As passionate lovers of all things natural and beautiful, we find it easy to appreciate nourishing plant oils. But in a world filled with varieties of natural oils, one in particular stands out as legendary: jojoba oil.
Using jojoba oil for skin care is a great way to contribute to healthier skin. It can help fight acne, lessen the signs of premature aging, and even defend skin against free radical damage.
Do you know the ins and outs of this superstar ingredient? We dive deep into the wonderful world of jojoba oil for skin.
Where does jojoba oil come from?
Jojoba oil is derived from a shrub called Simmondsia chinensis. The jojoba plant grows as a perennial in North American deserts, including Arizona, California, and northwestern New Mexico.
The hearty jojoba plant is prized not only for its ability to thrive in harsh climates, but also for producing an exceptional little nut packed with beneficial vitamins and minerals. When these nuts are pressed, they produce a carrier oil that is packed with skin-friendly properties.
3 Key Benefits of Jojoba Oil for Skin
Jojoba oil is actually a liquid wax, not an oil – as the name suggests. Indeed, it lacks a key element of oils: glycerol. This makes jojoba oil particularly resistant to rancidity, at least longer than conventional oils.
Nevertheless, if you use jojoba oil for skin like you would a conventional oil, you still have the right idea. It offers as many nourishing components as your traditional vegetable oil, such as coconut or rosehip. Jojoba oil is a moisturizing humectant and is also rich in vitamins C and E.
#1: Fight Acne
According a clinical trial, using jojoba oil for the skin can help fight acne-causing bacteria with its anti-inflammatory abilities. It probably helps that jojoba oil contains antifungal and antibacterial properties as well. Because it’s so similar to sebum, jojoba oil can also help stabilize sebum levels without being too heavy or greasy on the skin.
Jojoba oil can even work for oily or sensitive skin, as this oil is extremely low on the comedogenic scale. This means that jojoba oil does not clog pores, and since it is also hypoallergenicit should work for most – if not all – skin types.
#2: Anti-Aging
Besides fighting acne, jojoba oil may hold another valuable use for the skin through its anti-aging properties.
One of the most remarkable properties of jojoba oil is its moisturizing properties. Jojoba oil is a humectant, which means it veils your skin to lock in moisture, while protecting it from external bacteria. As you may know, moisture is essential to retain elasticity and youthful glow.
Jojoba oil can also help keep skin looking youthful by encouraging collagen production. Collagen is the most common protein in the body, and it’s abundant for a reason. Collagen performs several vital functions, such as providing structure to the skin while keeping it elastic and firm.
As we age, our bodies gradually produce less collagen, which causes skin to look thinner and more frizzy. However, at least a study shows that the application of antioxidants – such as those found in jojoba oil – may be linked to better collagen production.
#3: Skin Protection
Jojoba oil contains antioxidants, which are essential in preventing the buildup of free radicals found in our daily environment. Antioxidants should be considered an absolute skincare essential because, over time, free radicals can contribute significantly to early aging factors.
According to a dermatology study, the antioxidant properties of jojoba oil could make it a viable way to treat sunburn. Additionally, jojoba oil offers a quality not always present in natural ingredients: its pH balance is slightly acidic. Usually around 4.5-5, jojoba oil can be particularly ideal for fortifying our skin’s defense system: the acid mantle.
How to use jojoba oil for skin
Thanks to its versatility, you have many options when it comes to using jojoba oil for skin and body care.
To get started, one of the easiest and most direct ways is to apply cold-pressed jojoba oil directly to the skin, just like you would facial oil. While this is certainly one way to do it, it may not be for everyone – pure jojoba oil may have a slightly stickier, waxier texture (remember, this is technically a wax).
SKIN CARE
The other option is to try clean, high-quality herbal beauty products that contain jojoba oil. Our PM Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidant Facial Oil uses Retinol and other powerful antioxidants such as Vitamins C, E, and D3, which help boost the anti-aging properties of Jojoba Oil.
BODY CARE
To refine the cleansing and humectant properties of jojoba oil for the skin, our lavender body scrub contains nourishing jojoba oil. Along with soothing lavender essential oil and French sea salt, this jojoba oil based scrub is excellent for exfoliating and softening rough or dry skin.
Jojoba oil is also found in our coconut and honey almond scrubs, and in addition to crystalline French sea salt, they also contain vitamin E, or tocopherol, which helps add some additional antioxidant.
TO PUT ON MAKEUP
Most primers are made with silicone, to help skin look more flawless before you add foundation. But if you familiarize yourself with the worst makeup ingredients for your skin, you’ll know that silicone may not be suitable for all skin types.
For our luminous base, we instead use jojoba oil, jojoba esters (pearls) and aloe vera to create a spreadable base texture. This anti-aging make-up base uses the antioxidant power of jojoba oil and vitamin E, as well as resveratrol: a type of polyphenol found in red wine.
So if you’re looking for what could be considered the most versatile and universal oil in the world – it’s not really an oil at all – bank on the great benefits of jojoba oil. for beauty!
