Sunday, September 1, 2013

Oils as moisturisers

Using oils as moisturizers has given me the chance to experiment with different things.  

One advantage to using oils is that off-the-shelf organic ethically produced oils are cheaper and more cost-effective than conventional moisturizers and commercial moisturizing oils. 

I went with information I found online, so I started off with coconut oil. It smells divine, but can lead to breakouts if you use it overenthusiastically. As I store the stock solution in the fridge, where it solidifies, waiting for it to melt is a pain in the ass. 

Then, my mum went on a shopping spree and came home with bottles of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). 

EVOO is marvelously slippery and you don't have to melt it, though it must be kept cool to prevent it from going rancid. It can also smell spicy, which might not be to everyone's taste (hur hur). It can also be expensive and lead you to think that it might be a better idea to just eat the stuff than smear it on your skin.

There's also a little known fact that sometimes, EVOO producers dilute it with grapeseed oil, or cut out the olive oil altogether but label it EVOO anyway. I like not having to worry about what's in my skincare products, so I've just gone for straight grapeseed oil*.

As it turns out, it's perfect for me. It's light, carries only a hint of grapes, and smoothes on like liquid silk. 

I just have to figure out what to do with the remaining half bottle of coconut oil.

* For all I know, even that might be cut with sunflower oil or what have you; short of analyzing it yourself, there's really no way of knowing for certain what you're using!