Corn Oil

Corn oil spreads into a thin, even layer that leaves the skin's surface feeling smoother straight away, and because it is light and refined, it does so with no heavy or greasy after-feel. On dry, rough patches, it takes the tightness off and leaves the skin soft and supple to the touch, which is the plainest and most reliable thing this oil does.

What sets corn oil apart from a plain base with nothing added is what it carries: genuine vitamin E and one of the higher phytosterol contents of any vegetable oil. Worked into the skin, these sit on the surface and condition it, so it feels looked after and comfortable rather than dry and tight – the real reason to choose corn oil over a bare base.

Once worked in, corn oil holds a little of the skin's own moisture in rather than letting it escape through the day, so skin that felt dry stays softer for longer. It is light enough to do that on normal and dry skin without a greasy weight, which is exactly where a thin, refined oil like this suits better than a rich one.

On hair, corn oil works as it does on skin: it coats the outside of each strand, smoothing the surface so the hair looks glossier and combs through more easily, wet or dry. That is a surface effect and an honest one – it makes hair look and feel smoother, not a claim to make it longer, fuller or stronger, which a fixed oil cannot do.

Corn oil goes into the oil phase of lotions, creams and body oils as a light, inexpensive base, and it carries genuine phytosterols and vitamin E into the formula. Being high in linoleic acid it suits products for normal and dry skin. It is high in polyunsaturated fats, so it oxidises quickly; pair it with an antioxidant.

Corn oil suits conditioners, masks and pre-wash treatments, where it coats the hair to add slip and gloss without a strengthening or growth claim behind it. Its neutral aroma sits quietly under a fragrance, and its low cost makes it a sensible base for a rinse-off product where a premium oil would not earn its place.

Corn oil saponifies cleanly and adds a conditioning, skin-softening quality to a bar, and it suits both cold-process and melt-and-pour work. In bath and body oils it gives a light glide rather than a rich, heavy one. Its neutral smell means it does not fight the fragrance you choose, and its low cost suits a rinse-off product.

Treat corn oil as a refined, high-linoleic base oil. It joins the oil phase before emulsification, needs no solubiliser in anhydrous work and a proper emulsifier for anything water-based. Being refined, it is steady and neutral; being high in polyunsaturated fats, it still oxidises faster than a saturated oil, so add a tocopherol antioxidant and keep it cool.