Applications of natural vegetable oils to hair have beneficial effects, like strength and conditioning, arising from the ability of these oils to penetrate into the hair fiber.

OBJECTIVE:
This study investigated the penetration profiles of various vegetable oils into the hair fiber.

STUDY FINDINGS:

• olive oil and avocado oil – penetration complete, uniform throughout hair fibercross-section
• Meadowfoam Seed Oil – penetration occurred in a broad peripheral ring
• almond oil – restricted to very narrow peripheral penetration
• jojoba oil and sunflower oil – no penetration

SOURCE:
Hornby, S. B., Appa, Y., Ruetsch, S., & Kamath, Y. Mapping penetration of cosmetic compounds into hair fibers using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS). International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 27(5), 299-299. 2005.