Ceramides

Just got through reading how ceramides help damaged hair and thought you all may be interested in oils high in ceramides...They help make hair smooth and strong.


Safflower oil 78%
Grape seed oil 73%
Poppyseed oil 70%
Sunflower oil 68%
Hemp oil 60%
Corn oil 59%
Wheat germ oil 55%
Cottonseed oil 54%
Soybean oil 51%
Walnut oil 51%
Sesame oil 45%
Rice bran oil 39%
Pistachio oil 32.7%
Peanut oil 32% [17]
Canola oil 21%
Egg yolk 16%
Linseed oil 15%
Lard 10%
Olive oil 10%
Palm oil 10%
Cocoa butter 3%
Macadamia oil 2%
Butter 2%
Coconut oil 2%
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Also, here is a article about ceramides.....

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ir.html?cat=69

My hairdresser uses a hair treatment that contains ceramides everytimes I go there and it helps my hair so much! I don't remember the name of it though.. I want to finish my products before buying a new one.

That makes me wanna buy wheat germ oil...it's more natural and I can find it at the health store I go to. Thanks a lot!

Interesting, thanks for the list.

What benefit do ceramides have for the hair? I see my usual oils of preference are very low on the list, I wonder if I should switch to a one higher in ceramides for use every now and then

Thank you so much for the list and the article! :joy:
This is perfect timing for me: I want to add more oils to my haircare routine and have been using coconut oil and olive so far. Coconut oil for moisture and to prevent protein loss and olive oil to strengthen. Interesting that neither are high on the list for ceramide content
Maybe I should try some grape seed oil as well? (No way will I get my hands on safflower oil!)
What is the source for the list by the way? Wikipedia?

Does anyone know the percentage in Camellia Oil? Thanks.
Shawneez thanks for the link. :)

Hemp seed oil is amazing! I cannot stress that enough! My hair just loves it.

I knew grapeseed oil had ceramides in it, but I could never find proof online. I have been using it for a long time, then switched to Sunflower oil and noticed that the Sunflower oil made my hair feel the same way that the grapeseed oil had been. I knew there was a reason why I loved grapeseed oil as much as I do. Thanks so much for this information.

So, since the majority of oils on this list don't penetrate the hair shaft, my question is do the ceramides penetrate the hair shaft or just coat it?

also - I love Grapeseed for my skin and occasionally use it on my hair. Coconut and Avocado are my go to oils for moisture. But my prefers Camellia or Macadamia above all others. If I want to do a light, dry oiling and have my hair looking shiny and soft, it's Camellia or Macadamia or nuthin!! :)

Lately when I S&D, I think how some of my hair looks like it's falling apart at the bottom, so this information is coming right on time. I've been using only coconut oil for quite some time now, but I have some cold-pressed sesame oil in the kitchen and will try it. Does anyone know whether cold-pressed oils are preferable to the usual heat-extracted oils when it comes to ceramides? There wasn't anything in the linked article about that. I think I have some safflower oil in the kitchen, too, but it's not cold-pressed.

I use and like oils with ceramides!
Wheat germ oil works great for me, though it's smelly! Sunflower oil is cheap and readily available at every supermarket, so that might be good (and it can be used for cooking as well..)

ETA:

Ceramides bind to the hair reducing the porosity :)

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Originally Posted by spidermom

Lately when I S&D, I think how some of my hair looks like it's falling apart at the bottom, so this information is coming right on time. I've been using only coconut oil for quite some time now, but I have some cold-pressed sesame oil in the kitchen and will try it. Does anyone know whether cold-pressed oils are preferable to the usual heat-extracted oils when it comes to ceramides? There wasn't anything in the linked article about that. I think I have some safflower oil in the kitchen, too, but it's not cold-pressed.

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Here is more on ceramindes, including the article posted, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...98&postcount=6. The hair can need to be clarified often.

I use sunflower,wheat germ,rice bran and hemp seed oil for ceramides,I think i like the results.I was very consistent at the begining and noticed great results,but then i got lazy and havent seen much improvement since then.Consistency is defently the key.
ETA: I wanted to add this link too for those who havent seen it yet,a proof on how ceramides work,it's what made me use them in the first place.BTW thanks for the oil list OP,I didnt know all these oils had ceramides.

Bumping checking again if anyone found out any information on ceramides for Camellia oil? Also does anyone no if Jamaican Black Castor oil have any ceramides also? I gave up checking on Camellia oil after 3 months of trying to find out anything about Camellia oil and ceramides, so if anyone can help Thank you.:)

I know this is a way old thread, but the list in the original post is so useful I can't help myself but bring it back from the dead! :brains:

I've been hearing a lot about ceramides on LHC and in articles lately, mostly people suggesting the use of conditioners containing ceramides. I've read the science and am convinced that the use of ceramides would improve the condition of my hair, but I don't use most conventional products. Then I saw someone mention that grapeseed, hemp and rice bran oils contain ceramides... and I got to wondering what other oils might be comprised partially of ceramides. A search found me this thread, and I was blown away by the list in the original post! I don't know where the OP got those numbers... does anyone have sources for this kind of info?

I'm definitely going to add some ceramide-rich oils to my routine and see what happens. For starters, I'm washing my hair tonight or tomorrow after going to a sauna tonight, so right now I'm about to slather on a bunch of soybean and sunflower oil for a little DT because I have those on hand.

Thanks for resurrecting this! It's a useful resource.

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Originally Posted by little_cherry

Hemp seed oil is amazing! I cannot stress that enough! My hair just loves it.

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Mine too. It's wonderful and doesn't leave my hair all greasy.

Here's another excellent article on ceramides: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/...aged-hair.html

The only problem with ceramide-rich oils is that most of them are drying, so the build-up is eventually hard to remove. Many commercial products have much higher concentrations of ceramides than natural oils. These products often target chemically processed, damaged hair.
I love using safflower and grapeseed oils for ceramides, but I have to be careful not to apply them too often, otherwise a hard film forms over time as these oils are drying.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by meteor

Here's another excellent article on ceramides: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/...aged-hair.html

The only problem with ceramide-rich oils is that most of them are drying, so the build-up is eventually hard to remove. Many commercial products have much higher concentrations of ceramides than natural oils. These products often target chemically processed, damaged hair.
I love using safflower and grapeseed oils for ceramides, but I have to be careful not to apply them too often, otherwise a hard film forms over time as these oils are drying.

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Thanks for the warning!! So, watch out for build-up and clarify if things get weird? Or when you say "hard to remove," do you mean even with clarifying?

And... does this mean these oils might be better as the occasional deep treatment, rather than as a daily-use oil? Am I on to something there?

Is there are list somewhere of which oils are drying and which are not? Wondering if there's a happy cross-over in the first half of the ceramides list with something not drying.

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Originally Posted by Naiadryade

Is there are list somewhere of which oils are drying and which are not? Wondering if there's a happy cross-over in the first half of the ceramides list with something not drying.

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Okay, so I answered my own question! I found this explanation of drying oils on Ktani's Hair Sense blog. She taught me that the drying capacity of an oil is determined by its iodine value, and linked me to this page where you can see the iodine values (and various other properties) of a long list of oils.

According to Ktani, "If an oil has an iodine value of 130-190 or higher, it is a drying oil." I found out that there are certainly a few oils on the list in the OP that are lower than this. (Based on what I found, I think I'm going to look into getting cottonseed, sesame, and/or rice bran oil.) ETA: Oils with an iodine value of 115-130 are considered semi-drying.

So for your geeky pleasure, here are all the oils listed in this thread to be 20% or higher in ceramides, and their iodine values! Non-drying oils are green, semi-drying oils are orange, and drying oils are red.

Oil Name --- Iodine - Ceramides
pistachio ----- 95 --- 33%
cottonseed -- 108 --- 54%
sesame ----- 110 --- 45%
rice bran ---- 110 --- 39%
canola ------ 110 --- 21%
corn -------- 117 --- 59%
wheat germ - 128 --- 55%
Grapeseed -- 131 --- 73%
soybean ---- 131 --- 51%
sunflower --- 133 --- 68%
poppyseed -- 140 --- 70%
Safflower --- 145 --- 78%
walnut ------ 145 --- 51%
hemp ------- 165 --- 60%

Note that there are a few alternative versions of some of these oils listed at lower iodine values. I don't know how their being altered might affect the level of ceramides in them though. These are:

27.5% hydrogenated soybean oil - I.V. 78
High oleic sunflower oil - I.V. 83
High oleic safflower oil - I.V. 93
High oleic canola oil - I.V. 96

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Naiadryade

Okay, so I answered my own question! I found this explanation of drying oils on Ktani's Hair Sense blog. She taught me that the drying capacity of an oil is determined by its iodine value, and linked me to this page where you can see the iodine values (and various other properties) of a long list of oils.

According to Ktani, "If an oil has an iodine value of 130-190 or higher, it is a drying oil." I found out that there are certainly a few oils on the list in the OP that are lower than this. (Based on what I found, I think I'm going to look into getting cottonseed, sesame, and/or rice bran oil.)

So for your geeky pleasure, here are all the oils listed in this thread to be 20% or higher in ceramides, and their iodine values! Those lower than 130 are in green, those higher are in red.

Oil Name --- Iodine - Ceramides
pistachio ----- 95 --- 33%
cottonseed -- 108 --- 54%
sesame ----- 110 --- 45%
rice bran ---- 110 --- 39%
canola ------ 110 --- 21%
corn -------- 117 --- 59%
wheat germ - 128 --- 55%
Grapeseed -- 131 --- 73%
soybean ---- 131 --- 51%
sunflower --- 133 --- 68%
poppyseed -- 140 --- 70%
Safflower --- 145 --- 78%
walnut ------ 145 --- 51%
hemp ------- 165 --- 60%

Note that there are a few alternative versions of some of these oils listed at lower iodine values. I don't know how their being altered might affect the level of ceramides in them though. These are:

27.5% hydrogenated soybean oil - I.V. 78
High oleic sunflower oil - I.V. 83
High oleic safflower oil - I.V. 93
High oleic canola oil - I.V. 96

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Naiadryade, thank you for this information. From the list you posted, it looks like corn oil would a pretty cheap way to get an oil that contains the most ceramides and is non-drying if one is looking for a ceramide-containing oil.

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Originally Posted by biogirl87

Naiadryade, thank you for this information. From the list you posted, it looks like corn oil would a pretty cheap way to get an oil that contains the most ceramides and is non-drying if one is looking for a ceramide-containing oil.

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I was about to say you are right, but then I looked it up and oils with an iodine value of 115-130 are considered semi-drying. So they can still build up over time, but not as badly as the drying oils. Corn still might be the best choice for some, depending on your needs and how often you're willing to clarify! I'm going to edit my post to reflect this.

As a side note, personally I would only buy/use organic corn oil, since anything less is almost certain to be genetically modified. Same goes for canola, soybean and cottonseed. Just in case anyone didn't know! We all should have the right to choose about these things. :)

The list is BUNKUM ladies due to Chinese Whispers. IIRC that is the smount of a specific fatty acid, ceramide content is miniscule. Always check your sources and their sources.

The closest you will get to a natural source is *probably* lecithin (note egg and soy have different lipid profiles), but IMO its better to use bioidentical lab made ceramides since these are what have been studied. Komaza Care make the Matani repair treatment spray which is heavily natural with many valuable ingredients and no silicones. They also have ceramides in the Moja line.

I'm hoping to persuade Sweet Curls Elixirs on Etsy to offer ceramides (and 18-MEA, another natural component of hair we lose with damage/ weathering not easily found elsewhere in nature) the owner is keen but the current issue is ingredients price v. number of customers. If you are interested in, say, a water based spray or hair oil with added ceramides let her know via Etsy or Facebook.

For those who don't mind commercial/ mainstream products ceramides are in a number of L'Oreal brands from Redken Extreme to Elvive Full Restore. Redken is one of the few brands to utilise 18-MEA.

Thanks for that balloon deflation, Firefox. :p This is, of course, why I asked if anyone knew sources for this info.

Thanks for the tips about Komaza Care and Sweet Curls Elixers. I will look into them!

But in the meantime... so lecithin has ceramides? Or, lecithin IS ceramides? Can you elaborate please? I have lecithin and use it sometimes in food, so it would be cool to know there's a reason to use it on my hair other than to emulsify complex DT's.

And it may be worth noting that, according to wikipedia anyway, lecithin "is usually available from sources such as soybeans, eggs, milk, marine sources, rapeseed, cottonseed, and sunflower." So the idea that soybean, canola (rapeseed), cottonseed and sunflower oils, as well as egg, contain ceramides may still be correct, even if they are in smaller amounts than claimed in the OP. Of those, cottonseed and canola are non-drying. Egg is not listed at my source (linked in previous post), but all other animal fats on the list have an iodine value under 95, so that may be an indicator. Milk fat has an I.V. of 30, so is non-drying, in case anyone wants to put butter on their hair. :p

Why has nobody told me about ceramides? ...:D

This thread is far too interesting and important not to lift up ;)

I've found sunflower oil and that's a gamechanger to me :thumbsup: Is it maybe somehow overlooked oil in haircare? ... So good and ceramide-rich oil and nobody praises it... :confused:

Maybe I'll finally find a boyfriend who falls in love with my hair and can run his fingers through it without any "whoops.. sorry.. did that hurt?..":rollin: