I remember my Mom would buy little tubes of hot oil treatments – I think it was the VO5 ones. She would put them in a glass of  hot water and then apply it to her blonde hair. She has always had really shiny beautiful hair.

I don’t know many salons that do them, and they’re usually done at home. The idea behind it is that you apply slightly warmed oil to coat and “mend” dry hair. Hot oil treatments can be misleading… please don’t heat the oil so that it gives you burns… you’re gently warming it in warm water. The best is the hot oil treatments you can buy in store/ salons… or good ol’ coconut oil.

Here are the benefits – especially wonderful in Winter.

1.      Protects against breakage. Applying an oil as a pre-wash product helps protect hair from physical damage and friction. Physical damage occurs when you work the hair too aggressively without any sort of lubricant. (Essentially the oil creates a physical barrier around the strands so they don’t cause friction.

2.      Reduces Frizz. Frizz occurs when the cuticle of the hair is raised, separating the individual strands (that’s why frizzy hair is often called “puffy”). When you seal down the cuticle with an oil, not only are you superficially reducing the chances of the cuticle being raised, but you are also reducing the amount of external moisture that can enter the hair shaft.

3.      Adds Shine: The point of oils is to wrap the hair cuticle, making it appear more lustrous by creating a smooth surface and reflecting light.

4.      Reduces signs of ageing. For those with aging hair, occasional hot oil treatments might be very beneficial. However, you need to pick oils or products with a high antioxidant count (look for oils that contain or are “infused” with vitamin E

5.      It reduces oily hair. This might sound counter productive for those with oily hair, to add a hot oil treatment, but it actually makes sense. Oily scalps are usually a sign of dryness… your scalp produces more oil ot help hydrate your hair… so if you’re adding some oil treatment you’ll reduce the amount of oil your scalp produces. So oily hair, don’t be afraid to do an oil treament.