Jojoba oil (prounded ho HO ba) is a unique, high quality oil which comes from the bean of the Simmondsia chinensis plant which grows exclusively in the Southwest United States and the Northwest Sonoran Desert in Mexico. In the 1700's, Father Junipero Serra, the founder of 21 California missions, noted in his diary that Native Americans were using the oil and the seeds for many different purposes: for treating sores, cuts, bruises, and burnes; as a diet supplement and as an appetite suppressant when food was not available; as a skin conditioner, for soothing windburn and sunburn; as a cooking oil; as a hair and scalp treatment and hair restorative; and as a coffee-like beverage by roasting the seeds. The Jojoba plant has only been cultivated since the 1970's. Before that, jojoba beans were harvested from wild plants. In 1971 the ban on importation of sperm whale products led to the discovery that jojoba oil is very similar to, and in many regards superior, to sperm oil for applications in the cosmetics and other industries.

Jojoba oil is actually a polyunsaturated liquid wax. It is non-oily or greasy and contains high levels of toco-herals, which have an antioxidant effect on the skin. Skin absorption studies at the University of Michigan demon-trated that jojoba oil is quickly abosorbed into the skin. Due to its chemical structure, it does not clog the pores and because it is a wax, it forms a lipid layer on the skin preventing mositure loss. Jojoba oil helps to prevent individual cells from losing moisture, and aids in keeping skin smooth and supple. Jojoba oil is an effective cleanser, conditioner, moisturizer and softener for the skin and hair. Apply directly to the skin to soften skin, reduce wrinkles and stretch marks, to lighten and help heal scars, and to promote healthy hair and scalp. Jojoba oil is similar to and mixes with sebum, which is a fatty substance secreted by the human sebaceous glands to lubricate and protect skin and hair. When sebum production decreases due to age, pollutants, or environmental stresses, jojoba oil can be used to replicate sebum oil. Jojoba oil conditions hair and keeps it from becoming brittle and dull. If there is too much sebum buildup on the scalp, it dissolves and removes the sebum, leaving the hair and scalp clean.

Jojoba oil is not reserved just for people with dry skin. People with acne-proned skin, who suffer more than others from clogged pores and blackhead formation, tend to avoid oil-based products. Jojoba oil does not clog pores and mixes readily with the skin's natural oils. Studies have shown that it can even inhibit the growth of certani types of bacteria associated with acne. (Please note: One of my friends who uses jojoba oil claims that it makes her acne worse. Another person I know you uses it, says it makes her acne better. You'll have to judge for yourself.)

Jojoba oil is also helpful for skin conditions such as rosacea, sebborheic dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis. By helping to reinforce the structure of the skin's outer layer (the epidermis), jojoba oil - along with the natural oils produced by the skin - is extremely helpful in the healing process.

• anti-bacterial benefits
• helps to heal cracked and torn cuticles
• excellent substitute for baby oil
• alleviates cradle cap and diaper rash
• inhibits moisture loss
• helps in the treatment of skin disorders
• promotes healthy hair and scalp
• does not clog pores
• does not oxidize or go rancid
• cleans and conditions hair and skin
• helps in the treatment of cold sores
• helps to erase fine lines and wrinkles
• non-greasy and non-oily
• high in anti-oxidants
• certified organic by the State of California