Hot summer rays can wreak havoc on hair (as can a lot of shampoos and dyes). A simple solution? Coconut oil, the hardest working $12 condiment in your kitchen, makes an amazing leave-in hair-conditioning treatment, says natural makeup artist, Kat Feldhouse.

Coconut oil hydrates really parched beach hair—and is great for women with really fried ombre-dyed ends, says the beauty savant. (She likes Whole Foods 356 brand, but any organic coconut oil will do.) “Water-based conditioners just can’t compare. Pure coconut oil gives your hair great shine, moisture, and texture thanks to its rich fatty acids and proteins,” explains Feldhouse.

And great news: No blow-dryer, shower cap, or sleeping with a towel under your head is needed to help it penetrate. This is a hair treatment you can wear out—around the city, to the beach, or to brunch.

Here’s how to use coconut oil as a leave-in hair treatment:

1. Scoop half a teaspoon of coconut oil, and really heat it up in your palms. Then grab sections of your hair, and drag the coconut oil through evenly. “A little goes a long way,” says Feldhouse. (You don’t need to apply it to your scalp unless you’re dealing with dandruff or a sunburn or your hair really needs the added nourishment.)

2. Then go over your hair with a wide-toothed comb.

3. Wrap it a top knot, a cute bun, or a tight fish-tail braid, and let the heat of the summer city streets or the beach just bake it in. The longer you leave it in, the better.

Feldhouse leaves her coconut-oil-coated locks in a pretty ballerina bun all day, and changes it up at night.

“Just before going out, I’ll undo the knot, and give my hair shake. I love that I smell like the beach, and my hair has that naturally touseled beach-wave look,” says Feldhouse. Only with none of the sun-and-salt-water damage.

It shampoos out pretty easily with a good cleansing shampoo—something astringent with tea tree should do the trick, she says. “Don’t reach for one with stripping sodium lauryl sulfate. That defeats the whole purpose!”  —Melisse Gelula

Have you used coconut oil for beauty purposes? Would you use it for this one? Tell us in the Comments, below!