Don’t get swayed by the beautiful packaging on commercial hair oils! Here are 10 reasons why pure oils are better than commercial oils – in every way!

There’s one thing that anyone who’s grown up in India will have memories of – Moms forcing us to sit down while they oil our hair! While we may have tried our best to escape this ritual as kids, we’re now older and wise enough to know better!

Oiling our hair is no big deal for us, since we’ve been experiencing it since birth. Science is now proving right what our mothers and grandmothers have been doing for centuries. As a result, the western world is just waking up to the various benefits of oiling hair, and hair oils are now getting the appreciation they deserve!

However, this increased demand has led to an increase in several ‘branded’ hair oils in the market. You know, those beautifully designed bottles with exotic names on them. Just looking at them make you want to oil your hair! But how effective are these? Are they better than our traditional, pure oils?

Today we look at why your grandmother’s oil is still your best bet, even with all the new arrivals in the hair care market. At the end of this post, you’ll be saying, ‘Mom knows best!’

Why Pure Oils are Better than Commercial Oils

 1. They don’t harm your health

The first and foremost thing – pure oils don’t harm you in any way. In fact, most of them are edible, so you don’ have to think twice about applying them on your skin or hair. On the other hand, commercial oils contain a wide array of chemical substances, some of which are known to be harmful and some whose effects aren’t even known yet.

Common additives are fragrances, preservatives and stabilizers. These help extend the product’s shelf life, and are easily absorbed into the skin. The short term effect of these is skin irritation, but the long term effects can be chronic illnesses like cancer. The more chemical ingredients, the higher the chances of developing an allergic reaction to the product

 2. They don’t have deceptive labels

Have you seen how gorgeous those commercial oil bottles are? Anyone can be taken in by the pictures of various botanicals and flowers, along with exotic names like ‘Ethiopian’, ‘Moroccan’ and ‘Jamaican’. You are told that the bottle contains a certain kind of oil, or a mix of oils and herbs – but how much of it is actually true?

Take a look at this example. The oil claims to have various hair-healthy ingredients in the given ratio:

• Bhringraj – 0.6%
• Amla – 0.4%
• Tesu – 0.45%
• Mulethi – 0.35%
• Brahmi – 0.5%
• Cow Milk – 5%
• Goat Milk – 5%

As you can see,more than 87% of the oil content is unaccounted for. Which means that only a small percentage of the oil contains the ingredients they advertise – you have no idea what else is in it. Some oils mention only the ‘Key Ingredients’, leaving out the percentages altogether.

However, when you buy a pure oil, what you get is just that – 100% pure oil! You don’t have to bother with the labels or adding the percentages, to find that you’ve been ripped off.

 3. Pure Oils are not padded with silicones

The example above showed us that what the label on the front advertises is not 100% true, and most of the oil is some unknown material. In most cases, this material is made up of silicones. Silicones work to smoothen the hair cuticle, and it gives the hair a silky smooth appearance along with a shine that diffuses light. This is also the main ingredient of many hair serums.

However, silicones tend to build up in the hair, so the longer you use them, the more it accumulates. Since they sit as a barrier on top of the hair, they can trap in dirt. Silicones are also notoriously difficult to remove, which is why you’d better avoid them in the first place. The alternative – use a pure oil that has no silicones!

 4. Pure Oils don’t have mineral oils

Pure oils are extracted directly from nuts and seeds, which is why you know there’s nothing else in it other than the original plant compounds. However, commercial hair oils often have mineral oil, which makes up a large part of the oil content. Mineral oil gives a smoothing effect, which is why it’s included in commercial hair oils.

We’ve heard a lot about mineral makeup being a healthier option, and this can cause many of us to mistakenly think of mineral oil as something healthy too. Unfortunately, mineral oil is a petrochemical derived from petroleum. Now imagine applying that on your hair!

 5. They nourish your hair better

Pure oils naturally contain essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and many other nutrients that can nourish hair from within. While all pure oils have natural extracts that promote hair health in some way, each one has its own special properties that offer its own benefits.

Pure oils nourish both the scalp and hair. They promote blood circulation in the scalp that stimulate the follicles and promote hair growth. It also prevents dry scalp and helps treat dandruff. As for the hair, pure oils smoothen the hair, hydrate it, strengthen it and it a healthy sheen.

 6. You can customize the oil for your benefit

Commercial hair oils are often a blend of various oils and herbs, or so they claim. Since each oil or herb has specific benefits for the hair, combining these can offer a mix of nutrients and fix many hair issues at the same time. However, since commercial oils contain very small percentages of these useful ingredients, the combined benefit is low, if not negligible.

When you buy your own pure oils and herbs and combine it yourself, you know exactly what’s going into your oil mix, and you can customize it for your hair’s particular condition. You don’t have to worry about unwanted ingredients going in either, so you’ll get the maximum benefit of using a combo of oils and herbs.

 7. Pure Oils work both pre- and post-wash

Commercial hair oils are mainly meant to be used after wash or during styling, by applying on damp hair. As mentioned earlier, the silicones in the oils help to smoothen the hair cuticle. They are often light weight for this purpose, but can’t be used for anything else

On the other hand, pure oils can be used for pretty much any hair-related purpose you need it for. Oils like coconut oil or olive oil penetrate the hair well, and work well for deep conditioning, hair masks or other intensive hair treatments. Other oils like jojoba oil, grape seed oil and argan oil are lighter and work well for styling or smoothing frizz. Pure oils also act as a protectant when going swimming or before playing Holi.

 8. Pure Oils offer long term benefits

Commercial hair oils offer instant solutions to hair problems like frizz and dullness. You can see how easy it is to detangle hair or smoothen frizz after applying these. But wait a while and you can see the effects disappear – that’s how short lived they are!

Even commercial oils that claim to treat dandruff or resolve hair fall offer only short term effects. On the other hand, pure oils, work all the way down from the deepest layer, fixing the problem from the inside out. You’ll find that pure oils don’t offer instant results. It takes time for the benefits to become visible, but they are lasting and real.

 9. They are better for the environment

With so many unidentified ingredients in it, commercial hair oils aren’t exactly good for the environment either. When you wash your hair after applying a commercial oil, you are washing off all those chemicals down your drain, which means they get mixed with our soil and water. The manufacture of such oils also follow practices that aren’t environment-friendly.

Pure oils are extracted directly from the plants, with no additives added to them. This makes them safe for you, as well as for the planet. You don’t have to worry about any kind of soil or water contamination with these.

 10. They are easier on the pocket

When it comes to commercial hair oils, all that beautiful packaging and marketing comes at a price – and you have to pay for it! Even though the percentage of active ingredients is very low, the ooil still costs much more than you would have to pay if you were to buy the pure oils and mix them yourself. It’s official: by using pure oils, you are saving your health, your pocket and your planet!

Did you find our “Why Pure Oils are Better than Commercial Oils” interesting, please let us know in the comments section.

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