Happy Friday Fashionistas! As you might have noticed from Bree's post and Charity's review on Monday and Wednesday, The Gathered Lady is all about beauty this week. And I don 't know about you guys, but these girls are amazing! I went to Walgreens last night on a last minute hair product junkie-fueled spree, and their beauty tips were in my mind. I walked out of there with not one, not two, but three of their suggested beauty products, and just barely avoided the makeup aisle where I knew I would find those amazing lip colors that Bree spilled about. #nowillpowerhere
To that end, I went to my own lil' treasure trove of secrets, and the most valuable thing that I decided to share with you is the MOST universal beauty power product of all time (which I am a great fan and user of): oil. Why oil, do you ask? Well:
1. It's Natural. For all concerned about chemicals, carcinogens, perfumes, dyes, and all things not naturally occuring in nature, be soothed. All the oils perfect for your beauty needs are naturally occuring oils from plants growing in nature. Other oils are herb-infused plant-based oil.
2. It's Universal. No matter what your culture is, where you live, or your race, women all over the world since the beginning of time have used oil in their beauty rituals. Unless you are not from earth. In which case I say... nanu-nanu?
3. A Million Types. A Million Uses. There are literally hundreds of oils that have beauty applications. Some are rare, some are positively ubiquitous. Some are sitting in your kitchen cabinet right now, just waiting for you to realize that they would just do wonders for your hair's shine, your cuticle's softness, or your hormonal acne. Wake up! Transfer some of that stuff from the kitchen to the bathroom and enlarge your beauty arsenal.
4. It's Cheap. For the most part. One of the best things about oils is that they are mostly cheap, especially when you consider: a) the comparative cost between synthetic beauty products, b) the fact that most of them are wonderful for hair, skin, and nails all at once, c) you can add small amounts of oils to many of your existing products to increase their effectiveness, and d) you can make many many infused oils at home!
You wanna look like this, dontcha?Have I convince you yet? Great! Now, with a million types and uses I want to stick to the ones that I can vouch for (which also happen to be some of the most well-known, versatile, widely available, and cheapest ones). So here are my 7 heavenly oils for beauty:
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- Cold-pressed, fresh oil
- Moderate odor (easily disappears when mixed with other products)
- Great as a sealant/lubricant for hair, skin, nails
- Excellent to mix into other products to increase moisturizing effect
- These oil infuses other herbs easily and wonderfully.
- Also useful for medicinal purposes (poultice, heat pack, oil pulling)
Coconut Oil
- Not enough can be said about this oil, which happens to be the most like the natural oils produced by human skin and therefore able to penetrate the skin and hair shaft like no other.
- Great for direct application to the skin.
- Mixes a million ways for hair and skin products.
- Hair staple -- mixes with other oils and shea butter for an amazing deep conditioner.
- More pleasant flavor alternative for oil pulling.
Castor Oil
- Besides its laxative effect when ingested that your granny might use, this oil has miraculous, regenerative growth properties. Direct application to eyebrows, eyelashes, and damaged hair causes thickening and re-growth (I'm an eye-witness to this one!).
- Great for wrinkles, cracked heels, skin moles, and stretch marks!
- Amazing deep conditioning and thickening properties for hair. Plays well with coconut and EVOO in the same treatment, if you like. :)
- Also is sometimes used successfully as a cleanser for the face in lieu of soap and water.
- Jamaican Black variety is more raw form for even more hair and skin growth properties.
Jojoba Oil
- Amazing light oil for the hair and skin.
- Can be used as a great massage oil.
- Tames flyaways and adds shine without weighing hair down. My hair loves this oil for styling!
- This one can be used as a "carrier oil" to seal in other skin products and deliver their healthful ingredients deeper into the skin layer.
Argan Oil
- Comes from the a specific area of Morocco only. This one is rarer, but becoming more popular and can be found in more and more places.
- Argan Oil is great for the hair as a styling and finishing oil.
- Great for the face -- mask, toner, lip moisturizer.
- A few drops of this oil go a long way (especially since the pure oil is more expensive)
Amla Oil
- A favorite of mine! Indian Ayurvedic amla is sold in both an oil and powder form. I far prefer the oil. Also this is sold as both an "Amla" and an "Amla Lite". I use the Amla Lite from Dabur with great results.
- Amla has a strong scent which you may or may not like.
- This oil has darkening and thickening properties, and Indian women have been using this oil for centuries to get rid of their grey along with henna. Amla can change your henna color (deepen) among other things.
- Amla is said to combat lice and dandruff.
- It will bring a ratty weave or wig back from the dead <-- Yes I went there. Yes, from experience.
Tea Tree Oil
- The uses of tea tree oil for cleaning and medicine are more than well-documented. But that anti-bacterial, anti-fungal powerhouse oil is also useful to your beauty regimen for the same reason.
- Very little of this oil goes a LONG way. In its most concentrate form, using to much directly on the skin will cause burns. (Something I have done in my zeal for this holy grail product! Learn from me! Save yourselves!)
- Perfect for adding to homemade conditioners, spritzers and mixers.
- Dandruff, nail fungus, acne... none are a match for a few drops of tea tree oil applied regularly!
- Tea Tree Oil is functional and aromatic. It has aromatherapy properties that make it a good bath additive or massage oil additive.
And just because I'm a champ, I've put together this handy chart for you guys!
Well what do you guys think? Have I sent you running off to the kitchen, the store, Whole Foods, or to the conveniently located olive tree in the backyard to buy some oils today? I hope so. Before you get into using these oils, do a bit of googling and reading for yourself, and you'll see that my list here is just the tip of the iceerg on oil types themselves, as well as uses for the ones that I wrote about. Share your thoughts, opinions and findings with us by email and facebook!