my guess is that it impedes sweating, and so increases the transfer of water
to adsorbtion by skin cells?   geoff
-----Original Message-----
From: T. Martin <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, December 27, 1998 5:04 PM
Subject: Re: [P-F] skin absorbables; factors beyond diet


>>Snow Light,
>>a more natural moisturizer would be organic oive oil..
>
>The subject of moisturizing skin has always mystified me a
>little. How could olive oil be a moisturizer? It doesn't contain
>any water (moisture) that I'm aware of. It is more or less pure
>fat with some phytochemicals and other trace substances
>blended in. If you rub oil into your skin, won't it then repel
>water?
>
>It seems to me that for smooth skin, a reasonable prescription
>would be periodic exfoliation combined with a diet adequate
>in water, vitamins/minerals, amino acids and EFAs. I haven't
>yet encountered a convincing rationale for rubbing a substance
>onto dead or dying skin cells, unless the goal is simply to provide
>*temporary* smoothness or relief from roughness and itching.
>