Like coconut oil, babassu oil is extracted from a kernel of the palm tree family – the babassu tree, to be exact. More importantly, it has similar composition and proportions of fatty acids as coconut oil. (The fatty acids include lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic.) If you desire some the benefits of coconut oil but (for whatever reason) dislike the actual oil, you might want to continue reading ...
WHY BABASSU OIL IS WORTH TRYING:
1. It is less/non-clogging. One downside to using coconut oil is that it is high on the comedogenic scale. Babassu oil, on the other hand, is supposedly not as clogging (if clogging at all). If you are prone to getting acne from coconut oil use, try this babassu instead.
2. It does not leave a greasy feel. Unlike coconut oil, babassu oil lacks a greasy feel after application. Some even say that it appears to penetrate better than coconut oil.
3. It is not expensive. Depending on where you make your purchase, babassu oil is comparable in price to coconut oil.
HOW TO USE BABASSU OIL:
1. Use it to seal your ends. After a fresh wash and condition, apply a little bit of the oil to your ends. A little goes a long way.
2. Use as a pre-shampoo treatment or to enhance a conditioner. Use babassu alone or with other ingredients as an overnight pre-poo treatment. Add some melted babassu oil to your conditioner for an enhanced conditioning treatment.
3. Use it to whip shea butter. Mix a little babassu oil with shea butter (and other oils, if you wish).
