Beauty: give skin and hair a boost with nourishing oils

Boost your beauty regimen with deeply nourishing hair, face and body oils,

AFEW YEARS BACK, oils were considered too greasy for the skin, clogging pores and causing break-outs. Those bottles of golden liquid also left hair looking like it hadn’t been washed for weeks. Fast forward to 2016 and we know they’re bursting with benefits. Beauty oils can help with everything from dry hair to ageing skin. Here, we reveal the new oils for your hair, face and body, and how to use them.

Hair oils

There are many oils available, such as argan, coconut, macadamia and almond oil. Rich in nutrients, they help moisturise the scalp and hair, add shine, tame frizz and repair damaged locks.

RAW Hair Salon owner Anthony Nader says the formulation of hair oils has improved over the past few years. Once the view was that an oil would “weigh your hair strands down and make you look like you’ve just been caught in a downpour.”

Now, he says, oils “have changed dramatically and won’t weigh down your strands, but will feed hair the nutrients and goodness it deserves.”

Anthony says hair oil will help to revitalise dull hair. “Apply it on damp hair before blow-drying,” he advises. “This absorbs into each strand better than when your hair is dry. Also, by drying the oil in, there’s no chance the hair shows even one per cent of oiliness.

“If you’re time-poor, rub the oil between your palms then rake it through mid-lengths and ends. You can even twist sections [about 4cm or 5cm] and then leave. This will give your hair more controllability and will form the perfect waves for your day ahead.”

Another handy tip: “When you’re giving yourself a moisture treatment at home, add a few drops of hair oil as well and pop on a shower cap. This keeps in the heat and accelerates the ingredients to perform to the max.”

Face oils

Facial oils can assist with almost every skin problem, from dryness to acne and ageing.

It may sound counter-intuitive, but facial oils can actually help to normalise your skin’s natural oil production. Stripping the skin with a harsh cleanser can often result in your oil glands becoming overactive, whereas a facial oil such as jojoba oil will cleanse the pores of dirt and bacteria that can cause pimples.

Skin expert Amy Erbacher says jojoba oil works well for those people with normal or combination skin because it mimics our own sebum and is a light and fine oil. “When selecting an oil, keep in mind the viscosity of the oil,” advises Amy. “For example, if you have oily skin and are prone to blackheads, I’d steer clear of heavier oils such as olive and coconut oil.”

Facial oils can also be your number one defence against fine lines and wrinkles because they plump and rehydrate the skin. When looking for a facial oil to help with the signs of ageing, opt for one that is packed with antioxidants. This will help protect against sun damage and free radicals such as smoke and pollution.

“Rosehip and carrot seed [rich in vitamin A] are both regenerative and assist cell turnover,” says Amy. Evening primrose oil and borage seed oil are also beneficial for mature skin.

“Borage seed oil is rich in gamma- linoleic acid,” she explains. “It’s also regenerative and firming, often used in anti-ageing and wrinkle preparations to fight dehydration.”

Amy suggests being selective about which oils you apply in the morning. “Especially in a climate that produces harsh rays, you want to avoid photo/sun sensitivity/ pigmentation,” she advises.

“Any oil applied topically to your skin in the day can burn, so apply sunscreen or a moisturiser with a high SPF factor over the top.”

REMEMBER: Applying a cuticle oil daily will help keep your nails and cuticles nourished, and prevent them from splitting.