By Christina (pictured above) of The Mane Objective
When looking for products to preserve moisture, add shine, seal, or treat dry scalp, we often hit the nearest Target or local beauty supply store in search of a bottle of “Random Ingredients Moisturizing Spray”, or “Miracle Oil Mix”. Often times, these products tout heavyweights like coconut, tea tree, olive, or grapeseed oil on their labels. If you’re lucky, you might even find some natural-based fruit or tree pictured on the label that leads you to believe you’re making a quality purchase, and that featured ingredient is the star of the show.
Product Deception
Turn that bottle over, scan all the way to the bottom and check out the ingredient list. Where is your fancy oil on that list? Did it make the top 5? Chances are if it didn’t, you’re wasting your time (and money). According to top science-based blogger, JC of The Natural Haven (check out the article here), the first 5 ingredients in any product are the most potent, and will have the most impact on your hair. So if you’re looking for the miracle scalp clearing qualities of tea tree oil, but your product has it listed 3rd from last, you’re probably not getting the most bang for your buck.
For example: take Organic Root Stimulator’s Olive Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion, available at Target, Sally’s, and most major retailers for about $6 for an 8.5oz bottle. You can clearly see OLIVE OIL emblazoned across the front of the bottle. The manufacturers even give the hair lotion a green tint, to seal the deal in convincing you that this is an olive oil based product, and will therefore give you the lustrous benefits of olive oil. Then, we turn the bottle over and take a gander at the list of ingredients:
Water – Aqua, Coconut Oil – Cocos Nucifera, Sorbitol, Trimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol , Petrolatum, Cyclomethicone, Peanut Oil – Arachi Hypogaea , Castor Oil – Ricinus Communis, Cetyl Esters, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Olive Oil – Olea Europaea, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Carbomer , Cetearyl Alcohol , Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance – Parfum , Benzyl Alcohol , Benzyl Salicylate , Geraniol, Hexylcinnamicaldehyde, Lillial, D’Limonene, Linalool, Lyral, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, BHT , Blue No. 1 – CI 42090, Yellow No. 5 – CI 19140
Olive oil, olive oil…where for art thou olive oil? Oh wait, there you are! Coming in at #11 on the ingredient list is “Olive Oil – Olea Europaea“. Let’s see here, coconut oil comes in at #2…there’s even more petrolatum (which is a concern in and of itself) in this bottle than there is olive oil?! That seems a little misleading, to say the least.
What’s A Girl to Do?
In this arena, conventional wisdom often holds true: it’s cheaper to do it yourself. To save yourself some money, heartbreak, and possibly hair break, here are some commonly used oils that can be acquired for cheaper (and often in greater quantities), that will do what they’re supposed to do. You can mix and match, or use them straight (with the exception of tea tree oil) to achieve the desired effect on your hair.
COCONUT OIL
Coconut oil is brandished across many product labels, but very few list it high on the ingredient list. Instead of reaching for a coconut oil jar or bottle that has a petroleum, mineral, or other oil base, head to your nearest Whole Foods or Sprouts for a jar of Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil on the cooking aisle. A jar will run you from $7 to $10 dollars for a 16oz jar, depending upon what brand you use. At all costs, try to avoid purchasing Coconut Oil in health food stores like Vitamin Shoppe, or on the “health” aisle at other stores. These jars are often overpriced, yet they are exactly the same as the one on the cooking aisle.
OLIVE OIL
While you’re grabbing some coconut oil on the cooking aisle, you might as well swipe a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, too. Bottles of Olive Oil range from $4 to $10, depending on the size of the bottle and the brand you buy. Once again, check for “Extra Virgin” status. Natural oils are most effective and retain the most of their nutritive properties when they are cold-pressed. Stop settling for 11th-listed, and go straight to the source!
TEA TREE OIL
Tea tree oil is generally more expensive than other oils, and you tend to get a lot less of it. But fear not, tea tree oil is very potent. A few drops in a couple of ounces of carrier oil (like coconut or olive) is more than enough to treat your scalp with. When shopping for tea tree oil, be sure to read the label carefully to ensure that it is 100% tea tree oil. You can find tea tree oil at Whole Foods or Vitamin Shoppe, for $9 for a 1oz bottle. It doesn’t seem like much, but a little bit of tea tree goes a long way.
GRAPESEED OIL
Don’t leave the cooking aisle just yet! Grapeseed oil, which is high in Vitamin E and linoleic acid, sits right alongside your EVOO buddy. A bottle of cold-pressed grapeseed oil costs between $5 and $10, depending on the size and brand you select.
What’s your recession-proof oil of choice?
Christina hit it spot on! i concur! plus that info about Tea Tree oil, so true. a 1 once bottle lasted me 9 months. 1 dollar a month!
Thanks for the reminder Christina!
WOW! Amazing article Christina good job.. I actually have the ors “olive oil”(now I put in quotes lol) its been sitting in the shelves since last year. I use it like once in 2 months n its just ok not great. I just use it when my leave in has run out.
Now I feel cheated. Never buying it again and I’ll be checking products from now on and incorporating natural oils in my regimen. Thanks. Great article. I wish I’d rate it. I’d give it 5 stars bc it should be common sense to use natural oils and checking product lists–this article just reminded me to do that :-D
I use the cantu shea butter leave in conditioner….not the best list list of ingredients but far from the worse; shea butter is number 6 on the list, I think. I love what it does for my hair. The rest of the list is mostly stuff like sage, kiwi, and rosemary etc
mostly, not all—-I wanted to clarify because–being well versed in human nature—someone’s gonna come along and say, “nuh-uh, there’s a whole bunch of other stuff”
Hahahahaha especially people that comment here…someone who ‘knows more’ is gonna come trying to spark a debate n then there’s a million bickering comments lol
Coconut oil!
I’ve added almond oil to my staple of oils on hand. I get it the same time I purchase my grapeseed oil from GNC.
Thanks, I wondered where I could find almond oil.
Very informative. And coconut oil is my go-to :)
Very good article i guess double checking before buying is a must these days ilove me some Extra Virgin Olive Oiland Coconut Oil.
I bought a product that claimed it had Raspberry in it and the ingredient is MISSING! -_-
I have emailed the respective company and currently awaiting a response.
The product is sold in England and is Alberto Balsalm Sunkissed Rasberry Condtioner:
Aqua (Water),Cetyl Alcohol ,Cyclomethicone ,Juniperus Communis Fruit Extract ,Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract ,Panthenol ,Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine ,Stearalkonium Chloride ,Cetrimonium Chloride ,Glyceryl Stearate ,Benzophenone-4 ,Citric Acid ,Propylene Glycol ,Ethoxydiglycol ,Lactic Acid ,Glucose ,Biabolol ,Butylene Glycol ,Alcohol Denat. ,Disodium EDTA ,Methylisothiazolinone ,Methylchloroisothiazolinone ,Alpha Isomethyl Ionone ,Benzyl Benzoate ,Butylphenyl Methyl Propional ,Hexyl Cinnamal ,Limonene ,Linalool ,Parfum (Fragrance) ,CI 17200 (Red 33) ,CI 18050
If you live near a Trader Joe’s they have all the oils mentioned, good quality for a lot less! I got my grapeseed oil for $3.
I was about to post the same thing! I just bought my tea tree oil for about $6 and my coconut oil was about the same.
This will sound weird, but my hair LOVES vegetable oil. . just plain old vegetable oil. . .sometimes I put rosemary or lavender in it (for the smell), but I had NO other oils one day and decided to just try it as a treatment before shampooing. . .BEST POST SHAMPOO TWISTOUT EVER! I’m addicted to it now!
My hair LOVES veggie oil too!!!
I seal w/it after BS washing.
I add a smell good oil to it as well.
I get BLING with it!!
What is BS washing?
I used canola oil with a cheap conditioner to detangle before washing last week and it was GREAT :)
lol. First time I heard that one. I definitely will try, some days I run out of my staples. :)
My hair LOVES grapeseed oil! I spray my hair with water and seal with a drop or two of grapeseed oil and twist nightly. My hair stays moisturized, healthy, and soft, without being weighed down. I love that grapeseed oil is not too light or too heavy and that it is odorless. I buy the Spectrum Organic brand from Krogers. LOVE IT!
Well i dig, macadamia nut oil $8, avocado oil $6, hempseed oil $10, seasme oil$7, castor oil $7 soybean oil$4 and my list could go on..
Thanks for the article
sesame seed oil…really??? How is it on your hair?
I was thinking castor oil should have been on this list of inexpensive, bang-for-your-buck oils. Thanks for mentioning it.
I purchase all of my oils from Camden Grey. Even with the included shipping costs all of my oils come out cheaper than if I were to buy them on land and the quality of the oils can’t be beat.
I just got hip to the importance of oils…besides using those cheap hot oil treatments that I won’t touch now. I always have evoo and ev coconut oil on hand…as in I make sure theres atleast one closed bottle as backup, just in case…lol.
I just saw grapeseed oil in my local grocery store, 24oz bottle for $5. I’m on it my next visit.
Grapeseed oil and avocado oil have been good to me. I use both on my skin and hair. Grapeseed oil is an excellent makeup remover – especially eye makeup. I use it on my skin daily – especially my feet.
Great article!! I always and only opt for the natural oils when it comes to sealing my hair! What a difference it makes :-)
if you get coconut oil from and indian or ethnic market its even cheaper than Sprouts or Whole Foods.
castor oil is great.
Great back to basics post. Olive and grapeseed oils my staples. I also use tea tree to combat itching. I’ll eat all things coconut, but on my hair it’s a coco no.
*Swoons* over Christina’s high-gloss, buttery soft locks in the pic above! Fantastic hairstyle!
I don’t know if my choices are recession-proof but I now research the devil out of each oil. Being as informed as possible saves me heartache later. I make sure the oils I use are non-drying, or at least only semi-drying and prefer high-fat, heavy oils.
I search boards, company sites and herbal manuals to see what they consist of, their traditional use, how high-porosity hair responds, if they’re anti-bacterial, how they’re produced, blah, blah, blah. And I look out for ingredient hierarchies so if I have a so-so response I can put that oil on my watch list.
really? coconut oil is not considered cheap. maybe it’s just where i live, but that stuff is so expensive and you can hardly find it just anywhere. grapeseed oil is the cheapest on this list. olive oil is cheap, but tea tree? def not. They need to rethink the title to this. how deceptive!
Cacey in regards to the title of the article, I do know what you mean, coconut oil is not everywhere like grapeseed or olive oil but if you consider the price coconut oil and how long you will use the jar for, it is overall cheap. And the tea tree oil like most essential oils are more expensive but like the author explain they are usually really potent and you are suppose to dilute a few drops in a carrier oil. I use rosemary oil which I bought for 10 dollars and it has lasted me over a year now and I still have a lot of it left over.