Jojoba Oil: Mother of Essential Oil Industry

Jojoba oil is colorless and odorless golden colored liquid wax produced by the seeds of mature jojoba plants (simmondsia chinensis). These plants are dioecious (having male and female organs in separate plants). It is grown mainly in the desert regions of southwestern United States and north western Mexico. It is extracted from the seeds of this plant are very much similar to the color and shape of coffee beans. Jojoba oil get popularized in early 70’s when sperm oil produced by the whales get banned due to the protection of whaling under the Endangered Species Act in US. Initially it is emerged as a replacement for the sperm oil and used only for healing sores and wounds as it is non-toxic, non-comedogenic and non-allergenic. It is antibacterial in nature and can be used as a fungicide to control mildew as most bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus and the fungus Candida albicans cannot reproduce and die when they come into contact with it. Apart from the wide medical usage it is heavily used in cosmetic industry. Oil manufacturers in cosmetic industry use this mainly for hair care and skin care treatment. These oil manufacturers use jojoba in their formulas for producing various moisturizers and lotions which makes skin smooth and gentle without any side effect or allergies. It is also useful in treating acne, eczema and other skin disorders and its richness in certain proteins and minerals helps in maintaining balanced brain and pituitary functioning. The light massage of this oil will reduce epidermal water loss which enables to keep the skin fresh and glowing. It will keep wrinkles away and fight fine lines, skin roughness and dryness caused by the age. Jojoba oil is very useful and important functional ingredient in hair and scalp preparations as it provides conditioning to the hair by preventing them from flakes which causes itching and dry scalp. It also helps in growth of new hair cells and its anti-dandruff effect helps in hair-fall control. When the oil is added to shampoos and conditioners it provide great lustre to hairs and also helps in preventing hair loss as it clears sebum build up on the scalp. From healing to conditioning the uses of Jojoba oil are numerous and its advantage over other oils made it popular among the common people to use it and oil manufacturers to produce as it is capturing the domestic as well as the international market.