Hey there! 🙋🏻
We all know the feeling: a few drops of oil on the skin and suddenly it feels softer, smoother, less dry.
But what's actually happening underneath that silky finish? There's some fascinating science behind it. 💧
What Is Our Skin's Lipid Barrier?
The outermost layer of our skin is called the stratum corneum. Think of it as a brick wall: skin cells called corneocytes act as the bricks, while a highly organized matrix of lipids surrounds them like mortar. Those lipids include ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids, and their organization is critical to how well our barrier functions. One of its biggest jobs is controlling what gets in, and how much water gets out.
What Is TEWL?
Our skin constantly loses small amounts of water to the environment. This is called transepidermal water loss, or TEWL. When the barrier is compromised, TEWL can increase, contributing to dryness. Researchers use TEWL as a key measure of how well the skin barrier is functioning. And this is where oil gets interesting. 🧴
How Does Oil Help Keep Skin Moisturized?
Oil doesn't work like water; it doesn't simply add hydration. Instead, many topical oils form a protective, water-resistant layer over the skin. This occlusive effect can reduce water loss from the stratum corneum, helping skin retain moisture. Research on several vegetable oils found that applying them reduced TEWL, though the degree of occlusion varied between oils. So when our skin feels softer after applying oil, we're not imagining it. We're changing the environment at the skin's surface.
What's the Difference Between an Emollient and an Occlusive?
Emollients soften and smooth the skin's surface, while occlusives slow the movement of water out of it. Many oils do both, but they aren't quite the same thing. 🧩
Does Oil Become Part of Our Skin Barrier?
Plant oils contain their own mix of triglycerides, fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, and phospholipids, so what an oil does on the skin depends partly on this composition. Not all oils are interchangeable. Some fatty acids support barrier function, while others can disrupt it under certain conditions; research highlights linoleic acid's role in maintaining the skin's water-permeability barrier, while excess topical oleic acid can work against it. "It's oil" isn't enough to tell us how it will behave on our skin.
So, What's Actually Happening When We Apply Oil?
A little chain reaction: oil on the skin → softer surface → more occlusion → less water escaping → skin feels smoother and more moisturized. The oil isn't replacing our skin's natural barrier — it's working with its surface to help reduce water loss. 💜
This is exactly how Oleia Pure Oil delivers: a blend of premium plant-based carrier oils with no added essential oils, gentle enough for babies, pregnant moms, and the most sensitive skin, while still absorbing fast without any greasy residue.
So the next time you reach for that little bottle, it’s not just chasing a nice feeling — you support your skin's own barrier, helping it hold onto the moisture it already has. And if you’re looking for a gentle, everyday way to do that, Oleia Pure Oil is worth having on hand, whether it's for your own skin or the whole family's.
Show me your bottle and I'll show you mine? 'Til next time!
xo, L.
References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5796020/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10841493/
