Lost in the oil aisle...

[NativeGirl]

I've been using coconut oil with great success…and then somehow my jar disappeared, which has me a bit upset. :mad:
I went to my local natural food store, and while looking for some coconut oil, I hit a lovely oil jackpot. :D There are so many kinds of oil, and I am tempted to try a new oil, or even add an addition to my routine…but which one???
I was looking at Jojoba, Grapeseed, Apricot, Sweet Almond, and Avocado Oils…then I found the Essential oils! :happydance:
So…in the end I spent an hour looking at all these wonderful oils…and walked out with nothing. :(
So I need some help in deciding what to try.
What have you tried and loved?
Especially scents…there are so many wonderful scents, I couldn't choose!

I've tried EVOO - hair HATES it - and Castor Oil. Castor oil was too thick, even after thinning it out and after hearing stories of how my Mom was forced to eat Castor Oil as a kid…I can't touch my leftover bottle.

[torrilin]

As you're probably realizing, all oils are not the same.

Essential oils are extracts of the fragrant materials from plants. These can range from totally safe to eat to extremely poisonous depending on what plant they come from. In general, these should not be used directly on your skin or hair in pure form, as they can be extremely irritating to your skin in large doses. If you wish to make your own hair products and give them pretty scents, essential oils can be used for that. You might use as much as 5 mL of essential oil in 1000mL of product.

For use on my hair, I stick to food grade oils, or occasional accidental doses of bath oil. So far, I've found olive oil and coconut oil suit my hair fine. I'm not much motivated to experiment further, since freshness is important for oil used in our hair, same as it is for oil we use in food... and my hair is fine and fairly straight and I'd have a near impossible time using up 15mL of oil in 6 months on my hair. So I stick with oils that I keep on hand for cooking, and that get used up easily within the 6 month limit so they stay fresh.

Obviously, this is a YMMV thing. Some posters here really can use up 1/4c of oil or more every time they use oil on their heads. For someone like that, experimenting would be easier.

[NativeGirl]

As you're probably realizing, all oils are not the same.

Essential oils are extracts of the fragrant materials from plants. These can range from totally safe to eat to extremely poisonous depending on what plant they come from. In general, these should not be used directly on your skin or hair in pure form, as they can be extremely irritating to your skin in large doses. If you wish to make your own hair products and give them pretty scents, essential oils can be used for that. You might use as much as 5 mL of essential oil in 1000mL of product.

For use on my hair, I stick to food grade oils, or occasional accidental doses of bath oil. So far, I've found olive oil and coconut oil suit my hair fine. I'm not much motivated to experiment further, since freshness is important for oil used in our hair, same as it is for oil we use in food... and my hair is fine and fairly straight and I'd have a near impossible time using up 15mL of oil in 6 months on my hair. So I stick with oils that I keep on hand for cooking, and that get used up easily within the 6 month limit so they stay fresh.

Obviously, this is a YMMV thing. Some posters here really can use up 1/4c of oil or more every time they use oil on their heads. For someone like that, experimenting would be easier.

I've been wanting to add a essential oil to give my usual coconut oil treatment some scent (other than coconut, of course.); and this is the first time I've found any. It was exciting! I'm not overly concerned with keeping the oil "fresh" as I have been sharing my coconut oil with my mother and sisters - eight other women - so products don't go unused. :)

[HairFaerie]

I am a fan of using jojoba oil as the carrier oil for essential oils. Jojoba oil is the closest oil to hair's natural sebum. Another one of my favorites is 100% argan oil (not the kind from beauty supply stores that has a bunch of additives, the kind from the health food stores that's 100% argan oil).

If you are going to use the mixture on your scalp - basil and rosemary EOs are helpful/stimulating for hair growth.

I make nice spritzes with small spray bottles. For those, I use distilled water, a teaspoon or so of jojoba (sometimes 100% argan) and whatever EO scent that happens to strike my fancy at the moment. (I am fond of patchouli and tangerine.) Just spray on a few sprays an voila~These spritzes help oil the canopy of your hair lightly, adding shine and scent. I just love them!

A few drops of EOs is all that is required for most things, a little goes a loooong way.

Have fun! I love working with oils! :)

[NativeGirl]

I am a fan of using jojoba oil as the carrier oil for essential oils. Jojoba oil is the closest oil to hair's natural sebum. Another one of my favorites is 100% argan oil (not the kind from beauty supply stores that has a bunch of additives, the kind from the health food stores that's 100% argan oil).

If you are going to use the mixture on your scalp - basil and rosemary EOs are helpful/stimulating for hair growth.

I make nice spritzes with small spray bottles. For those, I use distilled water, a teaspoon or so of jojoba (sometimes 100% argan) and whatever EO scent that happens to strike my fancy at the moment. (I am fond of patchouli and tangerine.) Just spray on a few sprays an voila~These spritzes help oil the canopy of your hair lightly, adding shine and scent. I just love them!

A few drops of EOs is all that is required for most things, a little goes a loooong way.

Have fun! I love working with oils! :)

Oooooo….Thank you! I didn't think of making a spray! :D

[roxee]

grapeseed oil is great to use as a serum, its light so it doesnt weigh hair down and totally keeps frizziness and flyaways at bay.
I also u 4 tbs of grapeseed oil mixed with 1 1/2 tbs of castor oil and 6 drops of rosemary oil and massage it onto my scalp, then massage the ends of my hair with 3 tbs of coconut oil mixed with 2 tbs of castor oil and leave on for as long as I can. Then wash out with shampoo mixed with 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda. My hair feels sooo soft after and is not weighed down at all.

I have been doing that twice a week over winter and my hair has been growning a inch a month.

[NativeGirl]

grapeseed oil is great to use as a serum, its light so it doesnt weigh hair down and totally keeps frizziness and flyaways at bay.
I also u 4 tbs of grapeseed oil mixed with 1 1/2 tbs of castor oil and 6 drops of rosemary oil and massage it onto my scalp, then massage the ends of my hair with 3 tbs of coconut oil mixed with 2 tbs of castor oil and leave on for as long as I can. Then wash out with shampoo mixed with 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda. My hair feels sooo soft after and is not weighed down at all.

I have been doing that twice a week over winter and my hair has been growning a inch a month.

I'll have to give that a shot. :) I really need to use up my leftover castor oil.

[Lipbalmbabe]

I love making my own rosemary oil by letting rosemary it in a jar filled with grapseed an coconut oil. Works so great as a scalp massage oil.

[LiveYourDreams]

My favorite oil is coconut, but I also like jojoba. Grapeseed oil is good as well. :)

[Amber_Maiden]

Avocado oil is great for my hair!

[jojo]

I love EVVO for monthly deep oilings and my favorite oil is baby oil, it has worked wonders for my hair, but less is more with this oil!

I used to love sweet almond and vatika oil too, not used them in a long time time!

[jacqueline101]

I like coconut argan sweet almond and brazilian nut oil diluted with water and misted on my hair.

[longcurlygirl<3]

I like grapeseed and sweet almond oil :) and EVOO only before a wash day or just when my hair is dry.

[Gingerbear]

I am a fan of coconut oil for overnight oilings and to use before I bleach my hair to help prevent damage. I use Argan oil mixed with Infusium 23 leave-in conditioning treatment in a spray bottle after the shower on wet hair. I also keep a bottle of Jojoba oil in my shower and will sometimes treat my wet ends before I get out. I am thinking of adding a bit to my spritzer mix. :)

I broke down this week and bought some avocado oil at Whole Foods. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't have an opinion.

[Sillage]

TAMANU! You have got to try tamanu oil, it's amazing! I love the cushion-y feel the oil has and it's fantastic on skin too. Rosehip seed oil is my other big love and while it's not an oil, shea butter is one of my favorite things to put in my hair. West African shea is the best and certainly worth the extra cost. It's much creamier and more luscious feeling than East African.

[annamoonfairy]

I use coconut and grapeseed on the ends of my hair about once a month.

[holothuroidea]

My favorite is Camellia oil but that is hard to find. Jojoba used to be my favorite but I started using oil for a different reason and it was no longer relevant (I used the jojoba as a pre-wash treatment to stop shampoo from traveling down the length and to protect it if it did). Avocado oil is a close second. I never noticed a difference with coconut oil, but I use the oil to coat and seal the hair after washing (sort of like what 'cones are supposed to do) to stop tangling and add shine and movement.

It's good to experiment with oils because what works for you will depend on what you use your oil for and your own particular hair type/texture. The good news is that most of them are edible so if they don't work in your hair you can use them in your food.

[Melisande]

There is no better advice than: try different oil in different situations (prewash, postwash, in shampoo, in conditioner, on wet, dry or damp hair, in spray, mixed with sheabutter...) and write down your experience.

My hair loves coconut, avocado and olive oil - even more when all three are mixed. My scalp loves jojoba with essential oils. My ends love sheabutter. My facial loves rose hip, coconut and almond oil. My body skin loves all of them.

Try with simple single oils first, then start mixing. And: write it all, all down ;-) It's amazing how soon I can forget whatever it was that I put into the pink bottle...

Over time, you'll develop your own arsenal. Once you know an oil well, you can rely on your body to pick the right one, i.e., when you step out of the shower, just pick instinctively without thinking the oil that seems right for now.

I enjoy that developing intuition very much!

[NativeGirl]

Thank you, Melisande!

I have a feeling I'm going to come home with every oil I can find. :D
Now if only I could decide on some essential oils...

[PixxieStix]

Hahaha, oh dear, when I found the oil aisle I did the exact same thing!

Since then, I have ended up with sweet almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba, castor oil, and some EOs. My hair loves avocado oil, especially mixed with coconut oil or milk (yup, from the can)! That stinks that your hair doesn't like EVOO though, since it's so great in the kitchen, but hey, at least you know what your hair *doesn't* like, and that is a great start!

I love mixing up my oils with Shea butter, some people use that on their hair, I use it on my skin! I also use castor and olive oil mixed with a few drops of lavender EO for OCM. I "pre-treat" my skin by rubbing in EVOO or EVOO mixed with sweet almond oil prior to taking a shower. Probably works great with the other oils too. So, while you're experimenting and figuring out what works well for your hair, remember to buy SMALL bottles to start off with, and that you can find other uses if they don't work out for part of your hair care routine.

Good luck!

[ktani]

Coconut oil is fantastic used a certain way in oil shampoo ETA, for me. I did not care for it as a grooming aid or oiling oil.

It can also be a great deep treatment oil, again used a certain way only, on well clarified hair. Used as a treatment oil or oiling oil over conditioned hair or residue or mixed with conditioner or butters, none of it penetrates hair. That applies to any oil that can penetrate hair too ETA:2 in my experience, and from many reports by others here and that is supported by research.

Coconut oil can also be great to help prevent peroxide damage along with or not argan oil, which chelates more copper than coconut oil can used alone.

My favorite oiling oil is mineral oil/baby oil. It is like nothing I have ever used before. Next to catnip, it is amazing on my hair and it has worked amazingly well for others here too. It is natural, despite the hype to the contrary.

ETA:3 Drying oils like, flax seed oil, safflower oil, non ETA:4 high - oleic sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, sea buckthorn seed oil, and more can be difficult to remove from hair and require clarifying out of hair, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2011/12/understanding-drying-capacity-of-oils.html.

I had to stop using safflower oil completely as an oiling oil years ago and it washed out very, very, gradually. Such oils are best used sparingly in my opinion, and not often. Coconut oil, argan oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and cosmetic mineral oil are all nondrying oils and can be washed out of hair fairly easily to very easily, depending on the amount used.

[NativeGirl]

Thank you, Ktani for mentioning mineral/baby oil. I gave it a try after I washed my hair this morning…and my hair has never felt so soft! My hair seems to agree with it. :)

[ktani]

Thank you, Ktani for mentioning mineral/baby oil. I gave it a try after I washed my hair this morning…and my hair has never felt so soft! My hair seems to agree with it. :)

You are very welcome.

[NativeGirl]

I felt like updating everyone with what I ended up buying - and trying for the last few weeks...
I ended up buying grapeseed oil, and three EO's - Sage, Lavender and Tea Tree oil. I made a lovely mixture of all of them, and it smells heavenly! My hair loves it as much as it loves coconut oil. Also, I finally found my missing coconut oil. My silly cat likes to roll things, and she rolled my jar into the bottom cube on her cat tree. As odd as that sounds, it's not the weirdest thing I've found in that cat tree.

[Debra83]

I felt like updating everyone with what I ended up buying - and trying for the last few weeks...
I ended up buying grapeseed oil, and three EO's - Sage, Lavender and Tea Tree oil. I made a lovely mixture of all of them, and it smells heavenly! My hair loves it as much as it loves coconut oil. Also, I finally found my missing coconut oil. My silly cat likes to roll things, and she rolled my jar into the bottom cube on her cat tree. As odd as that sounds, it's not the weirdest thing I've found in that cat tree.

LOL! :bounce:

[sycamoreboutiqu]

FYI - Adding Vitamin E oil to your oils will slow rancidity and prolong them a year or more. The dark red/gold kind called Vit E Tocopheryl D is the most effective, much better than the vitamin variety. It doesn't take a lot.

[Johanna]

I love my jojoba oil. I used it probably 3-4 times a months at most. My ends are 3 year old dye and prone to dryness. Coconut oil, EVOO and Baby oil were too crunchy no matter how little I put on them. Jojoba was light enough to give it a slight coating and softness, it absorbs really easy for me.

[NativeGirl]

FYI - Adding Vitamin E oil to your oils will slow rancidity and prolong them a year or more. The dark red/gold kind called Vit E Tocopheryl D is the most effective, much better than the vitamin variety. It doesn't take a lot.

I don't really have to worry about my oils going bad. Between me, my sisters and mother, we use it up rather quickly, especially since we like to really oil up the length of our hair before bunning it. I'll keep that in mind though in case I decide to hoard a batch for myself. :)

[NativeGirl]

I love my jojoba oil. I used it probably 3-4 times a months at most. My ends are 3 year old dye and prone to dryness. Coconut oil, EVOO and Baby oil were too crunchy no matter how little I put on them. Jojoba was light enough to give it a slight coating and softness, it absorbs really easy for me.

Jojoba is on my next shopping list. :) It seems like a fairly popular oil on this forum.

[xoxophelia]

If your hair hates Olive Oil it would be a good idea to avoid Jojoba and Avocado oil also.

This article might be helpful to you: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-helps-us-understand-oils-and-butters

It is very informative about the different types of oils.

[heidi w.]

I like ylang ylang essential oil; grapefruit scented oil added to my coconut oil when I oil my hair to provide a bit of "scent" that I think smells nice. I put on the coconut oil and then a drop at most two of essential oil of choice, rub the palms of my hands together and apply to the length ONLY. If I have a trace too much oil (which can easily happen) I pat my palms on a paper towel to remove the excess, and then oil with what's left.

Then I BBB.

I can't afford all the essential oils. They're fairly pricey.

If you're like me with fine, fairly straight hair (I possess bone straight hair and no deviations) then you want to steer clear of the "carrier" oils that are heavier such as the castor oils and EVOO oils. Coconut Oil is a good one to stick with -- a carrier oil.

IF you do not know the difference between carrier and essential oils, that's a good basic piece of info to know. No one oils their hair that I know of with essential oil alone. They use a carrier oil and might infuse that oil with some essential oil.

Also, essential oils are the pure distillation of plant oils. And to use it on skin or otherwise, it needs to be very well diluted. Essential oils are commonly kept in dark colored glass vials (so the oil won't go bad) and are put into Jojoba Oil, which most closely mimics hair's sebum. When you buy any oil, it should be clear, relatively translucent, and not appear muddy or murky or smokey.

For Jojoba Oil for hair oiling, I recommend Hobacare.
For Coconut Oil, I recommend the oil one finds at Whole Foods in the Beauty section (not the salad dressing or oil section of the store) that is in a tub and specifically labeled "for use on skin and hair". This oil is unrefined. I keep it in the fridge so it won't go bad and scrape a tiny, tiny bit off the top when oiling my hair.

Essential oil drops can infuse a tub of water for bathing or reclining and enjoying a kind of spa experience. Do not swallow essential oils. There are also cautions to know about regarding some oils, and one should ALWAYS read up on the cautions of a given oil. Sun exposure, high blood pressure or heart rate cautions. And take GREAT CARE when applying to a baby or toddler. Kids are smaller in weight and can have a bad reaction to essential, and possibly also carrier oils. Exercise caution.

A lot of people use essential oils as deodorants, as perfume of some kind...as aromatherapy (heated in a tray to spread an aroma around). There are books and lots of recipes to be found.

Those who are really sensitive to aromas and allergies and skin irritations, as I am, need to be extra cautious.

heidi w.

[ktani]

Jojoba oil is a liquid wax. Butters contain waxy stearic acid. All build-up.

The advantage of mineral oil/baby oil, is that it can be completely washed out of the hair easily when used in small amounts and is not waxy at all.

It is not effective used over a lot of product used at one time, or residue.

Any product applied over other products used in large amounts or residue is not going to be effective in giving desired results. It is sitting on top of whatever is there already.

When there is product residue or build-up, it is degrading as in the coating wears away somewhat and can be distributed unevenly on the hair shaft. That is why in part, hair tangles, looks dull and is not manageable, when build-up is present in a sufficient amount.