The ritual is older than your grandmother's grandmother, and it mostly works
Weekly oiling has been a fixture of Indian hair care for centuries, and the science behind it holds up. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science found that coconut oil, the base of most traditional champi blends, is one of the only oils that penetrates the hair shaft rather than sitting on top of it. It reduces protein loss in both damaged and undamaged hair when applied before washing. Sesame oil, the other staple of South Indian oiling traditions, has demonstrated UV-filtering properties and antimicrobial action against scalp infections in laboratory studies. These are not incidental benefits. The oils Indian grandmothers reached for were not chosen at random, they were chosen because they worked across generations of observable results.
