No Brand (DIY or homemade)

There's no question that glycerin will take care of any dryness that you have, no matter how severe. What makes it a bit difficult to use is finding the proper ratio between glycerin and whatever you use to mix it with (I use water.) Too little glycerin and it won't be moisturizing enough. Too much glycerin (and it's very easy to add too much) and it will leave an uncomfortably sticky finish. Maybe it's not fair of me to give glycerin only an average rating when it's partially down to user error whether you have success with it or not. Unfortunately, I still haven't found that sweet spot where I can get it to work for me.

Rice bran oil has been an unexpected surprise—in a good way! I’ve been using Garden of Wisdom’s Rice Bran Oil.. which is organic, cold-pressed rice bran oil. It is very light and soaks in quickly. It leaves a satin finish on my skin. There is no odor. When I use it at night, I don’t wake up with an oily mess on my face—my face looks smooth & satiny with nice texture and tone. I have very dehydrated, oily skin with some dry patches. I tend to break out with oils, and am allergic to most. This slightly golden, light oil spreads easily, doesn’t irritate my eye area, has not broken me out, and soaks into my skin after a few moments.. fully soaks in with a nice finish after about 10-15 minutes. It leaves a satin finish on my skin, once it’s soaked in. In the past, I’ve had to powder frequently due to my oil production. Oddly, my oil production has decreased using Rice Bran Oil.. when I use it in the morning, I will use a blotting paper around 3pm (although my face is not shiny then—it’s satiny). My skin texture has improved and my facial skin has more luminosity using this. On days I don’t work, I just wash my face, apply this rice bran oil, and skip foundation Completely. I do powder later if necessary—but it’s rarely necessary. This also has improved the uneven skin tone and creepy texture of the skin on my forearms and hands. I keep some in a small squeeze bottle at work. I must wash my hands and glove/reglove often. Lotions make gloving after washing very difficult. I use a little rice bran oil after washing my hands, let it soak in for only a couple moments, and I’m able to glove up again! Huge points just for that! All my lotions and creams have been reformulated to include my allergens (coconut, all nuts, all seeds, Nightshades, perfume, etc..). I have severe allergies (dermal and respiratory). I’ve tried avocado oil—and it’s so nourishing, but it’s too heavy for my face (except my lips)—great for body and neck, there’s an earthy odor that’s natural—but not what I want to smell like at work. I’ve read positive comments about rice bran oil on other forums, but wasn’t hopeful. I added a 4oz to my last Garden of Wisdom order.. tried it.. and have been hooked every since! It’s only been 7 months, so I can’t say how it acts when used in humid summers. But it’s a godsend for me this past dry winter. NO allergic reaction.. no irritation.. no swollen eyes and no pools of oil on my face when I wake up. No odor!! I ordered a bottle for cooking from Amazon. Will see how that goes. Have read it’s good for the ends of your hair.. haven’t tried that yet, either. There’s a PubMed study (3 now) that discuss the results of using rice bran oil on skin. I had been using mine for 6 months before reading the studies. My own results have been very good. Will update if anything changes. Thankfully, this is something that can’t be reformulated!

I bought a bottle of castor oil from Natural Grocers. It is a different brand than the one shown when you click on the reviews for castor oil on MUA. I am not a fan of this for lashes, as it stung the crap out of my eyes. I will be going back to Talika or another product. As for brows, I haven't been using it that long. I will update my review in a little while. I give it 3 stars for now just because it is inexpensive, easy to find, and there are so many uses. People use this to soften their hair and skin, so I don't regret purchasing. It's worth a shot since so many products for brows/lashes are so expensive. If you do want this for lashes, please be careful when applying so you don't sting your eyes.