contain coconut oil, but our Free The Curls curl cream does. We've paired it with other oils and butters that balance each other out. Think of them as the supporting cast that makes sure coconut doesn't steal the whole show (or ruin the performance).
So where does that leave you?
If you've been avoiding coconut oil because the internet told you to, maybe it's time to reconsider. And if you've been slathering it on everything, wondering why your hair feels like straw, well, now you know.
The truth is, there's no villain here. Just an ingredient that works differently for different people.
Try it. Hate it or love it. Then tell us about it. We're listening, critics and all.