What Makes Colloidal Oatmeal Colloidal?
I've been on an extensive, several-part research session that turned up differing answers, more questions and a whole lot of interesting info about microns, particle sizes, and oats for skincare that we're going to be looking at today.
Who could imagine oats could be such a mind-blowing ingredient?
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Get ready for a bit of a ride as we examine colloidal oats, because there are going to be a few twists and turns along the way!
It All Started...
It was discussion with some colleagues about the correct process for making colloidal oatmeal that started this whole thing. Some were convinced colloidal oatmeal could only be produced via several steps that entail boiling in water, drying, and subsequent filtering. Others were convinced making colloidal oatmeal was 'merely' a matter of grinding/milling oats to a certain particle size.Guess what.
Everyone was right.
But before we get into the processes of making colloidal oatmeal, we need to take a peek at the difference between colloidal oatmeal and ground oats and oat flour.
Colloidal Oatmeal vs Ground Oats vs Oat Flour
If you grind up a portion of rolled oats (what we did on this post), your result (unsurprisingly) will be ground oats. A coffee grinder and lots of sifting may get you a fine, powdery result, but still won't get the particle size down far enough to call it colloidal oatmeal.Go ahead and add your ground oats to a powdered face cleanser or face mask, but if you incorporate it into an emulsion (say, a lotion), it may create undesirable lumpy-bits.
In short: ground oats have more limited uses than colloidal oatmeal in a cosmetics-making setting.
Colloidal oatmeal is processed from whole oats and includes the bran, but has a smaller particle size than can be achieved in a home setting (more on that in a minute).
Oat flour is made from oats where the bran has been removed. By removing the bran, it's possible to mill the oats to a much finer particle size. This is great if you want to add a bit of texturizer to your product, but not at all great if you want all the documented skin-loving properties that colloidal oats offer.
In short, without the bran, the oats just ain't grand.
So, What's in Oat Bran?
Colloidal oatmeal and ground oats (from whole oats) includes the bran and therefore contains actives such as:- lipids (unsaturated triglycerides that help replenish the skins oils)
- beta glucan (moisturising)
- avenanthramides (anti-oxidant unique to oats)
Colloidal oatmeal is anti-inflammatory, helps soothe itchiness and offers barrier repair.
Oats also contain a small percentage of saponins, which are great for cleansing activity.
The bran is – quite simply – where the actives are.
Colloidal Oat Confusion
Now that we know the difference between oat flour, colloidal oatmeal and ground oats, one would think there was nothing more to discuss (or research).One would think.
The INCI name for colloidal oatmeal is: Avena Sativa (oat) kernel flour
The INCI name for oat flour is: Avena Sativa (oat) kernel flour
Do you see any difference in these INCI names?
I sure don't.
It seems you can't be quite sure of whether or not you are purchasing oat flour or colloidal oatmeal just by looking at the INCI name.
Obviously, more research was in order.
The International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook defines colloidal oatmeal as finely ground oatmeal; the definition does not specify which species of oat is needed/desired/required.
I checked a few places to see what they had to say about colloidal oats. Here are some highlights:
Colloidal Oatmeal is finely ground oatmeal. It is often used to relieve minor skin irritation and itching due to poison ivy or insect bites. It can also be used as a soak, compress or wet dressing. When oatmeal is used in cosmetic and personal care products, it may be called Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel / Meal.
Oat Cosmetics writes:
Colloidal oatmeal is a natural cosmetic ingredient obtained from Avena sativa (oats). The whole oat grain, including the bran layer, is milled and sieved. This results in a light cream coloured, fine powder.
Aroma Zone describes their colloidal oatmeal as such (Google translated from French):
This powder is called colloidal because the fineness of its particles allows it to form a homogeneous suspension.(note the micron mention - we're going to be looking at that in a tic)
Particle size: 44 microns
I emailed Maggie Ghanem of Formulator Sample Shop to ask if she could explain a bit about about colloidal oats and she was kind enough to provide me with this:
Colloidal Oatmeal is made of finely milled oats from the Avena sativa plant. It consists of sugars, amino acids, lipids and fibers. Colloidal Oats are grounded, boiled and steamed. Oat grains are milled into fine powder that will produce a cosmetic agent that can be used as an addition to baths, powders, and moisturizing creams.
All in all, there's some great info here, but the mention of microns and particle sizes raised even more questions.
We need to get a teensy bit nerdy now, but stick with me and I'll try to make it as entertaining as possible. Here's a quick peek at Wikipedias illustration from the previous post again.
Microns, Nanometers, and Colloids
The upper limit size for particles in a colloid is generally defined at 1000 nanometers. That means, each of those little green particles you see up there on the left should be under 1000 nanometers in size.
1000 nanometers is equal to 1 micrometer - commonly called micron.
How tiny is a micron?
Well, 15 microns is the same as 0.015 mm in size (that's 1.5 hundredths of a millimeter).
Now, remember Aroma Zones product description above? It mentions a particle size of 45 microns. That is the same as a particle size of 0.04 mm (read: four hundredths of a millimeter).
How tiny is a micron?
Well, 15 microns is the same as 0.015 mm in size (that's 1.5 hundredths of a millimeter).
Now, remember Aroma Zones product description above? It mentions a particle size of 45 microns. That is the same as a particle size of 0.04 mm (read: four hundredths of a millimeter).
Colloidal Oatmeal Particle Sizes
Now let's look at the particle sizes of colloidal oatmeal, which consists of about 20% starch particles and 80% oat-y particles.The starch particle size is between 10 - 25 microns.
The oat-y particle size is described as 'below 75 microns'.
I know you're seeing this too.
Something doesn't fit.
The particles in colloidal oatmeal are massive! They have a diameter well above 1000 nanometers.
Colloidal oatmeal particles are too big to be classified as a colloid.
This was pretty much my reaction to this information.
But, instead of panicking and deciding the world was about to end, I decided to keep digging around and asking even more questions.
There was still the matter of production processes for colloidal – which was the correct method?
With the help of a very patient and gracious expert in the production of colloidal oatmeal, I finally found the answer (he has a special mention at the bottom of this post).
With the help of a very patient and gracious expert in the production of colloidal oatmeal, I finally found the answer (he has a special mention at the bottom of this post).
Production Processes for Colloidal Oatmeal
The Dry Way: If you have the right equipment (and no, we're not talking about a pricey super duper kitchen machine), it is indeed possible to dry-produce colloidal oats. The main challenge is the natural fat content of oats (about 7%) which tends to gunk up the 75 micron sieve it has to pass through, but as long as at least 80% of the oats can pass through the sieve, it's OK to label the packet 'colloidal oatmeal'. Granted, this method takes some real advanced milling equipment that not many have, but it is indeed do-able.
The Wet Way: Producers who employ 'the wet way' of making colloidal oats will use a process called pre-solubilising the oat starch. This means they soak the oats (and do other magic secret proprietary things) to separate the oaty bits from the starchy bits. This process changes the structure of the starch and allows the producer to achieve an acceptable colloidal oatmeal particle size.
So, everyone in the discussion was right!
Don't you just love it when that happens?
But wait!
There is still an unanswered question!
The Unanswered Question
Since the INCI name is identical on oat flour and colloidal oatmeal, how can we tell what are buying?
Here's the kicker.
Here's the kicker.
I don't have the answer.
I can only offer this advice: ask your supplier. Be kind, but be persistent until you get a satisfactory answer. Be patient. It could take a few weeks, because sometimes the distributor (not being the producer) won't be able to answer you until they do a bit of digging and asking on their own first.
Do Tell
Do you use colloidal oats, ground oats or oat flour in your products?More About Oats for Skincare, Colloids, and Avenathramide
Google answers: how colloidal oatmeal is madeColloidal oatmeal; history chemistry and clinical properties
What is a colloidal oatmeal: Cosmetics Business
Anti inflammatory activities of colloidal oatmeal
Colloidal oatmeal formulations as adjunct treatments in atopic dermatitis
Cosmeticsinfo: Avena Sativa Oat Kernel Meal
Cosmetics and Toiletries: Colloidal Oat flour for skin and hair
Avenathramide
U.S. Pharmacopeia: Colloidal Oatmeal
Colloidal Oatmeal: history, chemistry and clinical properties
Safety Assessment of Oat derived ingredients as used in Cosmetics
Scientific American: Creating your own colloid
Particle Size: Wikipedia
Nanoscale
Micrometer Conversion scale
A special thanks to Cark Maunsell at Oat Services for his kind assistance and patience with all of my questions.
Comments
Are the oats non-GMO?
As, if we don't want GMO's inside our bodies, would we really want GMO's on the outside of our bodies either, where it gets inside your body by absorption?
Talk about things getting complicated!!
@Rebekah - Thank you kindly!
Bob's Red Mill makes it and specifically mentions that it includes the bran, the germ and the endosperm. Arrowhead Mills makes organic whole oat flour and I assume that whole means whole but they don't go out of their way to spell that out like Bob.
Anyway it seems to be the cheap, whole and lazy way to go so I'm giving one of them a go tonight for my itchy scalp. I'llcome back to say whether it was effective. Certainly cheaper than commercial lotions that contain 2 percent colloidal oatmeal and charge an additional 10 bucks to the price.
Best,
Ursula
Thanks
Ursula
Beta
Ursula
Thank you so much for your detailed explanation. If I can find a whole grain oat flour in supermarket, does it mean i am using oatmeal colloidal? I have just discovered this product and think of using this in my products.
https://hk.iherb.com/pr/Bob-s-Red-Mill-Whole-Grain-Oat-Flour-22-oz-623-g/9351#questions-and-answers
Thanks and regards,
Po
Thanks so much for sharing! I love oatmeal colloidal so much but it's not easy to get it in my country. Recently I found a brand called Bob's Red Mill does have a product "whole grain oat flour". May I use it as oatmeal colloidal? as it should contains the brans & other benefits...
Thank you so much.
best,
Kelly K
Do you know which method "wet or dry way" is superior? Sometimes I feel like using water/steam could deplete some of those awesome nutrients. Thanks! Great post also, I appreciate your research and educating me.
-Kay
Weena Pradhan
I read your blog months ago when I bought aveeno and was wondering what colloidal oatmeal was- interesting read it was too :). Now that I have bought actual oatmeal and used it to soothe inflamed sensitive skin areas in a bath for the first time and found out useful, I wonder: does colloidal oatmeal have any benefits that ground or even whole oatmeal doesn't? For bath/face masks purposes.
I assume that because it's the bran that has the good stuff, there's no need to grind it, unless it's for practical purposes like using it in creams and other cosmetic applications, so that you arent applying clumps of oatmeal as moisturizer lol..
What do you think? Would love to get your thoughts! :)
I'm excited reading this article and comments to learn that something like Bob's Red Mill whole oat flour can give the same benefits without needing to pay extra for the particle-shrinking process that makes whole oats so-called "colloidal!" And unless mixing oats into a lotion or cream, sounds like that flour is all that's needed! I haven't checked prices but imagine the flour is cheaper than say Aveeno powder.
I've been looking at my itchy, dry skin dog and thinking if there is a quicker and more travel-friendly way than baths or masks to get whole grain oats on him...and on me (dry, itchy skin). Like a toner or leave-in conditioner. Maybe fill a container with lukewarm water, put a mesh bag of whole grain oat flour or colloidal oats in it awhile, then spray or dab it on. Rinsing off if needed. May be messy though, hence why Dr. Dray used a sheet mask. I wonder what oat milk is...just oats soaked in water? Or I see why colloidal oats in a lotion or cream could be handy but I'm guessing you can't just mix them into your favorite moisturizer?
I'm also thinking about how to involve milk such as cruelty-free, organic, clean Greek yogurt...and honey...and turneric...along with the oats. A mask of course could do that. Maybe green tea involved too? Creative wheels spinning here.
Love this article. Very informative. I was going to grin. But obviously i would never be able to finely grind enough. Kindest regards Angela
Chance to sift through them all yet. Thanks!
Thank you all for your information.
P.S. I'm searching for a recipe to cure / relieve my 1-year-old grandson's eczema. It is raw /red where he is scratching. Any help with soothing and or curing recipes is greatly appreciated. Thank you,
(less The It would be a good idea
https://qz.com/1357690/a-weedkiller-chemical-was-found-in-quaker-oats-and-cheerios/
This was forwarded to me by a nutritionalist https://secretingredientsmovement.com/secret-ingredients-free-showing/?utm_expid=.NhpUJQgwS7mWotJ8sw9aTg.0&utm_referrer=
When I am presented with information of this sort, I instinctively examine the source and then do some more digging from there. While a lot of other sites/blogs have parroted this 'information', it appears none of them have researched how factual or complete any of it is.
My impression is that this is a snippet of information taken out of context with the sole purpose of creating fear and doubt. In short; it is misinformation. Personally, I find this kind of behavior reprehensible - particularly when it is done with full deliberation (such as one sees from sites like the EWG).
Sorry for the speech/rant, but I felt you deserved a detailed answer. I realize it is incredibly difficult to know what to trust and who to believe sometimes, and we don't all have time to research EVERYTHING we read - me included. At any rate: thank you for bringing this to my attention.
If I grind up oat bran (just the bran) am I getting all the benefits? I'm looking at this one: https://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-oat-bran.html
Thanks in advance for answering my question.
Alison
There are some smaller mills who grow their own grain and process it themselves.
They are sometimes bio-dynaic farmers.
There are oat grain seeds that are indeed organic never mind what you see on line.
The bio-dynamic (usually European or Russian) farmers are the sources you need for this. They are all seriously passionate about the quality in food.
The trouble with larger mills is the fungicides used in the storage facilities of the oat (and other) grains.
I've seen what the amazing results are when animals are fed these organic bio-dynaic grains and it is just breath taking the difference.
Check out your local Waldorf School or Kimberton Hills Farm (online) for more information of what is in your area.
If there are any specific questions I may be reached at tashahunter@protonmail.com
There is much to learn.
I see many anhydrous products with colloidal oatmeal(like eczema salves)and I don't understand why?? If I am right it works magically only in emulsions? Can you explain it to me?))))
Best regards,Vera
I landed here by looking up hydrolyzed oats vs colloidal oatmeal, trying to determine if the oat milk I bought at the store would be soothing for my itchy cat. Ingredients list hydrolyzed oats, period. I soak oats in water often for its soothing properties, strain and keep in the fridge for a few days. None on hand, and remembered the carton of oat milk in the pantry. Yay, a quick fix and less messy. I might make some oat milk ice cubes. Thanks again, from Austin.
Great blog about the benefits of oatmeal baths.
My eldest daughter had serious skin problems as a baby, oatmeal baths really helped her.
I'm a farmer in Ireland and do hope to bring to the market organic colloidal oatmeal powder. Any help or tips would be much appreciated.
Thanking you,
Paul
Thanks so much for your kind comment. I love that you want to bring an organic colloidal oatmeal to the market and wish you the very best of luck with it! Please feel to contact me again when you have your product ready. There's a contact page at LisaLise.com -- please refer to this blog post (to jog my memory) :D
Is it possible to add colloidal oatmeal to below?:
1. Hydrosol
2. Pure lipid oil
So far I have only seen this to be used in lotion/cream.
Sidebar: The finest grind I have found is at: https://www.makeyourown.buzz/colloidal-oatmeal/
33 micron.
Graillotion
I think I'm just going to add ground oats and Rice Bran oil as there doesn't seem much point to spend out on something ground fine when I want the texture?
Also, we were always told as kinds to cook our veg minimally as the vitamins are destroyed through boiling...so the point that they are boiled perplexes me. What are your thoughts on this please?
I plan on making some balms and wanted to test out two methods
1) making an oatmeal extract with glycerine
2) finely grinding the oatmeal and slowly dispersing it in the oil
Do I have to use a preservative if I add the glycerine extract as the only hydrous ingredient in an otherwise anhydrous balm? I.e. all oils except the glycerine extract with constant mixing etc? Hope that makes sense 🙂
Thanks
That's not true.
Thought she owned Formulator sample shop
You could be correct — this post is from 2017 so it’s quite possible Maggie Ghanem has retired — thanks for bringing it to my attention