Fluff piece: Put the coconut down!

Before you light the torches and grab your pitch forks let me tell you, I love coconut oil. I came full circle career wise from hairstylist and esthetician to coach and counselor and after 5 years I was back in a salon & spa. While on hiatus I spent a year of using beauty products that I made and bought ingredients strictly from a super market. Meaning only raw food grade quality on my skin, if I couldn’t ingest it then it wasn’t for me. I experimented with grape seed oil and olive oils, sesame oil among others, then I discovered coconut oil that year. However, coconut oil is too heavy for me, it clogged pores on my face and created texture on my skin where there was none. About these hair treatments, I would never put it in my hair. I use it as a moisturizer on my legs and elbows, cuticles and feet, often as a base in body scrub but with the intention of rinsing it off thoroughly after. Since then I feel like coconut oil has become the basic bitch of beauty and people I fear are missing out on the most amazing products known to wo/men. Unlike coconut oil, these oils I suggest will not clog pores and will never feel heavy on the skin; baobab, jojoba, rice bran oil and so many more. All boasting qualities that surpass the unrefined cold pressed organic staple that we have come to the peak of our fervid adoration for. So here are my top five oils you may want to introduce or reintroduce yourself to and some suggested uses…

Rice Bran Oil: This is my new favorite best anti aging friend, I recently found it as I was researching for anti aging miracle oils. The magic ingredient in this performing oil is Oleic acid, a highly used fatty-acid in mainstream anti aging creams. I just use the food grade raw oil. I have not been successful tracking down unrefined in the grocery store however I am just about to purchase it on line at bulkapothecary.com. A good mid priced oil for anyone willing to spend a little more cash while exploring new base oils for their beauty routines. I use it in part with jojoba 80/20, which I will speak to next, as a beautiful facial oil base. It’s a light silky finish with a fast absorption rate. I love it, my skin loves it.

Jojoba oil: Now this is actually a liquid wax derived from a seed of a shrub. It is an indigenous plant to North america and is the most like our own natural skin secretions. This makes the oil perfect for any use of the body, split ends, scalp to toes. The texture is extremely silky and luxurious, if your budget is high I suggest this one for all your beauty needs hands down. Alternatively it is a great way to add quality to an oil you already use such as rice bran and mix 80/20 or 70/30 to your liking. It is moisturizing and loaded with fatty acid chains for your skins delight and is a natural preservative. I have a deep devotion to this one!

Baobab oil: For you high rollers out there, this oil comes from Africa and is more expensive than jojoba, if you can get over the nutty sent (just add some essential oil) it’s a winner. Similar to jojoba, a seed oil from what they call “the tree of life” this highly prized oil will deliver! It is beautifully light, silky and is ideal for treating the ends of hair and delicate skin like around the eyes. I love to use these types of light oils on the more delicate areas of my body, if you don’t forget your silky “pink” parts, neither will your beloved! Have fun!

Grape seed oil: On a budget? A really great suggestion for someone looking for a lasting bottle of base oil that is light and scentless, if this is you, then look no further! You can add any essential oils and make this the most hard working moisturizer that is good for sensitive and mature skin, will not clog pores, stain sheets or PJ’s. Because it has astringent qualities due to the lanoleic acid it is an essential ingredient for a facial cleanser (for those “oil removes oil” believers), in addition to leaving you clean it will also tighten pores and support collagen production on a cellular level. What a work horse! If you can, start a oil cleansing routine today, I do! Its an amazing habit to initiate and this is an indispensable oil for that cause. It’s like the old adage said, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
P.S: if you use coconut oil as a lubricant and have found it to warm too much or that it might be starting to cause black heads/ingrown I say, switch to grape seed. You’re welcome.

Last but not least…

Rose hip oil: I found this little surprise at the local pharma-save of all places! It’s a conditioning and rejuvenating oil and is probably my favorite find this year. It has an active scent rather than a performing sent, think the stock of the rose rather than the flower essences (or rose hips, lol). Its so light and beautiful, the skin feels so smooth and remarkable after application, the oil is absorbed in seconds! For those that love a clean finish, its hard to not be devoted from the moment you use it. I will never be without this amazing oil in my beauty routine and if you haven’t had the pleasure, I think its time you get acquainted with this luxurious active oil for the sake of your skin and all that gaze upon it. Oh, and don’t forget to drink rose hip tea in the winter, its loaded with Vit C and anti-oxidants for the inside out believers, I will never stop being grateful for the rose!

Those are my top five beauty oils! Hope you learned a little or were inspired! Stay beautiful with wild holistic power and thrive!