Ceramides

**Naiadryade** · December 20th, 2013, 10:29 PM

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.

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.

**Firefox7275** · December 21st, 2013, 05:20 AM

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.

**Naiadryade** · December 21st, 2013, 09:36 AM

Thanks for that balloon deflation, Firefox.

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.