Review: The Body Shop Oils of Life: Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil

Good evening ladies,

This may be a long overdue review but I think it's worth writing. I have been using this product for about a year and I must say, it is a really good product.

Product photos taken from TBS's press photo materials

This product is is part of their Oils of Life collection launched last year. This collection is infused with black cumin seed oil, rosehip seed oil and camellia seed oil which are known for their supreme revitalising and repairing properties on skin.

The full daily regimen consists of the Essence Lotion, Facial Oil, and Gel Cream. But since I was mainly unemployed at that time, I could only go for the Facial Oil. 

So, here was the condition of my face before using the product.

This was my face post-board exams period and I had the most terrible case of seborrheic dermatitis. For anyone who's not familiar with the condition, here is the simplest most non-medical explanation I can give: it's basically dandruff but not JUST on your hair. It's different from psoriasis in that it's not as worse or as wide spread but they are similar in being SUPER itchy. The most common places where you will see them on your face are: sides of the nose, near your eyebrows and sometimes in your eyebrows, and some on the forehead. They're usually red with flakes on top (DO NOT PICK ON THE FLAKES! IT WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE!)

What causes it? Well, for me, mainly: STRESS, extremes of weather, and bad hygiene. I notice that my face gets exceptionally oily AND dry during these times.

What measures have I used to cure it? Before I go and tell you about that, do know that although I am a licensed MD, please see your dermatologist prior to subscribing to the next treatment regimens. 

I have used the ever trusty hydrocortisone cream for the really nasty itchy and red patches, Nizoral shampoo (instead of a facial wash), and a really good moisturizing regimen.

Moisturizers which I always subscribe to are of course the dermatologist brands (oh you know them already). But, I have found that they aren't enough to keep the break out at bay. They are good while you are treating yourself for the condition but come the extremes of weather and stress, I found that they do not tone the breakouts down.

And then this collection from The Body Shop came along.

Product photos taken from TBS's press photo materials

When TBS launched this line, the testimonies were many: "Revives radiance", "Skin looks revitalized", "Skin feels nourished" and the overarching "It's not a miracle, but it's close". Their line says that after 4 weeks, signs of aging will be reduced, wrinkles appear minimized, and skin feels more elastic and firm.

All these things were secondary goals for me. The test for this product was ultimately: can it keep my breakouts at bay and can it speed up the disappearance of my existing dermatitis?

My skin was at the worse during and immediately post-boards. I did all the moisturizing and whatever, but the stress was just too much. I think it did age me since I wasn't getting enough nourishment (I lose my appetite when I am stressed).

My use of this product was on the evenings, after cleansing and toning, I put two drops of the product on my palm and then pat/spread over my whole face. After I feel like my skin has absorbed it fully, I top it with a facial moisturizer. The product is very light and the scent is aromatic and calming (and also light to the nose).

So did it meet the four weeks? Yes, it did. My dermatitis was healed in four weeks. And to be fair I did not use hydrocortisone or Nizoral (because with these they disappear in 2 weeks time). Though I did supplement the nightly regimen with a morning application of moisturizer.

But overall, I was very happy with the result.

Here is my face 2 to 3 months after.

Still quite dry in some areas, but mostly because I started slacking off the morning routine. In the past year, I have not had any severe dermatitis breakout. People may argue that it may be because I am not as stressed as I was, though I beg to disagree. The past month especially stressful for me: deadlines, reports and my first "big mistake" moment at work was met with one teensy tiny dermatitis spot over the side of my nose and that was it. Even in this extreme weather, my lips would chap but my skin was never red, never itchy, and never flaking.

So in that way this for me was a win for the product.

Were the testimonials true for me? Yes and No. Yes, because after I started using this, the number of people mistaking me for a 16 year old has increased (sometimes to the point that it gets really annoying). No, because it still doesn't feel as smooth or as revitalized.

Is it worth it to buy? This is quite a pricey product but it is one of the more affordable oils/serums you can buy. Another serum I bought cost around 4K where this lands at Php 2,395.00 for a 30 ml bottle. Don't worry that it'll run out quick because my 30 ml bottle is still almost 50% full even after almost a year of continued use.

So what do you think? Do you also love this product? If you do and you have the full regimen, please share what using all of them together was like. For now, I will leave you with this nice video I got from The Body Shop's UK website.

Cheers,

LIZ