Jojoba: The Skin Friendly Oil

HEALTH TALK

Jojoba nut (Photo – flickr, treegrow).

Jojoba oil is obtained from Simmondsia chinensis and S. California seeds by expression or solvent extraction.

By H. S. Nemr

Source and chemical components

The Jojoba shrub is native to the Mojave deserts of Arizona, California, and Mexico.

This highly stable oil contains long chain polycarbon esters of fatty acids and alcohols (mainly eicosenoic, docosenoic, oleic, and palmitoleic acids), vitamins B and E, silicon, chromium, copper, zinc, and iodine.

Actions

Jojoba oil is considered to have emollient properties that soothe chapped skin, psoriasis, and sunburns.

This oil is also believed to help in removing embedded sebum in the scalp thus decreasing the incidence of dandruff and hair loss.

Jojoba oil (Photo – en.wikipedia.org).

Therapeutic and reported folk uses

Jojoba has been claimed to be effective in promoting hair growth and relieving skin problems such as chapped and dry skin, dry scalp, psoriasis, eczema. It is also used as an additive in lotions, lipsticks and facial scrubs. Although little clinical evidence supports its therapeutic claims, Jojoba is widely used based on a long history of folk use.

Dosage

No established dosing regimen exists.

Adverse reactions and precautions

Skin: contact dermatitis (with topical use.) It is advised to avoid the ingestion of large quantities of jojoba during pregnancy.

Interactions

None reported.

H.S. Nemr is a graduate of BAU pharmacy school. He is currently a medication safety officer at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare system.

References

1. Professional’s Handbook of Complementary Alternative Medicines, 2nd edition.