Exotic Oils

Six soothing and healing oils for every skin need

- Lisa Turner

They’re lush in texture, fragrant in scent, and loaded with healing compounds. Oils from around the world can soothe, heal, and moisturize hair, skin, and nails, fast. Benefits: straight oils usually contain only one or two ingredients, so they’re simple for sensitive skin, and highly versatile: add to baths or massage oils, mix a few drops into moisturizer, or use as is. And they’re highly concentrated, so you need only a small amount. Six to try:

1. Argan oil.

Pressed from the nut of the argan tree and native to Morocco, this rich, healing oil has been used for hundreds of years to smooth skin, heal wounds, and soothe rashes, and to treat hair and scalp conditions like folliculitis, psoriasis, and dandruff. It’s especially nourishing for hair, and helps treat split ends, tame frizzy locks, and soothe irritated hair follicles. Use it—to make hair soft and lustrous: place a few drops in your palms, rub hands together, and smooth over clean hair to add shine and manageability; massage a few drops into scalp to fight dandruff and irritated scalp; massage a liberal amount into dry hair, wrap hair in a towel, and leave in for at least two hours before shampooing.

2. Monoi oil.