Still using moisturizer?
You’re so old school. 😉
Kidding!
I remember back when the height of sophistication was to have a DAY and a NIGHT moisturizer. Talk about cutting edge skincare.
Now?
One glance at my bathroom cupboard tells the story. So many bottles, so many choices!
I still use a gel moisturizer for daytime, layered with serum and sunscreen. At night, though, it’s GOTTA be oil.
Um, Oil?
Facial oils are something everyone has heard of, but only skincare enthusiasts tend to use.
Perhaps it’s because there are so many options. Will you use squalene oil, almond oil, rosehip oil, marula oil, pomegranate oil, moringa oil, aloe vera oil, or jojoba oil?
What’s the best oil for your skin type? Will it make your face look like an oil slick? Will it make you break out? Will you have to wash the grease off your pillowcase?
And the most important question of all…
Why would you choose a facial oil over a moisturizer, anyway?
You’re exchanging a cute little pot of fluffy white cream for a dark glass jar of some liquid you can’t even see.
What gives?
The Very Best Moisturizer in the World
What I’m about to say might shock you.
But I have to say it anyway.
You want to know what the VERY BEST moisturizer in the world is?
It’s your skin’s natural oil.
(Also called sebum.)
Your skin’s natural oils are designed by Mother Nature herself to provide the perfect barrier against the elements while allowing your skin to breathe.
But not everyone’s skin produces enough oil.
And others produce WAY too much.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were an all-natural source of oil that worked just like sebum?
Something that could replace the lost oil in dry skin AND calm down those overactive sebaceous glands in oily skin?
It turns out there is.
It’s called jojoba oil.
Where You’ve Heard of Jojoba Oil Before
If you’re fan of essential oils, you already know all about jojoba oil.
It’s a common carrier oil. You’ll find it in many essential oil blends, as well as in pre-diluted essential oils like rose and jasmine.
Jojoba oil is one of the most popular carrier oils for a number of reasons.
First, it has a long shelf life (you can keep a bottle for up to a year) and won’t break down readily in the heat.
Second, it’s safe for those with sensitive skin, including babies and breastfeeding mothers. It’s noncomedogenic, so it won’t clog pores. Once refined, it has a barely perceptible scent.
Most importantly, it’s the closest thing you can get to your skin’s natural oils.
It’s made from the seeds of a plant grown in the desert. Technically, it’s not an oil at all. It’s a wax.
A Little History
Like so many natural health care treatments, we didn’t discover this one on our own.
The native peoples of Sonora and Baja California used jojoba oil to treat skin sores and wounds long before Europeans came onto the scene.
It wasn’t until the Second World War that Americans became interested in the oil for military purposes. The war effort needed vast quantities of high pressure lubricants, and jojoba oil fit the bill. It was even used to maintain machine guns.
But the oil-rich nuts were difficult to harvest, and there was another source of oil that was easier to procure: sperm whale oil. (Yuck, right?)
Thankfully, whaling was finally banned, and the 1970s was when jojoba oil really came into its own. Mother Earth News rhapsodized about it, claiming:
This still-little-known and largely unsung scrubby little desert tree just may hold the key to this planet’s future.”[1]
So why was it so great?
Industrial uses aside, jojoba oil has limitless cosmetic uses.
You can use it as a moisturizer, hair oil, makeup remover, shaving cream, lip balm, sunburn treatment, massage oil, and antifungal.
It moisturizes without clogging pores, balances the pH of your skin, fights the bacteria that cause breakouts, makes wounds heal faster, encourages hair regrowth, heals acne scars, and treats psoriasis and eczema.
In short, it’s one of the most all-purpose oils around.
No wonder you find it in so many DIY beauty recipes!
How to Use Jojoba Oil
You don’t have to get fancy.
To use jojoba oil, just put a few drops onto your fingertips or in the palm of your hand and apply.
Think of it as the natural, health-conscious alternative to baby oil or Vaseline (both petroleum derivatives that should be avoided).
Smear some on your lips. Rub some on your skin the moment you step out of the shower. Use some to tame flyaways.
Put some onto a cotton ball and wipe away eye makeup. Add a few drops to that moisturizer you can’t bear to part with.
Then, once you’re hooked, explore what else you can do with it. Make a hair mask to encourage regrowth. Shave your legs with it. Make your own essential oil blend with it to rub on pulse points.
What to Be Cautious About
Although ingesting jojoba oil won’t kill you, stick to topical use only.
There are jojoba oils designed for cooking, but like olestra these oils aren’t digestible and can have a laxative effect.
When purchasing jojoba oil, look for organic, cold-pressed, 100% pure brands.
Organic oil is grown without pesticides, while cold-pressed oil is processed without the use of heat that can break down the oils. You also want to look for an oil that’s 100% jojoba oil without any fillers.
Then, once you’ve tried it, let us know how you got on in the comments!
[1] https://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/jojoba-plant-zmaz77ndzgoe
Let us know what you think!