The Best Natural Oils for Moisturizing Natural Kinky Curly Hair

After more than a decade of wearing my kinky curly hair relaxed straight, a couple of years ago I decided to start fresh and wear it natural. I quickly learned that my natural texture was extremely dry and required way more moisture in order to stay soft and healthy, so after experimenting with various products I learned that oils were my hair's best friend.

Here are some of the best oils to use to keep naturally kinky hair hydrated, try some out until you find the ones that work for you.

Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil is one of the first essential oils that I experimented when I first went natural. On my thick hair, it's light and it feels similar to the oil my scalp produces, so I have found that my hair absorbs it very quickly. For some reason though, my hair best absorbs this oil when it's dry rather, than wet.

I like jojoba because it leaves my strands feeling extremely soft and feeling moisturized. Since it's fairly light I don't use jojoba when my hair is feeling super parched and dehydrated, but I use it throughout the week to retain the moisture levels in my already hydrated curls.

Shea Butter

I have tried products that contain shea butter, but I haven't used pure unrefined shea butter yet, although I intend to. A lot of naturals swear by this African butter because it's supposed to leave the kinky curly hair soft, hydrated, and protected from the sun.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is my favorite oil to use on my locks. I buy a jar of it from the supermarket (one of its other purposes is to fry food), warm it between my hands, and apply it directly to my wet or dry strands.

My curls eat it up even if they are extremely dry. It absorbs really quickly like the jojoba, but because the coconut oil is fattier it really moisturizes my hair. My strands are left feeling softer, protected, frizz free, and more manageable.

Olive Oil

A lot of naturals love using olive oil as a daily moisturizer and for deep conditioning treatments because it too softens and hydrates their strands.

For some reason, though I haven't had much success with it, it just doesn't seem to penetrate my hair too well. I think that's probably due to the fact that my texture is coarse, because a lot of the women who seem to like this oil have finer textures.

Palm Oil

I tried Ojon's Restorative Treatment as a hair moisturizer recently and it worked wonders on my thick strands leaving them shiny, frizz free, and very hydrated. One of the main ingredients in the product is palm oil, which was used as a moisturizer in Africa centuries ago.

I have not tried pure palm oil yet, but after doing a bit of research I learned that a lot of naturals also loved this oil to add shine and moisture to their curls.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is another oil that I haven't gotten around to trying yet, but I will be experimenting with it soon, because I have seen so many great reviews for it amongst naturals. It's supposed to be great for softening and reducing frizz on thick coarse textures.