The best oil to use is..........................

So we have been talking about using oils to help water act as a moisturiser. The final part of this q&a is precisely that question, which oil is the best? The honest answer is.........who knows? However, since I can just leave it there, I did some extra research and found that mixing several oils may be beneficial. Read on!



In experiments, scientists can use artificial sebum (sebum is the naturally occuring oil found on the hair) International Journal of Pharmaceutics , pg 37-43, 2009.. Artificial sebum mimics natural sebum and involves combining several different types of oil and oil related compounds.



The main components include



1. Squalene (around 15%) - If you google it please check out the safety information from WHO, it is naturally occuring and safe.

2. Wax esters (around 20-25%) - Sadly this comes from spermaceti in research but there are plant derived wax esters such as jojoba oil

3. Triglycerides (around 40-60%) - You can find these in olive oil, coconut oil , cotton seed oil. Typically ALL these oils will be added, not just one

4. Fatty acids (around 0-15%) - Coconut oil is a good source

5. Cholesterol and related esters( around 3%) - Cholesterol can be bought



So I know the list doesn't include favourites like castor oil or shea butter. It certainly doesn't mean they are not effective, it just means that science is lagging behind. They are both known to be rich in fatty acids which give them one hit on the list above. I think science could deal with exploring these oils more especially because of their consistency.



I think of it like HD TV which is advertised as 'better than real life'. The point of mixing the oils to get artificial sebum is to get one which flows like human sebum but I wonder, could you get a better form which perhaps doesn't flow as much and is therefore present and effective for longer?



Anyway, it is hats off to the mixtresses out there. Some mixes that I have heard of




1. Olicoco (From Milan over at agrlcanmac .....love the name!! 50% coconut oil and 50% olive oil..I think)

2. Shea butter melts (Recently discovered by me.......or maybe not but I'm claiming it! 50% shea butter and 50% coconut oil...solid at around 20-23 degrees, melts gorgeously in your palm.).



Any other mixes out there that you want to share?!