Favorite Carrier Oils

Hi guys! Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite carrier oils with you. They are my top 3 for sealing moisture into my hair, and for a few other uses we’ll be getting into. I was introduced to the world of carrier oils when I started transitioning in mid-2014. There are more that I would like to try out, but my favorites to use right now are coconut oil, olive oil, and sweet almond oil. Cold-pressed and extra virgin options are the best because of their higher quality – trust me there’s a difference. I use all of them for different reasons and they all work amazingly. Let’s start with coconut oil.

Coconut oil is a fairly light oil that spreads extremely well. A little goes a very long way. It solidifies at room temperature, and begins to melt with your body heat as you handle with it. When I first started using it, it was only to seal my hair after moisturizing on wash day. Since going natural, I’ve been layering it on top of deep conditioners. I had one deep conditioner in particular that I saw other naturals raving about, but it would leave my hair feeling dry when I used it. Now, I bought it on sale, and stocked up. So, I had maybe 4 jars of it, and I wanted to try to make it work. I tried leaving it on for different amounts of time and with or without heat… nothing seemed to work well. Then, one day I heard of someone layering oil on top of their deep conditioner then applying indirect heat. So, I tried that method with my deep conditioner and coconut oil last year, and it’s made a significant difference. My hair is better moisturized, softer, and shinier when I do this. I’ll usually layer with coconut oil in the warmer months. If for some reason I’m out of deep conditioner, or I’m just feeling lazy, I’ll use coconut oil alone to deep condition. I also use coconut oil as an ingredient in my whipped shea butter mixture, which my hair LOVES.

Use coconut oil in your foods. My mom uses it when she pan fries chicken breast, and it is the most tender chicken I’ve ever had. I have a co-worker who loves to add coconut oil to his coffee. It can be used in baking and to deep fry as well.

Another thing you can use coconut oil for is your skin. You can use it alone on your body or your face after cleansing, or mix it with coffee grounds or brown sugar to exfoliate. Add an essential oil to give it some fragrance for a DIY spa night at home.

I’ve also started using coconut oil when shaving my underarms. I’ll add a small amount before my shaving cream, shave and rinse, then add it again. My underarms are no longer irritated when shaving, and they are considerably lighter than they were before. So, I’ve also started applying coconut oil to my elbows and knees to lighten those dark areas as well.

If I’m out of makeup remover wipes or micellar water, I’ll also use coconut oil on a cotton pad to remove my eye makeup. Use it the same way you would use micellar water – place the oil-soaked cotton pad on the eye makeup for about 30 seconds, then wipe clean.

Olive oil is amazing for the hair and skin as well. Olive oil is a bit heavier than coconut oil, but again, a little goes a long way. I’ll use olive oil on top of my deep conditioner in the colder months, which has been very effective at keeping my hair moisturized. I noticed that my hair prefers olive oil over coconut oil when it’s colder outside. Olive oil can be used to seal your hair after moisturizing, or added into a shea butter mix to seal. It’s always the second ingredient I add to my mixture.

Obviously, olive oil is also a great cooking oil. If a recipe calls for vegetable oil, I’ll use olive oil as a substitute. I’ve sometimes substituted olive oil for butter when cooking as well.

I also use olive oil as an ingredient in a homemade body oil mixture. I’ll use that on my skin instead of lotion after taking a shower – the oil just works better for me. I use this mixture on my son’s skin as well. I started using olive oil alone or a mix of oils instead of store-bought baby oil or lotion on his skin when he was several months old, and continued with it. If I don’t have the mixture on hand, I’ll use just olive oil or sweet almond oil alone, and both work great. Try using it instead of coconut oil on your face and body and in your sugar scrubs to see which one you like better.

Sweet almond oil is a current favorite more so for my skin than my hair, though I do use it on my hair as well. Lately, my skin has been LOVING sweet almond oil. My skin has been so soft and radiant since I’ve started using it daily. Sweet almond oil is a bit lighter than olive oil, and absorbs very well. You can use it on your face after cleansing or as your ‘moisturizer’ underneath your makeup for a flawless application. I use it as an ingredient in my body oil mixture, and have also started massaging it into my nail beds, which has helped strengthen my nails and soften my cuticles.

When it comes to my hair, I also use sweet almond oil as a staple ingredient in my shea butter mixture. I haven’t layered with it when deep conditioning yet, but I’m interested to see how my hair responds to that.

Well, those are my top 3 favorite carrier oils, and how I’ve been using them. I hope you were able to learn something new, or get inspired to try them in a different way than you have before. Make a new body oil for your skin, whip them together with some shea butter to seal your hair, mix them together as a hot oil treatment to condition your hair… There are many more uses and benefits than I’ve talked about here. Below are the brands that I use, where I bought them, and their current pricing. Let me know if you’re interested in a more in-depth discussion on each oil and their health benefits, and I’ll write them in some upcoming blog posts.

Have a great weekend, and I’ll talk to you again next week!

Coconut Oil
BRAND: Simply Nature, Unrefined Cold-pressed, Virgin
PURCHASED FROM: Aldi
CONTAINER SIZE: 14 oz.
PRICE: $4.99

Olive Oil
BRAND: Carlini, Extra Virgin
PURCHASED FROM: Aldi
CONTAINER SIZE: 16.9 oz
PRICE: $3.49

Sweet Almond Oil
BRAND: NOW Solutions
PURCHASED FROM: GNC
CONTAINER SIZE: 16 oz.
PRICE: $9.99