Oils In Skincare

OILS IN SKINCARE

Your skin naturally produces oil because it needs it to heal, protect, lubricate and moisturise. Some people believe that it is wrong to use oil on your face because it congests the skin causing pimples, blackheads and the like. Usually these problems are caused by hormone activity or dead skin cells and not due to the oil itself. One fact that I find is not widely known is that oils can actually dissolve other oils of a similar chemical structure.

Basically a cream is made from wax, water and oils. The science of formulating a fabulous cream comes down to the right oil selection. It wasn’t that long ago that many of the oils used in skincare were petroleum based. And I’m talking about the leading brands as well. Fortunately, in recent years most good skincare use naturally derived oils. The trick is to use oils that will balance the the skin. There are some really fabulous fruit and vegetable oils that we can use these days. Take Watermelon seed oil for example – very balancing and calming. Baobab oil from the Tree of Life, packed with Vitamins A,C,and E. Marula, a beautiful oil with a very high Vitamin C content. In Africa, the Marula is valued so highly that to give someone a Marula kernel represents the greatest mark of friendship. Red Raspberry seed oils, with its natural sun  protection, Cranberry, Goji Berry, Blackcurrant and Kiwi Seed oils all with great antioxidant properties that protect and help repair the skin.

All of these oils are fine in texture and are easily absorbed into the skin leaving it feeling silky and smooth. They do not clog the pores. I use oils on my skin morning and night either alone, over one of my serums or under my day or night cream. It gives my skin a polished look and feel.

Well known and widely used oils such as Apricot Kernel oil and Sweet Almond oil certainly have their place. I don’t use these in my products because in my view there are many other wonderful oils with greater properties but for use in massage they are eminently suitable.