Oil Theory

The following pertains to individual oils. If you are not looking to mix your own, try Jamacian Mango and Lime’s Black Caster Oil from Sally’s Beauty Supply.

How oils are used on the skin can provide some insight into the benefits of oils, but hair is different than skin. Hair absorbs oil. It absorbs so much oil, there are companies out there that pay salons for hair-clippings to help clean up oil spills in our oceans and gulfs. Keep this in mind when considering the use of oil on the hair versus the skin.

Many people are using the oil cleansing method to wash their face, which theorizes that clean oils remove dirty oils. Science says this is so. Massaging for a minute or so infuses the clean oil with the dirty oil, diluting it. Here’s the deal, though; put oil on oil and leave it there, all that old dirt and oil is still sitting on the skin. Wiping oils with a warm, damp towel after massaging in the clean oil will help pull away the loosened dirt. Sandalwood is a great sponge and mild exfoliate, but to use it for this, the fine dust must be mixed dry with the oil into your palm at the time of use. Even with sandalwood, wiping with a damp towel is still advised. Depending on the oils used, the resulting feel of the skin can be tight and dry, shiny and slick, or somewhere between. Hair should respond in a similar way, but it may be that the hair at the scalp and the hair on the ends disagree. There are so many oils and butters out there, and their functions differ.

Important note: when water is introduced to oils for long-standing periods, it can grow bacteria, yeasts and molds in the absence of preservatives (a single preservative is not enough to cover the spectrum of potential dangers with emulsions, which is why beauty and cosmetic products contain two or more). So, keep them separated until the time of use. To be extra cautious, avoid all contact with the oils until the moment of use with pump containers.

The follow list is only a handful of oils and their various functions:

  1. Castor Oil: A humectant and astringent. As well as tightening the hair shaft, it also draws moisture from the immediate surroundings. If the air is humid, that is the moisture it draws. If the air is dry, it draws moisture from your hair. It will clog pores a little. Most often, this is used as 1/6 or less of a mixture with other oils. For example, one ounce Castor Oil to six ounces of Grape Seed Oil.
  2. Hemp Seed Oil: A nourishing oil that delivers vitamins and moisture to the hair without clogging pores.
  3. Avocado Oil: A skin and hair conditioning oil with fats and vitamins that soften and expand the hair shaft. This moderately clogs pores. It also does not absorb fully like hemp seed oil or castor oil
  4. Coconut Oil: Highly pore clogging. This oil’s molecules are said to be small enough to enter hair to its cortex, but can also cause acne, blackheads or whiteheads on the skin and scalp. It can alter the hair to a soft and fluffy feel, planting seeds of moisture for the hair to draw from for a longer period of time, but again, it can have adverse effects on the skin, filling pores and choking out air and vitamin/nourishment delivery. It also does not fully absorb.

This list is not extensive. The chart at the end of this page is a strong starting point when researching oils. Check out Jojoba oil, Vitamin E oil, Argon oil, and Shea Butter. These are fantastic, too. 

Comedogenic Ratings

This list of ingredients has been derived and compiled from various sources including the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology. For more information that includes an irritant rating go to http://www.acne.org

0 – Will Not Clog Pores

1 – Low
2 – Moderately Low
3 – Moderate
4 – Fairly High
5 – High


Oils & Butters

Almond Oil – 2
Apricot Kernel Oil – 2
Argan Oil – 0
Avocado Oil – 2
Baobab Oil – 2
Borage Oil – 2
Calendula Oil – 1
Camphor – 2
Castor Oil – 1
Cocoa Butter – 4
Coconut Butter – 4
Coconut Oil – 4
Corn Oil – 3
Cotton Seed Oil – 3
Emu Oil – 1
Evening Primrose Oil – 2
Flax Seed Oil – 4
Grape Seed Oil – 2
Hazelnut Oil – 2
Hemp Seed Oil – 0
Jojoba Oil – 2
Jojoba Oil Sulfated – 3
Linseed Oil – 4
Mango Butter – 0
Mineral Oil – 0
Mink Oil – 3
Neem Oil – 1
Olive Oil – 2
Palm Oil – 4
Peach Kernel Oil – 2
Peanut Oil – 2
Petrolatum – 0
Pomegranate Oil – 1
Pumpkin Seed Oil – 2
Rosehip Oil – 1
Safflower Oil (Carthamus tinctorius) – 0
Sandalwood Seed Oil – 2
Sea Buckthorn Oil – 1
Sesame Oil – 2
Shea Butter – 0
Soybean Oil – 3
Sunflower Oil – 0
Tamanu Oil – 2
Wheat Germ Oil – 5
Shark Liver Oil – 3

Waxes

Beeswax – 2

Candelilla Wax – 1
Carnuba Wax – 1
Ceresin Wax – 0
Emulsifying Wax NF – 2
Lanolin Wax – 1

Botanicals

Algae Extract – 5

Aloe Vera Gel – 0
Calendula – 1
Carrageenans – 5
Chamomile – 2
Chamomile Extract – 0
Cold Pressed Aloe – 0
Red Algae – 5

Vitamins & Herbs

Ascorbic Acid – 0
Black Walnut Extract – 0
Tocopherol (Vitamin E) – 2
Vitamin A Palmitate – 2
Panthenol – 0

Antioxidants

Beta Carotene – 1

BHA – 2

Minerals

Algin – 4

Colloidal Sulfur – 3
Flowers of Sulfur – 0
Potassium Chloride – 5
Precipitated Sulfur – 0
Sodium Chloride (Salt) – 5
Talc – 1
Zinc Stearate – 0

Thickeners, Emulsifiers, Detergents

Carbomer 940 – 1
Hydroxypropyl Cellulose -1

Kaolin – 0
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate – 0
Sodium Laureth Sulfate – 3
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – 5
Sorbitan Oleate – 3

Alcohol, Esters, Ethers, & Sugars Polysorbate 20 – 0
Polysorbate 80 – 0
Sterol Esters – 0
Behenyl Triglyceride – 0
Butylene Glycol – 1
Cetearyl Alcohol – 2
Diethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether-0
Glycerin – 0
Glyceryl Stearate NSE – 1
Glyceryl Stearate SE – 3
Glyceryl Tricapylo/Caprate – 1
Glyceryl-3-Diisostearate – 4
Hexadecyl Alcohol – 5
Isocetyl Stearate – 5
Isopropyl Alcohol – 0
Laureth 23 – 3
Laureth 4 – 5
Octyl Stearate – 5
Oleth-10 – 2
Oleth-3 – 5
Oleyl Alcohol – 4
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG 400) – 1
Polyethylene Glycol 300 – 1
Polyglyceryl-3-Diisostearate – 4
Propylene Glycol – 0
Propylene Glycol Monostearate – 4
SD Alcohol 40 – 0
Sorbitan Laurate – 1
Sorbitol – 0
Steareth 10 – 4
Steareth 100 – 0
Steareth 2 – 2
Steareth 20 – 2
Wheat Germ Glyceride – 3

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