We recently featured this natural beauty jem in our DIY recipes for a Sweet Scrub for a Sexy Body and in our Pedicure Gift Set. People were so thrilled, we thought, let's delve into jojoba a little more and join in on the action (of extolling its virtues that is).

Super easy to obtain from any health food store, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and even drug stores, jojoba oil is a pure and natural plant extract produced in the seed of the the Desert Jojoba shrub. What's interesting is that what's referred to as "jojoba oil" is not an oil at all - a great revelation for those of us who are reticent to slather oil all over our faces in fear of breaking out. Jojoba is actually a liquid wax ester that has very similar properties to those of the human skin oil, or sebum. It's thought that this similarity means jojoba can "trick" the skin into producing less oil as your body strives for equilibrium, that is if you are overproducing. Acne suffers have actually claimed that using a few drops of jojoba at night as an oil-free moisturizer has decreased their incidence of breakouts, and shed that shiny day-to-day look. 

For those of us who need the extra moisture, jojoba is a natural humectant that you'll find forms the basis for many an expensive beauty product. Where moisture is needed, jojoba will deliver. Whether as a conditioner to smooth down dry and frazzled hair or a cuticle softener, a face and body moisturizer or lip treatment, organic jojoba may just be what you've been looking for.

Pure and unadulterated, jojoba can bring balance to your body's moisture levels, far cheaper than you ever thought imaginable.

image: Helena Liu