By Julie Davis
An age-old beauty treatment gets a face-lift – and is more slick than ever
It’s been a beauty secret of women across the globe for centuries – slather the skin with oil for a soft, youthful, healthy glow. But the idea of applying oil to the face, here in the United States, has always been a big beauty no-no.
It makes sense, really. Why in the world would anyone want to smother their skin in oil? The word alone conjures up images of Wesson dancing in a frying pan. But what many women don’t know is oil, of the essential variety, can do wonders for the complexion. The products themselves are anything but oily.
“People are afraid to put oil on their skin thinking they will break out. But that is quite the opposite,” says Tara Dayan, an aesthetician at the Warren Tricomi salon in Shrewsbury. “Oil works with the natural oils in the skin to create harmony. Often times when people have dry skin, their body knows it’s dry and will produce more oil in the skin causing them to break out. The skin then becomes out of balance. By using oil it will balance the skin.”
In recent years, several beauty companies have reformulated their existing blends (even changing the name so not to include the word oil). Many are producing new and improved varieties – ones that are lightweight, multitask, absorb quickly and seriously treat the signs of aging.
Josie Maran’s Argan Oil is among one of the most popular – and potent – new oils that can be applied to the skin, hair and nails. It’s made with 100 percent pure Argan oil, which is rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, to help hydrate, nourish, soften and smooth. Caudalie, a French-based skin-care company who claims grape-seed polyphenols as their fountain of youth, sells a host of beauty oils, brilliantly disguised as concentrates.
Says Dayan, “Caudalie’s Pulpe Vitaminée Concentrate is great for skin lacking vitality. It’s a blend of grape-seed oil, neroli oil, and musk rose to regenerate the skin. For dry, sensitive skin, try Vinosource Concentrate with rose, jojoba, and grape-seed oil. Just warm a few drops in the palm of your hand and massage into the skin before you apply your moisturizer.”
From fine lines to dull skin, beauty oils are quickly becoming the treatment of choice in the battle for a radiant, youthful complexion. Whether you soak up the trend or not, there’s no denying these skin-loving, multitasking elixirs are rather, well, slick.
