I love, love, love when I get to discover and learn something new about curly hair or something that can benefit its health. This is why when I heard about this I was super excited and had to share it with you guys. I’m talking about broccoli and no, I’m won’t ask you to start eating it or to slather some greenish paste on your hair too (go ahead sigh with relief!). Did you know you can make oil out of its seeds? Broccoli seed oil might actually be the new wonder oil for curly hair and your skin, and it gains a few extra points as it seems to be seriously kicking silicone’s butt! Keep reading and discover how.
It may not be big news, as it is definitely already seen on the ingredients list of some products out there (I’ve done some checking), however, I keep questioning why is it that it’s not as known as other trending oils, namely Argan or Morrocan oil? I guess people like the exotic and rubbing “broccoli” on their hair and skin doesn’t feel or sound exotic. To some people, it may even trigger a “yucky” response as it’s not a very popular vegetable among children and adults.
Thus, why having broccoli printed on the front label of your hair product may not elicit the sales response the industry would like and so I guess it’s not even mentioned (or rarely mentioned) when it’s present in the formula (although it is surprising considering its benefits!). I, for once, like to look at the benefits this tree-look-a-like vegetable will bring to my hair. If we can extract oil from peanuts, avocados, quinoa, apples or tomato seeds why not from broccoli seed oil? I tell you if a study was made they’d probably find a correlation between likeability, exoticness and people’s reaction to it.
I actually like eating broccoli and after doing some research on this vegetable oil, I’ll share with you some of its wonders, which I hope will make you look for it the next time you go out to shop for hair products.
The Benefits Of Having Broccoli In Your Diet
I have previously talked about the importance of proteins and having a well-balanced diet as a means to promote hair that is healthy, strong and that has sustained growth, but I haven’t talked about broccoli specifically.
Broccoli is a vegetable that contains 90% water, is rich in carbohydrates and is low in calories. You may dismiss it at a first glance, but you’d be wrong to do it as this plant from the cabbage family is a good source of Vitamin A, C, D, B12 and B6, is also the source of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and Iron. Impressive isn’t it?! Well, you might not actually think so if you don’t know what these do to your hair, so let me explain that quickly to you.
HAIR GROWTH – Vitamins A, C and D are all influential in hair growth. Vitamin A stimulates sebum production which gives our hair a protective layer and helps prevent rapid moisture loss that leads to dryness and breakage, therefore it facilitates hair growth. Vitamin C supports collagen production which strengthens hair and promotes hair growth. Studies have also shown a link between vitamin D and healthy hair follicle growth. So you see, broccoli should be on your diet as a means to achieve your hair length goals.
HAIR STRENGTH – Vitamin C is full of antioxidants that help fight off free radicals that are responsible for premature ageing of the skin and hair. The presence of vitamins B6 and B12 also help maintain healthy skin, nails and hair. They help nutrient absorption at the hair follicles making your hair stronger, they also reduce stress levels that can be responsible for hair loss. Broccoli seems to make your hair more resilient.
PREVENTS HAIR LOSS – Studies have shown that the presence of vitamin A, potassium, and calcium in broccoli all help prevent hair loss. Iron in broccoli helps blood cells carry oxygen and important nutrients to blood cells that feed hair follicles to support healthy, strong hair.
These are just a few benefits of the vitamins and minerals contained in broccoli. You may not like to eat them, however, when used as a hair oil you will probably come to love it for all that it can do to your hair.
Benefits Of Broccoli Seed Oil For Hair Care
I won’t beat around the bush and I’ll tell you straight up that one of the biggest benefits of using this oil is its use as a silicone substitute. It’s pretty awesome, isn’t it? I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, when used correctly silicones can be of great help in your hair regimen. However, not having to worry about soluble and insoluble silicones and the use of drying shampoos to remove them is surely a plus. Those of you who have been avoiding silicone like the plague or use it sparingly for all the “wrongs” they can do to natural hair will be pleased to know about this yellow-greenish oil. Here are some of the benefits of using broccoli seed oil in your hair care.
MIMICS SILICONES – the high content of erucic fatty acid in broccoli seed oil when used for hair care imitate the behaviour and purpose of silicones in hair products. Broccoli seed oil leaves a light film around the hair strand that imparts the hair with shine and lustre and prevents hair frizz.
PROTECTION – The antioxidant properties of vitamin C, which is high in broccoli, offer protection from free radicals and prevent premature ageing.
LIGHT & NON-GREASY – With 50% erucic acid (Omega-9), this oil is very light and non-greasy which means that it’s easily absorbed, accelerating moisture to the hair and skin.
LONG SHELF LIFE – When used in DIY concoctions you’ll be pleased to know that broccoli seed oil has a long shelf life (2 years minimum) due to its antioxidant content. Its quick absorption also helps you concoctions feel less greasy. Store it in a dark place away from light.
HAIR LOSS – using cold pressed broccoli seed oil will help prevent hair loss since this vegetable contains a substance that blocks DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a hormone responsible for hair loss and thinning and closely linked with male baldness.
HEALTHY HAIR – This little wonder oil has 80-85% of polyunsaturated fats that are rich in omega fatty acids and are essential for healthy hair preventing dry and brittle hair and promoting hair growth.
Now tell me you’re not the least curious to try this oil? As I said earlier, for me, one of the biggest benefits of this oil and the one that caught my attention to it is that it offers a chemical-free alternative to silicones. It’s amazing how this oil doesn’t star in the hair industry as much as other oils, but I guess I already pondered on that. Well, I can only hope you’ll help spread the word to your curly friends and soon will see this oil starring on the product label of your favourite brand(s). Now, let’s see how you can use it.
How To Use
As with many other vegetable oils, you can use broccoli seed oil in many ways. If you’re a bit of a natural hair DIY mixtress you’re probably already coming up with a recipe, and adding it to your concoctions is a great use for it. You can also use a few drops of it on dry hair to lend some shine and prevent frizz. Another common use would be to use it as a sealer after your hair has been moisturised to help lock it in.
If you’re wondering “what the heck is hair sealing?” and “why you should do it?” you can head over >here< and read more about it, and while you’re at it, you may also like to read about penetrating and sealing oils.
Pre-poos are also another option you have for using broccoli seed oil, it will help lessen the stripping effects of a shampoo and prevent hygral fatigue. Discover some of the benefits of pre-pooing >here< and also how to make it more effective and a few recipes for it >here<. These are just a few suggestions, I’m sure you can come up with a few of your own. Let me know what you come up with.
Where Can You Find It
As I said at the beginning of this post you can now find a few products on the market that contain broccoli seed oil. However, not all formulations are what I hope they would be, with more natural ingredients and fewer or no chemicals in them. If you’re following the Curly Girl Method or are avoiding silicones be sure to look at the ingredients list. (Alternatively, you can subscribe and access the free resource library which contains an index of soluble and insoluble silicones and check against your products)
Broccoli seed oil can be found or used in shampoos, conditioners, styling products, lotions and creams and even sunscreen. You can buy it on Amazon or you can head over to SheaButter Cottage. This company has a big array of hair oils and other natural ingredients. I personally, love checking out their store from time to time because it always has some great products with amazing quality (no wonder it has received a few awards!). It was through them that I found out about broccoli oil (they sell it and use in their skin and hair blends) which made me reach out to the owner and ask for an interview, but you read more about that here.
Anyway, if you’re one of my subscribers you can still use last week’s discount code to shop at SheaButter Cottage, and don’t worry if you deleted last week’s newsletter, I’ll include the code in the following ones until the code expires. They ship worldwide so check them out! (discount has now expired)
Did you know about broccoli seed oil for hair care? How would you use it?
