Ever wondered how in the distant past people cared for their skin, before the dawn of the “Advanced Anti-aging Moisturizing Cream era”? I led a skincare event yesterday and some of the older attendees shared memories of what their grandmothers used: olive oil, arachis (peanut) oil, coconut butter, which really seemed to do them well!
Indeed, creams are actually a late invention. Their market appearance in the first half of the 20th century was made possible by the isolation of surfactant mixtures from sheep wool. Surfactants (emulgators) are helper ingredients that are necessary to keep an oil stably dispersed in water, forming a creamy matrix. Nowadays they are mostly of synthetic origin.
Creams have a big advantage above oils: their consistency is semi-solid and they are well spreadable without the risk of spilling drops and staining your pants. Since they largely consist of water, they feel cool when applied: the water quickly evaporates after absorbing the heat of your skin, depositing the remaining oil (and surfactant helper ingredients) onto the skin surface.
But here’s the concern: water allows for the growth of bacteria and molds. Your cream gets dirty over time. To keep it clean and stop the growth of microorganisms you have to add preservatives, often of synthetic nature. These can harm your skin’s microbiome, which is a protective well-regulated symbiosis of good microorganisms.
But water is needed to hydrate your skin, no? Well, here it comes: the good old oils our grand-grand mothers resorted to might have been more effective in that regard. And who remembers Vaseline and who in fact, is still using it? Vaseline (or aptly called petroleum jelly) is a leftover mineral oil from the offshore drilling industry. Still nothing more effective than some grease on a cold winter’s day!
So, if oil can do it for us and our skin, next time - rather than grabbing the oil from the kitchen next to the spice rack or the grease from the bottom of our closet - take a look at the great variety of delicate herbal seed and nut oils that are sold nowadays. There is a natural oil for every skin type and skin need!
In my further blogs I will highlight herbal seed and nut oils and I will tell you what they can do for your skin. I have 12 personal favorites that will surprise you in terms of texture, feel and especially their health benefit.
Take care of yourself and your skin!
Josbert