Monday 9 June 2014

THE OIL SERIES #1 - UNDERSTANDING OILS


I'm no oil expert by any means, but I wanted to share with you what I have learned over the years. As you can see from the title I will be writing a series on oils, and this is the first instalment. I first turned to oils after experiencing negative results from conventional drugstore skincare. I used to have terrible acne, and incredibly oily skin, and let me tell you it was bad! So of course I was always afraid to put any extra oil on my skin, instead I did everything I could to get rid of the oil, boy how wrong I was!

I eventually managed to re-balance my skin by using oils, and still love them now, sometimes I'll just use straight up oils as my moisturiser.

As you can see from the picture, I have purchased my oils from Fushi, this is a company that sells good quality organic oils, and has a really good selection of different oils. 

WHAT ARE OILS?

Oils consist of fatty acids. There are saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Every oil is characterised by an individual spectrum of fatty acids, vitamins and other substances that make it either great for your skin or inappropriate.

There are two types of oils - There are non-drying (heavier) and drying (lighter) oils, in other words this just means how quickly and easily the oil is absorbed into your skin.

WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SLOW AND FAST DRYING OILS? 

The composition of fatty acids is what makes the difference between slow and fast drying oils. The different types of fatty acids can be oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and lauric acid, to name but a few.

Oleic acid - Oils that contain a high percentage of oleic acid are ones like - olive, macadamia, avocado and hazelnut. These oils feel really soft on the skin and are very velvety. They are great for dry skin types. These oils are slow drying oils and do not turn rancid quickly.

Linoleic acid -Oils that contain a high percentage of linoleic acid are -hemp oil, thistle/safflower oil, grape seed oil, rosehip and sunflower oil. These are all lighter, fast drying oils. This means they can get rancid very easily and are not very resistant to sunlight. Its best to store them in the fridge, and use them as your night time oil.

Oils high in linoleic acid are particularly good for acne prone skin because linoleic acid seems to have the ability to reduce comedones. Of course, it won‘t work in just a few days, but after a month or two you might see a difference!

Evening primrose oil, borage seed oil and black currant seed oil not only contain a high amount of linoleic acid, but are also very good choices for dermatitis sufferers due to another specific fatty acid called gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is considered to promote healthy skin growth and works as an anti-inflammatory agent.

There are also oils composed by equal parts of oleic and linoleic acid. These are oils like 
almond, sesame, plum and apricot kernel oil. These oils are neither too light or extremely oily. They are well balanced oils.

Coconut oil is a bit of a special case, it contains a saturated fatty acid called Lauric acid. It is a very stable oil and easily absorbed into the skin. Even though you will find a huge number of raves on the Internet about using coconut oil on your face, personally I have never used it on my face as I have also read that it can be very comedogenic (clogs your pores). But everyone is different, so it may work well for you, I have no problems using it as a body moisturiser.

TOP TIPS 

●Always use oils on damp skin

●Choose a good quality, organic cold pressed oil, It will make all the difference

●Experiment. Don't be put off if one particular oil doesn't work for you. It takes time to find the right oil and the right amount for your particular skin type.

●You may find you need to use different oils in different seasons

●If your skin looks matte, well rested, feels moisturised, then you're on the right track.If however your skin looks patchy, the oil just sits on top of your skin and does not skin in well, then its not a good choice.

Some recommendations: 
Oils good for dry skin -Macadamia, Olive, Avocado, Almond
Oils good for oily skin -Rosehip, Jojoba, Apricot Kernel, Safflower

Try mixing different oils, have fun and experiment.

Do you use oils? What's your skin type and what do you like to use?

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