Animal fats for hair

[coyoteanne]

Does anyone regularly use animal fats for ends or as a leave in conditioner? For example, bear fat. I stumbled across a website recommending bear fat for shiny hair and healthy scalp.
I know some products on the market contain lanolin and emu oil, and traditional soaps are made with pig fat.

What are your rendered fat experiences? Does rendered fat turn rancid faster than coconut oil? I imagine since both are comprised of saturated fats that they'd be more stable than monounsaturated fats like olive oil or avocado oil, but I don't really know.

I'm sorry to those who think this is gross, and I mean no offense to vegans. I'm just really curious.

[Swan Maiden]

I use Ostrich oil, its basically rendered fat. It doesn't smell, but haven't experienced it going rancid or smelling bad on my overnight hair treatments. It is the best thing I've found for my hair. I get lots of shine that seems to come from the depth of my hair strand. I would totally try out bear fat if I could get my paws on it.

[Theophany]

This isn't specifically for hair, but it has some interesting information that may help you find more info about hair related uses. http://www.mommypotamus.com/tallow-for-skin-care/

[Nique1202]

Rendered fat will keep a very long time in the freezer. If you can, keep it in the freezer and use a warmed spoon to scoop out about an ice cube sized portion at a time and keep it in a small container in your fridge. You should still be able to scrape off what you need with a fingernail the same as coconut oil, but you'll have less chance of it going rancid and if some DOES go bad, then you won't lose all your stash.

[Swan Maiden]

I wanted to add, I keep my ostrich oil at room temperature. It lives in my bathroom cabinet. It does say for external use only though so maybe it is processed to keep at room temp. I am careful not to introduce contaminates to the bottle. Like I stated earlier, it has never smelled off and I have had my bottle for 6 months.

*I have no experience with tallows or other non bird fats so their storage and rancidity could be different. (This pertains for cosmetic use, I'm an experienced kitchen wench and love animal fats for cooking)

[missrandie]

Swan Maiden, I caught your pun ;)

I would definitely be open to trying it out, though the only renderings I have are bacon grease and chicken fat, and neither of those are going on my head :)

[coyoteanne]

Swan Maiden, I love that you're punny!
Ostrich oil, interesting. Upon a quick google search I found this:
"Ostrich oil has been used for centuries by the Egyptian, Roman & African cultures over 3000 years ago for topical relief of dry skin, burns, lesions, contact dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, sunburn, chapped lips, muscular pain, dry hair, bed sores, fine lines & wrinkles, softens cracked heels and minor cuts & scratches."
Seems very similar to emu oil! I'm intrigued, I'll have to experiment. (I too love the use of animal fats in the kitchen. Bacon fat + sweet potatoes = heaven!)

Nique1202, thanks for that advice. One of the reasons I'm drawn to animal fat for hair care is that I don't like wasting animal parts, so that will be perfect for me.

missrandie, I am right there with you! I generally have bacon fat and chicken fat around, but I'm opposed to using them for hair. Bacon fat is just so salty, and chicken fat just seems dirty for me to some reason. Now pork fat, I'd be willing to try.

[coyoteanne]

I suppose it's time to branch out to new meats in the kitchen! :pegasus:

Theophany that is right up my alley! I love minimalist beauty. I've tried both coconut oil, palm oil, and olive oil on my face, none of which my skin particularly liked. I'm sold. (Having just tried out the "caveman beauty regimen" without success, I'm eager to perfect my skin care routine.)

[Smky_Mtn_Echo]

I use whipped beef tallow on my hair. I love it, but it smells like organic gelatin to me, so I mix it with lavender oil.

[mz_butterfly]

I just want to know how you're getting the bear fat?

Come here lil bear bear, I need some of that fat you got there! Thank you very much!

[Halliday]

i dont because im a vegetarian and i presume the only way of getting the fat is to kill an animal... which i think is wrong.

[Hairkay]

i dont because im a vegetarian and i presume the only way of getting the fat is to kill an animal... which i think is wrong.

Lanolin, found in some hair products is produced from boiling wool. A sheep need not die for this.

[mz_butterfly]

Lanolin, found in some hair products is produced from boiling wool. A sheep need not die for this.

Also, if an animal passes away and you can use it's carcass for other things rather than to let it go to waste it's a win. People don't have to kill an animal to get the product in some cases. :)

[Nique1202]

Lanolin, found in some hair products is produced from boiling wool. A sheep need not die for this.

Also, I think most of the fat being talked about in this thread would be coming from animals hunted for meat, where the leather and fat are often sold or given away if the hunter doesn't need them, or to protect the balance of the remaining wild ecosystem. You wouldn't kill an animal for its fat and then leave the other 80% of the animal behind. Even most of the leather you see on the market today comes from food cattle. Very little goes to waste, when the process is done right.

[meteor]

I've used products with emu oil, but not in pure form, so can't comment.

I'm quite intrigued by lanolin, since it's sheep sebum (so might be close in composition to human sebum :hmm: ?). Lanolin consists mainly of esters of fatty acids and has some cholesterol... so pretty useful in oil mixes designed to mimic human sebum. JC of Natural Haven Bloom wrote an interesting post about it where she mentions that lanolin is moisturizing, allows to trap water effectively: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2015/06/is-lanolin-natural-moisturiser-for.html

I've experimented with ghee (clarified butter) as a pre-poo deep treatment, since it's relatively popular in Ayurveda, and I kind of liked it: if feels like it's penetrating (reminded me of coconut oil a bit), but also feels extremely soft. The key is not to use too much and always wash out well.

[Swan Maiden]

I like lanolin for my skin, but not for my hair. It is extremely hard to wash out.

[coyoteanne]

Also, I think most of the fat being talked about in this thread would be coming from animals hunted for meat, where the leather and fat are often sold or given away if the hunter doesn't need them, or to protect the balance of the remaining wild ecosystem. You wouldn't kill an animal for its fat and then leave the other 80% of the animal behind. Even most of the leather you see on the market today comes from food cattle. Very little goes to waste, when the process is done right.
Exactly.

So I made some bacon to go with my dinner, and stared at the grease in the pan. Normally I'd save it to cook with later, but this was not what I did. I stared at it for a long time, and it stared back. I contemplated the animal "waste" used in skin care products that is unfit for even hot dogs, and I pontificated upon the high quality of life of foraging pigs compared to slaughter house pigs pumped with grains, Paylean, and antibiotics that wouldn't be necessary if they're living conditions were humane.
Realizing that the porcine fat in the pan was of a higher quality than any animal byproduct used in beauty products, I decided to slather it all over my body. Gross, I know. But really, it was easily absorbed, left little residue, and my skin looks AMAZING. Normally I use EVOO or coconut oil. Unrefine coconut oil smells a lot better. With these results, I will not look back.

I do not yet have the courage to use this on my hair or face, but when I do, I'll let you know.

[coyoteanne]

I just want to know how you're getting the bear fat?

Come here lil bear bear, I need some of that fat you got there! Thank you very much!

Honestly, I don't even know. A few years ago there was some at a college co-op in my town...how they came to have it, I have no clue.

[amino]

Exactly.

So I made some bacon to go with my dinner, and stared at the grease in the pan. Normally I'd save it to cook with later, but this was not what I did. I stared at it for a long time, and it stared back. I contemplated the animal "waste" used in skin care products that is unfit for even hot dogs, and I pontificated upon the high quality of life of foraging pigs compared to slaughter house pigs pumped with grains, Paylean, and antibiotics that wouldn't be necessary if they're living conditions were humane.
Realizing that the porcine fat in the pan was of a higher quality than any animal byproduct used in beauty products, I decided to slather it all over my body. Gross, I know. But really, it was easily absorbed, left little residue, and my skin looks AMAZING. Normally I use EVOO or coconut oil. Unrefine coconut oil smells a lot better. With these results, I will not look back.

I do not yet have the courage to use this on my hair or face, but when I do, I'll let you know.

There's osmething in the entertaining hair conversations regarding using bacon fat on hair. This reminded me of that. And made me laugh!

Haven't used any animal fats on myself yet... except perhaps butter every once in a while when I'm making a cake. I slather it over my hands and keep it on for a while before going to wash it off.

[Swan Maiden]

I know where I grew up there was a bear hunting season in Autumn. So I'm sure if I really wanted I could find out how the bear fat is rendered.

[missrandie]

There are two basic rendering methods: wet rendering and dry rendering.

Dry rendering is exactly what we essentially do with bacon, just taken much further; the chunks of fat and sometimes skin are cooked in a heavy pot such as a Dutch oven or a cauldron type apparatus and stirred constantly until all the fat is rendered from them and they turn golden, bit nor burned. The remaining cracklins and skins are apparently a fantastic treat, especially from a mainly berry eating bear. Strain (and eat) the cracklins and filter and store the rendered fat.

The other method is wet rendering, in which the same pieces of fat are put into a crock pot with a small amount of liquid and left for an extended amount of time, then the chunks are strained out and the fat and liquid are put in containers and go in the fridge to separate. Pull off the fat, possibly warm it to strain, and voilá.

The trade offs are that dry rendered gets to higher heats, and you may get some smoky flavor imparted if you aren't watching the cracklins and they burn. Wet rendered isn't quite as efficient, and you don't get the tasty cracklins or fried critter skins after but as long as there is liquid in there, it won't burn and doesn't have to be watched with such hawkishness.

Ghee is made with the dry rendering technique and butter. The milk solids precipitate out and brown, and all the water is cooked from the butter. When those little solids are a golden to medium brown you strain them out of your pot and BAM you have ghee.

Just a friendly late night lesson on cooking fat :)

[YvetteVarie]

On another forum I heard that chicken fat and bone marrow are excellent for hair. However, I have never tried it, as all my animal fats got to my tummy.

[Swan Maiden]

Isn't ghee basically clarified butter? Now I really would like to try bear fat.

[Smky_Mtn_Echo]

Out of curiosity Swan Maiden, what kind of ostrich oil do you use?
I have tried emu oil from the local health food store and was not impressed but if ostrich is superior, I'd like to try it.

[Swan Maiden]

I bought mine on ebay. The bottle says The Blue Feather. I used emu oil prior to this and found ostrich to work much better.

I just remembered that the bear hunters would stew the meat because bear meat is tough, I never heard of them using the fat for anything though. Thanks for your rendering explanation missrandie :)

[Smky_Mtn_Echo]

Thank you Swan Maiden; I will look for it.
Here in the states during pioneer times, the bear fat was highly sought after. It was used both nutritionally (to keep fat on a body during cold or hard times) and as a laxative.

[Hairkay]

There are places in Africa that use butter to style their hair.

[Anje]

If I were to pick one oil (say, if I were traveling) for face and hair, it'd be emu at this point. My hair absorbs it quite well, and my face loves it. I will have to try ostrich sometime, though it will likely be ages before I finish off my current bottle of oil.

[yahirwaO.o]

On another forum I heard that chicken fat and bone marrow are excellent for hair. However, I have never tried it, as all my animal fats got to my tummy.

Im sorry but straight Chicken Fat or Bacon Gresse sounds just way too...... smelly, just plain offbeat? :bull: LOL.
I dont doubt their efficacy, (after all we share more animals rather than plants) but seriously that really push the boundaries in my mind. If we were in an extreme enviroment or situation sounds fair enough, but for regular hair or skin beauty porpouses...... I dont know, sounds bit extreme to me!

[missrandie]

Truth be told, my chicken fat didn't smell all that intense. As for bacon grease, well, it definitely smells better than hydrogenated lard!

Of course, I have never used them on my hair, so I couldn't tell you how they smell in that situation. Just how they smell when I am cooking :):yumm:

[meteor]

Exactly.

So I made some bacon to go with my dinner, and stared at the grease in the pan. Normally I'd save it to cook with later, but this was not what I did. I stared at it for a long time, and it stared back. I contemplated the animal "waste" used in skin care products that is unfit for even hot dogs, and I pontificated upon the high quality of life of foraging pigs compared to slaughter house pigs pumped with grains, Paylean, and antibiotics that wouldn't be necessary if they're living conditions were humane.
Realizing that the porcine fat in the pan was of a higher quality than any animal byproduct used in beauty products, I decided to slather it all over my body. Gross, I know. But really, it was easily absorbed, left little residue, and my skin looks AMAZING. Normally I use EVOO or coconut oil. Unrefine coconut oil smells a lot better. With these results, I will not look back.

I do not yet have the courage to use this on my hair or face, but when I do, I'll let you know.

:lol: This is awesome! This is perfect for the "You Know You Are a Long Hair When..." thread! :lol:

[coyoteanne]

missrandie—thank you, you that was really detailed! My partner plans to hunt this year and we've agreed to avoid wasting. You've sold me on dry rendering.

Hairkay, I've read about using it as face moisturizer too.
As for butter and ghee, I'm very intolerant and can't digest it. I don't know if it's the lactose or another milk component, but it breaks me out in cystic acne, so I'm hesitant to use it as a beauty product. I know clarified butter/ghee has virtually no lactose and is tolerated by many people with lactose intolerance, but I'm too scared to try.

[coyoteanne]

Aww thanks meteor! :disco: I may not be there in length, but I am there in heart!

There are just so many oils I want to try. Ostrich and emu, bear, tallow...etc.

[Marika]

What are the benefits using animal fats instead of the vegetable oils? Do they absorb better? Or are you experimenting just out of curiosity? I'm too chicken to try this myself but I'm all for using every part of the animal there is.

[missrandie]

missrandie—thank you, you that was really detailed! My partner plans to hunt this year and we've agreed to avoid wasting. You've sold me on dry rendering.

Hairkay, I've read about using it as face moisturizer too.
As for butter and ghee, I'm very intolerant and can't digest it. I don't know if it's the lactose or another milk component, but it breaks me out in cystic acne, so I'm hesitant to use it as a beauty product. I know clarified butter/ghee has virtually no lactose and is tolerated by many people with lactose intolerance, but I'm too scared to try.

Always happy to help :)

Just like frying anything else, just watch your heat. A candy thermometer or fryer thermometer may be especially useful so that you can stay well below your particular fat's smoke point. Also, goggles, gloves, and long sleeves, as well as a splatter screen. I'm a grease burn magnet.

[coyoteanne]

To my knowledge, there aren't any benefits to using animal fat instead of plant fat. The bacon grease I used on my skin was absorbed much more quickly than EVOO, but I think that's because bacon grease is a saturated fat while EVOO is a monounsaturated fat. My skin and hair like coconut oil which is also a saturated fat, so I'm not surprised. EVOO seems to just sit on top of my skin.
I'm experimenting partly out of curiosity, partly because I don't want to waste any animal parts if I can avoid it. I recently started eating meat and animal lives, all lives, are sacred to me.

[coyoteanne]

Will do! I certainly want to avoid burns if I can avoid it. I would never think to wear goggles, which is a very wise precaution.

[missrandie]

I normally wouldn't have thought of goggles either, but I had some bacon grease splat in my eye last week, so the lesson is still fresh :)

[Aderyn]

I've only used emu oil, tallow/lard in some products and homemade soap, bacon grease (on a dare after reading about some beauty benefits of it, a very long time ago) and some other animal-oil I don't remember. Didn't do much for my thick, fine, non-porous hair at all. Not too surprising since my hair gets weighed down very easily.

Emu oil primarily just sat on my hair. Tallow/lard didn't do anything great or bad, though it was a bit heavier. The other animal oil (I wish I remembered what it was, it was one of my friends!) weighed my hair down.

Bacon grease was a disaster - my hair was too greasy, and my skin was drier and a bit irritated. Needless to say, I washed the bacon grease out immediately. This was pre-LHC, but not pre-pre-LHC, so my hair was in pretty good condition.

I've had the best luck with just argan oil or the oil blends/salves from Nightblooming. I.. I think I'm just going to stick to plant based oils, but it's interesting to read up on everyone elses experience! :)

[YvetteVarie]

Im sorry but straight Chicken Fat or Bacon Gresse sounds just way too...... smelly, just plain offbeat? :bull: LOL.
I dont doubt their efficacy, (after all we share more animals rather than plants) but seriously that really push the boundaries in my mind. If we were in an extreme enviroment or situation sounds fair enough, but for regular hair or skin beauty porpouses...... I dont know, sounds bit extreme to me!

I don't know if you will be able to follow this link (https://www.longhaircareforum.com/threads/my-findings-chicken-grease-and-more.89854/) but that's where I heard of using chicken fat for hair. In all honesty, I don't think the smell of chicken fat is offensive (never used it in hair) and I think frequent washing prevents it from turning rancid.

[coyoteanne]

Thank you for sharing your experiences! After reading your bacon fat experience I'm pretty hesitant to try it out on my hair. The skin experience was enough for me, as positive as it was, because coconut oil smells better and works just as well.
I'm unfamiliar with Nightblooming, but I too have had great success with argan oil. I received some as a gift and I loved it, but I'm not willing to pay for the quality stuff.

[truepeacenik]

Nightblooming is our very own Nightshade.
She has an etsy shop. Henna, oils and butters, hair sticks and jewelry.

[Aderyn]

Argan oil is about $20-25 for 4 ounces, yet it lasts for sooo long, especially if you only use it on your hair. I wouldn't use argan oil all over my body because of the price, but coconut oil and almond oil (for my face) works fine for the rest of my body. :)

Most oils, even plant-based ones, don't work too well on my fine, non-porous hair, so my experience is definitely not representative of everyone. I'd recommend giving bacon fat a try on hair at least (if you eat bacon to begin with), it washed out easily enough and it's fairly inexpensive to try. I wonder if bacon fat doesn't work so well because bacon is so processed, I'd be curious to hear people's experience for animal fats from more organic/natural/wholesome farms.

[Madame J]

I used to use lard and beef tallow on my face. The tallow was too heavy and clogged my pores, and the lard had an odd smell because I rendered it myself. I do prefer tallow for my homemade deodorant recipe; I made a batch with mango butter because I was out of tallow and was too lazy to render more, but I find it doesn't have the staying power of the tallow version. I recently noticed that the farm from which I got suet to render now sells rendered tallow and lard at my market, so when I run out of deodorant, I can grab a tub and see if I can also make a hair balm with it. I have a mango-butter-based hair balm that I made recently, so maybe I can try that with tallow or lard instead.

If you like the bacon fat's effects, coyoteanne, you could try looking for leaf lard for pastry. It's usually rendered gently so it doesn't have a pork-y smell, but it's basically the same fat as pork bacon, and you can add essential oils or BPAL to it for scent. Lard is actually very high in monounsaturated fat, like olive or argan oils.

[Madame J]

So I was cleaning out my side of the bathroom cabinet and found my tallow balm. It's a blend of tallow with just enough rose hip seed oil to make it soft and palmarosa EO for scent. The rose hip oil is much fancier than what I usually use on my hair, but it's not like I can get it back to use on my face now that it's mixed. The consistency is super-creamy and it smells like roses and honey, so I thought, why not put it on my hair?

Last night, after I scritched my scalp with a horn comb and brushed with my BBB, I misted with a bit of rosewater and glycerin and then smoothed about 1/4 tsp or so of the tallow balm over my hair before braiding it for the night. This morning, I went running and then washed and conditioned as normal. I put maybe the tip of a pinky's worth of balm on the ends of my damp hair. I haven't let it dry completely, but I'll report back when I take my hair down tonight! The few ends I feel poking out of my updo feel soft...

[kidso]

I love this little thread on rendered bear fats. I had literally 30 pounds of fat removed from a bear taken in a fall bear hunt that I had placed in my freezer for rendering. It was a storage freezer in my garage and its motor went out without my knowledge. When I discovered the horrible stench a few days later, I had to toss out everything in it. I now have a new freezer and the fall bear hunting season opens up in two weeks! If I can acquire some bear fat and render it, I will definitely have some available for Swan maiden and anyone else who wants to try it! I have heard that the rendered bear fat is also a good for protecting against damaging sunlight. I have heard of people applying the fat in their hair prior to braiding it or putting it on their skin to protect themselves from the sun.

[Swan Maiden]

Oh my gosh kidso, that's awful about your freezer but I am glad you were able to remedy that situation. That is so generous of you to share your harvest! Thank you.

Madame J, I am glad you found a use for your tallow, hopefully your hair agrees with it.

[Madame J]

The tallow does seem to work rather well with my hair. Last night, I put a dollop on my sleeping braid tassel. Enough that it felt a little greasy. When I woke up, it had soaked in and just left my ends super silky feeling!

[liabobia]

It's not really a rendered animal fat, but I use lanolin on my dry, pokey ends whenever I'm doing something that might damage them a bunch (swimming, motorcycle-riding, jumping out a plane, etc...) I also never use anything else for my lips and for cheek-chap in the winter.

[Swan Maiden]

Lanolin is the best for chapped skin definitely!

[enting]

Using animal fats sounds like a great idea. Now I'm imagining using the leftover fat from roasting a chicken with lots of herbs. Mmmm, thyme and basil-scented hair.

[MINAKO]

I use a salve containing lanolin on my ends and quite like it, however i will pass on all the other options regardless of how effective they might be. I would rather pee on my hair than using chicken fat sry. :(

[Swan Maiden]

Haha Minako, you probably wouldn't want to pee on your hair, as urine lightens hair. :)

[MINAKO]

Haha Minako, you probably wouldn't want to pee on your hair, as urine lightens hair. :)
Haha, ok aborting that idea too.

[Theophany]

What was your skins reaction to the caveman method? I go to minimalistbeautys website & find a lot of cool stuff about linoelic & oleic oils & which types of skin they work for. I think I'm going to order some pumpkin & hemp oil & blend them to try as a "facewash" next. Any ideas? :)

[Theophany]

I suppose it's time to branch out to new meats in the kitchen! :pegasus:

Theophany that is right up my alley! I love minimalist beauty. I've tried both coconut oil, palm oil, and olive oil on my face, none of which my skin particularly liked. I'm sold. (Having just tried out the "caveman beauty regimen" without success, I'm eager to perfect my skin care routine.)

See the last post lol I meant to quote you sorry

[Theophany]

I use whipped beef tallow on my hair. I love it, but it smells like organic gelatin to me, so I mix it with lavender oil.

Do you use the whipped beef tallow as a deep conditioning mask?

[Smky_Mtn_Echo]

Do you use the whipped beef tallow as a deep conditioning mask?
I just use it like a leave-in conditioner. I also use it all over; my son and I have awful eczema and the tallow works well for softening the scales and patches.

[coffinhert]

I just looked it up cuz I was curious and learned that lanolin is a wax, not a fat. It has a different chemical structure that makes it more solid than fats. (Can you spot the grad student?)

But it's still an animal product so I guess it counts for this thread. But it won't go rancid like fats, I think.

[Isilme]

Before my days as a vegetarian I remember that I had a tiny vial of emu oil and I liked it quite well. It was very soothing for sore piercings, too. I think it is the only thing I have ever success with regarding fats and oils in hair. Now I don't need any oils or such since my hair becomes weighted down by it, and I would never use any animal fat because of ethical reasons. If someone could produce emu oil from plants that would be awesome! Though lanolin would be alright in other products I guess if you say the animal isn't killed in the process?

[Thoughtcriminal]

Is there a possibility of dogs being attracted to the smell of animal fat? I'm very afraid of dogs and they seem to love terrorizing me plenty when I don't smell like a steak.

[enting]

Is there a possibility of dogs being attracted to the smell of animal fat? I'm very afraid of dogs and they seem to love terrorizing me plenty when I don't smell like a steak.

I'm not sure smelling like a steak would be an improvement. It might end up making you smell tasty :(

What smells do dogs avoid? They seem to like smells in general. Maybe something like strong peppermint or cinnamon that would be too strong for their noses? (Though for yourself, you could consider scents that are supposed to release fear, relax, and boost confidence)

[LillithTheFirst]

This all sounds very archaic to me and I doubt it would be any better than plant oils. I'm also morally opposed to it as a vegan. I don't know why you'd want to smother animal parts on your hair and it would probably smell gross.
I suggest learning some hair science if you have specific issues with hydration/moisture which you need to be using a humectant for, not an oil. Oil doesn't contain moisture, which is water. Oil is really just there to add shine and manage tangles.

[Nique1202]

This all sounds very archaic to me and I doubt it would be any better than plant oils. I'm also morally opposed to it as a vegan. I don't know why you'd want to smother animal parts on your hair and it would probably smell gross.
I suggest learning some hair science if you have specific issues with hydration/moisture which you need to be using a humectant for, not an oil. Oil doesn't contain moisture, which is water. Oil is really just there to add shine and manage tangles.

For one thing, properly prepared and rendered animal fat usually doesn't have a very strong smell. Lard used for cooking and baking is rendered animal fat, after all.

For another, humectants can't be used by everyone in every climate. A lot of people find that oils add enough of something (whether it's moisture or not) to make dry hair manageable when humectants can either draw in too much humidity in very wet places or draw moisture out of the hair in very dry places (or, as the northern hemisphere heads into it, in winter when a lot of the moisture in the air condenses out).

And frankly, the way dry hair so often absorbs oil and so many people see moisturizing benefits from it, where's the science that says it's NOT truly moisturizing? Do you have a reputable source for that statement, not just some natural hair blog? Double blind randomized-control studies about humectant versus oil application on hair? I'd suggest learning what good science is so that you can properly understand just how subjective nearly everything we "know" about hair is.

Also, it's all well and good for you to choose not to eat or use animal products, but please try not to add value judgement words like "smother" and "gross" in a thread that you didn't even have to post in if you're so morally objected. Not everyone can or wants to be vegan, and at least using more parts of the animal makes its death more meaningful and ethical than leaving parts on the butcher's floor.

[bunneh.]

Also, it's all well and good for you to choose not to eat or use animal products, but please try not to add value judgement words like "smother" and "gross" in a thread that you didn't even have to post in if you're so morally objected. Not everyone can or wants to be vegan, and at least using more parts of the animal makes its death more meaningful and ethical than leaving parts on the butcher's floor.

I could not have it said better myself... Waste is an absolute no no, so this is an excellent way to use these products.

[Entangled]

I think what she meant was that typically moisture means H2O, which oils and fats are not. But I agree with you on the uses of animal fats. It's something up my alley, I think, to use fats. It's better than wasting!

[Swan Maiden]

My hair is slathered in ostrich oil and lanolin. I have used lanolin before to make extremely sleek and shiny updos. :D

[bunneh.]

I think what she meant was that typically moisture means H2O, which oils and fats are not. But I agree with you on the uses of animal fats. It's something up my alley, I think, to use fats. It's better than wasting!

They're not, but they help keep moisture (water) in the hair or skin or nails. Moisture won't be locked in it forever but it does help a lot in keeping your hair or hands or skin moisturized.

[RavenMane]

I would love to try some bear grease! Has anyone tried it recently?

[enting]

I'm necro-ing this thread rather than commenting in the random thoughts thread.
I started using lamb fat to treat my dry and flaky spot on my scalp where dry and wiry hair grows, and I think it's helping. DH didn't tell me that he noticed any smell, but I did wash my hair before the end of the day, just in case. (I applied it on a day I knew I'd be washing my hair, just in case it went badly.)

[ladycaladium]

I had no idea this thread existed...I haven't used it on my hair, but a popular product here that can be found at just about any drugstore is horse oil and horse oil cream.

[Swan Maiden]

lady, I've used horse oil from japan as a skin care regime and tried it on my hair and loved it. It stirred quite a bit of controversy when I started a thread on it so I ducked out of that thread a long time ago. Its too expensive for me to regularly buy but I would again.

[jane_marie]

I'm necro-ing this thread rather than commenting in the random thoughts thread.
I started using lamb fat to treat my dry and flaky spot on my scalp where dry and wiry hair grows, and I think it's helping. DH didn't tell me that he noticed any smell, but I did wash my hair before the end of the day, just in case. (I applied it on a day I knew I'd be washing my hair, just in case it went badly.)

That's really interesting. From December to early April I had been using unsalted butter and found that to be really fantastic too. I'm not sure why I haven't used it for so long now.

[SleepyTangles]

I´m a big fan of lanolin (both alone and as an ingredient inside creams and balms) during winter :D. It´s usually a safe bet for my sensitive, dermatitis-prone skin! I occasionally use it on my nape area for sunburns.

Three years ago I had a very bad allergic reaction to cosmetics (synthetic pigments in conventional lipsticks). My skin was burning and peeling, applying anything (cleansers, cream, sunscreen... you name it) was very very painful. Using a cotton pad soaked in full-fat cold milk was one of the few things that brought some relief.
I occasionally tried unsalted butter on eczema/atopic dermatitis, when I didn´t have my usual salve at hand, and it works great,way better than vegetable oils - my theory is because butter has a trace of milk moisture, while oils are just plain fat.
I´d use them more often, but I just can´t deal with how fast fresh, food-grade dairy products go rancid, when applied on skin. I like cosmetics that are formulated with dairy or dairy-derived products tough ;)!

I also love honey and beeswax, but these are not fats.

[ladycaladium]

lady, I've used horse oil from japan as a skin care regime and tried it on my hair and loved it. It stirred quite a bit of controversy when I started a thread on it so I ducked out of that thread a long time ago. Its too expensive for me to regularly buy but I would again.

I have a jar of the cream I picked up in Nagasaki. I’ve used it when I have a particularly dry patch of skin and it works great. Japan has a horse meat industry and from what I understand, most makers of horse oil products are using a bi-product of that industry. There’s also a big horse racing industry. So it isn’t like there are horse oil farms.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I've never heard of horse oil, thought we can get horse meat here. I've got some goose fat in the fridge - has anyone tried goose or duck fat in their hair?

[enting]

Lanolin sounds like it would be nice. I could probably get nursing cream for that?

Goosefat/duckfat would also probably be really nice, I've just never bought goose or duck for cooking.

[ladycaladium]

I've never heard of horse oil, thought we can get horse meat here. I've got some goose fat in the fridge - has anyone tried goose or duck fat in their hair?

It's really nice on the skin. I never heard of it till I moved here. I may try it in my hair in the near future, since I have it laying around in my bathroom (in the cream form - so that may make a difference).

[Ylva]

I've never heard of horse oil either. I'm very much into the idea of using animal fats for my hair and skin, though. My body does amazingly on animal fats (I barely consume any vegetable oils at all and when I do, it's EVOO, coconut or avocado - absolutely no seed oils), and my hair is a product of my body, so I think there's a good chance it would thrive on them as well. I have a bunch of other stuff to use up first, but once they're gone, I will start experimenting with animal fats. Cool that there is a thread for it.

[jane_marie]

I've never heard of horse oil, thought we can get horse meat here. I've got some goose fat in the fridge - has anyone tried goose or duck fat in their hair?

I've used duck fat. It's hard to was out and goes rancid quick.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I've used duck fat. It's hard to was out and goes rancid quick.

Hmmm, maybe I won't try it, then!

[0xalis]

I'm not even a vegetarian but putting animal fat on my hair would be too gross for me. I would use lanolin though, I have used it topically elsewhere and it's great stuff, no animals hurt in the process either.

[enting]

I don't know if I would buy animal fat just to use for my hair or skin, but it seems such a waste to throw out perfectly good fat from cooking if we're not going to end up eating it. A little goes a very long way as well, longer for me than most plant oils do.

[ZoeZ]

Your cats may show increased affection for you though...

[Yalena]

As someone who is very into zero waste and natural products, I love this idea! I use plant oils all the time but never really considered using animal fats. I may start with lanolin then dip my toe into other types. Thanks for the information everyone!!

[TheWhiteRabbit]

I’ve recently started using lanolin and it has been amazing for my hair. I have tried sweet almond, coconut, EVOO, and Aragon with pretty meh results. Lanolin makes a noticeable difference in how soft my hair is and helps with my flyaways. I just put a small amount in my hands, warm it up and spread it through my hair like any other oil. I have some beef tallow with essential oils I use as a body lotion that I am going to try in my hair next.

[shelomit]

My dad used to use tallow on his beard a lot. My hair doesn't agree with oils/veg butters so I doubt it would take to animal fats any better in my case. . . plus, I have too much fun cooking with/eating them to set anything aside for my head ( ;

[TheWhiteRabbit]

I tried tallow this week and my hair slurped it up. The difference has been staggering since adding lanolin and emu oil. I will be using tallow too, just a small amount plus some coconut oil on my length and ends.