Table of Contents
What is jojoba oil?
Introduction:
Pure jojoba oil has no smell nor color. It is extracted from the seeds of the jojoba shrub. It is usually available in warmer climates which includes several US states like the southern sides of California and Arizona, and northwestern Mexico.
Botanical Description
Jojoba is an evergreen having a multi-stemmed woody growth and a natural life span of up to 200 years. Mature plants have hard and heavy stems which are yellowish in color and have no distinctive smell. Depending on the moisture and availability of shade, the lifespan of leaves varies from two or three seasons where they fall after developing an abscission layer. The height of the jojoba plant is up to three meters. They are lanceolate in shape and deep green in color. Leaf size can vary from being (2.5-5.0) cm long and (1.5-2.5) cm wide.
Is jojoba really an oil?
There is a common misconception about jojoba oil. People think that it is oil, but this is not the case. Jojoba is a liquid wax. The shrub starts as a plant and its leaves are waxy-coated. The waxy coating plays a vital role in the oil. It keeps all the moisture within the leaves including natural liquids and rainwater.
Since moisture doesn’t evaporate, the tree survives the cold weather easily. It is known for warmer conditions because of its ability to survive in temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a highly stable oil. Since the plant can easily survive in both hot and cold weather. It has a long lifespan.
What does jojoba oil smell like?
Many people say that jojoba oil has neither any smell nor any color and this is often misleading. You often end up buying a product that is treated in the laboratory to enable it to lose its smell and color.
On the other side, pure jojoba oil has a golden-like color and smells slightly nutty.
However, if it starts to develop a rancid smell or you observe the color of the oil is darker now, it means that the oil is bad for us now. You should prefer not to use the oil in this state.
Purification level of jojoba oil
When you go to buy jojoba oil, you will see that it is available with many tags. There are different extraction ratios that indicate the purity level of the oil. Let me tell you about it in detail.
The purest jojoba oil is just 38% oil extraction from the seed. The oil retains purity until 50% of it is extracted from the seed. But many companies impure the jojoba oil to extract more.
Moreover, it is processed so many times that it loses its nature.
In the worst scenario, several solvents are added to the product. This helps the seller in extracting more oil but eventually the quality of oil decreases. This makes it highly advisable to avoid processed oils and try to purchase one which is in the range of 38-50% extraction. The less extraction from the seed, the higher will be the cost of the oil.
Components of jojoba oil
You can mix the jojoba oil with some cosmetics or if you wish, you can also use it alone on your skin. It contains long-chain fatty acids, fatty alcohols, Vitamin C and E. You can also use jojoba oil as a carrier oil.
Oils extracted from the fatty portions of the plants with the purpose to weaken the strength of basic oils is a carrier oil.
Side effect
There are no side effects expected with the use of jojoba oil in recommended amounts, but maybe allergic reactions are a rare possibility. Jojoba oil does not oxidize or become rancid but is added to other oils to extend its shelf life.
Uses of jojoba oil
Jojoba oil is a nontoxic and non-comedogenic substance. There are no side effects. And used for cosmetic purposes for a long. It is very common in public. People buy it so often that you will see a lot of them in your local cosmetic store. It is used as a massage cream, body oils, facial masks, body lotion, cuticle oils, shampoo, and a hair conditioner.
Using jojoba oil on hairs has many health benefits for them. People use it as a scalp treatment because it helps in healthy hair growth. This is a miracle oil that is best for Alopecia and unclogging the hair follicles.
Best substitute of sebum oil
Our skin produces sebum oil. This enables it to remain wet and doesn’t allow it to dry completely. People with dry skin often lack sebum oil. It may be because their skin produces less sebum oil than what is required for healthy functions.
A half-century ago, whale sperm oil was used as a substitute for sebum oil. It had great commercial usage all over the world but in 1971, the US banned the import of whale sperm oil. Thus, the need for alternatives arose and jojoba oil was found to be the perfect solution.
It mimics sebum oil a lot and often misleads your skin in thinking that this oil was produced by itself. Jojoba Oil has no greasiness and is absorbed readily by the skin. No traces of the oil are left on the skin after usage.
Unlike other heavy oils, jojoba oil is light in weight and is gentle. Signs of the oil removes from the skin easily while a female can use it without fearing makeups. If you put small traces of this oil, you can still do moderate makeup without the fear of it will drop or not.
Protective sealing of jojoba oil
The jojoba leaves have a waxy-like coating. This property is also found in the jojoba oil. It seals the moisture within your skin or hair. Thus, moisture is kept for the whole day. This protective layer helps to maintain the moisture levels of your skin.
Though not 100% the same, it acts as a perfect alternative to sebum, which helps a lot in healing your skin.
Types of jojoba oil based on impurities
If you want to purchase pure jojoba oil, it is available in two basic forms. One is 100% certified organic jojoba while the other one is called pesticide-free jojoba.
Keep it in mind, that other forms of jojoba oil are also present in the market which have specific solvents and are not recommended for purchase.
Jojoba oil is because solvents addition made it lose the natural properties of jojoba oil. jojoba oil benefit of the jojoba oil is covered because of these solvents while some small cons are enhanced as a major drawback.
This is the main reason which guides us in avoiding buying these types of impure solvents.
The 100% certified jojoba oil is the one that has the highest price. This comes from the field on which no pesticides, no fumigation, and no chemicals are used. This one is 95% organic with absolutely no chance of impurities. If someone recommends you this oil as a treatment, then you should look for the 100% certified oil because this one is going to give you all the health benefits which your healthcare doctor intended to provide you.
The other option available in the market is pesticide-free jojoba. This oil is free from pesticides but not from other fertilizers. The land used for its cultivation is either treated with commercial fertilizers or it is in the transition to becoming organic.
Keep in mind that if pesticides and fertilizers are used on land, their traces remain there for around 3 years until they are completely gone.
Jojoba baby oil
Jojoba oil is good for everyone. Adults can use them in multiple ways while it has some health benefits for kids too. A new addition to the family is Jojoba baby oils. These oils are100% certified jojoba oils with no traces of impurities.
The skin of the babies is very soft and even a small amount of wrong substance may prove harmful to it. Solely because of this reason, special care is provided when collecting and packing oil for babies. It is evident that jojoba baby oil also costs high but the price worth it.
Daily life uses
There are different ways in which jojoba oil is used in our daily life. Male use it for daily face care while females prefer it to remove makeup efficiently. It absorbs within the skin which makes it an ideal component to remove makeup without leaving any side effects.
The oil works very well as a shaving cream. Making your skin smoother, this oil is going to make the shave easier. If your skin tends to get dry, especially in winters or when dry winds blow, you can use this oil and retain the moisture of your skin.
It gets absorbed into the skin making it wet all the time and at the same time retains the internal moisture. So no more moisture gets out.
It is also used as shoe polish. The oil absorbs the inner layer of the shoes and protects them from any dirt. If any dirt is caused to the shoes, it remains on the front layer and not damage its interior.
So, as soon as you brush your shoes the next time, all the traces of the dirt get removed and your shoes are just like the new ones.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, Jojoba oil has great health benefits as well as other benefits too. It has a slight nutty smell and you should note it before purchasing. If your oil is smell-less, it means that chemicals are involved in some stage.
