Walnut Oil: How Does It Compare?

[Flynn]

Hi, all.

I've just started using walnut oil pre-wash, with spectacular results. My hair feels like satin, and has that vague, barely-detectable, but still lovely walnutty smell.

But you don't seem to hear about it all that much on this forum. Instead, we seem to be awash with EVOO, avocado oil, camellia oil, and of course, "everyone's" favourite, coconut oil.

I've been trying to track down a bottle of coconut oil (can't get it anywhere just at the moment: everywhere I go, I'm told they haven't had it for a couple of months), and only tried the walnut oil in the interim as a lighter-feeling alternative to the rice bran oil I've been using. (I like walnut better, just by the way.)

So, I'm wondering, considering I've had such nice results with walnut, how do other people think it compares to other oils? Is my mind going to be absolutely blown by the hair-product-ad tangle-free ultra-shiny results I'll get from something else (like coconut, perhaps) or do you reckon walnut is a pretty good choice? Do you have ethical issues with it because of the risk of leaving nutty residues on things in public places? Does it just make you want to eat your hair?

Please share. ^__^

[ChloeDharma]

I keep eyeing up walnut oil in the supermarket but have never tried it yet. I heard it can be darkening which is why i dismissed using it back when i was aiming at as red as possible. Now that i don't care so much about colour i might try it, i have heard it's very good and now you have posted this review of it i've just decided to pick some up next time i'm in sainsburys :)

[Flynn]

I think I'd be surprised if it actually was darkening... the oil itself is very light-coloured -- think light olive oil, but with less of a green hue. I do know, though, that walnut hulls can be used to make a deep brown dye, and I suppose they aren't so dark themselves... *shrugs*

Though, if it does darken I'd be delighted: I'd love my hair just a touch darker.

[ChloeDharma]

Back then i was obsessed with my colour so it was probably just me being paranoid. Maybe some coffee rinses might help enhance your brown?
I'll definately try this oil though and hopefully some more people will reply with results.
As i say, i've heard it's very good, and it is a good source of EFA's so definately worth ashot....thanks for giving me the extra push i needed to try it :)

[Rohele]

Do you have ethical issues with it because of the risk of leaving nutty residues on things in public places?

I'm the mom of a nut allergic boy, and I am actually quite touched that you asked this. :)

From my perspective, unless you are working with or live with or are otherwise in close contact with someone who is allergic to walnuts, then no, I wouldn't say there are ethical issues.

The only time it would be an issue for my son (from an allergic viewpoint), would be if you were directly transferring the oil from your hair to your hands to my son in some fashion (like if you were working in a daycare or medical setting or something were there is close contact). But for residue encountered in some place in the mall or something? Unless you're rubbing a heavily oiled head directly on a surface - and I'm sure you're not, lol - I would not really worry too much.

[ChloeDharma]

I'm the mom of a nut allergic boy, and I am actually quite touched that you asked this. :)

From my perspective, unless you are working with or live with or are otherwise in close contact with someone who is allergic to walnuts, then no, I wouldn't say there are ethical issues.

The only time it would be an issue for my son (from an allergic viewpoint), would be if you were directly transferring the oil from your hair to your hands to my son in some fashion (like if you were working in a daycare or medical setting or something were there is close contact). But for residue encountered in some place in the mall or something? Unless you're rubbing a heavily oiled head directly on a surface - and I'm sure you're not, lol - I would not really worry too much.

I thought it was only really peanut oil that could cause problems if used by someone near a person with a nut allergy, which is why i decided to skip it. Do you think it would be safe to use for pre-wash oilings instead then?
I did date a man with a nut allergy at the end of last year, he came in while i was in the shower and gave me a kiss....me forgetting my face was smothered with almond oil. You can imagine the panic, but he ran to the sink once i started flapping and brushed his teeth, didn't cause any problems luckily.

[violetflower]

I have used walnut oil a few times with aloe vera gel as a leave in on damp hair, and my hair loved it! I used walnut oil in the conditioner I made at the weekend, I think it is a lovely oil for my hair!

[Fractalsofhair]

Whatever oil works for you! I've never tried it, hate walnuts personally, but they're supposed to be good for you! I would say that it's unlikely a person with nut allergies would have an issue. Peanut allergies are more common than general nut ones, for severe ones, and well, unless you're near a person that goes into shock if they walk into a grocery store from the peanuts, you should be fine I'd think. I mean, I think you should check with people before letting them just randomly feel and touch your hair, but that's generally something strangers don't do! Very very few people have such severe allegies they would have issues from oil on your hair, from a far distance. Those that do, they generally carry an epipen, and can reconize warning signs. If you date a guy with nut allergies, I suggest leaving it out, or checking with him!

I love coconut oil personally, but if it's hard to get, any plant oil should work in an acceptable manner. Not a lot of tests have been done on how effective all the different oils are, we know coconut oil prevents protien loss from hair, but walnut oil has not been disproven for that.

I've never seen walnut oil in a store!

[Flynn]

Back then i was obsessed with my colour so it was probably just me being paranoid. Maybe some coffee rinses might help enhance your brown?
I'll definately try this oil though and hopefully some more people will reply with results.
As i say, i've heard it's very good, and it is a good source of EFA's so definately worth ashot....thanks for giving me the extra push i needed to try it :)

Good idea; thanks!

Once you try it, maybe you can tell me how it goes relative to others >_o

"EFA's" == Essential Fatty Acids?




I'm the mom of a nut allergic boy, and I am actually quite touched that you asked this. :)

From my perspective, unless you are working with or live with or are otherwise in close contact with someone who is allergic to walnuts, then no, I wouldn't say there are ethical issues.

The only time it would be an issue for my son (from an allergic viewpoint), would be if you were directly transferring the oil from your hair to your hands to my son in some fashion (like if you were working in a daycare or medical setting or something were there is close contact). But for residue encountered in some place in the mall or something? Unless you're rubbing a heavily oiled head directly on a surface - and I'm sure you're not, lol - I would not really worry too much.

XD You never know... >_o

I have a couple of little cousins who are severely nut-allergic, so it's obviously something I'd avoid when they're around. I'm sure, however, that walnut oil isn't quite the scary thing peanut butter is.




I thought it was only really peanut oil that could cause problems if used by someone near a person with a nut allergy, which is why i decided to skip it. Do you think it would be safe to use for pre-wash oilings instead then?
I did date a man with a nut allergy at the end of last year, he came in while i was in the shower and gave me a kiss....me forgetting my face was smothered with almond oil. You can imagine the panic, but he ran to the sink once i started flapping and brushed his teeth, didn't cause any problems luckily.

A lot of peanut oils are fine, because the processing is such that none of the protein that causes the allergy is left in the oil. Sometimes they aren't though, so it's not something worth risking (unless you're my brother's peanut allergic friend's mad mother, who decided to do a blind test of it on her boy... *horror* He was absolutely fine, though.) I have no idea about other nut oils, though.

Also, a lot of people are allergic specifically to peanuts, or to peanuts more than other nuts. (By comparison, I also know several people who are fine with peanuts, but severely allergic to cashews.)




I have used walnut oil a few times with aloe vera gel as a leave in on damp hair, and my hair loved it! I used walnut oil in the conditioner I made at the weekend, I think it is a lovely oil for my hair!

XD Glad to hear! The walnut+aloe vera might be worth a shot... I've been intending to scrunch with a little aloe vera gel sometime to see how it goes...

[Flynn]

Whatever oil works for you! I've never tried it, hate walnuts personally, but they're supposed to be good for you!

*Laughs* I love walnuts, though ^__^ It is working for me, but I don't have much to compare with (rice bran, EVOO used once, and that's it.) an everyone loves coconut, but I can't imagine it being better... but if it is, it must be amazing XD



I would say that it's unlikely a person with nut allergies would have an issue. Peanut allergies are more common than general nut ones, for severe ones, and well, unless you're near a person that goes into shock if they walk into a grocery store from the peanuts, you should be fine I'd think. I mean, I think you should check with people before letting them just randomly feel and touch your hair, but that's generally something strangers don't do! Very very few people have such severe allegies they would have issues from oil on your hair, from a far distance. Those that do, they generally carry an epipen, and can reconize warning signs. If you date a guy with nut allergies, I suggest leaving it out, or checking with him!

I was kinda half joking with that bit XD

I have little cousins who are allergic to nuts, so I'd leave it out (and wash thoroughly and wear my hair up) around them, but my impression is also that nut oils aren't the horror that, say, peanut butter is. Though, cold-pressed walnut oil may well still have all the nasty proteins in it. I don't actually know.



I love coconut oil personally, but if it's hard to get, any plant oil should work in an acceptable manner. Not a lot of tests have been done on how effective all the different oils are, we know coconut oil prevents protien loss from hair, but walnut oil has not been disproven for that.

I've never seen walnut oil in a store!

It's bizarre; I keep being told "no, not since a few months ago", and no-one can tell me why....

Yeah, normally I'd just look it up to see "which is meant to be better", but there's not much out there. Anecdotal evidence is good enough for my hair, though XD

Walnut oil is everywhere here. It's a very popular gourmet salad oil or something at the moment. Avocado is also easy to get, along with sesame, of course. Otherwise it's all rice bran, olive, and canola. And palm in a lot of the Asian grocery stores, but I won't buy that. It kills orang-utans. (More seriously, habitat in Indonesia, among other places, is very commonly destroyed on a shocking scale for growing palm oil. I'm not so at ease with that idea...)

[Norai]

I don't know if someone's mentioned this already, but I think walnut oil is one of the oils that goes rancid rather quickly - 2-4 months I think?

I worry that the walnut oil that I see in the store here has been sitting on the shelf at least that long, so I tend to avoid it... I'd love to use it if I got some fresh though.

[Rohele]

I thought it was only really peanut oil that could cause problems if used by someone near a person with a nut allergy, which is why i decided to skip it.

Peanut oil would only cause problems with someone with a peanut allergy, and as Flynn stated, most of the time they are so refined they will not cause a reaction in most peanut allergic people (notice I say most, some allergic people will react to the most miniscule amounts of the allergen). Sometimes peanut oils are not refined though and there is no way to really tell the difference, so most people with peanut allergies will avoid it.


I have a couple of little cousins who are severely nut-allergic, so it's obviously something I'd avoid when they're around. I'm sure, however, that walnut oil isn't quite the scary thing peanut butter is.

Yes, peanut butter seems to stick to everything and is very, very hard to wipe away completely. My DS is allergic to peanuts and hazelnuts - I'd personally have him avoid anything that was derived from either of them - but I'll step off my allergy soapbox now, and leave you all to debate the various benefits of walnut oil. :)

[Fractalsofhair]

Flynn, yeah I love coconut oil, but it's not perfect for everyone. Whatever oil works for you! Hmm, I'll have to check a gourmet store around here for it, there are a few that might have it! I think palm oil is the same as coconut. It's enviromentally harmful, as any of the tropical oils are, but I consider it to be less harmful than tons of tiny packages of other oils. It comes in a large container and lasts a really long time. I do try to green my life as much as possible. I have severe horse allergies, and I know I can't hug people who have ridden within the last 2 or so days without having to go to the doctor and take 3+ bendadryl(I should go to the ER, and I should get an Epipen, but that's another story involving my family and them thinking allegries are something someone can ignore, unless it's to a chemical...), but I'm also careful with who I hug, and I'm sure if I explained to someone that I had nut allergies(if I did), they'd warn me if they had oil in their hair if I explained the severity. If it's filtered, it generally gets rid of a lot of things!

[Ash]

I love walnut oil! It smells great and works wonderfully for a heavy oiling and washes out easily for me as well. I keep mine (La Tourangelle brand) refrigerated so it does not go rancid. It is my second favorite oil after avocado for heavy oilings, however I do not use it post wash because I am unsure if it would affect anyone with nut allergies if they were to be around me in a store or something.

[Flynn]

I don't know if someone's mentioned this already, but I think walnut oil is one of the oils that goes rancid rather quickly - 2-4 months I think?

I worry that the walnut oil that I see in the store here has been sitting on the shelf at least that long, so I tend to avoid it... I'd love to use it if I got some fresh though.

Aah, okay. Mine still smells (and tastes) fine, so it's not turning yet!



Yes, peanut butter seems to stick to everything and is very, very hard to wipe away completely. My DS is allergic to peanuts and hazelnuts - I'd personally have him avoid anything that was derived from either of them - but I'll step off my allergy soapbox now, and leave you all to debate the various benefits of walnut oil. :)

Oh, gosh... so you have to worry about both of the two favourite sticky spreads for children -- peanut butter and Nutella. : (


Flynn, yeah I love coconut oil, but it's not perfect for everyone. Whatever oil works for you! Hmm, I'll have to check a gourmet store around here for it, there are a few that might have it! I think palm oil is the same as coconut. It's enviromentally harmful, as any of the tropical oils are, but I consider it to be less harmful than tons of tiny packages of other oils. It comes in a large container and lasts a really long time. I do try to green my life as much as possible. I have severe horse allergies, and I know I can't hug people who have ridden within the last 2 or so days without having to go to the doctor and take 3+ bendadryl(I should go to the ER, and I should get an Epipen, but that's another story involving my family and them thinking allegries are something someone can ignore, unless it's to a chemical...), but I'm also careful with who I hug, and I'm sure if I explained to someone that I had nut allergies(if I did), they'd warn me if they had oil in their hair if I explained the severity. If it's filtered, it generally gets rid of a lot of things!

Regarding environmental harm: my attitude, though, is that glass, which is relatively easy to recycle, beats rainforest-destroying oil and plastic or metal bulk containers. But I just really like tigers, frogs and orang-utans XD No real logical reason.

*Groan at animal allergies* Oh, man, I know about that one just a bit. "Hey, come over and stay!"

"I can't. You have a cat."

"Naah, it's fine. She's mostly an outdoors cat."

"... How outdoors?"

"She pretty well stays outside most of the time. It'll be fine."

About midnight, when we're actually considering going to sleep, I can't breathe. My mother has to be called to collect me.


Later:
"Oh, sorry. She sleeps on my bed sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"Oh, just for a little while... most days..."

"Thanks for telling me. (Thanks for trying to kill me.)"




I love walnut oil! It smells great and works wonderfully for a heavy oiling and washes out easily for me as well. I keep mine (La Tourangelle brand) refrigerated so it does not go rancid. It is my second favorite oil after avocado for heavy oilings, however I do not use it post wash because I am unsure if it would affect anyone with nut allergies if they were to be around me in a store or something.

Good idea; I should probably do that too.

I'm actually finding that my shampoo and conditioner don't wash it out very well; it seems to sometimes take a couple of goes... but I do use a very mild shampoo and conditioner. (Sensitive skin.)

I don't use it post-wash, either, because I've just haven't been able to get post-wash oiling right with my hair, which is quite fine. (Also thick. You'd think it could eat a fair bit of oil, I have so much of it...) It seems to look oily if I even let it see the bottle.

[Flynn]

Sorry for posting random replies in my own thread, but I just noticed (after the second wash with a walnut oil pre-treatment) my braid tassel is soooo shiiiney OuO ooooo

(I think I'm going to give myself split ends from playing with it... but so shiiiiney! XD whreeee )






(... See? it must be good. I'm making dumb noises.)

[ChloeDharma]

Sorry for posting random replies in my own thread, but I just noticed (after the second wash with a walnut oil pre-treatment) my braid tassel is soooo shiiiney OuO ooooo

(I think I'm going to give myself split ends from playing with it... but so shiiiiney! XD whreeee )






(... See? it must be good. I'm making dumb noises.)

Hmmnnn now you are just teasing! :p
I'm really glad it's working so well for you, i'm due a shop today so i'll pick some up later

[Flynn]

Hmmnnn now you are just teasing! :p
I'm really glad it's working so well for you, i'm due a shop today so i'll pick some up later

*Laughs* sorry... XD

I'm finding it odder and odder, though, that I've heard so little about it. A search on the forum gave only two threads related to walnut oil specifically, and they were, what, one or two pages each. (There was also one or two about walnut hull dye, too, but that's irrelevant.) At this point, it is seeming unlikely to me that coconut oil could possibly be better... so why aren't there more people (or at least, more fine-hairs, if it's kind of hairtype specific) talking about it?

[ChloeDharma]

I think the reason coconut oil is so popular is because it helps prevent protein loss during washing. Also it's penetrative properties have been proven whereas lots of other oils don't have studies to back them up like coconut does.
Personally i love it, but i don't find it the most conditioning oil, i'm not putting it down, it's great in so many ways and easy to use for either light or heavy oilings......but like you say, there are also lots of other oils that do a fantastic job too.
I was actually thinking recently about the fashions in long hair care......coconut has always been popular, but i remember when i first joined here jojoba seemed the most popular by far.

[Flynn]

Aah! I see. So someone has just gone "hey, women from (appropriate country/ethnic background... Polynesia, maybe?) have really gorgeous hair, I wonder what the trick is. Let's do a proper study on it. That'd be interesting and relevant to industry." So, we got evidence for coconut oil, but nothing else (yet.) Makes sense! ^__^

[Fractalsofhair]

Flynn, my coconut oil comes in glass jars. I love the rain forest as well, but I try to save it in as many ways as I can, and honestly, I'd rather use coconut oil if it works for my hair and buy only pencils made from non rain forest wood and use "lil green patch" on Facebook to save feet there than use other oils. You can recycle almost all plastics, which is pretty cool.


Oh gosh, I have cat allergies as well, getting better since I went off medication, but still annoying. Worst part is, I have cats that I love! Well,thankfully I also have a hot shower, and they rarely try to jump in it, so I'm able to get the hot fur off!

[Flynn]

Flynn, my coconut oil comes in glass jars. I love the rain forest as well, but I try to save it in as many ways as I can, and honestly, I'd rather use coconut oil if it works for my hair and buy only pencils made from non rain forest wood and use "lil green patch" on Facebook to save feet there than use other oils. You can recycle almost all plastics, which is pretty cool.

You can, but, unfortunately, often they aren't. Glass is easier and cheaper to re-cycle, so, as I understand, it's pretty universally recycled... *Shrugs* Ain't really relevant.



Oh gosh, I have cat allergies as well, getting better since I went off medication, but still annoying. Worst part is, I have cats that I love! Well,thankfully I also have a hot shower, and they rarely try to jump in it, so I'm able to get the hot fur off!

If some variety of it feathers or fur, I'm allergic to it. Hairless cats and "wooly" dogs included. Don't yet know about sheep, goats, alpaca, etc, though...

[Ash]

I'm actually finding that my shampoo and conditioner don't wash it out very well; it seems to sometimes take a couple of goes... but I do use a very mild shampoo and conditioner. (Sensitive skin.)

I actually do a CWC to get out the oil, sometimes it seems that the conditioner helps to remove the oil better than just shampoo. Perhaps that would work for you?

[Flynn]

Mmm, I've been CWC'ing most of the time... The conditioner does nothing to remove the walnut oil whatsoever (it did get the rice bran oil well enough, though). I've actually needed to creep a bit of the shampoo down into the ends to shift it. Not that I'm worried about this: it's an extremely mild shampoo. (DermaVeen Colloidal Oatmeal, if that means anything to you. My scalp gets upset about baby shampoos, and not this one, so that might give you an indication of what I'm talking about.)

[ChloeDharma]

Mmm, I've been CWC'ing most of the time... The conditioner does nothing to remove the walnut oil whatsoever (it did get the rice bran oil well enough, though). I've actually needed to creep a bit of the shampoo down into the ends to shift it. Not that I'm worried about this: it's an extremely mild shampoo. (DermaVeen Colloidal Oatmeal, if that means anything to you. My scalp gets upset about baby shampoos, and not this one, so that might give you an indication of what I'm talking about.)

This is odd, how long do you leave the conditioner on for? Usually conditioner gets any oiling out, although a couple of times recently it hasn't but that's because i've washed in a hurry and not left it on long enough.
I hope i don't have issues getting walnut oil out (i brought some yesterday btw so consider yourself officially an enabler now ;)). Mind you, i'm sure a paste of shikakai will do the trick :)

[violetflower]

I don't know if someone's mentioned this already, but I think walnut oil is one of the oils that goes rancid rather quickly - 2-4 months I think?

I worry that the walnut oil that I see in the store here has been sitting on the shelf at least that long, so I tend to avoid it... I'd love to use it if I got some fresh though.

I know what you mean regarding buying from a store and shelf life, etc. I buy mine from a source that I trust, and I add Vitamin E to my oils that have a very short shelf life, Rose hip oil also being one! :)

[violetflower]

XD Glad to hear! The walnut+aloe vera might be worth a shot... I've been intending to scrunch with a little aloe vera gel sometime to see how it goes...

Let me know what you think of it! :)

[Flynn]

This is odd, how long do you leave the conditioner on for? Usually conditioner gets any oiling out, although a couple of times recently it hasn't but that's because i've washed in a hurry and not left it on long enough.
I hope i don't have issues getting walnut oil out (i brought some yesterday btw so consider yourself officially an enabler now ;)). Mind you, i'm sure a paste of shikakai will do the trick :)

Nonono, like I said, I've got very gentle shampoo and conditioner. For instance, you wouldn't have a hope of CO'ing with my conditioner, unless perhaps you've been using a very watered-down alternative one previously to get your hair used to it. It took the better part of the first bottle for my hair to stop looking unwashed and underconditioned.

The rice bran oil practically comes out with water; it doesn't "stick" that well to my hair. EVOO... I shampoo'd to get the smell out, so i don't know. I hated it. That's all I have to compare to.

XD I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!


ETA: I should add, I think my hair consumes oil like crazy. It's thick and fine, and I can oil very heavily and then look at it and go "where the heck did that all go?" I have nothing, really, to compare to, but I have a hunch that it might sop up more than average, and I probably over-oil by most people's standards.

[Flynn]

I know what you mean regarding buying from a store and shelf life, etc. I buy mine from a source that I trust, and I add Vitamin E to my oils that have a very short shelf life, Rose hip oil also being one! :)

Vitamin E helps...! Cool. Helps your skin, too, so it can't be a bad thing ^__^

I bought a very small bottle (250 mL) relative to the rate I'm going through it. It was, what, $8? i justify it by observing that the only leave-in conditioner I've been able to tolerate recently is $32 for 150 mL (KMS .... uhm, the pink one, that's a two-phase system -- one oily one watery layer and you shake it before you spray it. Doesn't do much for me, but the perfume is subtle and doesn't give me a rash, and it does better than most others I've tried.)


Let me know what you think of it! :)

Note made ! ^__^

[ChloeDharma]

Ok, i have this on my hair at the moment, i ended up mixing some castor oil with it. Thing is, does anyone else's walnut oil smell like toast?

[GlassEyes]

Uh, Flynn? I don't know if you know, but baby shampoos can be degenerative to hair health because they're base instead of being acidic, and thus open the cuticle. I realize you use it for scalp irritation, and if it helps, great, but baby shampoo is anything but gentle on hair. You know, just in case you didn't know. xD;

[Flynn]

Ok, i have this on my hair at the moment, i ended up mixing some castor oil with it. Thing is, does anyone else's walnut oil smell like toast?
... mine smells like squashed walnuts. ^__^ Maybe your toast is fancy and smells like walnuts...? >_o

[Flynn]

Uh, Flynn? I don't know if you know, but baby shampoos can be degenerative to hair health because they're base instead of being acidic, and thus open the cuticle. I realize you use it for scalp irritation, and if it helps, great, but baby shampoo is anything but gentle on hair. You know, just in case you didn't know. xD;

Skin always comes before hair; hair doesn't itch or bleed. Anyway, my hair would still be short if it hadn't gotten to expensive to maintain the length. Regardless, I don't use a baby shampoo: even they are too harsh for my skin.

[Renbirde]

Isn't walnut oil toxic? I thought my carving teacher switched from using walnut to linseed oil to seal projects because of the health risks... or am I wrong?

[Flynn]

Isn't walnut oil toxic? I thought my carving teacher switched from using walnut to linseed oil to seal projects because of the health risks... or am I wrong?
Walnut hulls are, and walnut dye therefore will be, as it is from the hulls. If your sealing oil also had something from the hulls for darkening the wood, then yes, it is likely it would be. Pure walnut oil is no more unsafe than walnut kernels. That's all it is: squashed walnut kernels.

[Tangles]

There's no right answer for what hair oil is best. Everyone has different hair and different personal preferences. For example, I hate using jojoba as a leave in because it is very waxy and sebum-y, leaving me feeling like I need to wash; but it IS very moisturizing, so it's good if I'm putting my hair in a protective updo. If I'm wearing my hair down, I'll reach for sweet almond.

[Flynn]

There's no right answer for what hair oil is best. Everyone has different hair and different personal preferences. For example, I hate using jojoba as a leave in because it is very waxy and sebum-y, leaving me feeling like I need to wash; but it IS very moisturizing, so it's good if I'm putting my hair in a protective updo. If I'm wearing my hair down, I'll reach for sweet almond.

Yeah, I know, but there are surely also trends among oils relating to effectiveness, possibly correlated with hairtype -- as I assumed was the case for coconut.

[Flynn]

I have used walnut oil a few times with aloe vera gel as a leave in on damp hair, and my hair loved it! I used walnut oil in the conditioner I made at the weekend, I think it is a lovely oil for my hair!

It feels really nice, but I have now learned that aloe vera does nothing for helping my hair to hold much wave or curl. It looks nice this morning, but it also looks about the same as when I do the same thing (bendy rollers) without any leave-in, or with "conventional" product... :(


/showoff
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b106/maccallister/AloeAndWalnutWaves.png