How oils and butters can be bad for your natural hair and how to fix it

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In 2021 a storm hit the natural community.

Raw oils and butters had been cancelled. 

The community turned into chaos as hair stylists were bashing natural hair influencers and anyone who still stood by the use of oils and butters. 

It’s safe to say that this news was a huge shock to the whole natural hair community. 

For centuries, oils and butters had been an integral part of natural hair care. 

I mean just look at our routines! We have hot oil treatments, hair growth oils, sealing oils and also the fact that they are key ingredients in every natural hair product. 

They were our holy grail.

So what claims did these anti-oil women make against oils and butters that debunked centuries of traditions and converted so many…

That’s what we’ll be discussing today and how despite this, you can still use oils and butters in your routine. Their benefits are too great for us not to use them!

Let’s dive right in!

Are oils and butters bad for natural hair?

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To answer your question, no. Oils are not bad for your natural hair at all.

Not only are they NOT bad but they’re AMAZING for your hair!

They only become bad when you use too much and don’t cleanse accordingly. 

You know… like the popular phrase ‘too much of a good thing is not good anymore.’ 

Disclaimer: This post may contain some affiliate links through which I may earn a commission if a purchase is made using the link.

So why were oils and butters cancelled for being bad for natural hair?

Oils and butters can dry out natural hair

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Hairstylists’ main argument for cancelling raw oils and butters was that they repel water (hydrophobic). So, the film they create around the hair prevents water from the environment from being absorbed into the hair.

Oils and butters form a layer of water-repelling build-up around the hair shaft

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Have you ever noticed that when you reapply an oil/butter or a leave-in conditioner/cream, over and over again after not washing your hair for a couple of weeks that your hair STILL feels dehydrated even as you’re applying the product? Have you also noticed that as soon as you wash your hair it retains moisture well and feels good again?

This is because the hydrophobic film around your hair from all the conditioning and oil ingredients has increasingly built up without being broken down by shampoo first. This film repels water and prevents your hair products from entering the hair shaft. 

Therefore, your hair is not being hydrated. The only way to hydrate it again is by first removing this layer of build-up to make space for water to enter. This is done by the use of shampoo. 

Not removing the oils and butters from our natural hair with a strong shampoo

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For you to grasp this concept, we must first discuss the real way that natural hair is moisturised…

In case you didn’t know, our hair’s one true moisturiser is water. Not oils, not butters, not creams, lotions, or leave-ins. It’s water. 

Our natural hair is moisturised during the process of washing it. Shampoo raises the pH of the hair to remove build-up and lifts cuticles to allow water to enter the hair shaft. In turn, this water is sealed in by the application of conditioner which lowers the pH of hair to close the cuticles.

Constant application of oils and butters without proper cleansing can lead to chronically dry hair.  

If you don’t cleanse your hair of the oily build-up efficiently, then it will reduce the amount of moisture/water that is absorbed into your hair since it repels water. Your hair just is not receiving enough moisture/water. 

Your hair will start to feel dry and brittle all the time and also start breaking more than usual. It will also appear dull and lacklustre. 

But don’t worry! There is a solution to this which we will get to soon!

How to prevent the oil and butter build-up layer from drying out natural hair 

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How many of you guys use oils in almost every step of your routine? 

We have pre-poos, oil rinses and mixing oils/butters in our deep conditioners. We were also taught to seal our hair using the LCO and LOC methods and finally adding oil to reduce frizz after twist-outs and other styles.

This is a lot of steps.

If you frequently use oils and butters in your routine you must use a clarifying shampoo. 

Clarifying shampoo to remove all oils and butters

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A clarifying shampoo contains stronger cleansing agents that strip your hair of everything. 

Moisturising shampoos

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On the other hand, moisturising shampoos contain milder cleansing agents that don’t strip your hair too much. They are also packed full of hydrating ingredients such as humectants. 

How often should we shampoo our hair?

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As naturals, we should be aiming to clarify our hair at least once a month. This is to give our hair a clean slate every month to ensure that our hair can efficiently absorb all the moisture it needs. All other times we should use a moisturising shampoo. 

If you use oils and butters very frequently like detailed above, then consider clarifying your hair more often. Try every 3 weeks or even bi-weekly if you’re noticing that your hair is repelling water. 

It is also important to shampoo your scalp AND hair. There has been a lot of misinformation circulating the hair care space that you should only shampoo the scalp. Don’t do this.

Check out my blog post on what cleansers you should use and why by clicking here!

Signs that you are using too much oil and butter that it’s getting problematic

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Now that we know the solution, let’s talk about some signs that you may notice in your hair if your oil/butter build-up layer is too great.

• Water sits on top of your hair instead of being absorbed in the shower or when using a spray bottle. 
• You only shampoo your scalp.
• Your shampoo never lathers well. 
• Your hair starts to feel severely dry in under 3 days after washing it.
• You don’t have any curl definition. Curl formation is achieved when hair is well hydrated regardless of hair type including 4c hair!

These factors are not definitive from using oils and butters too much. These problems could arise from other factors too. However, one giveaway that these are related to the use of oils and butters is how much you incorporate these into your routine and if you are cleansing them out efficiently. 

How you can still use oils and butters in your hair 

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Now, 2 years after the no raw oils and butters trend started, many naturals are converting back!

After cutting out oils and butters from our routines completely, a lot of us have noticed some changes. Some positive and some negative. 

Many have realised that you can balance the use of oils by never skipping a shampoo and clarifying monthly (or more if needed). Now people are enjoying the best of worlds; hydrated hair whilst still indulging in the benefits of these ingredients. 

Click here to find out all the benefits of using oils and butters!

Positive changes:

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• After cutting out oils and butters you may notice that your hair can absorb moisture a lot better.

• Naturally, this comes with higher levels of curl definition. So wash-n-go styles are more successful. 

Negative changes:

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• You may have noticed less length retention. – Oils form a protective layer around the shaft. This is great if you constantly manipulate your hair or install protective styles using synthetic extensions. 

• Although water is well absorbed, your hair may still get dehydrated at a rate that’s faster than you’d like. – Oils and butters can help with reducing this. They form a barrier around the hair shaft so that water inside the hair cannot escape.

• Less hair growth benefits. – Oils have lots of vitamins and nutrients that can nourish your hair and scalp to promote healthy hair growth. 

Final words

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In short, raw oils and butters are not bad for natural hair. They just become bad when you use too much and don’t cleanse them out properly.

So don’t fret!

If the ‘No oils and no butters’ trend made you feel bad for using them and you were harming your hair, don’t worry! It’s all good. Just remember that too much of a good thing is not good anymore 😉 

With love,

A type 4 natural ♥

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