It seems everywhere you look you’ll find a DIY oat flour recipe promising to pump up your hair’s volume. But can this high-protein flour deliver on this promise? CurlyNikki.com breaks it down.  
 
How does oat flour work?
Oat flour contains about 20 percent protein, nearly twice the amount of this body-
building nutrient found in all-purpose flour. Hair is made of a protein called keratin, so conditioning treatments that contain protein are supposed to plump up thinned out tresses. What oat flour protein does is form a coating on the outside of hair strands (its molecular) particles are too big to penetrate the hair’s outer cuticle layer) to make your hair look and feel thicker. 

Should I use oat flour on my hair?
Well, although oat flour may seem equipped to voluminize your hair, in reality, it’s a dud. The reason is because oat flour has no “keratin substantivity,” the scientific measurement for how well something sticks to your skin and hair. For example, henna, a natural hair dye and conditioner, has a high keratin substantivity. As a result, henna quickly sticks to and permeates skin and hair. Oat flour won’t, though, so if you mix it into a conditioning mixture (even if you sit under the dryer), it won’t penetrate your strands. Once you rinse, the protein in oat flour quickly goes right down the drain.
 
Is there any way to keep oat flour protein on the hair and get its full benefits?
Guess what? Science has you covered! Here’s how to do it. Buy products that contain hydrolyzed oat flour, hydrolyzed oat protein, or avena sativa along with panthenol. All  these ingredients work together to thicken hair. Wow! Your ’do gets the big blow-up in no time flat (pun intended!).  
 
Are you looking for more ways to thicken up thinning tresses? Click here now!