Oils shown to penetrate the hair

[Liluri]

I know that people have seen the Beauty Brains article about oil here.

I'm wondering if anyone's already started mixing these oils and if you have an idea about which oils to mix or in what ratios please?

[ChloeDharma]

Just play around with them and see what happens?

I usually just use Coconut oil because i tend to use ones with added goodies (dabur vatika, hesh bhringraj) but i've used avocado oil in the past and found it very good. I often add a bit to my henna mix and DT's.

I find it odd that they say Jojoba doesn't penetrate because quite a few times i've overoiled a bit at night with it and put it in a bun and gone to sleep but in the morning when i've taken my bun out any oilyness has gone.

[icydove]

I think we discussed this particular Beauty Brains article on the former LHC. The study they reference does not appear to be accurate. Here is a summary of the article: http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/11413497 (registration is free). It only mentions coconut oil and mineral oil. It is possible they tested more oils and they didn't make it into the summary However, the title of the article is "Secondary ion mass spectrometric investigation of penetration of coconut and mineral oils into human hair fibers: relevance to hair damage."

I would love to see the actual study they are referencing, and if I remember correctly, ktani (I think) contacted them to try to find out about the discrepancy. To my knowledge, they never replied.

[Celebrian]

icydove, is this the study you refer to on the Beauty Brains Blog?

'Scientists at the Textile Research (J. Cosmet.Sci 52, 169-184, 2001) tested Olive oil, Avocado oil, Meadowfoam seed oil, Sunflower oil, and Jojoba oil. Their results showed that straight chain glycerides like olive oil easily penetrate into the hair. Polyunsaturated oils , like Jojoba oil, are more open in their structure so they don’t pass through the layers of cuticles very well...'

It's under 'Two Natural oils that make your hair shiny and strong'.

[Anje]

The researchers apparently also did several other papers with different oils.
Original abstract on NCBI (No registration needed)
2003 abstract adding sunflower oil
2005 abstract mentioning olive oil

[sapphire-o]

I've been using a blend for heavy oiling. It's castor oil, avocado oil and coconut oil mixed together. I don't have exact proportions. It feels very nice on the hair.

[icydove]

Celebrian, the study cited by the Beauty Brains, J. Cosmet.Sci 52, 169-184, 2001, only mentions coconut oil and mineral oil in its summary. I don't know where The Beauty Brains got the info on the other oils, but it wasn't the study they cited. Once again, I'm not looking at the actual journal, so it is possible they used other oils. However, based on the title of the study, it wouldn't have made any sense.

[Mahars]

Hmm, I'm not sure about the discrepency, but I can tell you that for my hair, coconut oil and olive oil work better together than alone. For heavy oilings, I take a dab of coconut oil (still hard) in the palm of my hand, put a few drops of olive oil on top of it, rub my hands together to warm the coconut oil and mix them together, and then apply on slightly damp hair before bed. It immediately softens my hair and gives it a pliable buttery texture. In the morning, my hair feels softer than with just coconut or just olive alone. I'm not sure if everyone will have the same results, but I am pleasantly surprised and plan to use both oils together for my heavy oilings.

[Anje]

icydove, I don't suppose I can get a copy of that article, can I? My university doesn't have a subscription, so I've only been able to grab the abstracts.

[icydove]

Anje, I'm like you. I only have a copy of the abstracts via the Internet, so I'm not sure what the actual article says. The largest universities near me do not have it, either.