The Best Product for Strong, Healthy Hair Is in the Baking Aisle

Next time you find yourself grocery shopping for the ingredients for waffles or your famed Linzer Cookies, do your hair a favor and pick up a tub of coconut oil, too. As it turns out, the popular baking aisle staple (note: some stores stock it with other cooking oils like peanut and vegetable) is actually a boon for your mane.

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“It’s the natural oil that’s been shown to best penetrate hair,” says cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller in a new story on Allure.com. The deeply nourishing oil can help salvage dry, brittle tresses and may even give your locks added shine. To create your own hair mask, you'll want to use coconut oil when it's warmer than room temperature (since coconut oil solidifies at room temp, you may need to stir it in a bowl for a bit or rub in the palm of your hands). Starting with your scalp—the stuff is a hero for flaky, dry scalps—massage the coconut oil into damp hair, and then work your way down section-by-section from roots to tip. Grab a hair turban twist, old towel, or throw an old t-shirt over your pillow case and sleep with the mask overnight. The next day, shampoo and condition as normal. Style as normal. Behold: Silky, healthy hair.

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There are many brands on the market, but look for an organic and unrefined version if you can (basically, coconut oil in its purest form), such as Carrington Farms Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil, which retails for 12 ounces for $7.99 all the way up to 54 ounces for $19.99. Bonus: "In addition to serving as a natural moistruizer and conditioner, coconut oil can also relieve dandruff by moisturizing your scalp, and adds intense shine to hair," notes Lauren Dykes, Marketing Manager for the company. Did we mention it also smells wonderfully tropical?

Now we REALLY know that happiness is found in the baking aisle.