Healing Dry Sensitive Skin

Jojoba oil has become wildly popular in skin care products. Its stability gives it a conveniently long shelf life. It is virtually odorless, making it an ideal carrier medium for scents and perfumes. Plus it spreads easily and absorbs deeply without leaving any greasy residue. It’s also remarkably efficient – a very little goes a long way.

Jojoba oil can work miracles on the skin. It combines easily with our natural oil to unclog pores, leaving them deeply cleansed and refreshed. It also has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce symptoms of acne, eczema and psoriasis. But the main reason jojoba oil has become so sought after is because it can add luster and beauty to even the driest of skin. Its beauty benefits are immense.

This is an oil (well, liquid wax, really) that improves the suppleness of the skin. It softens and smoothes it, minimizes fine lines, reduces the size of pores, and prevents eruptions and breakouts. Some people refer to it as a miracle worker when they see how it restores the aliveness of dry or mature skin.

Jojoba oil has many of the characteristics of sperm oil, long a favorite ingredient in cosmetics, but one that became unobtainable after 1971 when an international ban on commercial whaling was put into effect. Like sperm oil, it is very similar to the natural oil, or sebum, that we secrete through our pores. And while technically a wax, rather than an oil, it is extremely stable and can be used on even the most sensitive of skin without causing any adverse reaction.

This is definitely an ingredient to look for in your moisturizer. Just make sure there is more than a token amount of it in whatever moisturizer you buy. You can tell by looking at where it is located in the list of ingredients. The list is in descending order of quantity. If it’s not close to the head of the list, find a different product.

I mix a little of my favorite organic crème into a 4 oz bottle of jojoba oil and use it as a body oil. It’s especially delicious after a bath, and not too expensive as it spreads so well. You need only use a tiny amount. I keep it in a glass bottle, like other fine oils I use. There are questions about how they react to plastic that cause me to avoid putting them in plastic containers.

And as a final bonus – jojoba is cultivated in some of the most arid areas of the world, places where it has been very hard for people to make a living from the land. The popularity of jojoba has resulted in rising incomes and prosperity where they are most needed – much better than killing whales, for sure!