If you know anything about me, you know that I'm always trying to find the next best trend or makeup trick. Whether it be washing your hair with apple cider vinegar (it works!), using a white jumbo eye pencil as your eyeshadow primer or the infinite benefits of coconut oil - I'm your girl. You guys, I have to get something out. It's one of those things that I want to nonchalantly throw into every conversation, especially with all you makeup hoarders like me, but I figured writing a post on it would be my next best bet.
Say hello to oils. Yes, oils. Maybe you're thinking of extra virgin olive oil or drizzling it over your chicken salad, but I'm talking about using them on your skin. Sounds weird, right? Trust me, it's not. Let me give you a little back story. In the past, I've never been one to be super obsessed with skincare. You know those nights when you get home and the last thing you want to do is wipe off your eye makeup (hi college & late nights at the bars)? Well, finding a quality skincare routine was never a high priority for me - until recently. A few years ago I made an effort to completely revamp, actually more like completely create, my own routine. Starting from the ground up, I've found what works for my skin -- from cleansers, moisturizers, serums, and makeup remover -- and naturally I found what doesn't. I've added coconut oil into my life (see here). And from reading other bloggers sites, I've found that oils have continued to been a constant for many. My girl Lauryn Evarts from The Skinny Confidential (one of the realest bloggers out there -- no subject is taboo, from her experience with botox to tips for shaving your bikini line) was really the deciding factor in giving oils a trial run.
In one of her posts, Lauryn recommended jojoba oil for pretty much everything and I knew I had to give it a whirl because well, I love trying new things. Ok so I went to Walgreens the day I decided I'd give it a run because when I want to try something I just can't wait for the 2-day Amazon shipping. I pretty much have the see it, want it mentality (which can also be to blame for some seriously bad haircuts in the past due to impulsive decisions). I ended up not seeing jojoba oil, but found sweet almond oil instead. Bought - check. I purchased it and that night I used it on a piece of tissue and gently removed my makeup. It was the easiest thing in the world. ALL of my mascara actually came off and it was so gentle on my lashes, which I loved. Not to mention, the whole bottle cost a whopping $5. How amazing is that?!
Ok, so you're probably thinking: ok great, Kim, but what else can it do besides remove makeup?
Great question. ;)
That same night I removed my makeup, I washed my face, put on some moisturizer, and topped it all off with some almond oil. I put it all over my face, neck, and back of my arms because I have keratosis pilaris (those tiny little bumps on the back of your arms - I'm sure a ton of you, girls especially, can relate to this). Threw on my PJs and fell asleep. I admit, it was a little weird at first to go to bed with oil on my face, but honestly it didn't feel much different than using a moisturizer. **I recommend using the oil at night so that it can sink into your skin and you're not an oily mess all day.
When I woke up my skin felt SO smooth. Let me preface this by saying that my skin has been super dry (winter probs) lately and the oil completely rejuvenated it. My face, neck and the back of my arms were so soft -- baby soft, for lack of a better word. YOU GUYS, this stuff seriously works. This isn't some ad BS - I haven't been told to write this review and I'm definitely not making money from posting this so trust me when I say you need oils in your life.
Great. So soft skin, but what else can oils do for my skincare routine?
I've always used coconut oil as a hair mask or even to tame flyaways. So why not try almond oil for my hair too? So I did. I use a teeny tiny bit on the ends of my hair post-blow dry and its been super great for some shine. I've also used it on wet hair. Before bed, just massage some on your scalp and throughout your hair and rinse out in the AM. Your hair will be SO shiny and silky.
If you can't tell, I love this stuff. If you have any questions about it - comment below!
Shop a few of my favorites here: almond oil | jojoba oil | rose hip oil