Should You Be Oiling Your Hair In Winter?

By Geeta Rao

When it comes to hair oils, there are two schools of thought. One believes that the heavy oil and the ensuing massage can damage the hair follicle and cause breakage. The other, coming from a strong anecdotal legacy, states that this actually improves blood circulation, improves collagen and elastin and encourages hair growth. There is a reason Indian hair is considered the best quality hair in the world by makers of wigs and hair extensions.

Hair expert and founder of Beyond The Fringe salons, Asha Hariharan weighs in, “Oiling is a wonderful way of nourishing your hair—the problem arises when you soak your hair with oil. Regardless of hair length, you don't need more than 5 to 10 ml of any good quality light oil to do the job”.

I must admit that by this measure, I am definitely guilty of over oiling my hair.

Hariharan doesn't buy into the belief that oil causes hair breakage. “Human hair is surprisingly strong and very flexible. Oil has the consistency that complements your hair and lets it stay flexible. The issue here is washing off the oil. The heavier the oil and the more you use, the more shampoo you need to cleanse off the residue. It's the over-shampooing that causes the breakage and dryness, not the oil.”

Her final tip: Don’t oil your mid-lengths, ends or run your fingers vertically down the lengths after oiling your scalp. Distribute a small quantity of light oil evenly on your scalp, massage it in gently, and end by pulling back the hair as it needs that final lifting movement for energising the scalp.

Words of wisdom and a reminder that the issue is not the oil as much as the right way to oil your hair.