Curly hair is notoriously difficult to manage, even for those with a healthy budget and all the time in the world to spend on hair care. Finding the right products can be daunting, but the good news is cannabis oil may be able to help with all your curly hair conundrums: locking in moisture, encouraging growth, and giving you the defined curls of your dreams.
But first, what exactly is cannabis oil? This part is simple enough: it’s an umbrella term for oils that are extracted from cannabis plants. Here’s where it gets more complicated.
When it comes to hair products, “cannabis oil” is usually taken to mean “CBD oil” by most consumers — a fact that isn’t lost on unscrupulous marketers. There are several different varieties of this, including full spectrum, broad (or partial) spectrum, and “pure” or isolate oils. All of these are different from hemp seed oil. If your head is spinning, don’t worry: you’re not alone. The distinction between the hemp plant and the marijuana plant isn’t well understood by most people. The important thing is that, depending on which of these oils you use, you could find a product that works for even the curliest hair.
All hair types come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Curly hair is particularly problematic because it requires highly specialized products that would destroy fine or naturally straight hair. Of course, everyone’s hair is unique, but curly hair tends to be coarse and dry, easily damaged and difficult to control. It is also the least common hair type among Caucasian people, which means that there are fewer products on the market designed to tackle it (an issue that could be its own story).
On the bright side, there’s been a shift in recent years as more curly hair products come to market. Much of this is due to African American communities embracing and celebrating natural hair, a phenomenon that was quickly identified by brands as a promising market opportunity.
While there still aren’t as many choices as there are for people with straight hair, cannabis oil is among a growing number of potential solutions for those of us with curly hair today — here’s why it could be the best choice for you.
How Cannabis Oil Works on Curly Hair
To get started, let’s be clear about what we mean when we talk about cannabis oil. In the case of hair care (especially when it comes to curly hair), you should look for a product that contains full spectrum CBD oil. Is it great for your hair? Yes, for a number of reasons.
First, it contains a rich array of essential omega-3 and fatty acids. These are nutrients that can’t be produced in the body but that we need for healthy skin and hair (among many other things). In the past, people have gotten their omega-3 and fatty acids through their diet, eating foods like oily fish and nuts that contain them in large quantities. But scientists have discovered that cannabis plants (including hemp) are packed with them.
These nutrients stimulate hair growth and prevent hair loss by stimulating the follicles. They help circulate blood to the root of the hair, which delivers nutrients and strengthens it. They also have antioxidant properties, which means that they add a protective layer to the hair and scalp, which are both vulnerable to sun damage.
Perhaps the most vital of these essential nutrients are the omega-3 oils. This is because they encourage the production of natural oils in the scalp, which are then distributed throughout the hair and make it softer and shinier. Coarse, curly hair absorbs the natural scalp oils much more easily than straight, fine hair, so an oily scalp won’t necessarily lead to a greasy or scraggly look Instead, it can make your mane look and feel infinitely healthier.
How to Use Cannabis Oil for Curly Hair
So, you’ve decided that you want to try using cannabis oil to give your curly hair some long overdue deep conditioning — that’s great! There are a number of ways that you can try it out, but the two that are best suited to hair care are topical cannabis oil treatments and CBD capsules.
Topical cannabis oil treatments vary widely, from CBD-infused shampoos and conditioners to using pure CBD oil as a DIY smoothing serum. Thanks to the tolerability of cannabis oils, you can experiment and get creative with the products that you try. Just remember to opt for full spectrum CBD oil (or products that contain it) for the best possible results.
On the other hand, taking a CBD oil capsule with your morning cup of joe can be a quick and easy way to enjoy all of the benefits of CBD oil. This does mean that the effects of the oil won’t be targeted directly to your hair as they would when using a topical product, but it can still be effective when working from the inside out.
