Coconut oil, caster oil, jojoba oil… you name it, and it’s very likely my hair has been drenched in it. In the everlasting pursuit of moisture, my thick and kinky-coily natural hair is often treated to a feast of hair oils and butters during my washdays and while I’m wearing protective styles. Using oils to soothe my scalp and lock in moisture is the way I’ve been told to do it, since I was a child sitting on the floor between my mother’s legs as she battled with my thick head of curls. I wouldn’t be surprised if my grandmothers and the generations before have been moisturizing (or rather, greasing and oiling) their hair in the exact same way.
Nowadays, like most Black adults who spend a considerable amount of time online, I get most of my hair care tips from Youtube (because I’m by no means a capable kitchen beautician) and my favourite natural hair care content creators have been delivering a startling and very loud message over the last few years: ‘SAY NO TO OILS AND BUTTERS.’ At the same time, naysayers are also proclaiming in capital letters that the ‘No Oil And Butters’ method is a lie. As I sit here about to detangle my hair before my next protective style, with too many products and not enough time, I really need to know… who’s telling the truth?
Nowadays, like most Black adults who spend a considerable amount of time online, I get most of my hair care tips from Youtube (because I’m by no means a capable kitchen beautician) and my favourite natural hair care content creators have been delivering a startling and very loud message over the last few years: ‘SAY NO TO OILS AND BUTTERS.’ At the same time, naysayers are also proclaiming in capital letters that the ‘No Oil And Butters’ method is a lie. As I sit here about to detangle my hair before my next protective style, with too many products and not enough time, I really need to know… who’s telling the truth?
