By BR Amelia
The Forum is on a bit of a Rosehip Oil buzz right now - and with any must-have product, come questions. Lots of questions.
Oils can be a marvelous addition to your skincare regime. They can nourish the skin, offer healing properties, plump up wrinkles, and even out skin tone. But what oils are ‘the good oil’? How can you tell which oil will pack the most punch? Is it a case of you pay for what you get?
We put on our detective hat, pulled out our magnifying glass and got on the case.
It appears a lot of the price difference comes down to how the oil is extracted, and whether it’s organic or not. For example refined face oil tends to be extracted en masse using a heat process, which can destroy the goodness in an oil. So while you would technically be slathering your face in said oil - you woudn't be slathering on the benefits attributed to that oil. However a cold-pressed oil is extracted in smaller batches using less heat causing less damage to the oil. If you take rosehip oil for an example, you will see that a 20 to 25ml bottle of organic cold-pressed rosehip oil will cost anywhere between $19 – 27, where as you can get a 100ml refined bottle of rosehip oil for less than $15.
So does sustainability make a difference in price? It’s actually hard to tell. A lot of the more inexpensive oil brands don’t tend to mention whether they’re sustainable or not, however the brands that are sustainable, which also tend to be the brands producing organic unrefined face oils, are quick to mention their sustainability practices. At the end of the day, being a conscientious buyer often means investing a little more dollar in the product.
So if you want the best from your face oil what should you look for? First of all check to see that it says organic and unrefined or cold-pressed, that way you can be sure you’re getting the best the oil can give, without any nasties. It may seem obvious, but also check the ingredients list. It should be short. As in: contains 100% Pure Certified Organic Cold Pressed Jojoba Oil or 100% Rosa Canina seed oil, or a mix if it’s a blend of oils.
If you’re determined to ensure you’re buying a top quality oil from an environmentally friendly and cruelty free company, do your research – a quick Google will come up with the companies who care, because they’re smart enough to shout it from the rooftops.
There’s a lot of information out there, and you can quickly get a brain ache from trying to suss out the good from the bad. But when it comes to the good face oil it appears the KISS method is king. The simpler, the less processed, the better.
So do you believe all oils are created equal? Do you think you get what you pay for? What’s your favourite oil and why? Chat away …..
I was just thinking about this the other day - I imagine the same applies to 'food'oils like olive oil too