Finally - a product that is simple, easy to use, and works.
This oil has saved my dry itchy skin in the miserable (although not-so-cold) winter. The Thursday Plantation Macadamia oil is very simple, it has three ingredients. THREE!
1. Macadamia seed oil
2. Lavender oil
3. Vitamin E
Macadamia Oil contains these fatty acids:
Oleic acid (omega 9) | Naturally found in sebum. Good moisturiser and penetrates the outer skin layer to some extent. However, if you have acne-prone skin you should use it with caution, as it has been suggested that oleic acid can promote clogged pores.
Palmitoleic acid (omega 7) | Naturally found in sebum. Depletion of this fatty acid correlates with aging. It enhances skin barrier function and may even "rejuvenate" skin cells. The ingredient is the main selling point that Thursday Plantation uses to market this product.
Sample fatty acid profile in macadamia seed oil
(source: http://thenakedchemist.com/benefits-of-macadamia-nut-oil-in-skin-care/)
Oleic Acid 54-63%
Palmitoleic acid 16 -23%
Palmitic Acid 7-10%
Syteric Acid 1.5 – 5%
Arachidic Acid 1.5 -3%
Eicosenoic Acid 1-3% Linoleic acid 1-3%
Myrsitc acid 0.4 -1.6%
You may be tempted to buy food-grade macadamia oil, which is generally cheaper and it is perfectly fine to use it on skin (In fact, I was very tempted!). However, nut oils used in skincare and cosmetics are usually refined to remove the food-like aroma, which makes sense, and I do not want to walk around smelling like a bottle of cooking oil just to save a few dollars.
My experience
Because Thursday Plantation Macadamia Oil does not come with a tinted bottle, in an attempt to increase the shelf-life of the oil I put it in the fridge - bad move. Now just imagine having the 4 degrees Celsius cold oil dripping onto skin in winter after a warm satisfying shower - not a good idea! After 2 days I gave up and put it on my bedside table.
The oil is quite runny and does not feel heavy. I have dispensed some product onto the table in the picture above and as you can see it just dispersed everywhere. The oil does not get fully absorbed into skin, even after a few minutes, so I just get dressed straight away - at least the oil is lightweight and not sticky. It is super duper hydrating - no more flakes and no more itchiness (Hooray!).
It is worthwhile to note that lavender oil is added to this product. If your skin does not like lavender oil then it is best to avoid it. The lavender scent is very notable, but it is something that my olfactory system managed to get used to fairly quickly.
After only a week's use I noticed two things: (1) My legs are really smooth. So smooth that they are light reflective (well, I give some credit to laser hair removal too). I couldn't stop touching them and I couldn't stop asking my hubby to touch them (and he reluctantly did, without understanding my excitement). BUT (2) All of a sudden I have bacne and chestne!! (I didn't think chestne was a word but I just googled it, and it is; and I also googled "googled" and confirmed that "googled" is a word, too) Not serious, but noticeable.
As much as I like this oil I can't use it on my back or chest, it's probably because of the high oleic acid content and my skin in those areas are prone to congestion (I didn't know that, but now I know!). I still managed to use up the macadamia oil quite quickly as my everywhere else is thirsty for this stuff. Also note that the product description says it is suitable for face, but I am not game enough do that because I did, I would probably be writing a blog post complaining about congestion rather than raving on how good it is for my legs.