Unlisted Brand • High Linoleic Safflower Oil • Skincare - Face

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cadbury on 2/28/2013 3:18:00 AM more reviews by cadbury

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I looked into what oils might work for my skin type to use for oil cleansing, and safflower and hemp were recommended for clog prone, sensitive skin with rosacea due to their high linoleic content.
I used it for 3 nights, followed by by regular cleanser to remove the residue. Each morning I woke up to hard lumps that felt like cysts, but were whiteheads on top. Because they multiplied each day, I stopped using it. As soon as I stopped, I got no more lumps, and within 2 days my skin calmed down to normal.
I also used this once on my hair before shampooing out, and was left with the same type of pimple on my scalp.

I used it on my body for 3 days, on damp skin as moisturiser, and had no adverse reactions. It absorbed well and left no real smell.

Sadly this didn't work for me, but I have found very few things do. I'm glad I tried it since it got so many raves, if only to rule it out.

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*TOP REVIEWER* cerulfox on 4/1/2012 2:57:00 PM more reviews by cerulfox

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Tan, Warm   Hair: Black, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Black    

All oils are YMMV, and unfortunately safflower didn't work out for me either. Every time I tested it I broke out in small little whiteheads. Too bad, since it was quite effective at dislodging blackheads with OCM. I'll stick with rice bran and jojoba.

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eiyela on 3/20/2012 4:14:00 PM more reviews by eiyela

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Red, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I'll hold off on the facial review for now and update later, but so far my skin seems to like it. It soaks in quite quickly!

I just came to rave about my... feet! Omfg, they feel so good. Not in that slightly raw, rosy, I've-just-exfoliated way, but just smooth, supple, elastic skin. I got some leftover oil taking my makeup off, so I just slapped it on and a pair of socks over. No foot bath, no exfoliation, no nothing. I'm absolutely blown away. Might be a tip for those of you who can't tolerate it on your face. :)
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Update: I've been using the safflower oil for a few weeks now to take off my makeup and moisturize. I'm probably invoking the big pimple curse saying it, but my skin feels really nice! It does nothing for my scars, I still have marks, but it seems to lessen new breakouts. I've never been able to do the whole traditional OCM with olive oil and whatever, but since this stuff is so much lighter I can even deep cleanse without any adverse effects.

Definitely read this article: http://www.makeupalley.com/user/notepad/d_E_S_S

I keep my oil in an old foundation pump bottle (thoroughly cleaned and sterilized!) and the rest stays in the back of the fridge.

I don't like it as a hair oil, unfortunately. It goes on nice at first, but since I don't wash my hair length every day it just smells sort of... Rancid, after a while.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Juno77 on 9/28/2011 2:07:00 PM more reviews by Juno77

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

My skin doesnt agree with safflower oil. It breaks me out whichever way I use it. If i tissue it off, if I steam it off with a washcloth, if I use it as a pre-cleanse and remove it with cleanser afterwards (I think this one's the worst method). Wanted to like it, but waste of money.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Missy on 8/28/2010 12:16:00 AM more reviews by Missy

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I found the Hollywood brand of this at my local grocery store and just had to give it a try. For a few days, I used it as a makeup remover by massaging it all over my dry face, adding a bit of water to emulsify, tissuing off and then washing with a gentle soap (I use Dove unscented). I don't find that it really removes makeup all that well. It sort of just smears my eye makeup until I wash it off with my regular soap, so this feels like an unnecessary step to me. It did FEEL nice, so I suppose the relaxation of using it is worth it. The best part about using this was that it seemed to regulate my oil production. I found that when I oil-cleansed the night before, my skin stayed matte the next day. After using it a few days, my skin was kind of parched, so I decided to use it as a moisturizer. After I did my normal cleansing with it, I tissued it off but left the residue. Sadly, it broke me out this way. =(
Also, this stuff works great on my hair! I have that hair type that gets oily at the roots, but feels like straw at the ends. This makes my hair look silky and healthy! I really love it for this reason and will probably still use it as a pre-cleanse every once in a while.

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envirogeeky on 5/25/2010 6:30:00 PM more reviews by envirogeeky

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Blue    

I adore this oil for my wavy 2/a/b hair. I use 4 drops daily to oil my hair lengths. It is every bit as good as japanese camelia oil if not a bit better. It moisturizes yet does not flatten my hair out. Sometimes I mix this with meadowfoam oil for daily oilings. This oil is good for adding to shampoo when you need more moisture...add about 1/2 to 1 tsp. of this oil to 1/4 cup gentle shampoo and 1/4 cup filtered water. I also like to do hot oil treatments with this oil by mixing half argan oil with half safflower oil and 4 drops of rosemary essential oil. I will put this mixture on for several hours before shampooing and always get great results!

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UgandanAmericanBeauty on 4/7/2010 2:09:00 AM more reviews by UgandanAmericanBeauty

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other, Dark   Hair: Other   Eyes: Brown    

I use safflower oil for hair, skin and nails...

I have natural hair (Afro-textured hair), not permed, dyed or chemically altered in any way and my hair drinks up the Safflower oil...a little goes a long way so don't over do it. Afterwards, my hair is soft and thick...and whatever hair style I choose to do...whether it is twists-outs, braids, bun or even or a 'fro...always look so healthy and shiny !

For skin, I mix the Safflower oil with Jamaican unrefined Castor oil or some unrefined Castor oil I brought from home (Uganda) with a little peppermint oil for scent. After a bath or shower, this oil is just divine...

For nails, I use it as a cuticle oil and also rub it directly on my nails. I used to have peeling on my nails and Safflower oil took care of it...

I like this oil because it has many uses and you can mix it with other oils as a base for hair oils or lotiions. Try it...you won't be sorry.

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thebonita on 1/14/2010 12:43:00 AM more reviews by thebonita

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

When you're very acne/clog and dermatitis-prone, it's not easy to find an oil you can tolerate and use daily without problems. I've tried so many: olive, castor, camellia, evening primrose, rosehip, mineral. I do like some of the aforementioned, but much prefer safflower oil to them. I don't agree with other reviewers who mentioned it's akin to olive oil. I find olive oil to be much more viscous and hard to remove than safflower. Safflower is much lighter and much easier to remove. I must say, I've never really been a fan of oils in general. I also never found them to be particularly moisturizing either. I find they aid in moisturizing, but aren't effective on their own. Anyway, I've been successfully using safflower oil to cleanse for the last 2 months or so. I don't really adhere to the OCM method as I've never really noticed the "blackheads unplugging immediately" effect that some OCM users have. I just use it to deep clean and make sure I've got everything off at the end of the day, especially if I wore a waterproof or physical sunscreen that day.

So here's what I do: I apply the safflower oil onto a dry face and massage it in gently for a minute or so. I then take a regular 100% cotton cosmetic pad, wet it a little, then wipe off whatever can be wiped off. If my skin is irritated and/or feeling really dry that day, I'll leave the residue. I find that the residue left by safflower oil is quite comfortable. If I want *less* residue, I'll follow it up with a cleanser.

I've been using this every day now and it has not caused any breakouts for me. I definitely recommend this oil for acne-prones.

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westienut on 11/5/2009 8:27:00 PM more reviews by westienut

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Edited Jan 20 2010 : For benefit of many who live in seattle/ east side area, the hollywood brand high linoleic oil is found in Uwajimaya asian grocery store as a new product introduced in store ! As far as the product results are concerned, skin doing great. Using this oil for OCM and body scrub, bath oil, body oil, skin life is good.. I have started to incorporate little amount of this oil in cooking too as the health benefits are really good.
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Initial Review:

"High Linoleic" is the key. Thanks wholeheartedly to Luloo, a kind reviewer who had mentioned the difference in lin-oleic and oleic.

Till date, hunting every darn store in my area, i found the only safflower oil for SKIN (High Linoleic) is hollywood brand (apprarently sister brand hain is not high linoleic). I had to get it from hollywood oil store online..

Ok...The purposes i researched and use for and had got results is:

1. Extremely dry lizard like body skin aka diagnosed ichthyosis vulgaris (though face is oily) - i got to a point of not going to doctors simply for the fact that i dreaded what they would think when doing a physical exam, so much dryness and scales, this is a hereditary thing running in my family. Anyway what worked great is Amlactin lotion - however, when i stop using it the scales are back..and also the stinging of the aha on my whole body is something i dont want to deal with....I also have rheumatoid arthritis, so was looking for massage oils. So the benefit of HL-saff oil is just unbeleiveable, super softskin all day long, i just cant beleive it. The scaliness level is 8 when compared to 10 in a scale of 1-10..and i started doing this oil moisturizing just 3 weeks back. I will not give up and this is so far working so well and great about no odor of any sort.

2. For face - massage or OCM or adding a little drop of the oil to regular moisturizer, keeps facial skin supple. I feel the glow, may be placebo prozac effect?????????

3. One of my dogs has severe skin allergies and the dermatologist specifically mentioned High Linoleic safflower oil and more specifically hollywood brand he said was quite popular...actually this was my main reason for research on skin and i didnt know i could be benefited...many dogs with skin lesions / related skin cancers go into remission after using high lin. safflower oil, that is something great. Please do look into www.maristavet.com for more info on dogs/ oil intake.

Cons...

1. Hell, why cant i find this brand anywhere within 10 miles of my place ,i cannot fathom. I live near Boeing in Renton..am tired of searching..found one brand which is a 10:2 ratio called flora in a healthfood store nearby.


Now for the organic safflower oils you find in stores (health food stores esp) - they are indeed high OLEIC safflower oils. Checked with mountain rose herbs and many other online sites who all give a great description about the oil as a skin oil , brightening properties and a whole bunch of unresearched texts but what i felt really sad is some customers can never notice the difference in the acids (poly unsaturated to mono ratio) unless someone points that out...(many thanks to Luloo once again).. So Please be very careful buying this stuff. ALSO: This is not to put down any opinion, thanks for sharing info and time.


I did notice a reviewer mentioning hormonal problems - I did safflower oil research a lot ( mainly for my dog but yoou know when you google you get just get streams of info - well, truth or not..). Safflower oil and CLA taken together infact helps menopausal symptoms (read "weight issues" )and diabetes 2 in women in the menopausal stage. Dietary intake regularly increases a hormone by name adipenectin which burns the calories. This is one study. HOWEVER, phytoestrogens in plant oils can mimic hormonal issues. In my humble opinion every thing we eat, put on skin has some contradiction. Try the oil in small-ish qtys, observe, if it doesnt work or you have quizzical issues on side effect, there is always something else, dont worry!


Sorry for a longg boring post, i wanted to share this for quite long..


Thanks!

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*TOP REVIEWER* iluvboyz on 10/24/2009 6:56:00 AM more reviews by iluvboyz

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Tan, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I love to do home made sugar/salt scrubs with the safflower oil. Leaves my skin super soft. Also, sometimes as a moisturizer. I was researching this oil online and it's not suppose to clog pores. It lets the skin breath. Heres the really big thing about this oil that made me fall in love with it. I was having EXTREMELY dry lips. I was drinking tons of water(beyond the suggest amount per day). I was slathering on lip balm in the morning and night and I WOULD ALWAYS have flakey, dry lips. No matter what lip balm I was using( high or low end)!! I didn't understand and was going to see my doctor, thought maybe I had a problem! But then I came across online that some people put this oil on their lips. So, I tried this last night before I went to bed. I put a drop( thats all you will need) for my bottom and top lip. Let this soak in(about 20 minutes) then put a light layer of lip balm on over top. Woke up and my lips look super healthy and moisturized and no flakes! I'm going to put this on in the morning and at night and see how my lips look after about a week of doing this!:D

Update: I put some of this in the ends of my hair like a leave in, worked amazing! I also put this all over my body last night before bed(not including my face/neck) my skin just soaked this up. Also, I only used a one tablespoon to do my whole body. It also didn't feel heavy on my skin like sometimes olive oil does. I love safflower oil and can't tell enough people! I'm going to do an oil treatment on my hair. Just to let everyone know, that Joico k-pak deep penetrating reconstructor has safflower oil in it. I mixed a tablespoon with it tonight and it worked wonders. I just adore safflower oil. :)

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*TOP REVIEWER* nailbunny on 8/21/2009 10:46:00 AM more reviews by nailbunny

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Red, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I've been using Sunflower+Camellia+Jojoba oils in equal parts as cleanser, moisturiser, leave-in hair lotion & eye makeup remover for almost 8 weeks. Miraculously, as I'd all but given up on trying to find it in the UK, I found Safflower oil in a health food store, so I switched to Safflower+Camellia+Jojoba about a week ago. Using a mix of 3 oils has cleared up my blackheads, whiteheads, dry patches and most importantly MY ROSACEA AND DERMATITIS. I cannot stress enough that I didn't like any one of these oils alone, but balancing the fatty acid profiles of all 3 has made all the difference. I've cross-reviewed the other two oils (and Sunflower before I found Safflower). How I use this mix is in my notepad.

The one I'm using is organic & cold-pressed. The reason I switched was because it is extremely high in linoleic acid (even higher than Sunflower) which has been shown to repair the lipid barrier of skin so that it maintains moisture but can still expel water in the form of sweat or, in short, 'breathe'. At 80% linoleic acid, it is the highest of all the oils. I wanted that high content to balance the combined oleic acid content of Camellia (70% oleic) and Jojoba (10% oleic) to facilitate its absorption. I find that oleic by itself sinks in quickly but leaves skin a bit dry (palmitoleic also), while linoleic doesn't sink in quickly and just leaves an oily sheen. Jojoba by itself ultimately dries skin out. But all 3 together work beautifully, not just initially, but over time.

I no longer have a red rash of bumps, dry, scaly, uncomfortable skin. My skin looks great in the morning because the mix absorbs quickly and the moisture lasts all day without becoming an oil slick. So, if anyone dislikes Safflower by itself, give this a try!
UPDATE Dec 2009: Have switched to just Macadamia Nut Oil in pretty much the same way as above. It's my HG

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*TOP REVIEWER* ChildOfTheMoon on 7/7/2009 4:16:00 PM more reviews by ChildOfTheMoon

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I use safflower oil only around my eyes, it's extremely moisturizing and too heavy for the rest of my face. Similar to EVOO performance-wise, but odorless.
Safflower oil works wonderfully instead of silicone drops for dry hair ends. It acts smoothing, infusing hair with moisture. Since it's quite heavy, it's easy to overdo- a drop will do in my case.
I havent been using this oil for a long time, only 3-4 weeks, so I'm not sure about the long term effectiveness. I use coconut oil for hair, and a mixture of other veg oils for face and EVOO for body. If safflower doesn't agree with your face or hair then mix it with your body lotion, or use as massage oil. There's always some use for it!

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biogrrl on 6/25/2009 4:22:00 PM more reviews by biogrrl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

While I agree with the comments about it being effective at reducing post acne scarring, it made me break out in swollen whiteheads all over my face in about a week. (I never get breakouts like that, just the occasional hormonal acne.)

I couldn't possibly recommend this to anyone, regardless of whether it is supposedly non-comedogenic.

It's the worst thing I've done to my skin in a long time.

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springrn on 5/16/2009 6:16:00 PM more reviews by springrn

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I've been using safflower oil to take off makeup and sunscreen for about 6-8 months. I wasn't entirely happy with it at first but I was mixing castor oil with ~70 SO/30 CO ratio and I was still having little annoying breakouts. After reading some reviews and different mixtures on here I ditched the CO and mixed a little vitamin E with the safflower oil. I guess CO was too drying because this worked for me. I massage this in for a couple minutes then wash my face with Johnson and Johnson's Head to Toe wash (I was also using this before). Working well for me but everyone's skin is different. Very recently, I've been test driving Dr. Bronner's baby mild soap in place of the Johnson's Baby wash. Time will tell....EDIT: Not using this anymore. It wasn't preventing breakouts.

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*TOP REVIEWER* d_E_S_S on 3/5/2009 7:09:00 AM more reviews by d_E_S_S

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I love this stuff so much - on top of some form of acid (whether ACV, glycolic or my current Murad exfoliating gel), the linoleic acid in safflower oil has more or less cleared my long-time stubborn acne without drying it at all - in fact, every morning, I wake up to plump, clear skin.


Because safflower oil is unstable (it reacts to light and oxygen, and oxidizes very quickly, and this oxidized linoleic acid turns onto a comedogenic agent i.e. breakout-causing (as opposed to comedolytic, which is acne-dissolving), I pour mine into a smaller, dark bottle for daily use, and keep the "mother" bottle intact in the fridge. (Feel free to check out my notepad where I documented my research!) I also purge and refill my child bottle regularly.


Even then, sometimes the child bottle gets too exposed to oxygen from being opened on a daily basis - and recently I have found that adding my Skinceuticals CE Feulic Acid gel (which act as an anti-oxidant) has kept the child bottle fresh for longer. I add about 1 pipette to the child bottle for every 40/50mL of safflower oil or so.

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ErynHollyfeld on 2/17/2009 6:06:00 PM more reviews by ErynHollyfeld

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Hazel    

I've been using safflower oil as an allover moisturizer and as a makeup remover (as well as around my eyes as a moisturizer) for several weeks now, and I love it! I've added some rose essential oil to it to make it smell better (though it's odorless- I just like my moisturizer to have a scent).
One warning- if you use this as an allover moisturizer, be careful about getting your hair in it- I have learned the hard way to make sure my hair is dried, and pulled up out of the way before putting this on my back. Oily hair is not fun.
UPDATE: I noticed all my clothes were starting to get oily as a result of me using this as a moisturizer and not giving it enough time to sink in before I got dressed. This is not for impatient people.

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pinkyohana on 12/7/2008 10:54:00 PM more reviews by pinkyohana

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I just buy mine at Costco... Get about 1 gallon for $8. Works out to be about 6 cents per oz. :)
Of course, the packaging is bulky and big, so I transfer it to a cute decanter that I can spray on and rub in my skin before a shower. If I need additional moisture for my dry hands, I rub a bit in my cuticles and hands after my favorite lotion. No smell like olive oil. Yay!

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*TOP REVIEWER* urstandingonmytoes on 12/6/2008 1:28:00 PM more reviews by urstandingonmytoes

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Green    

Everyone knows that Olive Oil makes a great body scrub and has 1000 different uses for your skin. Well Safflower Oil has the same high lipid/Vit E content as Olive Oil but it is ODORLESS!!! Safflower Oil, like Olive oil mimics your own skin oil so anything you use Olive Oil for, try the safflower. I bought it at my grocery store for about $5 (HOLLYWOOD BRAND) for a big ol' bottle. I transferred some of it into a spray bottle so its less messy. What I love about this is I can use it with sugar for a great body scrub or I can slather it all over my damp skin after a shower and not have that "salad" smell follow me around all day. This leaves my skin silky smooth and moisturized. Also, I mix some of my Watkins Dry Spray Oil in Vanilla with this, to scent it when I use it on my body and I get moisturization plus the yummy smell...this is HG HG HG!!!! This is the ONLY product I use to remove my waterproof mascara and it has transformed my eyelashes (which I didn't expect), but they went from being short and sparse to thick and long..REALLY! I used it for about 2 months and my hubby asked me one day if I had on false eyelashes! Imagine that.

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*TOP REVIEWER* taralynn36 on 11/14/2008 1:42:00 PM more reviews by taralynn36

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I don't use this product on my face so I can't say how that works but I use this as a mixer with sugar for a great moisturizing body scrub. I simply mix this, sugar, and ground oatmeal until I get the consistancy I want. (I grind regular oats with my coffee grinder). After I use this I find I can go without body lotion. My skin glows for days!

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*TOP REVIEWER* laureg on 9/17/2008 11:30:00 AM more reviews by laureg

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

My skin was quite bad until I started using this stuff. Stressed, red, flaky, breaking out, etc. and I happened to stumble on these reviews. I used to clean my face with jojoba oil years ago with good results and decided to give this a try. I bought an amber glass bottle that holds about 60 ml, and I add one drop each of rosemary, clary sage, thyme, lavender, lemon and geranium essential oils, topping up with safflower oil. This makes one of the BEST facial cleansers I have ever used (not to mention the smell is wonderful!). I massage half a dropperful all over my face, then wipe it off with a cleansing wipe, or massage in some Cetaphil or LRP cleansing lotion, then wipe that all off with a microfibre cloth. This stuff takes off everything, even waterproof mascara, and my skin feels wonderful- not stripped and dry like when I used other detergent or soapy cleansers. I always thought that I had oily but dry skin, until I saw a facialist who told me my primary problem was that my skin was dehydrated. Since using my own concoction oil cleanser, and switching what I use to moisturize, my skin has never looked better and my problems with oiliness have disappeared. My pores are also smaller, and my skin is a lot smoother, too.

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