All About Argan Oil

   So, I decided to write a post about my favorite carrier oil, argan oil. When I mention this oil to most people they have never heard of it so I figured I would shed some light on this amazing oil. I know that I mostly talk about tea tree oil and how amazing it is and how it has changed my life and face but I never really give any credit to argan oil. Also, I have had a few people write me and tell me that they have had success with the tto but their face seems oily, or greasy, or they have good results but not as

dramatic results as I have and the one difference between them and I is always the use of argan oil.

   Sure you can use coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, grape-seed oil, I even stared with coconut oil because of all of the great things we know about it being anti-fungal, antibacterial and over all a wonder oil, but it just didn't work for me, not on my face. I still use coconut oil for other areas of my body and even in my hair at times, but for my face it was just to greasy and never fully absorbed and I had to blot most of it off and it left my face really shiny so I decided to try to find another oil. Truthfully I don't even remember when I heard about or how I heard about argan oil, but I ordered a tiny .5oz bottle of Josie Maran argan oil for $20 bucks, yes 20, and I loved it! It is what I call a "dry" oil if that makes any sense, when I use it my skin sucks it up in seconds and it isn't greasy at all and I can put makeup on pretty much immediately. The one issue I had with the Josie Maran argan oil that I had was price. I started doing research on argan oil and what makes a good argan oil and the main thing you want is a 100% pure COLD PRESSED argan oil. You don't want argan oil that has been diluted, and you don't want one that has used chemicals or heat to extract the oils because those will break down the healing properties of the argan oil. So after comparison shopping and started ordering my argan oil from Mt. Rose Herbs. I already used them for my herbs, I knew their products were organic, fair trade and I knew they were a good, honest, small company and I wasn't going to get ripped off. Plus I liked their prices better, 4oz for $25.00. You can find them HERE, I highly recommend them for a multitude of products from oils, to herbs, teas, tinctures, bath products, cooking stuff, containers, and much, much more.Back to the argan oil!

   I have has people ask what exactly is argan oil? Argan oil is a plant oil made from the kernels of the fruit of the argan tree that is found in Morocco. In Morocco they use argan oil for various things such as cooking, medicinal uses, and as a beauty treatment for their hair, skin and nails. It's pretty much their go to oil. Now most places when they have a product that becomes popular in western culture it tends to be detrimental to the environment and to the people in that area because people see dollar signs and don't really care about the impact of something as long as it makes money. Argan oil and argan trees are actually very different, the more popular it becomes the more positive impact it has on the land and they economy, especially for women. The Argan tree provides food, shelter and protection from desertification. The tree's deep roots help prevent desert encroachment and the canopy provides shade for other agricultural products and leaves and fruit provide food for animals. It helps landscape stability, prevents soil erosion and producing argan oil has helped protect the argan trees from being cut down. Plus goats LOVE them and I love goats. They climb into the trees to eat the fruit so you basically have goat trees. Who doesn't want goat trees?!





   Not only are argan trees good for the environment (and the goats and my amusement) it is also very good for the economy. The production of argan oil has also has has a positive socio-economic function. At present, argan oil production supports approximately 2.2 million people in the main argan oil producing region. Much of the argan oil produced today is made by a number of women's co-operatives. Employment in the co-operatives provides women with an income, which many have used to fund education for themselves or their children. It has also provided them with a degree of autonomy in a traditionally male-dominated society and has helped many become more aware of their rights. So basically my feminist side cheers with Grrl Power for argan oil! Also most argan oil, at least the good argan oil is all hand collected, cleaned, processed and pressed. No big machines, no chemicals.

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   Now lets get down to why I love this particular oil that has been called "Liquid Gold" and why I think it's more than just a carrier oil for tea tree oil. Argan oil is very high in omega-6 fatty acids and linoleic acid which can provide anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, antioxidant and moisturizing properties for the skin. It also contains omega-9 unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A which provide high doses of antioxidants. It also contains 620mg of trocopeherols which have the same activity as vitamin E. This is twice the amount of this chemical compared to the more common olive oil. The trocopherol content of argan oil makes it a powerful antioxidant that can help to protect soft tissue by neutralizing the effects of free radicals. When applied externally it cures everything from scars, infections, split ends, acne, eczema, chicken poxs, burns and stretch marks. If you are wondering about it's internal use it's really helpful there too. Research has shown that culinary use of argan oil can help lower cholesterol, improve circulation, stabilize blood sugar, ease arthritis pain, strengthen the immune system, prevent various cancers, reduce the bodies resistance to insulin, help treat diabetes, and protect the body from cardiovascular and inflammatory disease.


If you would like to read more about it you can check out more information here, here, here, here, and here or just google. Well I hope that was informative and spreads some light on why I chose to use a pretty much unheard of argan oil and stick with it instead of going with olive or coconut oil.

The itching is back

   So my face doesn't look any worse today but it usually takes a few days for the buggers to die and then for my skin to react. Right now it just itches, BAD. I think I am slightly allergic to the nu-stock or it just aggravates my skin. It's definitely not crawly mite itch, it's more like mosquito bite itch, especially behind my ears and on my forehead. I also noticed the they lymph nodes right in front of my ears are swollen and it was like that before when I did the nu-stock. Maybe that is why I got so sick, it was my body expressing all the toxins because those nodes had went down a lot. Anyways this is just me thinking out loud. The itching is really going to drive me insane. Oh and my skin is still soft and not dry...yet. 

Day 31, All good things must come to an end

   So my face was beautiful and it was really nice but all good things must come to an end. Actually it's not bad, I did develop a few p&p today but nothing bad. I knew it was coming so I am not freaking out....Yet. I went back and looked at the time line and it said

Week 2-3:During this period, you’ll experience the most severe breakout of the entire treatment. Your skin will become more dry and clusters of bumps similar to a mosquito bite might surface in affected areas. Don’t become alarmed or disgruntled during this difficult time. If you experience a breakout, it’s due to the dead demodex mites under your skin. As their bodies decay, the demodex produces bacteria inside the follicles of your skin. Once the bacteria is gone, the bumps will disappear and healthy skin will be revealed.  ( Yep, This is pretty much what happened. They could have warned how bad this would be)

Week 4:Noticeable improvements to your skin will become apparent. (Yep, my skin has been beautiful as you have seen)

Week 5-7:You’ll experience a series of light rashes and breakouts during this period. It won’t be nearly as bad as the initial “die-off” stage during weeks 2 and 3, but it might seem like a setback (it’s not). These breakouts are caused by the decaying demodex mites that recently hatched from the eggs of the demodex parents killed weeks prior. After this group of offspring are eliminated, you’ll begin enjoying clear and healthy skin.  (This is me now, it better not be as bad as before!) 

   So I have reached week 5 and now I am having some more die off which in return means p&p. My face isn't red and there is not as many in the usual areas, they are more on my temples and sides of my face where before they were mostly on my chin and cheeks. I have reached week 5, I'm not calling it a setback just part of the process. Like I said I just hope it doesn't get AS bad as before. 

   I decided to go ahead and do the nu-stock tonight. I might do it every few days through these next weeks but not everyday, it's just too strong. I forgot to take pictures until after I had applied it already so sorry about looking greasy and kinda gross, also it's night time so I didn't get good natural light pictures but you get the idea. Not bad, but not as good as it was. Also sorry I look a little crazy, I have been sick and feel like crap. 

Day 31

Day 21, Look at that I put on a shirt!

   Day 21, not much has changed. Sorry if this is kinda boring but I like that my face is becoming kind of boring. Still just using the tea tree oil/argan oil 50/50 mix, I will probably pick one day a week and due the nu-stock/coconut oil mixture just to make sure things stay at bay and do the borax soak every second or third day. I have been drinking the borax mixture everyday for the last 3 days, I don't seem to be having any negative side effects and I can't taste it so why not.

   My face is REALLY dry still despite the honey mask and the pure shea butter I have been putting on. I think this is making my face itch now and not the mites. It's a different itch, the mites you can actually feel moving and it's really gross. I still get that every once and I while and when I do I hit that spot with a dab of tea tree oil and laugh an evil laugh as they die. Boowawahahahahaha. Yeah, kinda like that. So now I just have to find a balance to keeping the mites under control and keeping my face from cracking like the desert landscape. It's not so obvious unless you are right in my face like I am in the mirror all the time or if I am wearing makeup which I don't do a whole lot. So yeah, that is about it for now. Picture time! Oh and I was even nice enough to put on a shirt for you this time. Feeling fancy.....your welcome. One last thing, I haven't been doing close ups because there really isn't anything to see like the bazillions of p&p before but tomorrow when the sun is back I will try to get close ups so you can see how everything looks and how dry my skin is. Any tips on helping with that would be much appreciated!

Day 21

Day 18. Make it stop

   Working all night gave me the pleasure of feeling them at their most active time instead of sleeping through it. Let me tell you, I am surprised I still have a face I wanted to scratch it off so bad. I am trying really hard not to scratch so I kind of pat instead which turned into smacking. So basically all night I was beating the shit out of myself. I sure hope this couple doesn't have a nanny cam or they are going to think I am insane. I could feel them on my face, and on my head the worst but they are now moving down to my chest and back. I would take pictures of my chest to show you the pustules popping up there but I am trying to keep this PG 13 except for language.

   Have you ever seen that show 1,000 ways to die? If not the premise of the show is reenactments of stupid shit people did that killed them. Snorted ants, tapeworm diet, college age guys participating in stupid bets or pranks, you get the drift. Well I have a feeling I am going to end up on this show when I die trying to figure out a way to rid my body of these damn mites. They are driving me INSANE. So because they are driving me insane I have resorted to putting animal mange medicine on my face, bathing in laundry detergent and now I am about to start drinking laundry detergent because the topical shit isn't cutting it, and if I really have to I will be going for the horse dewormer next. And this my friends, is how I am going to end up on that stupid show 1,000 ways to die.

   Okay I'm tired, on to the pictures and off to bed. Sorry if they are not THAT accurate I just got out the shower so I'm a little more flushed than normal. OH I almost forgot, just a FYI if you are treating your lashes with tto and you accidentally use the 50/50 bottle instead of the 1:8 bottle and your eyelids feel like they are frying first, DON'T PUT WATER ON THEM, it only makes it worse, but do coat them in coconut oil and it makes them stop burning immediately. Not that this has happened to me or anything, just something I heard somewhere.

Day 18

Nightly wrap up

   So my face has remained pustule free all day and pretty pale for me. Besides the peeling dryness and bumpy texture it looks pretty close to normal. It is dry and scaly around my mouth where I had the most p&p and my forehead is still covered in a million bumps but they are going down.

   I am starting a new job tonight so I am putting on my nu-stock now so it will soak in before I leave. Also I did nu-stock from my eyes down and tto on my forehead just in case my forehead is reacting to the nu-stock.  Okay I'm out.

   One last thing, I have noticed that other places on my body are starting to itch and I am going to have to really get serious with the borax baths. 

Day 17 HOLY CHIT!

   This morning I was woken by someone knocking on my door, now if you have a face that looks and acts like mine you know the state of panic and horror I was in having to answer the door without having looked in the mirror first. I was trying really hard to look down cover my face with my hair, it was ridiculous. So of course as soon as they left I ran to the mirror to see how bad I scared him and I was shocked.

   My face again had not a single pustule, not one AND my face was almost normal colored. It has a slight pink tinge but I think that is because of the sulfur and maybe I need to dilute it a little more. The texture on my face is starting to smooth out, it's crazy. I don't want to get my hopes up just to wake up with it red and swollen and full of pustules again so I am just going to enjoy it day by day and be happy with how it looks today.

   One thing is my face does still itch, I think it is because I need to dilute the sulfur more still. I itch the worst behind and right in front of my ears, my forehead and the back of my neck. Also my face is dry and scaly but a little argan oil will fix that up. It really is sad that my whole mood for the day if effected by how my face looks in the mirror but it does. If I can keep it heading in this direction I should be in a pretty good mood for a while. Okay, on to the pictures.

Day 17

Nightly wrap up.

   Today was pretty uneventful which is awesome. I didn't flush, I didn't get any new pustules nothing. My skin has been a bit dry but that is to be expected. Shit since these little buggers eat oil on your skin maybe I can starve them to death. My forehead, ears, behind ears and scalp have been REALLY itchy but that is about it. It's not so much of the crawly itch, just itchy.

   My skin never reacted to the test patch I did on my forearm so I guess I am good to keep using the nu-stock and that is just about a million dead mites on my forehead and not hives or anything. It's insane how many bumps I have on my face, my mom was over and she was like "all of those bumps are dead mites!, No wonder, you were just covered in them!" So gross. So it looks like I just have a REALLY bad infestation.

   Skin wise today I washed my face with tto soap when I got home to take off the makeup I put on when I ran to the store, I put on some pure argan oil after cause my face was super dry. I read a little bit about the borax treatment and I just don't think the tto shampoo and soap are strong enough to kill the mites so I got some borax and hydrogen peroxide at the store and made a bath with it and soaked in it for about 20 minutes. I did 1 1/2 cups of borax and 1 cup of peroxide and I soaked on my back for a bit, then on my belly then side to side being sure to let it get into my ears and kept dunking my face and my scalp. When I was done I didn't rinse or towel dry, I got in front of my fan and air dried. I might do this every other day or every 3 days just to make sure I am really getting everywhere. I keep reading stories of people chasing these things from one spot on their body to another and I don't want to do that. I just want them gone. Okay, so I am about to go put on my coconut oil nu-stock night mask, I will update when I wake up. Night.

Nu-stock update

   Okay, so I woke up to my face feeling flushed. Not sure what that is about, but it is warm to the touch and it is flushed in areas I don't usually flush. Alright let me back up to last night. So last night I tried the nu-stock for the first time, scroll back a post and read my first thoughts on texture, smell etc.. So after I put it on I could tell it was working because I could feel the little buggers trying to make a run for it. My face kept itching, but not in a I think I am breaking out in hives way, like the mites are dying way. Also I think this stuff gets into your bloodstream cause it was like I could taste is a little in the back of my throat. The itching did drive me a bit nuts and made it hard to sleep and actually I am a bit itchy right now.

   So when I woke up this morning I had about 20 tiny little pustules, and one bigger one. I think the bigger ones are maybe like little nest of them. You can't even see where the ones I had yesterday were, they come and go so quick. So that is a good and bad thing, it feels like a setback, but I think it's just the new ones hatching and being killed off, and it is following that timeline pretty well so I am just going to go with it and call it progress. Its still mentally and emotionally hard to look in the mirror and see your face covered in tiny little bumps and flushing and think of it as progress when 2 days ago you were just slightly pink and had one bump. I am trying really hard to not let it get me down.

   So on the nu-stock bottle is says apply every 3 days, so I think I will use it every 3 days and use the tto in between. I don't want to over do it with the nu-stock. Okay picture time.

**Update to original post. Please do a test patch to see how you react to Nu-Stock before using it, I do end up having an unpleasant response to it and I'm not sure if it was an allergic reaction or if my skin is just really sensitive. I would recommend putting a tiny bit either on your forearm or under your jawline first and waiting at least 2 days to see how you react before putting it on your entire face.**

Day 14

Nu-stock (Please read warning at the bottom of the post)

   So my Nu-stock* came in today and I think I am going to try it out. I am making a batch of 1 tbsp of coconut oil, 1 tbsp of nu-stock and about 7 drops tto. First the bottle is a LOT bigger than I thought it would be, it smells medical, and like pine scented cleaner. Not good but not horribly bad like I was expecting, tolerable. Also it is a lot thinner than I expected, more watery. I thought it would be more pasty like toothpaste or like neosporin, not liquid, I guess because of the tube it comes in I thought it would be thick like lotion or something. Being thin did make it a lot easier to mix it with the coconut oil once I melted the oil. I also made sure I shook the tube really well first to make sure everything mixed well. It's a weird yellow color, another thing I didn't expect, and I wondered if it would leave my skin yellow but it didn't. I used a q-tip and applied it to my entire face, it has a little bit of a gritty feeling to it but not much. The color dissipated right away and it's been about 5 minutes and it is starting to absorb. Coconut oil always takes a bit to absorb, I will give it about 30 minutes then blot my face with a tissue and go to bed. It didn't burn or sting or anything so that is a good sign. I will update the rest tomorrow I guess. Night!

**Update to original post. Please do a test patch to see how you react to Nu-Stock before using it, I do end up having an unpleasant response to it and I'm not sure if it was an allergic reaction or if my skin is just really sensitive. I would recommend putting a tiny bit either on your forearm or under your jawline first and waiting at least 2 days to see how you react before putting it on your entire face.**

Still improving!

   Well my face is still improving much to my surprise and joy. Yesterday when I woke I did the 8:1 argan/tto all over my face, coconut oil once during the day and the 1:1 ratio argan/tto before bed. My face is pretty dry in my rosacea areas which I am pretty sure is just it healing and the tto tends to be drying. I did a test spot of 100% pure shea butter to see how my skin would react and it did fine so I might start putting that on my dry spots. After I drank my last coke (I will miss you my love) I didn't have anymore flushing yesterday.

   So the changes today are pretty impressive from a week ago, I will post a side by side from the beginning to now. My eyes are not crusty/gritty when I wake up anymore, I haven't been feeling them crawl as much (which is the grossest feeling ever!) I feel them on my nose sometimes after I put the 1:1 on at night so I dosed my nose pretty good. I do still feel them on my scalp a little bit but I think the tto shampoo and conditioner is really helping that a lot also. When I woke today I only had two p&p, so I am pretty excited. I was pretty convinced that nothing but oracea was going to work. I just wish I had found this sooner. My face is more pink now than red which is normal, it's healing. I am just scared that there is going to be a setback soon.

   Okay, enough chatter on to the pictures! I know in the picture that my face looks more red than yesterday but I think yesterday was just washout from the lighting. In person today is defiantly less red.

Day 9

Just a quick post

   I just wanted to do a quick post on how my face did today since it can change so much from the beginning of the day. I did the mild argan/tto mix this morning, and coconut oil twice and I just washed my face with the Dr.Bronner's tea tree soap and put on the 1:1 argan/tto mix. My face today only flushed once and it didn't last long, I didn't get any new p&p and it looked about the same all day. So no changes all day which is a good thing! Sometimes I can wake up looking good and it look like shit by the end of the day. I also want to mention I have not put any makeup on since my face has been bad, I don't want to give it any reason to get pissed. Oh but I have noticed some small, under the skin bumps on my forehead (mites making a run for it?) but you can only see them up close. So goodnight! Will update in the morning. 

What a difference a day makes!

   So yesterday I decided to make a few changes to my routine, when I woke up yesterday and saw my face I was REALLY depressed. So I didn't use the homemade wash at all yesterday, I just did my argan oil/tea tree oil mixture when I woke up, put coconut oil on twice throughout the day and then before bed I made a 1:1 ratio of argan oil and tea tree oil and put that on my face and used a TINY bit of the weak 8:1 argan oil/tto mixture and put it over my eyes (not recommending it, just telling you what I do).

   When I woke up first thing I noticed it that my eyes were not crusty or gritty (yeah!). I went and looked in the mirror and was surprised, a ton of the p&p were gone or going away, and a bunch of the dry flaky spots where gone. My face is still red, but more like trying to heal red instead of "I hate you and I am going to make your life hell" red. So needless to say I am in a good mood today (funny how my mood depends on what I see in the mirror). I mean my face still looks like crap but, it looks less like crap today than it did yesterday and it gives me hope that it might keep improving. I kept trying to remind myself that it will get worse before it gets better and I am sure I will have another huge breakout when I have another big die off, but today it looks better than yesterday and that is all that matters! Oh and I made a side by side of yesterday and today so it is easier to see the difference.

Day 7

I think I made a mistake.

   So tonight my face (mostly chin) was extra scabby feeling and crusty feeling so I decided to use a wash cloth to kind of exfoliate it...big mistake. My face started stinging right away and I knew I shouldn't have done that. I usually don't use a wash cloth on my face, I just use my fingers lightly. WHY DID I CHOSE TO DO THIS!! Anyways I got of the shower and my face was RED and you could see where every little p&p is at and I must have about 40 of them. There was a spot that I though was a pimple but apon closer inspection it is just a cluster of p&p.

   So tonight I am putting on the wash and let it soak for about 30 minutes and then I will slather on the argan & tto before bed. During the beginning of the day my face feels good, no burning or flushing and the p&ps don't have pressure but by the end of the day I get more flushing, and the p&ps feel like a zit that needs to be popped (gross sorry). So I think when I wake up I am going to slather on more argan/tto mix or do a coconut/tto mix to see if it helps during the day. I wish I could figure out how to take pictures that shows how bad it is IRL.
 

Day 5

      So last night I took a shower with all of my new tto products, they all have that same tto smell which is strong but I am getting use to it. After my shower I put on the wash and didn't rinse. After about an hour all of the oils had absorbed but the honey left my face feeling kind of sticky so I went ahead and just splashed some warm water on my face to get rid of it. Also almost immediately my eyes started getting gritty, dry and itchy. If you look up close you can see the white dots along the lash line but you can only see it if you look really close.  Also my eyes were kind of dry so I put in some eye drops to help. When I was in the shower I used the soap on my lashes and sat for a few minutes with my eyes closed. Right before bed I covered my face and neck with the argan /tto mixture and then used just what was left on my fingers and ran it across my eyes and lashes. It didn't burn or anything just felt kind of menthol like but it wasn't painful or anything. For the record I am not suggesting that any one else should do this I am just telling you what I am doing. 

     When I woke today I had a bunch of tiny  p&p but nothing big and new. I know from what I have read that it gets worse before it gets better and not to expect big improvements any time soon that I have to wait for a couple of life cycles before they are really under control, still sucks. My face isn't as red as it was  and the burning, fire face feeling has diminished greatly. I do notice that about half way through the day it will start to creep back so I might carry some oil with me to put on when that happens. The areas of my face that are not affected are really soft and smooth, I really hope that one day all of my face will look and feel that way. So for now I'm just going to keep with it and taking pictures of the journey. 

Day 4

     Okay so my face has been really dry and flaky so I have decided to not do the ACV anymore, also it was stinging when I applied it so, no more of that. I also made a few other changes last night, I put on the wash  that I made but I didn't rinse it off I just let it soak in. Also I have been using argan oil for a few months and it has really helped with my dry, scaly skin and my skin sucks up like crazy so I added some TTO oil to it and hopefully the argan oil will pull the TTO into my skin with it when it absorbs.

    So back to the regime, slathered my face with the wash but I didn't rinse and watched tv for a little to see how it would absorb and it absorbed better than I thought it would. Right before I went to bed I covered my face in the argan and tto because I know that absorbs pretty quick. Not long after I got to bed I knew it was working because I could FEEL them and it really freaked me out. Okay now on to the pictures.

Day 4

Okay so redness is getting better, p&ps are getting better and drying up, I did wake up with one really big throbbing zit under my lip that you can see in the last picture. Nice right. Anyways one big difference I had this morning is my eyes were super itchy and crusty and watery and my scalp has been itching like crazy all day. So with that being said I am pretty positive it is the mites. From what I have read from other people doing the treatments they will run to these areas that don't have the TTO and look for safety. You could actually see the little white dots on my eye lashes like in this picture (it's pretty gross) I tried to get a picture but it's really tiny (still really gross). So with that discovery I have decided it's game on, all out war time! Me vs demodex rosacea. So today I went to the store and bought an arsenal of products to combat this and try to get my skin back! I would like to also include that along with these products I plan on trying to maintain a beef, pork and poultry free diet. I already know I am not perfect and I will occasionally eat one of those products so don't bash me for it later but for the most part I will be cutting that out of my diet. I did this before and not only did I feel better and lose weight really easily but my skin looked better.  So this is what I bought today

Tea Tree Oil Shampoo
Tea Tree Oil Conditioner
Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil soap for face and body
Probiotics
Shea Butter

So tonight I will start my full body eradication and I will keep this updated. Wish me luck!

What I am using on my face.

Okay so I got the original recipe here, but I modified it a little bit and this is what I ended up making

¼ cup castor oil

1 cup olive oil

1 ½ tsp tea tree oil

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup honey

Mix everything together. I had a hard time trying to mix the honey, even using a blender it just kind of sinks and sits at the bottom. After I mixed it all together I put it in a amber glass bottle. Since the coconut oil is solid at room temperature it turns into a solid at the top so before I use it I set it in a sink of warm water and this seems to help melt the coconut oil and the honey so it mixes a lot better but still not 100%. The original instructions said to wash it on and use a warm cloth to wash it off and the first few times I did this and now I am just letting it absorb into my skin and not washing it all off. I am doing this at night before I go to bed since that is when the mites are most active. 

For a moisturizer I use argan oil and I put a little bit of TTO in it hoping the argan oil will pull in the TTO when it absorbs. I slather this on pretty good in the morning and whenever I feel like I really need it. I also bought some shea butter to spot treat on those really dry chapped spots. 

Also everything I use is 100% natural and organic and cruelty free.