Baobab Oil For Hair: Why This Dermatologist Recommends It For All Hair Types

As far as natural beauty goes, finding your favorite oil is like finding the one—a good natural, multitasking oil that works for your unique needs? A true treasure. Now, everyone has their own preferences (I adore jojoba and squalane, personally), but when an expert shares their go-to recommendation, I am certainly tuned in. 

Baobab oil comes from the fruit of the baobab tree, an enormous tree that grows in parts of Africa. The fruit itself contains some of the highest levels of antioxidants out there—making it something of a super, superfruit. Extracts from the tree have been used for its medicinal and beautifying properties for centuries—it's even been dubbed "the treat of life" and "the pharmacy tree" thanks to all that it is used for. 

"I love botanicals and oils that are anti-inflammatory and can reduce oxidative stress," says Cochran Gathers. "And baobab oil has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties."

So let's quickly break down the nutrient profile, yes? Baobab is high in vitamins E, C, and B and several fatty acids including linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid. Vitamin E provides a host of hair-healthy benefits, including improving hair shaft health, balancing your scalp's natural sebum production, and (most notably for hair growth), stimulating your scalp circulation. The fatty acids provide ample hydration and conditioning. And the additional vitamins help protect it from free radicals and stress, both of which can lead to hair aging, graying, and loss.