Anyone tried using Squalane oil for the hair?

[apollosdrawer]

I sometimes heard of squalane in skincare, it's a really hydrating substance that occurs in our skin naturally, and sebum is one component of it. I never knew that it could be used on hair, but I started thinking about it after thinking about it being something that occurs naturally on our own skin. I decided to get a small bottle of The Ordinary's 100% plant-derived squalane and see if it softens up my ends, which tend to get dry after a wash. I'll post about how it goes after I've given it a good try, but I'm curious about anyone else's experiences? I've never heard of it before on here! That's a first!

I will say, I've heard that a lot of skincare brands have sourced squalane from sharks, and the hunting of sharks is a huge problem, so be careful who you buy from if you decide to look into squalane!!!

[Duchess Fuzzy Buns]

I've never heard of it! I'm curious to hear how it works for you though.

[C_Bookworm]

I’ve tried Stratia’s Fortify, which is an oil blend with squalane as the fourth ingredient. It worked well enough (also smelled delicious) but at that price point I really couldn’t justify using it over some of the other oils that worked just as well and were a fraction of the price.

Please do update us! I’m super curious how it works for you!!

[apollosdrawer]

I’ve tried Stratia’s Fortify, which is an oil blend with squalane as the fourth ingredient. It worked well enough (also smelled delicious) but at that price point I really couldn’t justify using it over some of the other oils that worked just as well and were a fraction of the price.

Please do update us! I’m super curious how it works for you!!

I'll definitely do an update soon. The one ounce bottle I got was $7.50 which didn't seem too bad compared to some of the pricier stuff. But it may not be that high quality either...

[C_Bookworm]

I'll definitely do an update soon. The one ounce bottle I got was $7.50 which didn't seem too bad compared to some of the pricier stuff. But it may not be that high quality either...

I hope it works well! The skincare subreddit seems to love all things The Ordinary, for what it’s worth :p

[lapushka]

I think something like hyaluronic acid does about the same, and didn't The Ordinary come out with a product like that for the hair. I'm sure you can use *any* type oil for the hair as well. What it's gonna do, I don't know.

I would be a little concerned about frizz, because if it draws water to the hair... IDK what the effects of that would be?

[apollosdrawer]

I think something like hyaluronic acid does about the same, and didn't The Ordinary come out with a product like that for the hair. I'm sure you can use *any* type oil for the hair as well. What it's gonna do, I don't know.

I would be a little concerned about frizz, because if it draws water to the hair... IDK what the effects of that would be?

The product description says you can use it on hair, but they mostly market it for skin. From what I understand of squalane it's an emollient type of thing. That would provide protection for the hair, right? I suppose I need to do more research, my knowledge of it is kind of nebulous because it seems like people don't talk much about its benefits for hair...My hair only gets a bit frizzy on top in dry weather, so if it makes that worse I'll definitely notice.

[Fimu]

I'm following because I want to hear how it actually feels on the hair. I can get squalane at Jojoli.nl as well (it's isolated from olive oil). I understood squalane molecules also occur in sebum, so I that's what makes this oil interesting for me. I also read it's resistant to oxidation, so safer to use if your hair is frequently exposed to sunlight.

Squalene is the one that's traditionally derived from sharks.

[Suortuva]

I have used The Ordinary's 100% plant derived squalene for my hair. For me, it was a bit meh. Nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't any fantastic either. When applied in damp hair, it left my hair a bit wet/greasy looking when it air tried, but when I brushed it, it was fine. I even tried to mix it with different leave ins, but I couldn't see any immediate benefits.

I hope it works for the OP, it's always nice to test different things and you never know what will happen before you try.

I might give it another try myself.

[lapushka]

I have used The Ordinary's 100% plant derived squalene for my hair. For me, it was a bit meh. Nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't any fantastic either. When applied in damp hair, it left my hair a bit wet/greasy looking when it air tried, but when I brushed it, it was fine. I even tried to mix it with different leave ins, but I couldn't see any immediate benefits.

I hope it works for the OP, it's always nice to test different things and you never know what will happen before you try.

I might give it another try myself.

Oooh someone who's tried it. Did you use a little bit of it, or a lot? How much? Because if even a couple drops get the hair oily, I don't want any part of it!

[Suortuva]

Oooh someone who's tried it. Did you use a little bit of it, or a lot? How much? Because if even a couple drops get the hair oily, I don't want any part of it!

I used very little, and rubbed it into my palms first, but I can't really say it made my hair oily, because that feeling went away when I brushed my hair, it was ok after that. But I usually let my hair just air dry without touching it.

[Suortuva]

In general, My hair doesn't agree with oiling while damp.

So last night I tried squalene in dry hair. Felt good, no wet/greasy look. This morning when I woke up, my hair was fine, ends feeling strong and elastic.

I would say this is definitely worth a try.

[apollosdrawer]

Sounds promising! My hair takes to oil better when it's wet or damp so I'll be trying that. I'll report in after one use, then I'll update as I keep using it for a while. Might have to experiment to see how heavy it is on me, but my ends really like oiling so I'm hopeful.

[curly girl fla]

I have the one from Swanson. Very affordable, and just one drop works well on skin and hair. It becomes very non-greasy, absorbs completely. I prefer it on the ends on dry hair.
https://i.imgur.com/17k5iwB.png

[lapushka]

In general, My hair doesn't agree with oiling while damp.

So last night I tried squalene in dry hair. Felt good, no wet/greasy look. This morning when I woke up, my hair was fine, ends feeling strong and elastic.

I would say this is definitely worth a try.

I'm going to keep this oil in mind! Other things to finish first, of course... as always. But I will add it to my wishlist!

Thanks for your helpful review! :D

[Suortuva]

I'm going to keep this oil in mind! Other things to finish first, of course... as always. But I will add it to my wishlist!

Thanks for your helpful review! :D

This thread was a good reminder. Of some reason I keep forgetting I has this product, but it's actually very nice in skincare too. I will keep using it more regularly now and absolutely in dry hair between washes, because I now found out it's so nice and I have just finished my babassu oil and it seems it's not available for me at the moment.

[Martician]

I hope it works well! The skincare subreddit seems to love all things The Ordinary, for what it’s worth :p

I'm one of the "love all things from The Ordinary" so I might be suspicious ;)
I first used 100% Plant-Derived Hime-Squalane and I adored it, specially for untangling the hair. I usually just untangle my hair with the fingers when it's almost dry, but with this one I put like 3 drops in my hands and spread it through my damp hair and it instantly untangles my hair, without breakage or resistance. It's also very cheap!
Then I bought the 100% Plant-Derived Squalene thinking that if I liked the other, this would be even better aaaand it's not that big of a change, it's not bad but for the price I prefer its effect on my skin, the other is cheaper and works great. I don't feel that big of a change in terms of nutrition or shine, but it made a change for the better in my routine.

[apollosdrawer]

Well I tried a bit on the ends while my hair was damp last night. So far they're nice and soft, and they didn't stay greasy/oily for long at all. Within ten minutes I felt it had absorbed all the way. I'll post more if there are any notable changes in my hair over a couple weeks. So far I like it quite a bit but I'm not sure if it's any better than my other oils.

[tekla]

I'm one of the "love all things from The Ordinary" so I might be suspicious ;)
I first used 100% Plant-Derived Hime-Squalane and I adored it, specially for untangling the hair. I usually just untangle my hair with the fingers when it's almost dry, but with this one I put like 3 drops in my hands and spread it through my damp hair and it instantly untangles my hair, without breakage or resistance. It's also very cheap!
Then I bought the 100% Plant-Derived Squalene thinking that if I liked the other, this would be even better aaaand it's not that big of a change, it's not bad but for the price I prefer its effect on my skin, the other is cheaper and works great. I don't feel that big of a change in terms of nutrition or shine, but it made a change for the better in my routine.

I've used Hemi-Squalane also and I'm definitely reordering soon! I really liked how it didn't leave an oily feel (which happens easy with my hair) and hair soaked it up immediately. I used a couple of drops to damp hair. It might work on dry hair as well since it's light.

[apollosdrawer]

I have to say I don't think I used enough so I added a bit more on dry hair this morning. So far it seems like a very light oil, which is great for my ultra fine hair. Oiling will be a lot more predictable if this is what it's like, I wont have to worry so much about one more drop tipping me over the edge.

[apollosdrawer]

Ok well, this is the first time I've said this about any product but it isn't heavy enough for me! It does have a bit of a softening effect, but it's not really enough to be my main oil. I do really like it for oiling my braid tassels though. I feel like braids are very protective on me, except for the tassels, so I've been oiling the ends when I wear braids hoping that will decrease friction and provide a little protection. I think the squalane is excellent for this purpose, for me. I don't have to worry about feeling greasy or getting anything on my clothes, the squalane soaks up fast and I'm REALLY loving it this way! I also use less of it, which is good since it comes in a tiny bottle.

I think I'll continue to use it for some time!

[AutobotsAttack]

I still have a bottle of this from The Ordinary brand, and upon first application I quite liked it for my scalp, but about maybe 2-3 weeks, the product started not playing too nicely with my usual leave-ins, so I’ve kind of started using it as a rinse out hot oil treatment. It was causing one of my favorite brands to denature a bit.

[apollosdrawer]

Oh, I'm just curious but what brand was it not playing well with? I use very few products at a time so I'm not too worried, but still curious

[AutobotsAttack]

Oh, I'm just curious but what brand was it not playing well with? I use very few products at a time so I'm not too worried, but still curious

It’s called Bekura Beauty. The brand isn’t well known in general, but I like the cocoa bark conditioner from that brand, but it just didn’t want to act right with the Squalene oil.

[Suortuva]

I have been using squalene in my hair now, because it actually works great in dry hair for me.
I needed some stuff from The Ordinary (I really like their skin care), so I decided to purchase a bottle of hemi-squalene too. It will be interesting to see how it compares to this one.