Essential Oils vs Carrier Oils Series: OLIVE OIL

Hello everyone,

Last week, I featured a post on the differences between Essential Oils and Carrier Oils. I felt that the information would be beneficial to transitioners, and even old naturalistas. I've had natural hair for about 7 years, and didn't even know about it until last year. Like I said last week, I think it would be good to make a series out of the post and highlight some of the more popular oils as each week goes by. And so, I shall begin with my most favorite oil, the ubiquitous OLIVE OIL!

I don't think there's any person with natural hair who hasn't used Olive Oil in their hair care routine at one time or another. Olive Oil is a CARRIER OIL, which means that it is a base oil. *It is a fat derived from the olive fruit, and is produced by pressing whole olives. Olive oil can be used for many purposes, including cooking, aromatherapy, hair care, fuel (for lamps) and more.

Olive Oil and Natural Hair
There are different grades of Olive oil, but the one most widely used and touted in the natural hair community is Extra Virgin Olive Oil (aka EVOO). Virgin means that the oil was produced by physical means, and without chemical treatment. Extra Virgin means that it has below 0.08% acidity (compared to 0.15% acidity for Virgin). EVOO is considered to be of a higher quality than VOO.

Benefits of Olive Oil use on Natural Hair

Reduces Dandruff - Dandruff can result from having dry hair and scalp. In order to fight the flakes, it is recommended to massage olive oil onto scalp regularly.
Tames frizz - Olive oil is a great oil to use for moisturizing your hair strands, keeping the moisture (water) sealed in, thereby combating frizz.
Moisturizes/Conditions Hair - Olive oil is generally light and easily penetrates the hair shaft, which absorbs it to keep hair moisturized and make it softer.
Aids in Hair Growth - EVOO contains antioxidants that promote hair growth and fight hair loss.
Makes hair SHINE!

Uses in your Hair Care Regimen

Conditioner/Deep-Conditioning
Hot Oil Treatment
Pre-poo
Moisturizer (in your Spray Bottle)

I LOVE Olive Oil and have been using it for years in my spray bottle. Do you use olive oil in your hair care regimen, and how? See Akibo's post on Olive Oil here.

*Information culled from - Wikipedia: Olive Oil

Berry Dakara

PS - I will be taking a short break for about 2 weeks for a little R&R. Have a pretty time and don't miss me too much :p