What Is Avocado Oil? Uses for Hair and Skin
A friendly guide to avocado oil for Afro and textured hair and skin, covering what it is, how to seal, pre poo and do a hot oil treatment, honest notes on who it suits, and where to find it in the UK.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Avocado oil is a rich oil pressed from the soft flesh of the avocado. On Afro and textured hair it is used to seal in moisture, as a pre wash oil and in hot oil treatments, and on skin it works as a nourishing moisturiser. African Stores lists beauty supply shops across the UK that stock it. Patch test first.
What to remember
- Avocado oil is pressed from the flesh of the avocado, not the stone, and is a green gold liquid oil.
- It is rich yet light enough to make a good sealing oil and a good pre wash treatment on Afro and textured hair.
- Its richness suits a warm hot oil treatment, where gentle heat helps it work through the lengths and ends.
- On skin it is used as a nourishing moisturiser, smoothed on while the skin is still slightly damp.
- Patch test first, and note that avocado is a fruit rather than a tree nut, though anyone with an avocado allergy should avoid it.
An avocado split open on the kitchen table is a familiar sight in many African and Caribbean homes, its soft green flesh spooned straight from the skin. It feels fitting that the same fruit gives an oil that people rub into hair and skin, turning a humble kitchen staple into a small act of care.
That everyday closeness is part of its charm. Avocado oil is not exotic or fussy, it is simply the rich part of a much loved fruit, and using it links a modern wash day routine back to the way skin and hair have long been looked after at home.
What Avocado Oil Actually Is
Avocado oil is the oil pressed from the soft, ripe flesh of the avocado, rather than from the large stone in the middle. Unlike some beauty oils that come from seeds or nuts, this one comes from the fruit itself, which is part of why it feels so rich and cushioning. It pours as a liquid at room temperature and often carries a green gold colour, especially in the less processed versions.
You will usually see two kinds on the shelf. Virgin avocado oil is pressed from fresh fruit without heavy processing, keeps more of its natural colour and gentle scent, and is the one most people reach for on hair and skin. Refined avocado oil is processed further, so it looks paler and has little smell. Both are the same core oil, and the choice tends to come down to how natural you want it to feel. It is worth remembering it is a grooming ingredient rather than a cure for anything.
How to Use Avocado Oil on Afro and Textured Hair
On Afro and textured hair, avocado oil earns its place in a few ways. Because it is rich but still light enough to spread easily, it makes a good sealing oil. After you have added moisture, on damp hair with a water based leave in, a light layer over the lengths and ends helps slow water loss and keeps hair feeling soft. This is the oil step in the LOC method, which stands for Liquid, Oil and Cream: you start with your water based leave in, add the oil to seal, then a cream or butter such as shea butter to lock everything down.
It also works well as a pre wash oil, sometimes called a pre poo. Warm a little between your palms, work it through dry or damp hair from the mid lengths to the ends, leave it on for anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour, then shampoo as usual. Many people find this makes detangling gentler and takes some of the strip out of wash day. For a deeper treat, avocado oil suits a hot oil treatment: warm a small amount to a comfortable, not hot, temperature, smooth it through the lengths and ends, cover with a cap for twenty to thirty minutes, then wash out. As with any oil, use a small amount, because a little goes a long way and too much can leave hair looking greasy or weighed down.
How to Use Avocado Oil on Skin
On skin, avocado oil is used as a nourishing moisturiser. Smoothed onto slightly damp skin after a bath or shower, it helps soften and seal in moisture, and many people like it on drier areas such as elbows, knees and legs. Because it feels rich, a few drops warmed between the hands is usually plenty, spread thinly rather than poured on.
A patch test is sensible before you use it more widely: dab a little on the inside of your forearm and wait a day to check you do not react. Avocado is a fruit rather than a tree nut, so it is not a nut oil, but anyone with a known avocado allergy should avoid it. Some also find any rich oil too heavy for facial skin, so if your face feels clogged or looks shinier than you would like, keep it to the body. This is general cosmetic and grooming information, not medical advice, so if you have a skin condition, speak to a pharmacist or doctor.
Where to Buy Avocado Oil in the UK
Avocado oil is widely sold, and African and Caribbean beauty supply shops are a natural place to look, often stocking it near the shea butter and other hair oils in the bottles that suit hair and body care rather than the small cooking bottles. Buying in person lets you check whether a bottle is virgin or refined, have a smell of it, and ask staff how others in your area use it. You can find beauty supply shops near you and visit one that stocks it.
World food shops and supermarkets carry avocado oil too, though those bottles are usually sold for cooking. For hair and skin, the pure, cold pressed or virgin oil is what you want, rather than anything blended with added fragrance.
Frequently asked questions
Is avocado oil good for Afro and textured hair?
Many people find avocado oil useful on Afro and textured hair, mainly as a sealing oil to lock in moisture, as a pre wash treatment and in hot oil treatments. It is rich but still light enough to spread easily, which suits a lot of hair types. As with any oil, use a small amount, because too much can leave hair looking greasy or weighed down.
How do you use avocado oil as a hot oil treatment?
Warm a small amount of avocado oil to a comfortable, not hot, temperature, then smooth it through your lengths and ends where hair is oldest and driest. Cover with a cap for twenty to thirty minutes so the gentle warmth helps it work in, then shampoo and condition as usual. Many people find this leaves hair feeling softer and easier to detangle.
Can you use avocado oil on your face and skin?
Avocado oil is often used as a nourishing body moisturiser, smoothed onto slightly damp skin to soften and seal in moisture. Some people use it on the face too, but others find any rich oil too heavy there, so keep it to the body if your face feels clogged. Patch test first, and note this is general cosmetic information, not medical advice.
Is avocado oil safe to use?
For most people avocado oil is a gentle cosmetic oil, but do a patch test first by dabbing a little on the inside of your forearm and waiting a day to check you do not react. Avocado is a fruit rather than a tree nut, so it is not a nut oil, though anyone with an avocado allergy should avoid it. This is general cosmetic and grooming information, not medical advice, so see a pharmacist or doctor about any skin or scalp condition.
Where can I buy avocado oil in the UK?
African and Caribbean beauty supply shops are an easy place to find avocado oil in the bottles suited to hair and body care, often near the shea butter and other hair oils, and world food shops and supermarkets stock it too, usually for cooking. Buying in person lets you check whether it is virgin or refined and ask for advice. African Stores lists beauty supply shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks avocado oil.
