Using natural oils(e.g oilve oil) as a moisturiser; does the source matter? page

[AMonkey]

I was experimenting with oils as moisturisers. I tried jojoba oil at first which was fine, but then other people were using olive oil and it was significantly cheaper. So I bought some organic extra virgin olive oil and used that. It worked fine as well.

But does the source matter? For instance I can buy non organic, or even just olive oil which is even cheaper, about 33% the cost of organic, extra virgin. Will the lack of pesticides and heat extracted oil make it worse for my skin?

And does oil that is marketed as a cosmetic vs cooking matter?

[Sambo712]

I couldn't speak to either of those questions, but I can tell you that I regularly use coconut oil for dry skin. I just put a small amount in my hand and heat it up, then I rub it on the dry area and it absorbs quite nicely. The interwebs are positively buzzing with threads about coconut oil and it's benefits, I'm not sure how true they are, but it seems to work for me.
I also use it to tame frizz in my hair and give it a nice shine after using shampoo.

[namelesswonder]

Expensive oils (organic, known source etc.) are most likely to be what they advertise. Cheaper oils tend to be blends. They're not legally required to tell you either (olive oil can be mixed with canola and sold as 100% olive oil).

Cooking vs. cosmetic may also be a matter of quality. Cooking quality is probably better for your skin. I imagine cosmetic quality may have additives. Anything you put on your skin should be something you'd be okay with ingesting (that's the idea for people avoiding chemical exposure anyway).

[SarahW]

I use CO as a moisturizer and hair remedy (like Sambo) and in my homemade toothpaste, and while I have Nutiva in the kitchen to cook with I keep Louana in the bathroom for the external uses.

If we didn't live on the edge of the poverty line, I might use Nutiva in the bathroom, but at the moment we're stretching things just to buy decent food, so that's a compromise I've made.

I researched Louana's and, while it's not perfect, I'm comfortable with it. So my suggestion is to research some of the cheaper olive oil brands and see which one you are most comfortable with. Or find out how the "regular" brands compare to the "bottom-shelf" house brands at Trader Joes and the like.

If price is the issue, even crappy oil will be better than cheap chemical lotion.

[Tricialisha]

I use coconut oil (organic, extra virgin) mixed with vitamin E oil for my night time moisturizer and jojoba oil for the daytime.

[Damiana]

I use coconut and jojoba oil on my skin and try to get organic when possible. I have used olive oil before, too, but I didn't like the scent on my skin. If you're using oil on yourself, you are unlikely to be using tons and tons of it, so I would say paying a little extra for good quality oil is a good idea. I would not use oil used for cooking on myself, though, short of olive oil, since cooking grade oils are likely to be lower quality and more refined.