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9 Ways to Use Coconut Oil for Hair Health


Take a peek inside your kitchen cabinets, and we bet you have a jar of coconut oil hiding out in there. While it’s an excellent baking ingredient, have you considered using coconut oil for your hair? DIY beauty fans swear by its multitude of benefits. You can rub it all over your body and face to make your skin softer. You can even swish it around your mouth for whiter teeth like Gwyneth. But where it really shines (literally) is in your hair routine. As versatile as it is nourishing, there are tons of ways you can use the kitchen staple to boost shine, repair damage, and protect your strands. Read on for the best ways to use coconut oil for hair that’s strong and healthy.

Coconut oil benefits for hair

First things first, while coconut oil works like magic on a wide range of concerns (like dullness and frizz), there’s one thing it doesn’t do: moisturize. In fact, no oil does. Rather, like most oils, coconut oil is a powerhouse emollient (meaning it softens and smooths), and it’s occlusive (meaning it helps trap moisture and emollients in your hair). Think of it as a sealant. It goes to work to keep nutrients and moisture in, as well as any damaging chemicals (like chlorine) out.

While all hair types can benefit from the reparative Vitamin E and amino acids in coconut oil, according to hairstylist Lauren Grummel, it’s best for thicker hair types. She says you’ll want to check the label to make sure you’re using pure, extra virgin raw coconut oil, since anything with additives can be harsh on your scalp. And if you do have thin hair? Try using a product that contains coconut oil as an ingredient (more on those below) instead of applying it straight from a jar.

So, what does coconut oil do for your hair exactly?

1. It adds shine and softness.

If your hair’s looking or feeling a little lackluster, coconut oil can help bring back its healthy, glistening sheen. That’s mostly thanks to its occlusive properties, which again, help lock in moisture.

2. It helps repair damage.

Because of it’s unique structure, coconut oil is actually able to prevent protein loss, keeping hair from becoming damaged and fragile.

3. It helps smooth down frizz.

Oils are a great alternative to silicone-based frizz tamers, which can weigh down your hair. Just keep in mind that a little goes a long way. A few drop where you need it will do the trick.

Parachute Naturalz 100% Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

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Solimo Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

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How to use coconut oil for hair

Coconut oil can be used to as a hair treatment to repair damage and add shine in tons of different ways, here are nine of our favorites.

1. Use it as a traditional hair mask.

Hairstylist Alex Brown likes to use coconut oil to whip up a homemade hair mask that’s great for repairing damage. She says to whisk together two tablespoons of coconut oil and one egg, and apply it evenly to towel dried hair. After 20 to 25 minutes, shampoo and condition as usual. You’ll find that your hair will look and feel softer and smoother.

2. Wear it as an overnight treatment.

If your hair is really damaged, Grummel says it’ll benefit from an eight-hour soak. Apply virgin coconut oil to dry hair, pop on a bonnet or headscarf, and go to sleep. If you don’t wrap your hair, Grummel warns that the oil may ruin your pillowcase, so be sure to use one you don’t care about or replace it with an old t-shirt for the night. The next morning, rinse out the oil and shampoo and condition as usual.





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Supernal Cosmic Glow Oil Review: Why It’s Worth Your Money


It seems like a new skin care launch pops up every other day, and as someone who reviews beauty products for a living, I can hardly fit another moisturizer sample in my shoebox-sized bedroom in Brooklyn. Naturally, I’ve begun infiltrating my boyfriend’s studio apartment for space to test new products—from at-home facials to dark spot treatments. He’s become pretty accustomed to the constant influx of products, and while we may never settle our debate over oat vs. dairy milk, we had no problem agreeing on the best face oil the both of us has ever used: Supernal Cosmic Glow Oil.

It’s gorgeous, I know—but the pleasing packaging is just what drew me in, not what got me hooked. Good skin outweighs a good #shelfie in my book, and I avoid falling prey to gorgeous bottles filled with lackluster formulas. That’s not the case with this clean (and literally green), nutrient-rich oil, though. It gained a permanent spot on my vanity not only because it’s chic as hell—but because it smells like the botanical oasis of my dreams and blesses my skin with a hydrated, midsummer glow—even in the dead of winter.

Formulated by certified aromatherapist and admitted skin care obsessive, Melissa Medvedich, Cosmic Glow Oil‘s organic ingredient list is long—spanning camellia oil, amla fruit extract, blue tansy, and chamomile oil—and vitamin-packed (with vitamins C and omegas 3, 6, and 9 included). It all results in a nourishing formula that leaves my skin plump and dewy. And while face oils are loved for adding a silky sheen to your skin, they still don’t sink into skin as deep as a hydrating heavyweight like hyaluronic acid, so I rely on Supernal’s Cosmic Glow Oil as a sealant for my moisturizer and serum—and as a personal de-stressing product.

My entire being feels more relaxed when I put it on, thanks to a delightfully unique scent that you can warm in your hands and breathe in for a full-on aromatherapy experience. My boyfriend is totally hooked, singing praises over the oil’s ability to “restore a healthy, lustrous sheen” and a “subtle earthy essence that reminds me of spring.” We have a budding beauty editor on our hands, clearly. He’s learned from the best.

Despite my skepticism around the oversaturated skin care market, every now and then, a true gem of a product appears, and Cosmic Glow Oil is one of them. Even when I’m not sprawled out in a lush, utopian nature scene fit for a Renaissance painting, this product convinces me I am. If you want to shower your skin with vitamins while smelling like the Garden of Eden and giving your bathroom counter the Insta-worthy toppings it deserves, add this to your cart.

In a world of vibe-y ad campaigns, flowery marketing lingo, and celebrity endorsements, it can be hard to tell what’s really worth the luxury price tag—but this is stuff the real deal. Truth be told, “cosmic” isn’t much of an understatement here—my boo and I honestly feel the celestial vibes every time we put it on. I don’t call him cherub for nothing.

Supernal Cosmic Glow Oil

Credo Beauty

$108

Buy Now

Erin Parker is a commerce writer at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @erinhaveadream.





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Best Face Oil for Every Skin Type and How to Use Them


For most of us, using face oils should be pretty straightforward: Step one, smear on face. Step two, carry on with your day. But the reality isn’t quite so simple. Ask a handful of people what face oils actually do, and you’re likely to get a range of claims—they hydrate, they don’t hydrate, they clog your pores, they help with breakouts, they work miracles, so on and so forth. Confused? We’re here to help you find the best face oil for your skin concerns and how to use it.

What are face oils?

Oils are oils. This seems like it should be a no-brainer. But oils are also emollients, which means that unlike creams or ointments, which sink deep into skin for intensive, long-lasting hydration, oils tend to hang out near the surface. Essentially, their moisturizing power just isn’t up to snuff. But while you don’t get quite as much moisture, it’s not like they’re not doing anything useful. “Oils do add barrier protection, silkiness, and superficial hydration,” says cosmetic dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank, M.D. They may sink into your skin just enough to nourish the topmost layer—but that’s still not a whole lot compared with true hydrating heavyweights like hyaluronic acid, which literally binds water to skin cells.

A good way to think of it is that oils alone are not moisturizers (and you shouldn’t use them as such). Instead, they should accompany traditionally moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. “A good moisturizer has to deliver both water and oil,” says aesthetician Ling Chan. “Your cells drink the water while oils stay on the outside of the cell for protection and lubrication.” An oil is actually integral to healthy skin, since it acts as the sealant that keeps moisture in. Without it, moisture just leeches out until the next time you apply cream. While this isn’t necessarily going to wreck your skin, it’s definitely not ideal—and it becomes a bigger problem in dry winter weather.

What do face oils do?

Oils give skin an instant softness and smoothness that can be kind of addictive (seriously, try slathering one on and see if you can stop petting your face). But more than that, they’re often packed with essential nutrients, fatty acids, and antioxidants. Plus, adds Chan, they form a protective layer for your skin cells. While they’re not the end-all-be-all solution to skin issues, they do their fair share by repairing and protecting your skin barrier, which helps your skin absorb other skin care products. If you’re not seeing the dreamy skin you imagined you would from serums and moisturizers alone, an oil might be able to make that happen.

How do you use face oils?

You can always mix oils in with your moisturizer, but if you’re going to give them their own spot of honor in your skin care routine, do it before you moisturize but after—or even instead of—your serum. Now, for some bad news: Certain types can clog your pores if you’re prone to breakouts. One of the biggest offenders? Beloved coconut oil. “Coconut oil will stay on the top of your skin for hours,” says Chan. “When oils are too heavy, they don’t allow your skin to breathe.” Your best bets are oils with a smaller molecular size, like argan oil, squalane oil, and jojoba oil. They sink into skin quicker and never get the chance to clog pores.

The best face oils for every skin type

1. Best Face Oil for All Skin Types
Tatcha Gold Camellia Beauty Oil, $95, sephora.com

Buy it for the cool gold flakes floating around in the bottle, but use it for the camellia oil, which packs more antioxidants than any other oil out there.



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5 Women Try Glossier's Milky Oil Makeup Remover


Would She Buy It? Having tried it, I would definitely buy it. Most makeup removers need some vigorous scrubbing to take off all of my lipstick. This one was gentle.

Marla Goller, video producer

First Impression: I’m not really a cleansing oil kind of girl, so I’m not going to lie, this made me nervous.

Her Thoughts: With a name like “Milky Oil” I was expecting Glossier’s makeup remover to leave my face feeling greasy and oily, but I was pleasantly surprised with how satisfyingly smooth my skin felt after use. My makeup came off smoothly and easily, too. I’m definitely impressed. The only thing is that it made my skin a little red at first, but it cleared up after a few seconds.

Would you buy it? I wouldn’t have bought it before trying it, but now I would definitely buy it and would recommend it to friends.

Bella Cacciatore, beauty assistant

First Impression: It’s so incredibly cute I couldn’t wait to bring it home and display it in my medicine cabinet. However, I don’t know if I trust Glossier to make a makeup remover powerful enough to cut through anything more than a whisper of eyeshadow.

My Thoughts: I’m throughly impressed by this. It totally removed my Tom Ford liquid liner in one clean swoop, with no bleeding or black residue left behind. It didn’t leave a greasy film, or irritate my eyes, as many makeup removers tend to. When it came to my waterproof mascara I still needed another cleanse to 100 percent remove it, but Milky Oil did the bulk of the work.

Would I Buy It? I usually stick with drugstore makeup remover, but for $12 I would definitely upgrade for something so cute and so effective.

Tara Gonzalez, commerce editor

First Impression: I was skeptical initially. I only ever use a makeup wipe to remove my makeup and never use liquid makeup remover because I find them messy. It always feels like I have to scrub my makeup off with a liquid, as opposed to wiping it off quickly with a facial wipe. I’m a sucker for packaging though and really wanted to try Glossier’s Milky Oil because it looked so cute.

Her Thoughts: This product felt really nice on my skin whereas makeup remover solution usually really stings or feels uncomfortable for me. I also didn’t have to apply that much to remove my makeup, which is often the case. Most of the time I have a pretty hard time removing my red lipstick but it came off faster than usual with Milky Oil.

Would She Buy It? I would absolutely buy it and unlike my favorite CVS makeup remover wipes, I’d happily leave this on my bathroom counter as decor.

Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor

First Impression: At this point, Glossier could make an $18 bottle of water and I’d buy it. Why is everything so irresistibly cute?

Her Thoughts: I’m an evangelist for double cleansing (that is, first cleansing with an oil-based cleanser to remove makeup, then following that up with mild cleanser). Ever since I started doing it, I’ve noticed less breakouts. I think Milky Oil is good first step for spot removal—especially for eye makeup. It’s gentle on my sensitive eyes (a must for contact wearers) and doesn’t leave a greasy cast behind like some makeup removers. Truth be told, I can’t tell too much of a difference between it and my favorite micellar water, but that bottle certainly doesn’t look as cool.



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Rahua Legendary Amazon Oil Is the Best Hair Conditioning Treatment


People always ask what I do to my hair, staring me down with extreme focus as if they’re getting ready to commit 20 products and a multi-step regimen to memory. I, on the other hand, have a history of providing the same unhelpful answer every time. “Nothing.” This is true: Aside from washing it every other day, I just let it air-dry and then roll out of bed in the morning and go. During New York winters, I used my blow-dryer to keep warm on the many nights when my building’s heat and hot water simultaneously went out—that high-end appliance seldom went anywhere near my actual head. I once owned a drugstore hair brush for about three days before I lost patience and also lost the brush in question.

This all worked out perfectly fine until I moved to Germany and my hair care routine, like many other things in my life, suddenly changed. Berlin has extremely hard water, meaning that what comes out of the showerhead has a high mineral content and leaves my hair much drier and more tangled than I’m used to. While my bleached and color-treated hair was doing just fine stateside (my colorist, Bumble and bumble salon’s Diaz, took me from black to fire-engine red to the richest brunette shade without ever damaging a single strand), it started feeling a little parched a mere week after I settled into my new flat.

I had already managed to find a sulfate-free shampoo. After hours spent Google Translating labels and feeling lied to by all the brands that promised color-safe on the front and then revealed their sulfate-carrying contents on the back, I made a detour to the baby aisle and picked up a bottle of Bübchen Kinder Shampoo. While the formula didn’t strip my color, it didn’t exactly hydrate either. And that was proving to be a bigger issue than I had expected—because I loathe conditioner.

There are a few reasons why my shower routine usually doesn’t include conditioner. It’s tough to find a formula without silicones or dimethicone, which cause acne around my hairline and on my back. I also dislike the slick, residue-coated feeling my hair has after conditioning, as if I could rinse and rinse and still never quite get it out. And while most formulas I’d tried in the past did make my hair feel a little smoother, they also seemed to weigh down my natural waves. As for hair masks, forget it; I am both notoriously lazy and notoriously impatient when it comes to my beauty routine, and the likelihood that I will stand around for 20 minutes waiting for a deep treatment to work its magic on a weekly basis is rock-bottom low.

Salvation came into my life in the form of an unexpected invite: an afternoon at Berlin’s ridiculously swanky Soho House, where Rahua by Amazon Beauty founder Fabian Lliguin was presenting his new Legendary Amazon Oil. As he proffered the golden bottle, a ray of sunlight descended from the heavens and illuminated its contents, and within the first five minutes we were all hooked.

As we passed the bottle and around and tested it, we all murmured in surprise at how light the formula was and how quickly it seemed to vanish into nothing, leaving only shine and hydration behind. This, Lliguin says, is because he deliberately designed the mixture to leave out any heavier particles, meaning it gets deep down to repair and strengthen your hair from the inside out. “Pure oils are wonderful for hair and skin and naturally contain blocks of fat and particles of heavy waxes,” he says. “Hair oil is meant for replenishing oils that are lost due to many factors such as coloring and heat.”

The result, which he adds can be used on all hair types, is a combination of rahua, sacha inchi, and morete oils. “Sacha inchi is also known as the Inca peanut; the seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A and E, wonderful antioxidants,” he says. “It locks in moisture and has wonderful soothing benefits.” Morete oil is rich in vitamins A and E as well, and also contains a dose of vitamin C.

The trick is applying the treatment to damp hair, like a conditioner, so it gets through your hair more evenly—making sure to focus it on the lower part of your hair, which tends to be drier. If your hair still needs more moisture, you can always add more oil on after it dries, says Lliguin.

Ever since I left Soho House clutching my prized new possession, the $42 bottle hasn’t left its place of honor (right next to my favorite lotion) at my desk. After showering, I rake it through my hair with my fingers, concentrating on the ends as advised. Occasionally, for extra gloss, I rub a few drops between my palms and smooth them over dry hair. While Lliguin adds that conditioners have the added benefit of detangling, which I won’t get from oils, I find that the formula does a good enough job of injecting hydration back into my hair where it sort of just…detangles itself. Plus, it smells like a balmy vacation and restores equilibrium to my minimal-effort world—I really couldn’t ask for more.

Rahua Legendary Amazon Oil, $42, spacenk.com

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–I Finally Found a Shampoo That Makes Conditioner Optional—And It’s Cheap
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Milk Makeup Kush Mascara Review: What Is CBD Oil Mascara?


Marijuana has been making the rounds lately, making a cameo in everything from weed tampons (which may alleviate cramps) to Cynthia Nixon‘s campaign for New York governor (she’s made marijuana legalization a cornerstone of her campaign). No small wonder, then, that you can now find the green stuff in Milk Makeup’s new Kush Mascara. The brand is known for pushing boundaries, as well as coming up with some seriously innovative formulas, like its “invisible foundation,” so this seems par for the course.

But before you call the Jeff Sessions I-Think-I-Smell-Weed hotline, know this: You’re not going to find a dime bag in this mascara. Instead, it’s infused with cannabidiol, or CBD, oil, a compound from the cannabis plant that’s becoming increasingly popular in the health, wellness, and, yes, beauty spaces. Not to be confused with THC—the cannabis compound that gives marijuana its psychotropic properties—CBD oil can purportedly ease muscle aches and help with insomnia, among other claims. Still, the research is limited, particularly when it comes to CBD oil’s skin care perks. Only a handful of studies have been conducted, and we’re currently in the honeymoon stage, meaning the risks haven’t really been tested or addressed.

Real beauty goes beyond the surface—and so do we. Sign up for Glamour’s newsletter to get honest reviews, personal essays, and more every day.

This hasn’t stopped the beauty world from embracing CBD oil—however, Milk is the first to use it in a mascara. The Kush Mascara formula thickens lashes with heart-shaped fibers, which create a sort of web over lashes for peak fullness and curling power, versus the usual, cylindrical tubes, which primarily add length (and can therefore result in spidery lashes). Here’s where the CBD comes in: Instead of using beeswax to adhere the fibers to lashes, the cannabidiol oil serves as its new, vegan alternative (since the brand recently went vegan). Plus, because it’s an oil, the CBD conditions lashes as you wear it and gives the formula a creamy texture, making it easier to apply.

I loved the brush off the bat, which was nice and fat and didn’t load on too much product at once (which historically makes my lashes stick together. Plus, the tapered tip of the brush made it easy for me to get the little lashes at the corners of my eyes, as well as the bottom lashes. See the effects for yourself:

The most obvious difference is in the volume. My lashes looked thicker for sure—and somewhat longer—but with zero clumps, a real feat if I ever saw one. If you’re a fan of extension-like, out-to-there lashes, this may not be the mascara for you, since it’ll make them longer, but not to um-are-those-real proportions. Long lashes aren’t my thing, so I don’t care about this. However, if you’re pretty chill about your lashes and just want to give them a healthy, full appearance—or you’re looking for a solid vegan formula—look no further than this mascara. If this doesn’t make a solid case for CBD oil, I don’t know what will.

Milk Makeup Kush High Volume Mascara, $24, sephora.com

Related Stories:
–This $10 Mascara Held Up Through Beyoncé’s Entire Coachella Performance
–The 10 Best Mascaras Out There, According to Glamour Editors
–6 Weed Products for Your Vagina



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