First off, I should say that I have tried to go all natural in terms of skincare for a long time. I dread the "potentially carcinogens" in ingredient lists, but I rarely stick to any item of natural skincare, since they do not work for me that well. They are usually pretty irritating and make me breakout. However, every now and then, I still cannot resist the temptation of all natural, guilt free skincare. This horse oil is one of those products I found in those endeavors. If there is a lot of interest, I will gradually review the 22 kinds of oil I have tried to use on my skin. :)
This Son Bahyu horse oil has been the highest ranking moisturizer on cosme.net for a long time, and has always been the top 1 in the category called "facial oil".
Perhaps I should first introduce the concept of facial oil, since the concept is new to most of US beauty consumers. We have always been told that oil is bad for skin, and that it might cause acne. Actually, many of my friends only buy moisturizers that are oil-free.
Of course, I realize that oil is not really that novel a concept to all US consumers. Many of my US friends' grandmothers use oils on their face as moisturizers, and many organic skincare lovers has been using oils for a long time. The Japanese do the same. They use an oil for the face at night, or on days they do not expect the need to go out, or do not need heavy moisturization. Or sometimes, when Japanese women feel their skin is very dry, they use their facial oils beneath facial creams. This works really well because creams seal in the moisture, so the oil moisturizes and does not appear overly oily.
It took me a long time to get used to the idea of using oil on my face, but I do because my grandmother does, and her skin is beautiful. This is just another oil I picked up on my trip to Japan because it has such a high ranking.
It can be used all over your body, and is supposed to have some soothing properties like aloe. I applied this on my mosquito bites I got in a warmer part of Asia, and it really relieves the itching and redness.
This is completely natural and very 100% additive free. I don't really know how quickly it will expire, because my Japanese is really horrible. If someone could tell me, it would be really great.
Pros:
1. A lot of moisturization. My neck got really dry last week after I got stuck in the cold for a long time (actually I don't know how it got so dry), but it was swelled up a little, and stung when I applied any products with Vit C in it. I used the horse oil on my neck, and then covered with a thick layer of my Laneige White plus Renew night cream on top. In half a week, the hives was gone and my neck no longer feels dry.
2. No breakouts even though it is an oil.
1. A lot of moisturization. My neck got really dry last week after I got stuck in the cold for a long time (actually I don't know how it got so dry), but it was swelled up a little, and stung when I applied any products with Vit C in it. I used the horse oil on my neck, and then covered with a thick layer of my Laneige White plus Renew night cream on top. In half a week, the hives was gone and my neck no longer feels dry.
2. No breakouts even though it is an oil.
3. seems to calm some pimples if applied in moderate amounts, but not really significant compared to my other night creams
4. calms redness and itching from mosquito bites
5. makes skin really soft
Cons:
1. Doesn't absorb as fast as it claims to, especially if you apply in large amounts.
2. Looks oily if you apply more than just a dab
Overall: Great Moisturizer that should not be used during day time, at least if not in very small amounts
NOTE: I am extremely sorry if horse oils upset you. I have met US girls who criticize the East for using horse oils, which is so cruel to horses. I love animals, but I could not control myself from getting this because it was so popular and works so well.