I also bought quite a few imported German Nivea products here in the US at eurobeautymart.com. They have a nice selection of German bath and skin care products and prices are very reasonable.

It just doesn’t have that many benefits, especially for those whose skin isn’t very dry. It often causes clogged pores, inflammations and white heads when applied to normal and oilier skin types. Not because it’s poisonous or whatever – but because the very protective layer I described in the recent post does not let the skin’s own products “out”. Natural oils are forced to stayed locked in, and they aren’t meant to do that. Thus – pimples and other things.
People with very dry skin almost never experience this because their own skin produces too little oil for it to cause any big visible effect.

Okay, I’m shutting up now. It’s just that I’m a chemistry student.

The trick is that plant oils absorb into skin (partially) and moisturize her better than petroleum jelly. Actually, most cheap non-organic moisturizers are just that – petroleum jelly, some silicones (they give the effect of skin being smoother to the touch), some plant extracts (mostly to brag about them in the ads) and conservants. Parabens have been used in the industry for ages, they aren’t that scary. Actually, 8 out of 10 products any of you uses contains at least one type of paraben. Despite some sorts of them being banned. There are worse things, honest.

As for petroleum jelly (and its cosmetic siblings), it doesn’t truly moisturize the skin. Its positive effect comes from forming a sort of layer protecting skin from drying out in the cold dry air. That’s why people love it in winter and that’s how it makes chapped lips better – it simply prevents further chapping, and lips get better by themselves.

But it doesn’t “add” anything, it’s simply a protective measure, and it softens the upper skin layer a bit. For this reason a lot of people with dry skin love those products, they feel like their skin is getting nutritive care.

Oils derived from plants are closer to the oils our own skin produces, thus they are absorbed better (not completely, of course, nothing can do that save for some extreme chemicals), and they restore the skin’s condition itself.

That’s about it.

Petroleum byproduct that has been over rated for a number of decades.

Your local co-op has Jojoba, sweet almond and apricot oils.

Shea butter from various organic sources is much nicer.

Avalon Organic Lavender lotion is FABULOUS.

It’s bad enough that everything has dimethicone or some variant in it. At least with products you buy at the grocery store, you can read the labels. The department store goop is just expensive mystery goop.

I love the St Ives Olive Oil cleanser for make up removal. It’s a knock off of DHC’s, which is fabulous, too.

(“just because something occurs in nature doesn’t mean it’s compatible with your health” – my point exactly). Everything on earth comes from a natural base. You have to choose your arguments and apply your conclusions to how you see fit.

Joelle, ponds cream is the BEST eye makeup remover in the world. It blows my mind how much more effective it is than any other product. It’s also been around forever.