Hi guys. After getting a lot of questions in the past few weeks, I wanted to add and clarify a few things that I wrote in my previous two posts: Skincare Ingredients Background & Skincare Routine.

1. I wrote that jojoba oil is an excellent moisturizing facial oil that is very much like what your own skin produces.

This is true. However, I also wrote that that’s because “it’s what your skin needs,” which as I’m reading it over now was probably very easily misconstrued to mean that jojoba oil is the most moisturizing one out there… It is not, and I’m sorry for not catching that mistake earlier. Jojoba oil is a mixed wax esther. The chemical composition of the different molecules that make up jojoba oil most closely resemble the mix that makes up human sebum (no, not all the molecules are exactly the same). Jojoba is moisturizing, but it’s moisturizing in the same way that your own sebum is – which clearly most of the time is not enough, otherwise we wouldn’t be putting all this other stuff on our faces, right? Jojoba oil is suitable for all skin types, but it’s chemical composition makes it uniquely good for two purposes:

• for acne-prone skin to de-clog pores and help keep them declogged
• for balancing oily skin – putting jojoba oil on your face can help your skin produce less sebum since the oil is already there (which in turn means less trapping of dirt/bacteria/etc in pores)

However, if you have very dehydrated skin, I would not suggest that you use pure jojoba oil by itself. It may help with your acne, but it may not be moisturizing enough for your skin. Jojoba oil is not drying in and of itself, but if you discontinue whatever you WERE using and start only using jojoba, you may experience a drying effect. (I have also heard stories of people who were allergic to jojoba oil, so like with all ingredients/products, do a patch test first.)

I do, however, still highly recommend jojoba oil as a carrier for heavier oils. Grapeseed, olive, sesame, sunflower, safflower, peanut, evening primrose, rosehip, borage seed, meadowfoam seed, kukui nut, even emu, etc are all fabulously moisturizing oils. They are really good for dry, dehydrated skin (grapeseed and olive oil would be my top picks, evening primorse is a bit harder to find, but also excellent). However, they’re much heavier, greasier-feeling oils. They also have a tendency to clog pores more readily. Because of that, using these oils in a smaller percentage with jojoba oil as the carrier can help:

• thin the oil so it doesn’t feel so heavy
• make it spread and absorb easier
• and keep your pores clear

I don’t use jojoba oil by itself either. I add olive squalane, which is a super-lightweight oil with excellent moisturizing properties. It’s kind of like the best of both worlds, haha. Olive squalane is pretty hard to find in brick-and-mortar stores. You’ll probably have to order it online. I get mine at Lotioncrafter.com. Apricot Kernel oil is another one that is more moisturizing but also has a lighter texture and this one can be found at most Whole Foods stores (or online too if you don’t have one near you).

If you can’t easily find these ingredients to mix yourself, you might try one of DressGreen’s facial serums. I haven’t tried any of her products myself, but her ingredients look really good and she has great feedback on her products. She does ship internationally, and please convo her if you have questions!

Also, if you don’t trust someone else’s homemade, or yourself to create something, John Masters, Dr. Hauschka, Juice Beauty, EvanHealy, Suki (and many others I’m sure) all make expensive oil “concentrates” with varying veggie oil ingredients and small quantities of fancy add-ins of questionable utility.

[Don't get me wrong, I love most of these brands and I actually think the John Masters one is actually quite a good deal considering the ingredients. And yes, most of them have enough ingredients that if you wanted to make it yourself, it'd be really expensive to get 1-4oz of all the ingredients and you probably couldn't use them all up before they went bad. However, I personally believe that simple is best and that most oils are not *that* different that you need that complicated a mix. Furthermore, the EvanHealy one really miffed me. Rosehip seed oil is NOT that expensive. You can get 4oz for $7 at thesage.com. Lavender and carrot seed essential oils are mid-priced. There are a few different types of chamomile that occupy a pretty large price range (mid to ridiculously expensive) and I'm sure immortelle is hard to find and pricey. But still. $22.50 for 1/2 an oz is a tad ridiculous. I think on that one, you're paying mostly for the bottle and the convenience.]

2. Vegetable oils go bad. Just like your mom’s canola oil can go rancid, so can all oils. Most vegetable oils have a shelf life of around 6 months after opening (they’re usually sealed airtight), some more, some less. You should be able to smell when it goes rancid. Jojoba oil is unique in that it’s stable enough to have a practically infinite lifespan… but it’s very unique. I certainly wouldn’t keep it for more than a year.

3. I didn’t mention this before, but I do add essential oils to my moisturizer. Essential oils and essential fatty acids are two different things. Vegetable oils can contain essential fatty acids, which are fabulous for your skin. Essential oils on the other hand, are specifically the concentrated, volatile, hydrophobic liquid containing aroma compounds extracted from plants, usually by distillation. (So avocado oil and lavender essential oil are two ENTIRELY different things.) They’re called “essential” because they’re supposed to smell “essentially” like the plant and they don’t really have any common chemistry or texture. Essential oils are used in perfumery, aromatherapy and widely believed to have special healing properties.

Please take what you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Some websites will have you believe that certain essential oils can even treat genital herpes. (Seriously, putting a highly volatile oil on your private bits sounds like the worst idea EVER.)

Essential oils are VERY CONCENTRATED. Most of them will seriously burn you, if you apply the undiluted oil to your skin. They are also volatile enough to catch fire, which is why you’re never supposed to put them undiluted into an oil burner. Tea Tree oil is probably one of the only ones you can apply directly to pimples, and it has an antimicrobial, extremely drying effect. It also has a distinct tingly, slightly burning feeling and that goes to show you how the more potent ones must burn.

So now that we have that out of the way. I use lavender essential oil and chamomile essential oil. Lavender essential oil is also antimicrobial and good for acne. I like it better than tea tree oil because it smells nicer and I feel that it’s a little less drying. Always follow the instructions on the bottle to dilute properly (usually 3 drops to the teaspoon, but please read!). Chamomile essential oil is purported to have calming, healing properties. I’m not sure I really believe any of it, and I think chamomile water & extract are much more potent, but I’m a huge fan of how chamomile smells, and that’s my main reason for including it in my moisturizer. Also I was able to score a bottle of it from The Body Shop for $4 during last year’s semi-annual sale.

I also have ginger, lemongrass, litsea cubea, sweet orange and bergamot essential oils. I don’t use any of these on my face. Why? Litsea cubea, sweet orange and bergamot are all citrus oils and are photosensitizing (they make your skin easier to sunburn). Ginger oil is a natural irritant (in fact you can find it in many lip plumpers). And… I just don’t use lemongrass because it’s also citrusy. I use these oils for scenting my homemade lotion bars and for putting in baths or in my oil burner (with a carrier oil).

Hope that helps!

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