I will reach for a body oil over a cream or lotion nine times out of ten. If you’re not familiar with “dry oils,” the thought of coating yourself from head to toe in oil is probably a slippery one
The term “dry oil” sounds contradictory, and it is- dry oil isn’t dry. That wouldn’t make sense. As far as science goes there’s nothing actually distinguishing dry oils from wet oils, but the textures are very different. If you were to slather on any oil from the kitchen in the hopes your skin will be left feeling hydrated (I have done this. Homebrand Spray & Cook Canola Oil. Never again.) you’ll find yourself coated in a greasy sheen and feeling like a rotisserie chook. Where wet oils almost never feel as though they’ve been fully absorbed by the skin and take that bit longer to penetrate the dermis, dry oils sink sink right in and leave little to no slippery residue.
While there might not be any scientific classification between traditional (wet) and dry oils, there are a few commonly used oils that have been widely dubbed one or the other- argan, rosehip, camellia, avocado and evening primrose oils fall into the dry oil category, while coconut, jojoba, sweet almond and hemp seed oils take longer to absorb into the skin and are considered “wet” oils.
My first real encounter with dry oil came in the form of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse after trawling through every pharmacy in Paris in the hopes of bringing home a bottle of the cult product (naturally it was available in Australia within two months of me coming back to Australia, thus my City Pharma mission was rendered redundant). I’ve used this close to every day for over two and a half years (exceptions being while trialling other products and when I’ve been too lazy), and I don’t think I’ll ever stop repurchasing it. As far as I’m concerned, this popularised dry oils and garnered its cult reputation with good reason. It’s the best-selling all-purpose oil in France (a country known for it’s fluff-free approach to beauty products) and was totally worth the anxiety-inducing trip to City Pharma. If you’re not tried a dry oil before, this is your no-brainer purchase. Side note- the scent is so good that they actually brought out a perfume following popular demand.
Soel Walker’s Face and Body Oil is the newest addition to my oil roster. If we were working off the ingredients list alone this wouldn’t technically fall under the “dry” oil category (jojoba is the first listed ingredient but it’s closely followed by avocado) however this absorbs into the skin SO beautifully that it felt remiss of me not to include it. This is so lightweight that I’ve found it to perform as well on the face as it does on the body- two things that normally require very different product consistencies.
One of the best things about dry oils is that they sink into the skin so quickly that you can dress immediately following application, so they’re perfect if you want to add a little glow to your skin without any greasiness. For this reason, shimmering dry oils are a staple in my “leaving the house and need to look respectable” routine. The French Girl Lumière Moonlight Body Oil is so “dry” on the dry oil spectrum that I wore it on a plane and didn’t feel uncomfortable (and EVERYTHING feels uncomfortable on a plane). The light reflecting pigments in this are a pearlescent, champagne hue- they don’t add a tint to the skin, but they diffuse the light in a way that almost airbrushes everything.
If you prefer your shimmer to sit somewhere between gold and bronze, my favourite is the Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Shimmering Dry Oil. You can either mist this one on or spritz it into your hands and rub it in, and it’s heavenly either way. This dry oil shares the scent of the Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche perfume, which smells like summer in a bottle (so coconut, vanilla and every citrus you can name).
Boasting both camellia and argan oils at the top of the ingredients list is SALT By Hendrix’ Bath to Body Oil, a product I’ve only ever used on the body due to lack of bath. This is a modern classic for me- the texture feels richer and slightly “wetter” than my old faithful Nuxe, despite containing all the makings of a standard dry oil. Where someone with drier skin might feel like a drier oil isn’t doing enough for their skin, this finds a happy half way point between a dry oil and a rich, oily lotion.
Don’t cover yourself in Spray & Cook. Opt for a fast-absorbing, subtly-scented dry oil and reap the benefits of being able to dress immediately and not literally cooking under heat or sunlight.
