Everything You Need To Know On Oils

I previously wrote an article "Transitioning into Fall Skincare" and one of the topics I covered was cleansing oils. Cleansing oils have been around for centuries used all around the world. Recently they have become the new "in" thing. So taking it back to our roots I will go over everything you need to know about oils and how to use them to benefit every part of your body.

Cleansing Oils:

Cleansing oils are all the rage for good reason. You can say goodbye to harsh makeup wipes because cleansing oils even dissolve waterproof makeup. It also dissolves any "bad" oil on your face, anything hardened in your pores, and doesn't strip your faces natural oils. Acne prone skin users will go to great lengths to eliminate all oil on their faces thinking it will prevent more breakouts. This is so counterproductive because stripping all the oil on your face sends your body into overdrive to replace the natural oil barrier your skin needs, and that is when overproduction of oil happens that clogs the pores. Cleansing oils are good for all skin types, it is gentle on the skin, washes off with water, and you don't need a moisturizer. Every major brand is jumping on the cleansing oil train including Dior, Laura Mercier, Josie Mavan, Clinique, Tacha, Boscia, Bobbi Brown, and SK-II. So if you are looking for one definitely look into those brands and find your price range. Even the application of it is helping your skin because of the facial massage motions as you rub it into your skin to cleanse. Facial massage increases circulation in your face. The increased blood flow increases cellular oxygenation. This helps yous skin no matter what your skin care concerns are. With acne, the increased blood flow brings oxygen to the surface killing anaerobic bacteria that is causing the breakouts. Do not massage your face for more than 10 minutes because it can over stimulate or irritate your breakouts and make them worse. If your concerns are anti aging and skin dullness it will help improve both the texture and appearance of your skin, and create balance between anti oxidants and free radicals in your skin.

Face Oil/ Sleeping Oil/ Beauty Oil:

The next oil I am going to talk about has many names and uses. This is an oil you apply and don't wash off. You can use it as a reparative treatment, or use it at night to replace your nightime moisturizer. You can use it in the morning before applying your makeup to moisturize, prime, and even out your face texture. These oils are similar to cleansing oils but often tote more benefits. They have been known to erase fine lines make wrinkles less noticeable, as well as shrinking of pores and less breakouts. They contain ingredients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and essential fatty acids. Some of the products have other ingredients such as retinoids as well. The massage application will be beneficial for this product as well as having the same results on your skin. Some brands to look at for a great beauty oil is Drunk Elephant, Sunday Riley, Algenist, Clarins, and the Tarte Maracuja oil.

Hair Oils:

Putting oils in your hair has been a trend for decades. In the last ten years has rose to more popularity with brands like Moroccan Oil leading the way. Hair oils have a lot of great benefits. A few of these benefits are adding moisture to the hair and boosting shine. Adding the moisture to the hair helps strengthen it and prevent breakage. Oils will help keep your hair healthy, strong, and soft. If you apply an oil treatment over your entire head and not just your ends, it can also help eliminate dandruff or stimulate hair growth. Some popular natural oils you can place in your hair are coconut oil, argan oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, and castor oil. Applying oil to your hair can also help prevent frizz in curls. Castor oil has been known to aid in hair growth. When in beauty school, I was taught that coconut oil and argan oil are the only oils that can be 100% absorbed into the hair strand. I apply Moroccan Oil to my ends daily. Whichever oil you choose whether it be for a treatment or a leave in, it will be beneficial to the health of your hair.

Body Oils:

Most of the world uses oils to moisturize their skin, the United States though is more of a lotion using country. I have been known to mix oil in with my lotion, but today I am going to tell you the benefits of just using oil. The oils are free of chemicals being purer. They help protect your skins natural lipid barrier keeping the moisture from evaporating from your skin. It absorbs well and last longer than lotion does. It is also economical because you use less product. The oils themselves are more expensive but that is because it's undiluted. Warm them up in your hands before applying and a little goes a long ways. Not only that but the oils have restorative properties to help heal your skin from daily damage.

Oil Pulling:

Although I have not tried oil pulling myself, I have heard nothing but good things from it. I said I was going to put everything about oils and how it can help all parts of your body. It is an old Ayuredic ritual dating back 3000 years. It is said to whiten teeth, increase energy, detoxes your body, helps eliminate stress and headaches, clears skin, improve with liver and kidney functions, and helps lose weight.What you do is take a oil such a coconut oil, sesame seed oil, or sunflower oil, and swish is around in your mouth for 20 minutes. It says the shortest amount of time to do it for is 5 minutes and to really pull it through your teeth. This is supposed to act as a cleanser and absorb and pull out any bacteria, fungi, viruses, and toxins living in your mouth before they have a chance to reach the rest of your body. Once the 20 minutes is up, spit out the oil. Do not swallow it as you would just be swallowing all those toxins. Many people swear by oil pulling and doing it regularly. The only reason I haven't tried it is I can't see myself being able to keep oil in my mouth for that long. Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow are firm believers in this so If you want those results try it.