Hi again friends!
I am sure those of us living in the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, especially those who enjoy flaunting our woollens and those of us who like being cosy inside our duck feather comforters or the heavy duty Korean blankets; are upset about the late arrival of winter this year. Weather bureau blames it on EL-NINO. Personally, I don’t care, whether; it’s EL-NINO or LA-NINA effect. All I can say that the winter is not at its best in 2016.
Best is a superlative and subjective term. We know that. But can it be applied to winter or the subject of my blog today? For e.g. Can we say which is the best oil, for massaging my cute new born bundle of joy or for cooking a spicy Indian curry. We will not discuss cooking here, as this is a beauty and well-being related section.
Ok, so let’s rephrase this question. Is there – the best, very good, most apt or the perfect oil for massaging different skin types? Or, the best oil for replenishing the lost skin moisture, in this timid or not so timid winter?
Based on my several different interactions with medical doctors, oil technologists, PhD holding nutritionists, dermatologists from Malaysia, Germany, Australia, India, Egypt and China, personally I have come to this firm and scientific conclusion that there is NO ‘ONE’ or ‘THE BEST’ oil for any skin type or occasion! And as a person with scientific, rational or logical bent of mind, I will not be intolerant against any new academic research or unbiased finding that you may forward, to contradict my claims. (And hopefully you will not be representing the vested interest of the marketing and promotion or paid research department of a particular type of oil selling company)
The various vegetable oils, creams or fats (including dairy fat) traditionally preferred in different parts of India for various topical (external) application is usually based on historical knowledge; that has been handed over to us by our ancestors over many centuries. In other words, an individual’s preference for a particular oil /fat was and to large extent is; determined by various geographical and agro-climatic factors they lived in. To put it simply, whatever plant / tree / crop grows in that soil type, clime resulting in easier access, availability and affordability, got preference over other oils and fats. Hence we find that in India, coconut oil is the most preferred one in tropical Kerala, whereas mustard in the Gangetic plains of Bihar, West Bengal and UP. Most of the dairy fats like ghee and clarified butter in consumed / preferred in states with higher bovine population (pun intended) and milk production; like Haryana, Punjab etc.
The same logic applies for people inhabiting different countries, regions etc. of our planet. For e.g.; in a tropical country like Philippines, with year round availability of coconut, they would have used coconut oil and coconut oil based creams for generations. Today, a country that grows maximum amount of soya (USA / Brazil), sunflower (Russia / France) or olive (Italy / Greece) or cocoa (Columbia) will give priority to oils and fats derived from those sources as it’s easily available at a lower cost.
So, from now on, do not lose your sleep over which brand and type of oil to apply on your beautiful skin. Be guilt and stress free when you opt for one brand / type of oil over the other for you or your near and dear one. Oils and fats in their external application, are supposed to lend softness to our skin by moisturising them. An oil should make your skin feel supple, lend lustre, look refreshed and recharged. That’s why we at ‘Home Salon Service’ India believe that it is the quality and experience of our therapists that makes the ultimate difference and not just the oil.
Even the most advertised baby oil of a famous multi-national company was recently found to have no extra special qualities like higher quantity of Vitamin E or any other magical nutrients that make them charge a premium over other vegetable oils. Hence any of 18-19 vegetable oils, available on this planet earth; be it sesame, almond, apricot, mustard, coconut or olive is as good as the other.
Moreover, the much advertised rare and exotic Vitamins that the branded expensive baby oils claim to possess are either entirely or near totally destroyed during the solvent extraction, heating generated in refining and packaging process! All refined oils have no special qualities in them. If they have any, it is for a limited shelf life period and created with the help of extra supplements mixed in it during the packing process!
Make merry, pass on this information to many in your friends and family.
Maya Menon
