What is Jojoba Oil & How Do I Use It?

By: Jacquetta Szathmari

JOJOBA OIL 101

Exsens is crazy about jojoba oil and if you want soft, kissable, sexy, caress-worthy skin you should be, too. Great, you say, what is jojoba oil and what can it do for me? Got a minute? We’ll take you to school.

How do you pronounce jojoba?

Jojoba! (Ho-ho-ba) Shout it from the mountain top, or the desk top. Jojoba oil is back! It’s everywhere and it’s the perfect skin moisturizer and massage oil for these dry times.

Where does jojoba oil come from?

The jojoba plant (simmondsia chinensis) is a desert shrub whose beans contain a highly emollient lightweight odorless oil. The jojoba excretes oil to preserve moisturize and protect it from extreme heat, cold, and lack of moisture. Jojoba oil, extracted by crushing the beans, is processed to preserve its antibacterial and skin healing properties.

What is jojoba oil?

Technically jojoba oil is a liquid wax ester. It’s a bit complicated (stay with me as I slip on this two-piece Grey’s Anatomy fantasy lab coat).

An ester is a compound formed when an acid and an alcohol get romantic and decide to eliminate water from the relationship. Both fats and oils are esters, and so are beeswax, candelilla wax, and carnauba (aka Brazil) wax.

Jojoba wax, commonly called jojoba oil due to its liquidity, is used in makeup to help color glide on, stay on, and cover more easily. It is also frequently added to thicken or liquify cosmetic serums, lotions, shampoos, conditioners and soaps. Naturalistas take note ... jojoba oil has an exceptionally long shelf life and maintains stability without chemical preservatives such as parabens.

How is jojoba oil used?

In addition to use as a cooking oil, jojoba has been used to cure ailments from indigestion to skin irritation to hair loss. It has also been applied to animal hides to help soften and preserve the skin, two important qualities that we admire in a body oil. Jojoba oil found commercial success in the 70's as a replacement for banned sperm whale oil. This save-the-whales moisturizer is now a health and beauty industry darling, prized for its cosmetic properties. Of course, jojoba is a great massage oil as well and the queen of essential oil carriers.

Our Amber Jojoba Crystal Body Oil, infused with fig and sandalwood and charged with amber crystals, is 100% natural, organic and vegan, as well as GMO and paraben free. It makes the perfect daily moisturizer. Here’s why. 

Why is jojoba oil good for your skin?

Jojoba oil’s chemical makeup is extremely similar to that of sebum, the natural oils produced by skin glands that moisturize and protect hair and skin. I looked up the chemical structures of both and they are clearly fraternal twins; our skin can’t tell the difference either.

Used regularly jojoba oil can repair and improve the soft feel of your skin and the effects can last up to 8 hours. Jojoba oil is non-occlusive, allowing the skin to remain permeable so it can breathe and perspire, essential functions for skin health. It also promotes touch-ability, and as a massage oil and hopefully turns a quick “can you just press here” back rub into an hour of massage bliss. It can also be used as a makeup remover, a salve to heal scars and reduce stretch marks, for aftersun care, and for natural hair care. Basically, vote for jojoba.

Time to get it on!

Okay, so you know what jojoba does and how it works wonders for the skin. The next step is to give it a try. After a shower go head-to-toe with jojoba, be generous, and don’t forget that your scalp and your feet need love, too. If there are hard to reach spots (or spots better reached by a helping hand), remember that jojoba doubles as a massage oil and ask your partner to help you on your quest to quench your skin’s thirst--they will know what to do. If they aren’t sure, tell them. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacquetta Szathmari is a New York-based writer and the founder of Dernier Mile, a boutique consultancy providing last minute and last mile solutions for your content-intensive, logistically complex, and totally unique creative projects.

REFERENCES: 
Jojoba oil as an organic, shelf stable standard oil-phase base for cosmetic industry. Vol 2. pp 300-306; Sandha, G.K.; Swami, V.K. 2009.
Jojoba and jojoba derivatives for formulating cosmetics. Wilson, Roberta. Drug & Cosmetic Industry, November 1992. Vol. 151, Issue 5.