5 Benefits of Black Cumin Seed Oil For Hair

Black cumin seed oil, produced from the seeds of the Nigella Sativa plant, is native to the Middle East, India, and neighboring lands.  It’s been used as a medicinal spice dating back to the times of ancient Egypt.  The seeds added both flavor and health benefits to food.  Now, the medicinal benefits of the black cumin seed oil have been confirmed by science as there are hundreds of studies showing the positive health effects of using black cumin seed oil.

The plant produces small, black, crescent shaped seeds which the oil is extracted from.   It is sometimes referred to as Black Oil, Black Seed Oil, or Black Coriander Oil.  You may also hear it called Kalonji in Ayurvedic practices.  In additional to the medicinal benefits, black cumin seed oil is recognized as an excellent beauty treatment offering benefits to your skin and hair.  Cleopatra reportedly used black cumin seed oil for beautiful hair.

5 Benefits Of Black Seed Oil For Hair

1. Keeps Your Scalp Healthy & Prevents Hair Loss

Black seed oil in hair care offers a lot of benefits.  If you have dandruff, an oily scalp, or irritation caused by certain skin conditions, this oil offers a myriad of benefits.  Black oil has anti-fungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.  It’s been used to help address dandruff, psoriasis, and keep the scalp moisturized.  Since hair follicles can become clogged with oil, dandruff, and other undesirable conditions of the scalp, black seed oil will help balance the production of oils and keep hair follicles clear.  The oil is most commonly known to help keep you from losing existing hair due to the high density of nutrients that help hair follicles thrive. Happy hair follicles means a happier scalp and healthier hair that hangs around longer!

2. Stimulates Hair Regrowth

Did you know patients with conditions such as alopecia are commonly prescribed antihistamines to help regrow their hair?  Studies proving antihistamines help with hair regrowth are small and no one knows for sure if they help but it’s a possibility and they are prescribed to help with hair regrowth.  Black seed oil contains Nigellone and Thymoquinone.  These compounds are powerful antihistamines and it’s believed they can help improve overall hair growth.  Is it proven?  No, it’s not a sure thing but it certainly can’t hurt and studies have shown convincing and promising results.

3. Prevents and Reverses Graying

This is the benefit I’m most interested in!  Actually, against popular belief, strands of hair don’t fade to gray.  The color is determined when the follicle produces the hair and it doesn’t change once it begin the growth cycle.  But as hair follicles produce less pigment, the hair becomes a gray color as it’s produced at the hair follicle.  Black seed oil contains over 100 vitamins and nutrients that are absorbed into the scalp.  It is believed something within the oil slows and may reverse graying hair.  Whether it’s strengthening the hair to minimize loss which could result in a new hair coming up gray or some specific nutrient the oil offers, it is strongly believed the black cumin oil positively impacts the production of gray hairs.  (That’s assuming you want to preserve your natural hair color).

4.  Moisturizing Conditioner

The natural oils products by your scalp is what keeps you hair shiny and healthy looking.  Some people don’t product the same amount of oils and this leads to dry hair.  Black seed oil normalizes the oil production on your scalp.  It sounds strange that applying oil could help normalize both over-production and under-production of naturally occurring oils produced by your body but it definitely does!  So, whether you have a dry scalp or an oily one, black cumin seed oil is a wonderful conditioner.  The oil is rich in fatty acids which also helps seal in moisture and calm frizzies.

5. Protection

While sealing in moisture and strengthening the hair, black cumin seed oil is also high in antioxidants.  Free radicals can damage your scalp and hair but black seed oil has the ability to neutralize free radicals and this protects your hair from the damaging elements it is exposed to on a daily basis.

How To Use Black Cumin Seed Oil For Your Hair

The oil can be used alone or mixed with carrier oils (coconut oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, olive oil) that offers additional benefits you are looking for.  I prefer to mix the black cumin seed oil with coconut oil to apply to my hair which is often recommended for normal hair (not overly dry or oily).  Also, there are some hair serums available with black seed oil if you prefer a ready mixed product.  Chi Hair Care offers an entire line of hair care infused with black seed oil that is reasonably priced.

As a natural remedy, I combine 2 Tablespoons of black seed oil with 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil.  I massage the oil into my scalp and the ends of my hair.  I let it sit for approximately 30 minutes and then I wash it out with shampoo and use conditioner.  I often wear hair extensions and oils can cause them to slip.  If you have extensions, be very careful not to apply the oil to the bonds or tape that hold your extensions in place.

Olive oil is a good oil to mix with black cumin seed oil if your scalp is very oily because it’s a light weight oil.   Castor oil is much heavier and can be a great remedy for extremely dry hair.  When combining the castor oil with black cumin seed oil, the ratio would be more like 1 part castor oil to 6 parts black cumin seed oil.

Other recipes include honey and lemon juice .  You can find some really interesting combinations and recipes for black cumin seed oil and hair care here.