Natural Oils for Hair: The Oil that Changed my Curls Forever

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After months of using argan oil on my extremely dry, extremely curly hair, andiroba made its way into my locks and…

My Problem with Argan (Argania spinosa) Oil

Name: Argania spinosa

Original from: Morocco

Oil Specification: Color: dark to golden. Odour: sweet

Notes: All argan sold today is produced by a women’s cooperative that shares the profits among the local women of the Berber tribe.

Fatty Acids:
Oleic – 42.8%
Stearic – 6% 
Palmitic – 12.0% 
Linoleic – 36.8% 
Linolenic – <0.5%

Other Contents: Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, very rich on Vitamin E, proteins and minerals.

Well, I wasn’t sure if I had a problem with argan oil or not (WebMD on argan oil here). I would put it on my hair after a good wash (and the conditioner I make myself) and, well, what can I say; my hair would look… nice. But somehow I was never really feeling that “oh, yes!!” feeling you feel when your hair has found its match with a product.

Was I happy with argan oil? Weeeell…. yes and no. Maybe at times. Depending on the day. I would use different shampoos but I would still get an odd good hair day and an odd bad hair day. I knew argan was not doing what it was supposed to be doing: making my hair feel and look AMAZING.

Andiroba (Carapa guianensis) Oil Enters the Scene

Name: Carapa guianensis

Original from: Brazil

Oil Specification: Colour: yellow to brown. Odour: strong

Notes: Andiroba comes into it’s own on dry curly hair and Afro-Carribbean hair where it helps moisturise the hair without leaving a greasy feel or a look of greasiness.  (Source)

Fatty Acids:
Palmitic acid (C16:0): 25-30
Palmitic acid (C16:1): < 2 
Stearic acid (C18:10): 8 – 14
Oleic acid (C18:1): 49 – 60
Linoleic acid (C18:2): 4 – 12

Other Contents: Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, proteins and minerals.

I’ve been using andiroba oil on my conditioner formula for a while, because according to Naturally Thinking (where I did my first natural cosmetics course):

[Andiroba oil is] Rich in Omegas, wonderful on curly, damaged and Afro-Caribbean hair

Naturally Thinking

If you look at the ingredients in this Lavender and Geranium Strengthening Hair Conditioner that Naturally Thinking sells, you’ll see andiroba oil quite high up on the list.

So I’ve been wanting to apply andiroba oil to my hair (replacing the argan oil, if only just once to see if on its own it would make a difference vs being part of a hair formulation). Finally, today I left my argan untouched and went for my lovely andiroba oil (I didn’t want it to be the same or worse in terms of results as what I seem to get with argan so I supposed I’d been ‘delaying’ adding it to my hair as not to be disappointed. I hope that makes sense).

Results??

Yes, results! Early to tell? No! I know my hair very, very well, it’s been 50 years with it now. I know from just the one application if a product will make a difference or not. Yes, as mentioned before, I have ‘good hair days’, ‘bad hair days’ and ‘atrocious hair days’ but I know when a product DOES make a difference from the word go.

And andiroba oil did.

At first I didn’t notice. I applied it to my hair, rubbing my locks with the oil as I do with argan and thinking about other things, as one’s head does : ) The magic happened when I combed my hair… Still thinking about other things, I suddenly felt how the comb was making its way through a very silky, almost creamed hair; there was a lovely ‘resistance’ from the creamy feel the hair had. It had slip. Now I was concentrating on what was happening in front of me. Looking into the mirror, I saw how the hair was behaving very, VERY nicely indeed! Oh, sweet! I was liking this! In disbelief, I kept combing and looking and combing and looking…. Was I making it all up? But it did feel sooo soft and creamy….

The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and I knew I had to wait for a few hours to see what my hair looked like after a little while.

Here’s my wonderful andiroba oil from Naturally Thinking in London, UK:

Results!!

Here’s my hair after a few hours. An image is worth a thousands words, right?

Photos from Other Occasions When I Used the Oil:

Where to Buy Andiroba Oil

This is the brand I’ve been buying. I love it. By the way, keep it in the fridge if you want it to last longer (it does go a little hard, but you can either use the Bain Marie technique to make it go liquid again or leave it outside the fridge for some time).

Helpful

I’ll add below interesting entries I find on andiroba oil from trusted sources around the Internet.

– Here’s an article on andiroba oil for irritated skin. Here’s the video.