Oils: Regular vs. Essential

[arjay.d]

My question is: Who uses regular cooking oils and does it work just as well as the others? I was reading one of the articles on here and it was saying that the essential oils are the ones to use. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[akuamoonmaui]

A lot of people like coconut oil. Some don't. Jojoba can be popular, cruize the forum and you'll read various opinions. Ya just gotta try 'em and see what works for you.

[teela1978]

Essential oils are nice for scenting other oils... but I can't think of anyone using them straight on their hair. That'd be too strong! I usually use coconut oil from the cooking section of walmart. It works fine.

[DarkCurls]

A lot of people use coconut oil, jojob oil, sweet almond oil, or olive oil. I take my EVOO directly from the kitchen, and it's definitely the cooking kind. :p

[caadam]

Essential oils are good to use, but not straight. They're very concentrated and need a carrier oil, like olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, etc.

The more common regular oils are carrier oils for EOs. You mix a few drops of an EO with a carrier oil, and that's usually how to use them. Either that or you can mix a few drops of an EO you like with some distilled water and make yourself a spritz, but I'm not very experienced with that.

What oils you want to use is going to be a decision you have to make. Some people choose not to use EOs, others will. The only time I would use an EO straight is if I'm taking a tiny bit of the oil on a q-tip and applying it on my face. lol Lavender EO can help fight blemishes. :)

[arjay.d]

Someone provided the word I needed which was carrier oils, not essential oils. Thanks caadam. Sorry for the confusion. And thank you for the replies so far. My biggest question was whether you can just use the ones in the food aisle at the grocery.

[Nightshade]

You can indeed use the ones in the food aisle at the grocery. The quality may not be as good (it's hard to find cold-pressed oils at the grocery store, for example), but there's no harm in seeing if what's readily available works.

People take differently to types of oils. EVOO is horrible for me (too heavy, makes my hair lank no matter how little I use), coconut oil doesn't do much, etc. You might have to hop through a few types before you find one that works :)

But in the grocery store you should have EVOO, coconut oil, avocado oil, and a few others to start on. :)

[Arden]

My question is: Who uses regular cooking oils and does it work just as well as the others? I was reading one of the articles on here and it was saying that the essential oils are the ones to use. Any thoughts? Thanks!

I'm confues.. by cooking oils do you mean litterally oils for cooking? Like canola oil.. or do you mean carrier / fixed oils?

And by essential oils do you mean the acctual pure plant derived essence of lavender, rosemary, etc... Or are you meaning Carrier oils and inter changably using the term essential oils in that manner?

[arjay.d]

By cooking, yes, I mean those used for cooking like EVOO and Coconut. By essential oils, I really meant carrier, but didn't know the word for it. Sorry about that.

[pink.sara]

Having experimented with lot's of oils I can say as a straightie with mainly fine hair that:
EVOO makes my hair lank and adds no condition when washed out, which is difficult.
Sesame smells awesome but has no conditioning benefits a bit heavy.
Castor doesn't increase growth is far too thick almost impossible to wash out but adds great softness to dry ends if mixed with a lighter oil like sweet almond.
Sweet almond used sparingly on ends is nice for adding softness but can be harder to wash out after a heavy oiling.
Macadamia smells amazing and adds softness, easy to wash out.
Ojon (specific brand) adds softness and washed out easily.
Argan smells pretty good adds softness washes out well.
Coconut Rocks my world and is a daily staple. I heavy oil and it washes out. Use sparingly and it adds softness. Pre oil before bleaching to protect my hair. Eat it, cook with it, use it on my Pugs when they get sore spots you name it!

But as always.... YMMV! Have fun experimenting :D

[meteor]

For carrier oil, I'd experiment with everything you have in your pantry already and see if you like heavier or lighter oils before you start buying more.

As for essential oils (and I'd like to get other members to agree or disagree with me), but you I don't think they do anything at all on length (except add nice fragrance). You should always dilute them in carrier oil and you can use them on scalp and skin, but I don't think they do anything on your length.

[Nightshade]

For carrier oil, I'd experiment with everything you have in your pantry already and see if you like heavier or lighter oils before you start buying more.

As for essential oils (and I'd like to get other members to agree or disagree with me), but you I don't think they do anything at all on length (except add nice fragrance). You should always dilute them in carrier oil and you can use them on scalp and skin, but I don't think they do anything on your length.

It depends. Some oils won't do much but add fragrance (something like ylang-ylang, for instance), but chamomile essential oil actually does contribute some conditioning properties :)

[Phalaenopsis]

Actually about ylang ylang has been stated that it helps for split ends :)

[Lady Neeva]

They all work the same for me, which also means that they don't work at all.

[meteor]

It depends. Some oils won't do much but add fragrance (something like ylang-ylang, for instance), but chamomile essential oil actually does contribute some conditioning properties :)
Thank you, Nightshade and Phalaenopsis! I was wondering about this and even wanted to start a thread on this. I usually keep different oil mixes for scalp and length specifically because I thought EOs were a waste on hair length.
I actually thought EOs only add slip, shine, detangling, softness... i.e. all the same things that carrier oils do on their own.
Not to hijack the thread, but are there EOs other than ylang-ylang and chamomile that are especially beneficial for length?

[arjay.d]

Thanks for the replies and I second meteor's question. What do different eo's do specifically?

[Nightshade]

Thanks for the replies and I second meteor's question. What do different eo's do specifically?


This list (http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/list-of-essential-oils.html)will get you going :) Keep in mind, most the things they're talking about relate to skin and not hair, but it isn't too hard to extrapolate out the effects (for instance, something that increases circulation isn't going to help much on the length, but something that smooths rough skin might help on rough hair).

[Zesty]

I use EVOO from the kitchen. I haven't had a lot of luck with heavy oiling, but a light sheen on my damp ends makes them softer and more moisturized. I've tried jojoba and it was okay but not what I wanted long-term. I don't apply in between washes anymore because it just seems to make my hair coated and sometimes crunchy.

[dollyfish]

The only non-food oil I use is sweet almond oil (the bottle says it's for skin care). Otherwise, my EVOO and coconut oil are both from grocery stores and meant to be eaten!

Basically, the only difference between other carrier oils and food oils are what they taste like and whether people feel like eating them. Food grade oil is perfectly good for hair :)