Jojoba: The Holy Grail of Oils.

*Picture from http://askanesthetician.wordpress.com/category/ingredients/

Dramatic? Yes. True statement though, IMO.

I just started the OCM routine last Friday, utilizing a 70/30 mixture of castor and golden jojoba oils and using the jojoba separately as my skin "moisturizer". Let me tell you....this mixture has done what no other OTC or specialized cleanser has been able to do for me in YEARS. I haven't had a new pimple(white head, or otherwise), and my skin has been luminescent. And let me add I started using it during my monthly cycle. Nuff said. LMAO!

Now you're probably saying, well.....the title of this blog posting is specifically about jojoba oil(which is actually a wax), so WHY is it the "holy grail" of oils? Well, jojoba is one of the few oils that mimics the sebum that is naturally produced by our skin and scalp, which means that it serves as a protective barrier for both. It's also hypo-allergenic and an anti-inflammatory , which means it can be used on oily skin(and really ALL skin types) without causing breakouts and helping to minimize them!

As some of you may have read, I've had issues with my scalp being dry and flaky. While my henna definitely helps to kill the bacteria that can cause the flakiness, THIS has been able to lubricate my scalp and protect it from the elements naturally. I'm on day 5 of my twists and normally, my scalp is SCREAMING with dryness. I've oiled it with jojoba for the last 3 days and guess what? No major flaking. Literally NONE. One stubborn area that is always SUPER flaky/dry had just a few tiny flakes but NOTHING like I've experienced in the most recent past.

Oh, and did I mention my skin? I suffer from moderate acne on my face, arms, and back. For as long as I can remember(since 4th grade), this has always been an issue. And since working with animals and touching all types of surfaces and cleaning all type of fluids (ick, I know), I've found myself touching my face more(unintentionally), and my skin suffering as a result. OCM and jojoba oil has literally reversed about 2 months worth of damage.

I'm going to document my results starting today to show how my skin has progressed since utilizing this method. And for those unfamiliar, OCM is an acronym for the 'oil cleansing method'. You're utilizing this method to REMOVE excess oil and debris from your skin since oil actually helps to DISSOLVE it, not by attempting drying it out with abrasive surfactants that really don't work that well. I oil-cleanse at night, and cleanse with my other favorite clay-based cleanser by Lush, Angels on Bare Skin, in the morning. I may up the oil-cleansing to twice a day after I use up my Lush cleanser, but time will tell.

So if you have a dry scalp, use an oil that replicates the sebum naturally produced and you will see in a difference. And if you have oily skin and have found yourself frustrated, give OCM a try. I was a skeptic, but I've been proven wrong in ONLY a week. How awesome is that!?

Natural Urbanista

I wonder if this is still good.....

About 4 years ago, I lucked up and bought a 10lb bucket of Dead Sea Mud. Yes, I said 10lbs, for $20 bucks. Yup...$20 bucks. And it's from a well-known company from Israel, so I was stoked! Fast forward to now, and I still have like half of this pail left. LOL!



It still looks good and still works well, so I wonder if the shelf life generally given of 1-2 years is just a low end estimate?

Have any of you all had natural items that you've used beyond its "expiration" date? Considering how much is left, there's no way I'm tossing it. I just may do more body spa treatments. Especially on my more blemished areas.

Natural Urbanista

One of the bday presents.....SaWEET!

Literally! :)

So my pops being the awesome man that he is, purchased a Dolce & Gabbana gift set which included their Rose The One parfum, and two rollers(one eau de toilette and one parfum) of L'eau The One and The One for my bday a couple of weeks ago.



Rose The One parfum isn't what I expected. I'm not a HUGE floral fan. Especially of the rose-scent, although it's my signature flower. But it's surprisingly light. Smells of spring to me. Very happy. I think its base notes of vanilla and musk make it work for me because those tend to work with my chemistry. And once it settles, it smells like a sweet floral, but not sickeningly sweet.

It has the following notes:
Pink Grapefruit, Mandarin, Peach, Muguet, Bulgarian Rose, Peony, Geranium, Madonna Lily, Plum, Ambrette Seed, Vanilla, Amber, Musk.

But I think the rollers are my favorite, surprisingly.

The One is more warm in notes(this is one of the classifiers, for those not familiar w/fragrance [making], which is my favorite! More scentual(as I like to call it). It just smells SO enticing and makes you want to just sniff yourself. LOL! Its notes are as follows(and again, same base notes): Bergamot, Mandarin, Lychee, Peach, Madonna Lily, Muguet, Plum, Jasmine, Vetyver, Vanilla, Amber, Musk.


L'eau The One has a fruitier smell, but still works with the same base notes, which translates into it just smelling divine on me. Notes include the following: Bergamot, Mandarin, Lychee, Peach, Plum, Floral Muguet, Jasmine, Madonna Lily, Amber, Musk, Moss, Vanilla, Vetyver.

Overall, I LOVE this set. But I definitely think if I repurchase any of the items, I'll get a 2.5 oz bottle of The One. It just smells that good!

Natural Urbanista