>What kind of oils are good for senstive skin?
Oh good I was hoping someone would ask
I love using oils on my skin, and while I don't worry about every little thing (there are far too many) some nasty things are easy to avoid and worth the little effort especially if the old way makes you break out in rashes.
A very good oil for skin is emu oil, (yes, that's emu and it's a bird). Emu oil has a very similar lipid profile to human skin, and is absorbed well and *used* by the skin. Here's an excerpt from
http://www.newstarget.com/009126.html
"Emu oil is a non-inclusive barrier. It doesn't plug your pores, and it's nearly identical to fats found deeper in the dermis layers of your skin. Studies done by Dr. Robert Nicolosi of the University of Massachusetts have proven that emu oil is a transdermal, and it has been published as such in medical journals. It's one of only a few substances known to be a good transdermal, meaning that it can easily pass through skin. It's also published as an effective anti-inflammatory."
A lot of people don't like it because it comes from a bird and also because it is heavy. This is a good producer of emu oil, their triple refined oil is a good quality:
http://lbemuoil.com/ Jojoba oil is another good oil that has a similar lipid profile to human skin.
There are lots of other good oils though too and I usually make my own mix of oils for my body. You want carrier oils and not essential oils. Essential oils are very concentrated and are supposed to be diluted before using on the skin. In the summer I use lighter oils and include grapeseed oil in the mix. Grapeseed oil is light and absorbs very fast. Almond and apricot oils are traditionally used as massage oils because they don't penetrate the skin quickly, so if I add any of these I use very little in the mix. Here is a good place to describing the properties of some of the oils:
http://www.naturesgift.com/aromatherapycar_ord.htm
The oils that I use on my sensitive skin are:
emu
jojoba
rose hip
camellia
grapeseed
squalane
shea
apricot
almond
Everyone's skin is different so just because my skin likes these oils doesn't mean someone elses will. There are lots of places online to read about the properties of oils for skin. Some are a little overwhelming though because there are so many oils.
