Mane Taboo: I Don't Grease My Scalp

Hey there, fabulous! 

Let's start this week with a BANG, shall we? 

I'm introducing a new series here on MAG called "Mane Taboo" for one major reason: 

the biggest (and most difficult) aspect of growing my hair was letting go of old (bad) habits and a set mindset I had prior to starting my hair journey.

Concepts like "My hair grows when it's dirty!" and "Where's the Blue Magic? Grease that scalp, girl!" are now a big no-no for me. But these hair "rules" were things we African women (heck, black women everywhere) were raised by, abi? There just comes a time when a gal's gotta spread her wings and evolve to grow longer, stronger, lengths! And guess what? Some of these past "taboos" gotta go! With each Mane Taboo, I'll tackle an old school topic and share my opinion on why I've dumped or remixed the old school rule.

Today's hair taboo: I don't grease my scalp.

Source: Her Given Hair

Some of us liked DAX (Lanolin), others of us were loyal to the good 'ol Blue Magic or Ultra Sheen. As little girls, anytime our hair itched, Mama would sit us between her knees and lovingly part our hair, one small section at a time, and lay that grease on nice and thick. My scalp LOVED it (or so I thought). The grease was cool, comforting, and relieved the itchiness. I also really enjoyed being physically close to Mom in those moments, when she would gist me about life or we would watch TV shows together, all while she rescued my scalp. 

Source: Amazon

...but my hair didn't grow, and my battle with dandruff, dry scalp, and skin lesions was never-ending. Wahala!

Grease usually contain mineral oil or petroleum jelly as their main ingredients, but the molecules of these ingredients are too big to penetrate the scalp. So the grease ends up sitting on top the scalp instead of being fully absorbed into the scalp. 

Mineral oil and petroleum jelly also have the tendency to clog our scalps' pores really quickly! And guess what happens with clogged pores? 

Think about what happens when your face's pores get clogged: irritation, pimples, rash, skin lesions, and the list goes on. The same may (or may not) happen with your scalp. 

But by greasing your scalp you will definitely slow down your hair growth. 

So, what's the alternative?

I suggest castor oil. I use castor oil exclusively on my scalp. In my post about how I grow my edges, I talk about how I use castor oil to grow my hair. I've seen excellent results.

What do you use to oil your scalp?