Tuesday 5 May 2015

3 Holy Grail Oils for Beauty Products

I've only recently discovered the benefits of incorporating oil into my beauty regime; I know, perhaps I'm late to jump on the bandwagon, but honestly, the advantages are copious. Here are three of my favourites...

Jojoba Oil 

I've got naturally oily/combination skin, so the idea of adding more oil was never appealing to me. However, after doing some research, I decided I would give jojoba oil a go. The compounds that make up jojoba oil are the most similar to sebum, which is the oil produced by human skin; the benefit of this is that it can trick the body into thinking that it's already producing enough sebum, thus, balancing oil production. 

Jojoba oil can be used as a moisturiser, a lip balm, and it can also help with acne, eczema, and ageing skin. It contains anti-bacterial properties, and can even act as an anti-inflammatory. I have also used it to take off my make-up when I found myself without any eau micellaire; oils are great at removing make-up because they can break down other oil-based products more effectively, and are gentle to the skin.

I also sometimes use this product in my make-up routine. Adding a drop of jojoba oil to your foundation leaves your skin dewy and glowing, without looking greasy. I came across this tip from watching gossmakeupartist's YouTube video's, and it is definitely something I'll continue to do.

Here are the results: 





Coconut Oil 





Whilst most oils can benefit your skin and your hair in terms of hydration, coconut oil is also particularly good for whitening the teeth. You've probably seen all the sponsored Instagram posts of celebrities holding their 'Coco White' coconut oil bars for oil pulling, but you can just buy a tub of coconut oil from your local supermarket, and it works just the same. 

Oil pulling or 'kavala', is an Indian dental technique that involves swishing oil in your mouth for twenty minutes, on an empty stomach. It allegedly improves overall health as well as oral health, by drawing out the toxins in the body. However, it is an effective method of teeth whitening, and whilst you can use other oils for this technique, coconut oil is hands down the tastiest, (vegetable oil, I can assure you, is not).  

Argan Oil 

Argan oil came to popularity in recent years for it's incredible benefits for the hair. I personally found that pure argan oil was too much for my hair after washing, however as an ingredient in general hair products, like shampoo and conditioner, leave-in conditioner or shine serum, it is fantastic. If I want to deep-condition my hair I'll put pure argan oil through it at nighttime and wash it out the next morning, which leaves it shiny and soft. It is said that this oil can also help hair to grow, treat split ends, and balance oil production. I have also used argan oil to treat my nails, as an ingredient for a homemade exfoliator, and as a body moisturiser. 

The best thing about oils is that they are all multi-purposeful; most oils have healing, hydrating, smoothing, and moisturising properties, to name a few. I cannot recommend them enough!