We’ve all heard of lanolin, but do you know where it comes from and why it’s so widely used in beauty care products? You can find it in soaps, gels, cleansers, creams, balms, and hair-care preparations. I like pure lanolin oil because it’s amazing for the skin, lips, and hair. How many products are you currently using that are this versatile?
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What Is Pure Lanolin Oil?
Lanolin is a natural, waxy substance found in sheep’s wool. It’s secreted from their sebaceous glands to protect against cold weather and to keep them dry by repelling water. This is why lanolin is so effective as a skin moisturizer because it acts as a barrier to lock in moisture . In fact, sheep produce lanolin in the same way humans emit sweat.
Also called wool grease or wool fat, lanolin is a popular ingredient in the skin care and cosmetics industries due to its ability to moisturize and lubricate. It’s also a sealant to prevent moisture loss, and an emollient because of its softening characteristics. Lanolin is extracted from the wool only after it’s removed from the sheep so the animals incur no hard. The ancient Greeks used lanolin hundreds of years before the birth of Christ with references to it in the Bible.
Rich in lipids, lanolin works well with other skin and hair care ingredients like coconut oil and Shea butter to soften and smooth, also acting as an emulsifier to bind water and oil together. Not only does lanolin trap in moisture to prevent its loss, it’s also a humectant, drawing in humidity from the air to further hydrate. Its waxy texture makes it ideal for soothing chapped lips, dry skin, and unmanageable hair.
Other Uses
Nursing mothers use lanolin to prevent and treat sore nipples when breastfeeding. It’s also efficacious for diaper rash, and is used to calm burns from radiation therapy. Emollients such as lanolin, protect the skin and counteract dryness, by forming a protective, oil-rich layer on the surface of the skin.
Lanolin’s effectiveness lies in its resemblance to human sebum, its ability to penetrate the skin, along with its superior absorbability. It is awesome for dry and unruly hair because it coats the hair shaft to keep it hydrated. Aside from creams and balms, lanolin is even found in makeup, such as lipstick.
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Oils, Creams, And Conditioners
Lanolin is a versatile ingredient found in a variety of beauty care products. Personally, I like using lanolin oil because it’s easy to use in DIY recipes and makes them that much better.
Following are three DIY recipes, including a lanolin hair conditioner, lip balm, and body cream. They’re extremely moisturizing, affordable, and fun to make:
1. DIY Lanolin Hair Conditioner
This hair conditioner is great for dry, sun-damaged, or color-treated hair. Leave it on over night with a shower cap on for extreme moisturizing.
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons pure lanolin oil
- 6 teaspoons beeswax
- 9 teaspoons Shea butter
- 12 teaspoons jojoba oil or almond oil
- 1 teaspoon castor oil
- 2 teaspoons lavender, peppermint, or ylang ylang oil
Directions:
- Melt all ingredients except the essential oil in a small glass bowl.
- Place the bowl in a saucepan with two inches of boiling water.
- When melted, remove from heat, add the essential oil, and pour into a wide-mouthed jar
- Coat hair liberally with the mixture
2. Lanolin Lip Balm
This lip balm is inexpensive and easy to make and will keep your lips hydrated. The recipe can be doubled if you want to make a larger batch. Use tins or chapstick containers, whatever you prefer.
Ingredients:
- 1/1/2 teaspoon lanolin
- 3 teaspoons beeswax (you can either grate a block of beeswax or use the pellets)
- 6 teaspoons Shea butter ( you can also use coconut oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil
- 2 drops glycerin (optional – this makes the mixture silky for easy application)
- A few drops of your favorite essential oil (peppermint or eucalyptus works well)
Directions:
- Put lanolin, beeswax, Shea butter, and vitamin E gel in a small glass bowl.
- Fill a saucepan with a couple inches of water, and place the glass bowl inside it. On medium heat, melt until the mixture is liquified.
- Remove from heat and add the glycerin and essential oil. Pour into jars, tins, or chapstick molds. The lip balm will harden as it cools.
3. DIY Lanolin Cream
You’ll love how moisturizing this cream is. Use it daily or multiple times a day on dry patches of skin.
Be sure and take it with you on your next vacation because it’s really great for soothing sunburns.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon of lanolin oil or solid-form lanolin
- 1/2 Tablespoon Shea butter
- 1/2 Tablespoon of beeswax pellets
- 1 teaspoon castor oil
- 1 teaspoon squalane
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 dropper full essential oil of your choice (rosemary oil is a natural preservative)
[Read More: Squalane: A Natural Remedy For Beautiful Skin]
Directions:
- Put all ingredients in a glass bowl and place in a saucepan with a few inches of water
- Heat the water to boiling
- Remove the glass bowl when all the ingredients have liquified
- Pour into a wide-mouthed glass jar that isn’t too deep
- Sprinkle in your essential oil
- The solution will harden as it cools. To speed up the process, place in the fridge
This cream can be used anywhere on the body, and is especially good for skin conditions, such as psoriasis and eczema.
Key Points
Pure lanolin oil is a multi-tasker in regard to skin, hair, and lip care. It protects, moisturizes, soothes, seals, and is a terrific lubricant and emollient. It’s locks in moisture and is also a humectant, drawing in moisture from the air to hydrate and condition. Give lanolin a try if you haven’t used it before. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how soft, smooth, and healthy your skin and hair will feel.
What is your favorite way to use lanolin? Let me know in the comments:)
References:
(1) WebMD: Lanolin Cream
(2) healthline: What You Need to Know About Lanolin Oil
(3) National Library of Medicine National Center for Biotechnology Information: The effect of daily treatment with an olive oil/lanolin emollient on skin integrity in preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial
(4) US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: Moisturizers: The Slippery Road
(5) US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: Moisturizers: Lanolin-Based Synthetic Membranes as Percutaneous Absorption Models for Transdermal Drug Delivery
(6) US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: The Role of Moisturizers in Addressing Various Kinds of Dermatitis: A Review
This article is absolute gold,
This really is the best guide on lanolin oil that I have come across with zero fluff, actionable steps and all backed up by proof and case studies. I’m super impressed. I have read a series of articles on different amazing oils for skin, hair and lips but not as in depth as your article. Thanks for this eye opener. I learned a lot!
Thank you so much. Lanolin is incredible and so versatile. Everyone should have a jar of it in their cupboard!
I love Lanolin products, in fact anything that is a natural product is in my opinion far better than anything man made, and as you say lanolin works perfectly for sheep to keep them dry and so it’s hardly surprising to find it in quality skin care products.
Lanolin is so rich yet supple in texture and very effective as a moisturizer.
I have never tried to make my own products but may well give your recipes a try after reading this article, my sister keeps bees so I could get the bees wax easily enough.
I will share this with her.
Thank you!
Hi Louise,
How awesome that your sister has bees. I love beeswax and when you pair it with the moisturizing qualities of lanolin, you get double the effectiveness.
Give the recipes a try when you get a spare minute. They’re fun to make and you’ll love how moist your skin and hair will feel. Oh, and lanolin is also great in lip balms. Thanks for reading and commenting!
And this is a whole lot of information put together in a post. Wow! This is awesome. The only meaningful thing I knew before reading this post was the term lanolin. I never knew it was such a versatile ingredient in the skin care industry. Ranging from its usage in making skin care product to being used for hair treatment products. I was just amazed at the information I discovered through this post.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks for reading my post. Lanolin really is amazing and I love using it in my DIY skin and hair care products. It’s especially great in dry, winter weather!
Hi! I have heard quite a bit about lanolin, but hadn’t stopped to research about it, until now. I’m glad I found your post. And it has a very interesting background. I’m impressed on how long we have been using lanolin (ancient Greeks before Christ).
I really appreciate the lanolin cream recipe you have given here. You have stated it can be applied multiple times a day, and that’s exactly what I’ll do. Thank you very much!
Hi Henry,
Yes, you can use the lanolin cream recipe as often as you need to. It really does help because it locks in your skin’s natural moisture. Thanks for taking the time to comment.!
Thank you for writing about this useful product. A sheep’s skin has pores that produce oils to hydrate the surface of the body. These oils, called lanolin, have a deep moisturizing effect on human skin and hair. Lanolin is found in cosmetics, skin creams and some moisturizing shampoos.
However, It locks existing moisture into the skin and absorbs additional moisture from the air around it. Lanolin-based skin creams work well if you have extremely dry skin. This product is very useful and worth trying by anyone. Thank you.
You’re right, sheep secrete lanolin like humans secrete sweat. It protects them and keeps them dry. Nature is certainly amazing. Lanolin is great for any dry condition, including dry and damage hair. Thanks for your comment!
I read your article, and learned some very important information about lanolin and how incredible and versatile it is for skin, hair and lips. I really appreciate the lanolin cream recipe you have given here. I never knew it was such a versatile ingredient in the skin care industry. Thank you for writing about this useful product. I think lanolin oil will have a deep moisturizing effect on my skin and especially my dry hair. Thank you for sharing this post.
Thank you. Give the recipe a try. Lanolin is amazing for dry skin and hair!
You did a nice job on your post about lanolin. It is a great substance to use in any skin care product. It is always nice to see someone putting out credible information.
A few tidbits you may want to incorporate:
1. Shea butter should always be added in after all other ingredients are melted and it is best to add it after you remove the product from the heat, you may need, in some instances, to put back on the heat for a minute or two. This will prevent it from granulating, a common occurrence with shea butter.
2. An easier way to get the effects of a double boiler is to use a glass measuring cup and hang the handle over the side of a sauce pan deep enough so the bottom of the cup does not touch the bottom of the pan. The handle makes it much easier to remove from the boiling water.
3. Never measure essential oils by a teaspoon or dropper. Use either drops or ml. General rule is 2% for creams and lotions, 4% for medicinal uses and up to 10%. Six drops of essential oil in 1 ounce of base oil equals 1%.
Example: Making 2 oz with 4% essential oils – 6 drops x 2 oz (6×2=12 drops) x 4 (for 4% -12×4=48 drops total)
4. Let your mixture cool to 120 degrees or less before adding essential oils, to reduce the oxidative effects of heat on the essential oils. An instant thermometer is wonderful in this circumstance.
(I have over 3,000 hours studying medicinal use of essential oils from all over the world.)