KISS – Keep It Simple Stuff! There is another way to say it, but this one is less condescending!!! Ha!
As I mentioned in my post – DIY Clay Masks for Beautiful Skin; The skin typically needs 2 things: 1) Clay to draw toxins, tone the pores, tighten the skin and purify. 2) Oil to nourish, create a barrier from the harsh elements, and a healthy glow. Well here is some information on oils that are great to use on the skin. You can use them individually or make a combination of them. The ebook that I sell on Etsy has recipes and uses for all the oils.
Skincare can really be simpler than it is made out to be. It has become a billion-dollar industry to say the least. And one has to question do I truly need to buy a $140 .25 oz jar of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop to have beautiful skin? Not likely! Even her $140 night cream has an ingredient list 2 inches long (barely fits on the label), with words that are hard to pronounce and in the end, is only 79% organic! It says that on the website, I didn’t make that up!
But if you buy 1 or a couple of these organic oils that I am recommending, then you know you have a 100% organic product for only a fraction of the cost of Gwyneth’s night cream!
Truth is, you can keep things simple and have great skin while eliminating irritants, harsh chemicals, endocrine disruptors, cheap filler ingredients that do nothing for the skin, petroleum-based products, and save money!
Tidbits of my information on the oils I recommend are from Starwest Botanicals and Mountain Rose Herbs and can also be found on Amazon for easy shopping. There are a lot of oils out there, I am listing my favorites, and are safe for people with nut allergies. This brings up another point, if you learn to isolate and simplify your skincare routine it becomes easier to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. By practicing this theory myself I figured out I am allergic to Argan, Kukui, and many essential oils! Again… KISS!
At the bottom of this page I will embed the YouTube video of this discussion and it can also be found in my peace • love • abundance podcast on all podcast platforms for your listening pleasure!
Grapeseed oil
Grapeseed is for all skin types which makes it great for combination skin. It is especially useful for skin types that do not absorb oils well, and it does not leave a greasy feeling. It absorbs well and imparts a pleasant odor. It is naturally high in vitamin E and provides antioxidants for your skin, helps heal scars, and reduces the presence of scaring. Grapeseed oil has astringent properties which can be thought to reduce clogged pores and great for oily type skin because it won’t feel heavy on your skin. Also gentle enough to use around the eye area, so no need to buy a separate eye cream.
Rosehip Seed Oil
Rosehip seed oil is truly an amazing product, light amber in color, it is considered a “dry” oil, meaning that it soaks into the skin easily, and does not leave a greasy residue. This unique oil contains essential fatty acids and has carried much respect among professional journals and organizations as being a great emollient for dry or mature skin. It is a wonderful hydrator, and penetrates dry skin immediately. This oil may be used straight from the bottle as a moisturizer or can be incorporated into a cream, lotion, facial oil, or massage oil. Because it is so gentle, rosehip seed oil may be used undiluted on the skin. Also gentle enough to use around the eye area, so no need to buy a separate eye cream. Refrigeration is recommended for this oil.
•••Keep your Rosehip oil in the refrigerator (you can keep a very small dropper of it on your bathroom counter for about 30 days, but DO NOT keep a large bottle out for several months).
Coconut Oil
This is my lifesaver, I can not live without it. I can go on forever the benefits of coconut oil for your skin, you can even google it to see them all, but I am keeping this to my uses! It is my 911 oil! When I have a skin rash (which is too often) I slather this anywhere on my body and especially on the area of the rash. Speaking from experience this oil has a calming effect all of its own, I don’t even need statistical information to know that this oil works for my easily reactive skin. The thing is, oil trumps oil – what I mean by this, if a rash is due to a reaction to say an essential oil or nut oil, then another oil will dilute the oil that is creating a reaction and calm down the reaction. Coconut oil also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, so it is great as a base for natural deodorants and foot care. Even when used alone I notice a decrease in armpit funk, I do have a mixture though that I use that has some essential oils, baking soda, and arrowroot in it to give it more staying power. If you sweat a lot it does have to be applied multiple times per day for better results, but I see people do this with the nasty store-bought stuff too… let’s face it… we all sweat and multiple applications are a reality! Also great for your hair, a little heavy, but great.
Evening Primrose Oil
Evening primrose oil is as sexy as it sounds: It has an amazing scent and a powerful ingredient for common skin woes like acne, wrinkles, and eczema. It’s packed with Omega-6 fatty acids, crucial for healthy skin and nails. Our body doesn’t naturally produce these fatty acids — they can only be derived from plant oil. Also contains tons of vitamin E and vitamin C, which are both essential to keep skin looking and feeling youthful. Info from – Bustle.
•••I would also refrigerate the bulk of Evening Primrose Oil and keep a small amount in my bathroom for daily use just like Rosehip.
Avocado Oil
The natural content of Vitamins A and E works synergistically to improve the skin texture. Intended for dry, dehydrated, and mature skin. Its notable content of unsaturated fatty and essential fatty acids also makes it ideal for inclusion in nourishing, moisturizing hair care formulations.
•••Costco has a great Avocado Oil actually!
Tallow
Yes, beef fat! Don’t judge it until you know all the facts and even try it! Rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K along with a saturated fat ratio that closely resembles what our cells use to maintain integrity, it absorbs easily without leaving a greasy residue behind. It contains an abundance of naturally occurring fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, K, and E), Omega 3 fatty acids, and anti-inflammatory conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). This info is from Mommypotomus.
Essential Oils
This is a huge subject that I am not going to cover in-depth here. But do want to mention you can add scent to any of the above oils if you desire. Before you do – do your research to understand some essentials are better suited to your skin than others and don’t just add a scent because you like how it smells, you could end up irritating your skin more than nourishing it by choosing based on scent. Also, if you do end up having a reaction, eliminate the essential oil first and try the carrier oil by itself to determine what it is you reacted to… KISS and you will figure out the question to “why does my skin break out all the time?”. And the golden rule 1, do a test patch for a week before applying to your face to be sure, the last thing you want is a rash where everyone can see it! The inside of your elbow crease is a great place to test because the skin is thinner there. Golden rule 2 – avoid using essentials ‘neat’, the term ‘neat’ refers to using an oil straight out of the bottle with no carrier oil to dilute it. Trust me, I know from experience this using oils ‘neat’ will cause problems down the line and it doesn’t happen overnight, but continuous use for weeks, sometimes months, will result in an intolerance!
I will try to answer any questions about all the amazing oils in the world. But this list utilizes the KISS theory! It by all means is not a list of ALL oils available. These will save you money, they are a good place to start, easily purchased or found just about anywhere (I would stick to organic, wild-harvested, or fair trade as often as possible). The Rosehip and Evening Primrose are probably the more expensive listed above, but you don’t need a lot to be effective and can be combined with any of the other oils mentioned above to help it go further and last longer.
peace • love • abundance
– Renee
