**REVIEW** Organic Rosehip Oil by Valentia

When you think about using natural products - either for health, beauty or nutritional purposes - you start to think of some of those products as staples. Just like you have basic cooking ingredients, you will start to collect basic health and skincare items. Rosehip oil belongs in that collection.

And when you talk about rosehip oil, you have to talk about quality. I pick this one:

A little goes a looong way

I've done a few posts on Rosehip oil and I'm learning more and more about its benefits. This particular Organic Rosehip Oil by Valentia Skin Care is of the best quality that I've tried so far. That't the good news. Some more good news are highlights of the benefits:

• Has naturally occurring antioxidants promote healthy cell development (think: help for lines, wrinkling and early aging)
• The essential fatty acids may reduce appearance of scars and burns and improve damage from acne and other skin issues
• Hydrates the skin to keep it soft
• Great for hair and fingernails (and cuticles)

I like this oil so much that I am using it despite the fact that.... I can't stand the smell.

In general, rosehip oil has a very distinct odor that you're either going to like or hate. Personally, I just don't like the extremely powerful earthy smell. I have read the opinions of other people who really love the scent. Either way, no worries because the scent does not last long. 

With other brands I tried, I had a hard time even using the oil because of the scent of it. I was determined to use this one because I like it so much more. I think there is a difference if production and, possibly, quality. The absorption for this one is wonderful. At first, I didn't want to use it anywhere near my face (read: nose), but after using it on my nails and feet, I was pretty impressed. 

Because I wanted to give this a full review (and because I will do a lot for the readers of my blog), I dived in and, smell be damned, tried using this in every way I could think of:  

• Fingernails. I have only done one hot oil or "glove" treatment so far, but I have applied the oil directly to my nails and cuticles more than once. This works really well if done after using polish remover. It's really quick and easy to rub in a little of this oil on your nails every day. I think I could see a big difference (in shine and feel) after about a week.
• Hands. If applied (very sparingly) about half an hour before I'm going to be out in the cold, I don't get as much drying - either from my gloves or the weather. I don't like to use too much unless I'm going to have time to massage the oil in really well. 
• Body. Using it underneath my usual lotion is great. Some of my body lotions are not as moisturizing as others and using the oil with them seems to "boost" their usefulness. Beats tossing out thin lotions. 
• Knees and elbows. I don't worry about skimping here. I massage in a lot of the oil and let it rest while I moisturize the rest of my body. My elbows are especially dry and just drink this up. After about 2 months us using various rosehip oils (the latest being this one), I am seeing a lot of improvement in the look and feel of my elbows. Before, they used to always feel dry and a little scaly at the end of a day.
• Feet. I'm working on my feet. That's one of my goals for this new year - to get these dawgs back into sandal-wearing shape. I'm using the rosehip oil at least once a day. This helps because I am regularly using various tools and creams to get rid of calluses.
• As a makeup remover. I use various oils for this. With the rosehip, I like to apply and let the oil rest for a while (sometimes for 15 minutes or more) to remove any heavy foundation. When I have the heavier makeup off, I will use just 2 or 3 drops of rosehip to massage the "dry" part of my combo skin. It sbsorbs really quick. (And that smell goes away fairly fast!)
• Hair. I can't use a lot of this on my hair, but I do like rubbing just a couple drops in my palm and smoothing over my hair if I'm going to be tying on a scarf for the day. It helps keep my hair from matting too badly.
• Booster. The oil is really nice for boosting my other face creams and skin care products. I have a ton of face creams that aren't moisturizing enough. I've already rescued two jars by adding just a little more than one full drop of rosehip. Makes a huge difference. 

I saw somewhere online where a user suggested applying a bit of rosehip oil on your eyelashes to get them thick and healthy. I haven't tried that one yet because I forgot about it until I was writing this post. If I try that, I'll hopefully remember to let you know how it goes.

By the way, this bottle is smaller than some of the other brands I've tried, but I have to tell you that a little goes a long way. I use by drops and I don't think that I've had to use more than 3 drops for any application. Sometimes, I just touch the end of the dropper to whatever area I'm treating. 

Bottom line is, rosehip oil is versatile. I have to hand it to Valentia for producing one of such good quality. And, yes, there are some that don't work as well. I'm going to be adding this one to my "favorites" list of rosehip oil. 

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE:

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.