Salad dressing on my face

You read that right.

I put salad dressing on my face.

On purpose.

Crazy, no?

The truth is it seems I have very sensitive, dry skin. My last (expensive!) night cream gave me dermatitis on my face. Not a good look and quasi-permanent, which is very disheartening. My dermatologist told me point blank that the beauty industry is an industry and that we don't need any of the creams and serums and concoctions they want to sell us, no matter the price point. We need a clean face, which can be achieved with a good soap (I use Dr. Bronner's bar soap), and sunscreen during the day and that's it. She conceded I should use a moisturizer if it makes me more comfortable (it does), but which one?

It seems the answer is salad dressing.

Oh yes, my friends.

This is another recipe from A Home Companion, the source of my homemade laundry detergent. Having finally run out of all samples and anything else resembling moisturizer I could use at night, I decided to whip up a batch of Magic Night Cream.

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

about 1 tablespoon water

3 drops lavender essential oil, optional

Blend olive oil and vinegar. Slowly add water to make a creamy texture. Add essential oil to mask salad dressing smell if desired. Store in the fridge in a glass jar. Give it a vigorous shake before using because contents will settle and separate.

I omitted the essential oil as not to provoke the dermatitis. Yes, it smells like salad dressing. Does it work like magic? Yes! The oil sinks in relatively quickly (no oil on my pillow), leaving beautiful, soft, well-moisturized skin in the morning.

Try it, I dare you.