My Brief History with Natural Oils and Butters

I mentioned doing a post on natural body butters and the possibility of making the skin darker in a previous post. This is coming about abut three months later because I have been experimenting more on these butters and trying to observe its effects on my skin.

****Please Note: I don't use any of the mentioned oils or butters on my face. They are strictly for my body only. I will do a post soon on my recommended facial oils.****

I used extra virgin olive oil for about three months during the autumn/winter in the United Kingdom. It was alright; I found it a bit heavy though because the weather made the oil have a thicker consistency. I am a bit heavy handed, so I tend to take more than required and end up having greasy skin (although I don’t mind that because I love the oily glow look). However, I didn't like the fact that it didn't absorb well into my skin, It felt like it was always sitting on top. So, I got bored of using it and switched to grapeseed oil. Olive oil didn't change my skin tone.

Grapeseed oil is alright, it was perfect for the UK winter weather for me. It absorbed perfectly, it was very light and still gave me a good glow. My skin tone remained the same. I will rate it a good 9/10. I stopped using it when I moved back to my country and found the organic/pure grade of this oil, not easily accessible.

Coconut oil is another miraculous oil to try. Its smell, light weight nature, easy spread-ability and absorb-ability on the skin, gives this oil a great advantage. In colder climates, coconut oil tends to solidify and look like a heavy butter but in hotter climates (like where I reside) it is very runny and liquid. My only drawback with this wonder oil is that I don’t find it enough for my skin. By midday, my skin doesn't feel moisturized enough. My skin is accustomed to heavier moisture creams/sealants, so I am guessing its finding coconut oil not sufficient.

Shea Butter, my first and last love, I am always back and forth with this butter. When I am in between oils and creams or when other oils and creams fail to meet my skin’s need, Shea butter has remained true to me. I am the disloyal one in this relationship. Full of amazing properties like sun-blocking (provides natural ultraviolet sun protection up to about SPF 6), hydrating, improves skin elasticity, mildly prevents stretch-marks and contains amazing Vitamin E and A. It gives me a very healthy glow and my skin always feels succulent. I make it into an amazing whipped cream, for easy spread-ability and add other light oils to it. So far so good, it hasn't made my skin darker. Although, I will recommend getting the purest/raw Shea butter because in the past, adulterated ones have not only made me darker but gave me rashes and other allergies.

Cocoa Butter, the other love. I have fallen so much in love with cocoa butter that I have been forced to let it co-habit with my Shea Butter. In fact to be honest, for every 20g of cocoa butter I use, I use 5g of Shea butter. I haven’t found a soul that can resist the yummiest of this butter. Its chocolaty smell doesn't help either. Cocoa butter is great for stretch mark prevention and treatment. It is also recommended for the treatment of skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis. It helps retain the needed moisture to the skin. Its usage will be a long run staple for me. I will rate my cocoa butter whipped mix cream at 10/10. This is because of its yummy smell, moisturizing properties, easy absorbency and gives me a nice glow.

I also just got a free tub of Mango Butter; I can’t wait to try that very soon too.

You Think You can Trust Brands to Take Care of You. Well Think Again

A friend forwarded an article on this website (unveiled wife) for me to read. I never pass an opportunity to read new blogs/articles websites that help improve on self, body, hair and living generally, so I was very excited to give it a read. Feeling very inspired by the article, I opened the authors bio on the blog. Her story was so moving that I just had to re-post it on my blog. 

I quote a portion of Jennifer Smith's (unveiled wife) full story;

''Despite the doctors telling me I am as healthy as can be, pain seized my body during almost every sexual encounter. I began avoiding intimacy with my husband and eventually he stopped pursuing me, injured by the blow of my rejections. There were a handful of times over the course of 4 years that sex didn't hurt as bad, but it was definitely far less than satisfying. 

During the first few years of marriage I didn't want to talk about my issue too much with others. I had insecurities welling up inside that I was an inadequate wife, unable to please my husband. I convinced myself that others would judge me negatively..... 

I was threatened by the thought of my marriage coming to an end. 

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The biggest breakthrough my husband and I experienced happened in November of 2010. We firmly believe that God heard our cries to experience a fulfilling marriage and He responded in a miraculous way. He brought my husband’s attention to a facial cleanser product that I had been applying daily for nearly 8 years.  After researching the ingredients in my face wash, we discovered that there were a handful of harmful chemicals in the product, including parabens. I immediately stopped using anything and everything that contained parabens and within 3 days I noticed a difference. Within a week, my husband and I experienced an easier time during intercourse and within a month we were able to enjoy sex, pain free!''

- Read more at: http://unveiledwife.com/about/

One wonders how something as little as a facial cleanser that one has trusted for over 8 years can cause such a huge problem in one's life. I will always advocate that it is our responsibility to research and know what we put on and into our bodies. It might seem little and insignificant now but one can't really say when and where these little and insignificant things can pop their head.