Skincare Gone to Seed

My skin feels so amazing right now, and it smells delicious. Downright edible.

And you'd think that would be a good thing, right? Well...

A friend who knows what a fanatic I am about taking care of my skin read my recent post about using oils to moisturize. She was pretty excited to tell me about an oil I've never used before: Sesame Seed Oil. Not only is this stuff supposed to be good for the skin and hair but, apparently, it's got benefits I hadn't known about.

When I ran out to do my grocery shopping earlier today, I saw a bottle of the oil at Walmart. The price wasn't bad so I picked up a bottle. We don't have our snow yet and the rainy weather has been great for my skin and hair, but I decided to give myself a rubdown with the oil while watching "Scandal" on Hulu. 

The oil's smell was strong right off. ~shrug~ Coconut and Olive oils have specific odors, but they are fairly mild and they can be masked with a light perfume. Not so for the Sesame oil. When I told you my skin feels amazing, that is no lie. When I told you it smells edible, that is no lie. I smell like an order of Almond Chicken. I love my Chinese food (Hi, Golden Gate!), but I don't want to smell like my dinner.

Ohmigoodheavens, there is no masking this odor. If I add another scent to my body right now, I'll smell like a Chinese-French hors d'oeuvre. 

So...

I call up my friend and tell her how I just couldn't wait to try out the oil as a moisturizer, but ended up smelling like food. She had the nerve to catch a little attitude. "You got the wrong kind, you dumbass." (Because she said it with love, it's okay that she called me a dumbass. We are friends close enough that "bitch" really is a term of endearment. I guess. Bitch.)

Turns out I was supposed to get a particular kind of sesame oil - raw. 

Oh, well. I will keep this little bottle for cooking with. Next time I'm out, I will check out prices for the raw sesame oil. If it makes my skin feel as good as this "toasted" version, I will be a happy gal. 

I will mention now that, unless its being toasted has something to do with the intensity, I won't be able to use the oil on my face. There is a feeling of warmth that the oil gave my skin, which was fine - actually, it felt invigorating - for my torso, but my face felt too sensitive to it. You better bet I'll be careful not to let it leak onto any other body parts that might be, um, sacred.

So, I'll get back to you about the raw sesame oil when I try it. In the meantime, compared to coconut and olive oils, I want to say it made my skin feel a little more nourished. I will think of it as a "night oil" and use the others for less intensive or "day treatments." Also, coconut and olive oils weren't irritating to even the most sensitive parts of the body and are fine (for me) as, um "personal lubricants." This sesame oil? That's getting nowhere past the panty-line, I can tell you that!

Recap: I guess you can use sesame oil for its health benefits (and here), skin and hair benefits and, if you are into it, Ayurvedic beauty treatments. Here's an article on toasted vs raw. I should have done more research before just grabbing a bottle!

Peace

--Free