Batana Oil: What Is It?

If you were to ask a group of Batana oil users what the oil smells like, most of them would probably say something like smoky coffee. Well, interestingly enough, the oil originates from nuts that come from a certain type of palm tree in Honduras. Although it’s thicker than, say, coconut oil, something that it has in common with it is the fact that it will solidify in cooler temperatures and melt into oil in warmer ones.

Anyway, a part of the reason why batana oil is becoming such a fan favorite within the Black community is because it is thicker and “richer” in its texture, that makes it a wonderful complement for hair textures that are curler or coarser. And since it’s also full of antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamins A and E, it is something that can both restore and maintain the health of your skin as well as your hair.

And just how is it able to do this?

Batana Oil Benefits for Hair, Skin & More

Batana Oil Benefits: Deeply Moisturizes Your Skin

One thing that batana oil is able to do is work as an emollient on your skin. What this basically means is it’s the kind of moisturizer that can help to hydrate and even soothe your skin. Another cool thing about emollients is they are automatically able to “seal your skin” with a protective layer of hydration.

So, if like me, you’re someone who likes to apply an oil to your skin after getting out of the bath or shower in order to maintain moisture for a longer period of time, batana oil is one of the best types of oil to apply.

Batana Oil Benefits: Fights Off Free Radicals

If, whenever you read a skincare article, it says something about free radicals and you’re wondering why you should even care about those, probably the quickest explanation that I can give you is they can cause oxidative stress, which can ultimately accelerate the aging process of your skin. So yes, you want to do all that you can to keep them “off of you.” Something that is able to do that? Yep, batana oil.

Because it contains the kind of antioxidants that help to keep UV damage from impacting your skin on a significant level, that is another reason to consider adding it to your skincare beauty regimen. Just make sure that you don’t substitute it for sunscreen. You will definitely need that as well.

Batana Oil Benefits: Great for Scalp Health

Okay, so one of the things that turned me into a superfan of batana oil is how well it moisturizes my scalp. Dry scalp is something that I deal with pretty often, and since that not only can lead to itchiness and irritation, it can also have my hair looking dry and brittle, I want it to be lubricated on a consistent basis. Batana oil is able to do that, in part, thanks to the carotenoids that are in it.

Carotenoids are pigments that convert to vitamin A. This is great, as far as your scalp is concerned, because it helps your scalp to naturally produce sebum, protects your hair follicles, and ultimately encourages hair growth.

Indeed, a healthy scalp is the foundation for healthy hair (check out “Your Scalp Ages Six Times Faster Than Your Face. Why It Matters.,” “10 Things Your Scalp Has BEEN Waiting For You To Do” and “Treat Your Scalp To A Little Bit Of Detoxing This Weekend”).

Batana Oil Benefits: Helps to Prevent Hair Breakage and Reduces Frizz

As I already mentioned, something else that batana oil has in it is vitamin E. That makes it good for your skin because it contains anti-inflammatory properties along with compounds that help to protect and even repair your skin’s cells. As far as your hair goes, vitamin E increases blood circulation to your scalp so that your hair follicles are able to get even more of the nutrients that it needs (in order to improve the quality of your hair strands); plus, vitamin E add shine to your hair.

Also, since vitamin E can literally help to rebuild the structure of your hair too, that’s why many users say that batana oil has caused them to gain more inches as far as lock length is concerned. Oh, and since vitamin E also helps to smooth out hair cuticles (which is the result of hair dryness, too,) that can decrease the amount of frizz that you have, which can reduce breakage while defining your natural curls so much better in the process.

Batana Oil Benefits: Enhances Dark Hair Color Hues

Although batana oil cannot “dye” your hair (because it doesn’t contain deep pigments or chemicals), if you’re looking for an all-natural way to enhance the appearance of your dark hair, it may be able to do that too. Thanks to the dark tint that batana oil has (which is one way to test the integrity of the oil, by the way), it’s been known to bring about the best in darker hues — which will make the color look even richer thanks to the sheen that it also provides.

Batana Oil Benefits: It's an Excellent “Product Enhancement”

I’m someone who applies the oil to my scalp, straight out of the jar that I purchased it in. However, if you’re someone who wants to “ease into” the batana oil or you simply would like it to complement some of your other skin or hair products, it also works well in that way. Some people use it as an addition to their overnight skin moisturizer, pre-poo treatment on wash days, and/or as an additional ingredient in their leave-in conditioner or their hair mask recipes.

Also, if you’re on a mission to get some length retention, it absolutely cannot hurt to apply a bit of the oil to your ends before turning in at night (since your ends are the oldest parts of your hair).

BONUS: How to Know You’re Getting “Real” Batana Oil

Y’all know how it goes — when something magnificent makes its way onto the scene, there are going to be folks out here who try to scam you with a weak-ass imitation of it. Unfortunately, batana oil is no different. That’s why, I decided to close this out with a video from the YouTube channel Karen of Curl House (who has some pretty solid content, in general). If you watch it all the way to the end, you will get the intel that you know in order to feel confident about purchasing the kind of batana oil that will give you the best results of all. (Oh, and for the record, a Black-owned company that brands itself as selling 100 percent vegan batana oil is located here.)

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There is a lot of stuff to choose from in these beauty-enhancing streets, no doubt about that. However, I can vouch that batana oil will not disappoint. Give it a shot (unless you have a nut allergy; it's made from nuts, after all). Your skin and hair will thank you abundantly, chile.

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