Beauty | Why oil is my hair and skin saviour this season
With its soaring popularity in recent times, oil has come to be a new-age beauty fix of some kind. From the rose gold speckled elixir that's spotted all over Instagram to the celebrity favoured dark Josie Maran bottle, it seems like a dressing table is incomplete without a beauty oil on it. From applying it as a serum to moisturising one's lips prior to swiping on liquid lipstick, there isn't a single beauty addict who hasn't experienced oil in their hair or skin care routine, in some way or another.
So how did the human population decide to suddenly bestow oil with a badge of honour as a fixer of frizzy hair and moisturiser of dry skin? Well, for one it isn't a modern discovery at all. Back in ancient Egypt, Cleopatra is said to have favoured olive and sesame oil. From my own experience as an Indian woman, oil being used in beauty treatments is far from new. In fact, my earliest memory of it is from head massages with coconut oil during my school days, which was enough to leave me mellowed and relaxed for the rest of the day. As per Indian tradition, even new mothers and their babies receive oil massages to stimulate their blood circulation and firm their skin.
The revival of beauty oil is one I saw coming. So the recent popularity of the liquid in beauty; be it as an essential oil blend for lustrous hair growth, an oil pulling base or a moisturiser, made me happy to see the industry go back to its roots. Even with an oily skin type and scalp, the substance has been a permanent part of my beauty routine, whether it's on trend or not. As I consider myself an OG oil obsessor of sorts, today I'm telling you about my favourite hair and beauty oils plus how my adoration for them began.
As with most babies, my connection with Johnson's began at infancy with their creamy soaps and comforting lotions . Little did I know, decades later I'd be going back to where it all began, albeit for a different skin of skin care. Since my skin type is generally oily, moisturising is an area that I can sometimes afford to cut some slack in because sebum has my back. So it was unprecedented one winter, when I noticed that my limbs were dry and flaky. While lotion is something I procrastinate with using until I step outside, I zeroed in on Johnson's Baby Oil to moisturise my skin through the night without leaving me sticky. All it took were a few applications to find that the lightweight baby oil left my skin supple, shiny and as fragrant as a new born!
Like I mentioned earlier, I'm a whole hearted supporter of coconut oil and for that, I'm eternally grateful to my grandmother and mother for always having a bottle on hand. While my love affair with it began in childhood, it bloomed when I hit adulthood. Lip scrub? Add a little brown sugar to it and scrub away. Spa day? Nothing like my favourite head massage to top it off. In the past few years, I've also trusted the pure handmade oil as a make up remover for my oily, sensitive skin. After trying scores of dual phased removers, till date there's nothing that melts even the most high coverage make up like my favourite coconut oil.
So how did the human population decide to suddenly bestow oil with a badge of honour as a fixer of frizzy hair and moisturiser of dry skin? Well, for one it isn't a modern discovery at all. Back in ancient Egypt, Cleopatra is said to have favoured olive and sesame oil. From my own experience as an Indian woman, oil being used in beauty treatments is far from new. In fact, my earliest memory of it is from head massages with coconut oil during my school days, which was enough to leave me mellowed and relaxed for the rest of the day. As per Indian tradition, even new mothers and their babies receive oil massages to stimulate their blood circulation and firm their skin.
 |
| source |
The revival of beauty oil is one I saw coming. So the recent popularity of the liquid in beauty; be it as an essential oil blend for lustrous hair growth, an oil pulling base or a moisturiser, made me happy to see the industry go back to its roots. Even with an oily skin type and scalp, the substance has been a permanent part of my beauty routine, whether it's on trend or not. As I consider myself an OG oil obsessor of sorts, today I'm telling you about my favourite hair and beauty oils plus how my adoration for them began.
As with most babies, my connection with Johnson's began at infancy with their creamy soaps and comforting lotions . Little did I know, decades later I'd be going back to where it all began, albeit for a different skin of skin care. Since my skin type is generally oily, moisturising is an area that I can sometimes afford to cut some slack in because sebum has my back. So it was unprecedented one winter, when I noticed that my limbs were dry and flaky. While lotion is something I procrastinate with using until I step outside, I zeroed in on Johnson's Baby Oil to moisturise my skin through the night without leaving me sticky. All it took were a few applications to find that the lightweight baby oil left my skin supple, shiny and as fragrant as a new born!
Like I mentioned earlier, I'm a whole hearted supporter of coconut oil and for that, I'm eternally grateful to my grandmother and mother for always having a bottle on hand. While my love affair with it began in childhood, it bloomed when I hit adulthood. Lip scrub? Add a little brown sugar to it and scrub away. Spa day? Nothing like my favourite head massage to top it off. In the past few years, I've also trusted the pure handmade oil as a make up remover for my oily, sensitive skin. After trying scores of dual phased removers, till date there's nothing that melts even the most high coverage make up like my favourite coconut oil.
Photography: Raynor Pereira / Style File
If the inclusion of micellar water seems like an odd fit to this list, let me explain. By definition, micelles are oil cleansing molecules which form the gentle substance by attracting impurities and drawing them out of the skin. The L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Water seemed like the natural choice for my sensitive skin and I couldn't have been more right! It leaves the skin fresh after easily cleansing away make up, sits lightly on the face when used as a toner and doesn't feel greasy or harsh for a second.
Possibly the most renowned hair oil out there, I first discovered MorrocanOil Treatment Original at the Taj Salon. At first I wrote it off as one of those overrated beauty products that people buy because of the hype but it was only until I tried it that I realised how wrong I was. Other than leaving the hair with a delectable fragrance, this Argan Oil infused wonder soothes frizz in a jiffy, adds a glossy finish and leaves hair so smooth, you'll want to keep running your fingers through it. If there's only one review you trust, make it this one because the MorrocanOil Treatment is the hair oil, serum and styling potion that good hair days are made off.
xo
Dayle
