Journey to My Roots: All About Oils

Carrier, Essential, or Crap Oils? Do you know the difference?

The natural oils can be categorized into two buckets- essential oils and carrier oils.

Learn all about both in this video tutorial and the blog below!

Essential Oils:

Essential oils are called such because they carry the "essence" or scent of the plant/flower/vegetable from which they were derived. Essential oils are often used as perfumes or to give fragrance. Essential oils are VERY strong/highly concentrated so a small amount goes a long way! Using too much of an essential oil can cause irritation/burning. Common essential oils include peppermint oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil, tea tree oil, lemon oil, and tea tree oil.

Try it!:

Tea tree oil (malaleuca oil) is an essential oil with natural antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Because of this, tea tree oil makes a great natural preservative. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to your homemade/DIY concoctions to keep them sanitary and to preserve their shelf life! Because of its camphoraceous nature, tea tree oil (like peppermint, rosemary, and eucalyptus oil) is also good for combating scalp problems such as sensitivity, dryness, and itching. After using an electric razor (ie after a son's haircut or after shaping up your hairline) blot a bit of tea tree oil onto a piece of cotton. Rub the cotton across the hairline, behind the ears and across the forehead. The tea tree oil will prevent the development of hair bumps and limit skin irritation! See how I use it my video on Shaping up Necklines>>>

Lavender oil is one of my favorite essential oils. With its calming scent, lavender has been used for centuries to lower stress, reduce anxiety and facilitate relaxation. Add a few drops to a hot bath and dab a few drops along your pulse points to relieve stress at the end of the day.

Carrier Oils

Carrier oils are called such because they are great for "carrying" or diluting essential oils. Carrier oils seal in moisture, feed your hair (vitamins A.B, C, D, E, proteins, amino acids), stimulate growth (anti-oxidant cell regeneration), and protect your hair (natural sunscreen)! Common carrier oils include grapeseed oil, castor/Jamaican black castor oil, olive/extra virgin olive oil, almond/sweet almond oil, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, argan/Moroccan oil, apricot oil, and jojoba oil.

Try it!

Grapeseed oil is a carrier oil that acts as a great heat protectant. With a smoke point of 400+ degrees, grapeseed oil will protect your hair from the high heat of a blow dryer, flat-iron, or pressing comb. I used grapeseed oil to protect my hair during my first flat-ironing. It worked wonderfully! Check it out>>>

Castor oil is a carrier oil thought to reverse thinning or balding. Use castor oil along your edges or in other areas where thinning/balding is a problem! While plain castor oil is great, Jamaican Black Castor Oil aka JBCO is even better.

Made from the darker castor beans of Jamaica, JBCO is a rich treatment that should be part of every healthy hair routine. One of my staple/must-have products is the Strong Roots Red Pimento Hair Growth Oil by Tropic Isle Living. It's a rich blend of JBCO, organic coconut oil, glycerine, lemon oil, lavender oil, and the growth-stimulating red pimento oil. Get it online from Oils from Jamaica (www.oilsfromjamaica.com). Use promo code JTMR and you'll get a small discount to help with shipping! Learn all about it in this video review>>>

Contrary to common belief, jojoba is not an oil at all. It's a wax. More than any other oil, jojoba oil closely resembles the structure or skins' natural moisturizer, sebum. For this reason, jojoba oil is a GREAT option for folks with oil sensitivity (ie those with nut-based allergies or those who have skin breakouts as a result of using oil).

Extra virgin olive oil is a carrier oil that is great for cooking and even better for sealing, feeding, and protecting your hair. While olive oil is great, extra virgin olive oil is better for the hair because it is less acidic and goes through less processing than olive oil. If nothing else, most of us always have some EVOO in the cupboard...use it! Dilute your favorite natural butter (shea, coconut, mango) by adding 2 parts extra virgin olive oil to one part butter!

Where can I get them?

Now that you know about oils, you may be wondering where to pick them up. Nowadays more and more grocery and convenience (ie Target, WalMart, Big-Lots, etc) stores carry various oils. Sometimes you'll find them in the cooking section and sometimes you'll find them in the vitamin/herbal supplement section. Three of my favorite places to get oils are Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, and online at Vitacost (www.vitacost.com). While GNC and Vitamin Shoppe also sell various natural oils, I find that they are a bit more costly than the other options.

Quick Tip:

Try this quick trick to use oils without making a mess!