Friday, February 25, 2011

Jojoba: The Wonder Wax

There are many kinds of lubricants that massage therapists use.  There are creams (from Biotone and the like), the lotions, and the oils (e.g. sweet almond, apricot kernel).  I have settled on organic jojoba for my treatments.

If you can get beyond the jokes ("It's got jojoba, Jerry!"), you'll discover that jojoba is a fine substance and is not an oil.  It's actually a wax ester that is pressed from the seed of the jojoba plant.  In its chemical properties, it is closer to human sebum than any vegetable oils used in massage, and it does not clog pores.  The skin drinks it in and is left soft and nourished.

Jojoba has great therapeutic properties beyond being an emollient.  In a 2010 study, it was found that jojoba has wound-healing properties (Ranzato, Martinotti, Burlando, "Wound healing properties of jojoba liquid wax: An in vitro study."  Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2010).  In other studies, jojoba has been shown to be anti-inflammatory, as well.

So when you receive a massage with jojoba, there's no need to wash it off.  Just let your skin enjoy the benefits!

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