Why You Need: Daughter of the Land

Formulated with the utmost care and attention to combining the right oils for the right effect…

If you’ve never used oil as skincare before, chances are it’s because you’re afraid of it. Listen, I get it—I used to be one of you. With my oily/combination skin and often-angry pores, the thought of adding more oil to my body made me cringe. (How many blotting papers is too many blotting papers to use in one day? Asking for a friend…)

But then a magical thing happened. I decided that after years of reading and hearing about how oil is actually good for oily skin, I was finally going to try it out. I started slow one winter night, easing myself into the oil camp. I started by gingerly rubbing some onto my feet, then quickly donning a pair of socks and getting under the covers for fear of sliding instead of walking. When I woke up the next morning to baby-soft heels and toes, I moved the experiment up. Night two had my applying a few splashes to post-shower legs. Night three and I’d added arms into the mix.

Then things got crazy. I was so impressed with the results—aforementioned baby-soft skin—that I became a body oil junkie. Arms, torso, tush, decolletage, scalp. You name it, I was treating it to a healthy dose of nightly body oil. Yes, I had to stand in the bathroom naked for 10 minutes to make sure everything sunk in and was absorbed, but it was worth it. I loved the feeling of my moisturized legs rubbing together in bed, the fact that my elbows no longer snagged on my sweaters due to dry skin, knowing that when I itched my scalp I wouldn’t be confronted with a showering of dandruff.

But then the weather changed, and with it my skin. The uber-moisturizing body oil I’d been obsessed with during the colder weather was suddenly too potent when it got warmer out. My skin needed something new, something lighter, so I started experimenting again. And a few months after I’d found my summer body oil, I needed to switch it up again for something more suitable to the sometimes-crisp, sometimes-damp fall air.

So what’s the moral of this story? There are two. The first is that oil is not something to be feared. (I’d bet quite a bit of money that after regular use, you actually start to feel less oily.) The second is that skincare needs to be tailored not only to your specific skin needs, but also the weather and how it affects those skin needs. Think of body oil like a jacket: When it’s snowing out, you want something heavier that will protect you against the elements. Warmer weather means you can get away with a lighter layer since now the elements are on your side.

Which, to continue the metaphor, brings us to the veritable coat closet that is Daughter of the Land and their trio of gorgeous body oils.

Just like me, Ashley Spierer, founder of Daughter of the Land, recognized that her tried-and-true products weren’t always going to be the best choice when her environment changed. While working for a mental-health startup in Chennai, India, she experienced the wonder of hair meeting humidity, something none of the products she’d brought with her (the same ones that had worked flawlessly back in New York) could combat. So she turned to coconut oil, something the locals used and recommended, and it worked.

Now, she’s taking that awareness and channeling it into a trio of face and body oils, all of which are formulated with the utmost care and attention to combining the right oils for the right effect. Oh, and also clean, organic, fair-trade ingredients, that happen to be housed in beautiful recycled-paper and -glass packaging that also manage to be hyper-moisturizing and efficient. Let’s take a look, shall we?

BALANCING OIL

As the name suggests, the Balancing Oil is meant for those of us lucky enough to be in possession of oily skin that needs some sorting out. Contrary to popular belief, adding oil to the mix will actually help balance oily skin because sebum (the technical term for that shiny stuff on your face) goes into production overdrive when skin thinks it’s not hydrated enough. All those drying products you see that claim to help with oily skin? They’re actually making the problem worse. What oily skin really needs is a hefty dose of moisture—cough cough oil—to restore it to its happy state.

The Balancing Oil does just that thanks to a base of grapeseed and jojoba oils. Lightweight yet moisturizing, these oils contain a potent mix of vitamin E, B and C, and minerals that help protect against nasty free radicals in the ether. What’s more, both grapeseed and jojoba closely resemble the structure of sebum. This means that when you use the Balancing Oil, it deposits enough oil-based goodness that your skin stops getting the message to kick sebum production into overdrive. Skin is happy, healthy and—say it with me—balanced!

And since skin tends to also react to humidity and heat, Balancing Oil is also your best bet for warmer weather. The lavender, cedarwood and clary sage leave the skin lightly moisturized, which is perfect for the days when that’s really all your skin needs. Plus, it’ll all leave you smelling like a forest sprite at dawn: floral, dewy and herbal.

HYDRATING OIL

If you are familiar with oil-based skincare, you’ve no doubt encountered that thing where oil either sinks in quickly but still leaves your skin feeling thirsty or that other thing where it just sits on top of your skin and never absorbs, rubbing off on your pillow/shirt/towel, whatever. It’s annoying and it means that the oil isn’t doing it’s job.

Thankfully, all your problems are about to be solved by the Hydrating Oil, which absorbs quickly and moisturizes completely. The delicate blend of apricot kernel oil and coconut oil make for a light-yet-deeply-hydrating product. Both oils are ideal for thirsty skin: coconut oil, a bit heavier so is incredibly moisturizing; and apricot kernel oil is packed with fatty acids, vitamins A, C and E, and a boatload of antioxidants that all work together to combat dry skin, especially the skin you encounter when temperatures start to change and there’s a nip in the air. The bergamot, cinnamon and ginger scent is also seriously warming and comforting as you gear up for the depths of winter.

DEEP MOISTURE OIL

And for the very-parched-skin-havers out there, there’s the Deep Moisture Oil. (Side note: Isn’t it so nice to have products whose names are easy to interpret? You want to be deeply moisturized, you reach for the Deep Moisture Oil.) This stuff is ideal for very dry skin and very cold temperatures since the avocado-and-coconut-oil base offers a seriously luxurious natural emollient (fancy word for moisturizer). Not only is avocado oil packed with skin-friendly vitamin E and healthy fats, it also has the ability to penetrate very deeply, meaning every layer of your skin gets a dose. It’s also a powerful humectant, delivering moisture to and preventing it from leaving skin. Basically, the Deep Moisture Oil traps good things in your skin and never lets them out.

And since this oil is best used during the dark depths of winter when your parched skin is begging for moisture and a respite from the freezing temperatures, the scent is a nice touch. Clary sage and mint oil are invigorating, and bring to mind freshly cut grass and herb gardens, reminding you that despite whatever heinous weather is raging outside your window, summer (and the Balancing Oil!) are only a few months away.

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I’ve also recently started using facial oils. Daughter of the Land is such a cute name. This sounds like one to try.

Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com

7 years ago

The hydrating oil sounds nice. I’ve never tried face oil, but one that absorbs quickly sounds like a winner to me.