In today’s post, we will take a deeper look into whether it is safe to use peppermint oil in your low porosity hair, plus its possible benefits.
Peppermint oil is good for low porosity hair. It balances the pH (4.5-5.5) of your low porosity hair, making it easy to moisturize. Peppermint oil promotes hair growth by increasing blood flow to the scalp and stimulating hair follicles. Peppermint oil will control dandruff and encourage length for low porosity hair.
You can mix peppermint oil with other oils that are suitable for low porosity hair. Oils such as avocado oil, grapeseed oil, and argan oil are ideal.
However, always remember not to apply loads of oils into your low porosity hair. Its inability to absorb hair products can lead to wastage and product build-up. Product build-up can attract dirt and create an unhealthy environment favorable to bacteria and fungus, leading to more hair damage.
Choose two or three oils that work best for your hair and stick to that combination of oils. Of course, you should avoid heavy oils such as castor oil as they will make your hair appear greasy and result in product build-up. You can read about castor oil for low porosity in a post we wrote in another post here.
Table of Contents
Benefits of using Peppermint oil for low porosity hair
Peppermint oil helps balance Ph in low porosity hair
The pH of your hair is very important especially if you are treating damaged hair. Low porosity hair is one of the hardest hair to moisturize since it does not absorb products easily.
With the wrong pH, it becomes even harder to take care of this type of hair, which is why when you are taking care of low porosity hair or any other type of hair it is always crucial to maintain the hair at a pH of 4.5-5.5.
When hair pH is too acidic it will make the hair cuticles contract/close and when the pH, is alkaline it will cause the cuticle to open.
When the cuticles close they cannot absorb products such as moisturizing products and when open, they will not be able to retain moisture.
In both cases, your hair will be dry and brittle, but at a pH of 4.5-5.5, your hair cuticles are in their normal state. At this pH, it will be easy to keep your hair moisturized and healthy.
Some practices such as dying and using the wrong hair products like shampoos will interfere with the pH of your hair.
These products especially shampoos are made using ingredients that have either high acidity or high alkalinity.
For dyes to get infused into the hair they have to change the pH of the hair to open cuticles. Therefore, when buying products for your hair always consider the pH content.
Peppermint oil balances PH
Peppermint oil will balance the pH of your hair to between 4.5-5.5 which allows the hair to absorb and retain moisture and other hair care products.
So how do you use essential oils on low porosity hair? When applying peppermint oil to low porosity hair, you can use carrier oils, light oils that easily penetrate the hair cuticles.
However, you can also use heat. Use a blow dryer with its heat setting at low or minimum. you can also use heat caps.
The heat helps open the hair cuticles so that oils such as peppermint oil can penetrate into the hair.
The advantage of low porosity hair is that once oils penetrate into the hair, they tend to remain longer than in high porosity hair.
Other benefits of peppermint oil for low porosity hair include:
Peppermint oil promotes hair growth
In this section, we will answer the question, does peppermint oil stimulate hair follicles?
If you are looking to grow your low porosity hair, peppermint oil has been proven through research, to promote hair growth.
Peppermint contains a compound known as menthol that causes a tingling effect when applied to the skin or scalp.
This compound is the one that has been shown to promote the growth of hair by increasing the flow of blood to the scalp.
Improved blood circulation ensures even undernourished hair follicles get the nutrients they need to promote growth.
Based on research
conducted on mice, mice that received a topical application of peppermint oil showed better hair growth compared to those that received a placebo.
At the end of the research, mice that had a topical application of peppermint oil experienced hair grow faster and thicker. these mice had longer and denser hair, meaning peppermint oil stimulated and regenerated hair follicles.
Anecdotal evidence shows that peppermint oil promotes hair growth, making it a favorite among natural hair enthusiasts, especially those seeking to use peppermint oil to grow 4c hair.
Peppermint is good for natural hair, especially African American hair. This research has shown that menthol in peppermint oil promotes is the substance responsible for increased blood flow by widening blood vessels.
Peppermint oil treats and prevents Dandruff
Dandruff can be a nuisance especially when you want to grow your hair. When you are using protective hairstyles such as braids you may not realize you are having a dandruff problem until you go for a retouch.
There are several causes of dandruff such as dry skin, fungi, poor hygiene, contact dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis.
However, dandruff can be prevented or even cured using the right products. The first step is to make sure your hair is always clean whether you have braids or not.
You can check this article we wrote here about washing your hair even when you have braids such as French braids.
Peppermint oil has antimicrobial properties that will help prevent and treat dandruff caused by fungi as shown in a study published in 2009.
It may work best when mixed with oils such as fractioned coconut oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, or argan oil that are also favorable to low porosity hair.
Together they will help prevent dandruff caused by fungi. Does peppermint oil moisturize your scalp? Yes, which is why it can prevent dandruff that is caused by dryness.
Peppermint oil will also leave you smelling nice all day or night.
Treatment of hair lice
Though not common especially if you maintain hygiene, head lice can be a menace that is hard to treat especially if you do not have the right products.
Peppermint oil especially when mixed with tea tree oil is very effective in the treatment of head lice.
How to use peppermint oil for low porosity hair
Mix it in shampoo
You can mix a few drops of peppermint oil in the shampoo you use for washing your hair. Make sure the shampoo is okay to use on low porosity hair and does not leave residue or cause products to build up.
Using the shampoo mixed with peppermint oil wash your hair just as you would using a normal shampoo. Using warm water will help open up your hair’s cuticles and allow peppermint oil to penetrate your hair much better.
Secondly, peppermint oil together with a low porosity-friendly shampoo will help to balance the pH of your hair.
Scalp Massage
You can use 3% peppermint oil mixed with your best massage oil such as sweet almond oil which is also good for low porosity hair to massage your scalp.
Massaging your hair and scalp with peppermint oil will improve blood flow in your scalp and promote hair growth, help remove product build-up, treat dandruff and most of it will help balance the pH of your scalp.
Make sure you wash your head with a good shampoo after the massage to remove the excess oil from the scalp.
However, before using peppermint oil always make sure you do a patch test to make sure you are not allergic to the oil.
To do a patch test, apply some peppermint oil to the back of your hard overnight, and observe how your skin reacts to the oil.
In case you experience an allergic reaction you should not use peppermint oil. However, if there is no reaction then you can proceed and use peppermint oil.
When applying peppermint oil after washing your hair, always make sure you apply it on damp hair and not wet hair. Preferably after washing your hair with warm water. Warm water will help open up your hair cuticles.
You can also a heating tool such as a blow dryer at its lowest setting. Heat will also help to open up your hair cuticles, mix peppermint oil with other oils that are safe for low porosity hair such as grapeseed oil, argan oil, and sweet almond oil, and apply to your hair.
Make sure the whole strand of your hair absorbs the oil mixture, you can then use a brush to ensure the oil is well spread throughout the length of the hair strand.
Summary
Peppermint oil is good and safe for low porosity hair since it will help balance the pH of the hair and scalp. Additionally, peppermint oil will also promote hair growth and help protect your hair from dandruff and head lice. You can mix peppermint oil with your favorite shampoo or massage oil and use it on your head.