Hoodoo Oils: The Most Popular Condition Oils and What They Are For
Walk into any hoodoo shop and you will meet a wall of little bottles with big names: Fast Luck, Come to Me, Hot Foot, Crown of Success. These are condition oils, each one named for the condition it is made to work on.
This is the plain guide to the ones you will see most, what each is for, and how workers put them to use. They are grouped by the work they do.
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How condition oils are used
- Dressing candles. Rub the oil on the candle before you light it. Stroke toward you to draw something in, away from you to send it off.
- Anointing. A touch on the hands, the forehead, the wrists, the soles of the shoes, or the wallet and the cash register, depending on the work.
- Doorways and floors. Dabbed on the door frame, the threshold or the four corners, or added to the floor wash.
- Mojo bags and petitions. Dropped on a petition paper, a root or a mojo hand to feed it and keep it working.
- Feeding. Lodestones, roots and hands are “fed” with a few drops on a set day, often weekly.
Most condition oils are a carrier oil with essential oils, and often a root, herb or mineral, in the bottle. The names come out of the old Southern drugstores, mail-order houses and New Orleans shops of the early twentieth century.
For the oils, perfumes and powders the old workers themselves named to Hyatt, see our Oils, Powders and Waters table.
Luck, money and work
| Oil | Used for | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Luck In our store | Quick luck in money, gambling and business. Used when something has to turn fast. | Dress the hands before gambling, a green or gold candle, the cash register or the money in the wallet. Classic blends lean on cinnamon and wintergreen. |
| Money Drawing In our store | Steady money coming in, not just a lucky break. | Dress a green candle, the wallet, a lodestone or a money mojo. Often worked weekly on Thursday or Sunday. |
| Fast Money In our store | Money needed now, for a bill or a debt. | Dress a green candle burned in short bursts, or the bills themselves before they go into the wallet. |
| Crown of Success In our store | Success, recognition and rising above others: promotions, exams, reputation, public work. | Anoint the crown of the head, a gold or purple candle, or the papers that need to go your way. |
| Steady Work In our store | Getting a job and keeping it. Stopping lay-offs and hours being cut. | Dress the shoes and hands before an interview, the application, and a candle burned while you wait to hear. |
| Better Business / Improve Business In our store | Drawing customers and keeping trade busy. | Dress the shop door, the counter and the register, and add a few drops to the floor wash. |
| Gambler’s In our store | Winning at cards, dice, the numbers and the tables. | Rub into the hands before playing, and onto dice, cards or a gambling hand. |
| Lottery In our store | The numbers and the ticket. | Dress the ticket, the pen used to fill it in, and a candle burned on the numbers. |
| Lodestone / Magnet In our store | Drawing: money, luck or a person, depending on what the stone is set to. | Used to feed a lodestone along with magnetic sand, and to dress anything meant to pull something in. |
| High John the Conqueror In our store | Power, mastery and luck. Beating the odds and the people standing in your way. A long-standing favourite with men. | Usually sold with a piece of the root in the bottle. Dresses a High John root, a mojo hand, a candle or the hands. |
| Five Finger Grass In our store | “Whatever five fingers can do, five finger grass can undo.” Luck, money and protection all in one. | Dress the hands, a mojo or a candle for general luck and to undo work done against you. |
Love and control
| Oil | Used for | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Come to Me In our store | Drawing a lover, new or wanted. | Dress a red or pink candle, often a figure candle, and the body before going out. Dressed toward you. |
| Return to Me In our store | Bringing back a lover who has gone. | Dress a candle on their name or photo, and their belongings if you have them. |
| Stay With Me In our store | Keeping a lover home and faithful. | Dress the bed, the doorway, and a pair or couple candle. |
| Love (Luv Luv Luv) In our store | Romance, sweetness and attraction. | Worn as a perfume, and used on love candles, honey jars and love mojos. |
| Jezebel In our store | For women who want money and gifts from men. | Dress the body, a Jezebel root and a candle on the man’s name. |
| Follow Me Boy | Drawing men and having them follow. Long tied to New Orleans and the sporting life. | Worn on the body, and used on red candles and attraction work. |
| Bend Over In our store | Bending another person to your will, in love or anywhere else. | Dress a candle on the target’s name or a figure candle; also used on the target’s belongings. |
| Controlling / Commanding / Do As I Say In our store | Command and control: making a lover, a boss or a family member do as you say. | Dress a purple candle, the hands before speaking, or a petition worded as a command. |
| Domination In our store | Holding the upper hand over a person or situation. | Dress a candle on the person’s name, or the shoes before you walk into the room. |
Protection, cleansing and uncrossing
| Oil | Used for | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Van Van In our store | The New Orleans all-rounder: clears bad luck, opens the way and protects. Lemongrass is the heart of it. | Dress the doorways, add to the floor wash, wear it, or put it on charms and amulets to strengthen them. |
| Uncrossing In our store | Lifting a crossed condition: bad luck that will not break, or work you think was laid on you. | Dress a white or purple candle, add to a cleansing bath, and anoint the body from head to foot. |
| Jinx Removing In our store | Taking off a jinx: a run of bad luck, often put there by someone else. | Used in baths and on white candles, often after a cleansing. |
| Road Opener (Abre Camino) In our store | Clearing the blocks on your path: work, money, love, travel. | Dress a candle and the shoes, and the front door, at the start of something new. |
| Protection In our store | Keeping harm and evil off a person or a house. | Dress the doorways, windows and corners of the house, and the body. |
| Against Harm / 7×7 Against All In our store | Strong protection from enemies, evil and harmful work. | Dressed on the body and doorways, and on protection candles and hands. |
| Stop Evil In our store | Stopping evil work and evil people in their tracks. | Used on candles burned against a known enemy, and at the threshold. |
| Purification In our store | Spiritual cleaning before other work. | Added to baths and floor washes, and used on white candles. |
| Healing In our store | Healing of the body and the spirit, and recovery. | Dress a white or blue candle on the sick person’s name, and the person themselves. |
Law and gossip
| Oil | Used for | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Court Case In our store | Winning in court or having a case go easy. | Dress the court papers, the shoes worn to court and a candle burned during the hearing. |
| Just Judge In our store | A fair hearing: calling on the Just Judge to decide in your favour. | Dress a candle to the Just Judge, often alongside a Psalm. |
| Law Stay Away In our store | Keeping police and the law away from a house or business. | Dress the doorways and corners, and mixed into the floor wash. |
| Stop Rumors / Stop Gossip In our store | Shutting the mouths of gossips and liars. | Dress a candle on the gossip’s name, often with a tied or knotted petition. |
Enemies and harmful work
| Oil | Used for | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Foot In our store | Driving a person away: out of the house, the job or the town. Pepper and sulphur are at its heart. | Dressed on the person’s foot track, their shoes, or a black candle burned on their name. |
| Go Away / Banishing In our store | Sending an unwanted person or influence off. | Dress a black candle stroked away from you, or the person’s path. |
| Break Up In our store | Splitting a couple. | Dress a back-to-back or divorce candle, and the couple’s names or photo. |
| Black Arts In our store | The heavy work: crossing, hexing and power in harmful work. | Dress black candles and figure candles in work against an enemy. |
| Black Cat (Gato Negro) In our store | Two faces: luck at gambling for the user, crossing and bad luck for an enemy. | Dress the hands for gambling, or a black cat candle on an enemy’s name. |
| Reversing / Send Back Evil In our store | Sending work back to whoever sent it. | Dress a reversing candle or mirror work, and the body after a cleansing. |
| Binding In our store | Tying a person down: stopping their actions or keeping them bound to you. | Dress a figure candle or doll, and the cord or thread used to tie it. |
Where to buy
Everything marked “In our store” is stocked at Black Magic Witch, our own supply store. Students get 20% off: ask us for your student code.
Learn the work
Hoodoo Witch Certification Course
Oils, dressing and feeding are taught in full in the course, from the first candle to the finished mojo.