What No One Tells You About Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is pretty much the Holy Grail of multipurpose beauty and health aids, and the magic of running it through dry hair —particularly that of the thick, textured variety — can't be overstated. But, before you perfect that coconut bun and saunter into polar temperatures, be prepared for the cold, hard truth — literally.

It makes sense when you think about it. Coconut oil arrives in a cooled, congealed state; a hard solid. Adding heat (like rubbing it in your hands) emulsifies the product, so it would stand to reason that exposing the same product to freezing cold temperatures could — and does — return it to its normal state. And when that happens, don't try manipulating it, or your hair could suffer some serious damage.

There are three ways to avoid the situation. One is to use a thicker butter on the outside of your hair to seal your style (mango butter is kind of magical). Another is to apply a more liquid hydrating oil, like almond or olive, as a top layer. Finally, you could just save the coconut oil for above-freezing temperatures and use a more solvent form until it warms up out there. Personally, we like to save the coconut oil for evenings when we're home, perfectly toasty, or use it to give ourselves a hair treatment while relaxing in the steam room. THAT is a religious experience, and the softness and health of our strands afterwards? Mind blown.

Try these tips to help you save your mane through the rest of the frigid winter and be sure to add a scarf to protect your hair from the wool of your hat. Hard coconut oil is one thing, but the travesty of what that hat can do if you have textured and/or curly hair? It's just so wrong.