The doctor often appears on BBC’s Morning Live
BBC’s Dr Punam Krishan has urged people to try a “cheap” hair treatment that “anyone can do”. Taking to Instagram to share a video of her getting the treatment, she listed all the benefits.
She said: “On arrival to India, my Nani ma took one look at my hair and literally sat me down to sort it out! I grew up having weekly coconut oil head massages.
“It’s the done thing in Indian culture and coming from an Ayurvedic family, this was a norm for us. I used to be so militant about doing this (and still do it every week for the kids) but as I’ve recognised recently, my own sense of self-care has fallen behind as I’ve become so caught up in the hectic, working/mum life juggle of it all.”
Noting that her aunt “doesn’t hold back” when it comes to her massage technique, she said she could “feel the difference on my heat frazzled hair.” Promising to do this more at home to herself, she says it’s “easy to do” and all you need is “some warmed coconut oil.”
- Massage it into the scalp (just rub it in – no fancy techniques needed!)
- Once all your hair is covered, leave it in overnight
- Wash as usual next day
When it comes to the benefits of Coconut Based Hair Oils (CBHO), research says: “The pore surface area data clearly show the benefit of introducing coconut-based hair oils (CBHO) into the hair by preventing increase in hair porosity.
“A statistically significant decrease in break stress and toughness were observed and the same were reversed by the application of CBHO. A pronounced color protection effect was also recorded with the application of CBHO.”
Their conclusion reads: “The study confirms the damage repair potential of CBHO and that it works by increasing the hydrophobicity of hair – both on the hair surface and in the cortex.”
You can pick up coconut oil for £2.02 at Asda – or just over 40p per 50g serving. So why coconut oil and not hair specific products?
Dr Punam explains: “It helps to moisturise the hair and scalp, helps restore any damage from heat/chemicals which can strip the natural oils from our scalp and conditions the hair.” So try this first and see how you get on.
And bonus points, you don’t need to spend hours researching the best products. Simply grab a good quality coconut oil jar, and reveal silky, healthy hair.