That Skinny Elephant: Bio Oil 'Be Skin Confident' Workshop

Bio Oil.

My go to moisturizer when I was flying.

I pretty much wiped out the Bio Oil bottles in the pharmacy every time I had a flight to South Africa, hahaha!!

No, really I did.

I swear some of us flight attendants really take our shopping around the world seriously.

Years ago I often used Bio Oil during my travels. It absorbs really quick and retains moisture. With all that climate change and dehydrated skin, It was a must it my suitcase and at home.

I was using it for a few years until I became pregnant.

Something about pregancy made me transition to the extreme of my interests. Like going back to basics and really lovin' desserts, heee.

I have always been a supporter of all things natural and/or organic. If it's homemade, even better. Being a stay-at-home-mum currently allows me to explore these area of handmade goodness.

So it was no surprise that I stopped using Bio Oil due to a number of ingredients that I wasn't too happy about and swapped to good ol' coconut oil.

However a few weeks ago, I got a little invitation to participate in a Bio Oil talk.

I was super excited. Then I started thinking, oh man, but I don't use this anymore, so should I still go?

After hours of contemplation, a few conversations with my loved ones about principles and how I'd like to only preach about what I'd practice, I decided to go as a guest, not as a participant.

I'm glad I attended.

I was taken care of by lovely PR professionals who took the time to introduce me to Stephanie Ng, Product Manager and Ms Low Hooi Wan, Division Manager of Nuvanta Sdn. Bhd.,distributor of Bio-Oil Malaysia who helped address my concerns about Bio-Oil.

Azzura the warmest PR rep I've met.

From left to right; Stephanie Ng, Product Manager, R. Yogash, MUMO Talent Coach and Ms Low Hooi Wan, Division Manager
Photo Courtesy of Access Coms

Photo courtesy of Access Coms

Come to think of it, it was kind of funny, I may have been known as the girl who had heard some bad rep about Bio-Oil, haha!

Well like some of you who googled mineral oils like parranifum liquidum and realised words like petroleum, crude oil, toxic popped up, I obviously freaked out.

So I decided to read a little more and hear both sides of the story.

Yes a number of cosmetics and skin care companies use mineral oil like parranifum liquidum as a base for their products.

Yes it is derived from petroleum.

I had a mindset that thought, ok, its petroleum, stash it. Without thinking that there are different grades of petroleum after it has been 'specifically isolated and prepared fraction of petroleum' that's meant for pharmaceutical use.

For example, water. You can't just drink water from anywhere these days. It is not clean, heck, we can't even drink water from the tap here in Malaysia!

However after it has gone through proper filteration process, you can.

That's how I look at it.

Now I have this thing where I try to avoid products with ingredients I can't pronounce or I'm not familiar with. So what about the rest of the concoction?

Here's a list of the ingredients I pasted from Bio Oil.com for you to do a little research on your own if it's a cause of concern.

Botanicals - My favourite ingredients from Bio-Oil

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract (Calendula Oil)
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil (Lavender Oil)
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil (Rosemary Oil)
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil (Chamomile Oil)

Vitamins

Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A)
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)

Oil base

Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum)
Triisononanoin
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Isopropyl Myristate
Glycine Soja Oil
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
BHT
Bisabolol

Fragrance (Rose)

Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Amyl Cinnamal
Benzyl Salicylate
Citronellol
Coumarin
Eugenol
Farnesol
Geraniol
Hydroxycitronellal
Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde
Limonene
Linalool

Color

Orange: CI 26100 (Red 17)

Looking through the contents, I am no pharmacist to tell you what is good and what is not. But as much as I'm not too keen on the added colour and fragrance, it does not contain parabens or phthalates which are pretty toxic for your skin.

With regards to its fragrance, it has been added to obviously make it smell nice. I'm ok with smelling like a coconut (hah!) but when I'm out, I could definitely appreciate smelling a little bit more pleasant. Hence it's something I'd personally use from to time to time.

Wooh, I really went off road here.
Haha!
Perhaps, I should get back to sharing with you about what I experienced during the event, yes?

Bio-Oil 'Be Skin Confident' Workshop was pretty insightful, both on the product and ourselves.
Stephanie Ng, Product Manager gave a presentation about Bio-Oil and why it has won 222 skincare awards.

Most of us in the room have used Bio-Oil, which we realized during the warm set sharing session.

Photo Courtesy of Access Coms

I found out on an average, people have 3 scars on their bodies. I myself have about 5? I think. Probably more, we are talking oven burns on my arms during flying, cervical halo brace scars, and other unidentified marks which I don't even remember how it got there.

Oh my gawd, don't even get me started on stretch marks. I'm surprised I'm not a tiger.

I was one of those teenagers who developed stretch marks at a very young age.
I felt that Bio-Oil did help in retaining moisture around my hips to avoid any new formation of stretch marks.

I think it's only fair to myself to accept these scars and marks by not relying 100% on products but on my inner confidence instead.

We all come in different shapes, sizes, colors. It's best to work with what you have, because that acceptance of your true self will show in your total outlook. That glow. Please note I am saying this statement after years of struggling with self confidence, haha. We all have our roller-coaster rides.

One of the highlight for me in that afternoon was meeting R. Yogaash, Miss Universe Malaysia Organization Talent Coach and a renowned stylist.
I swear he has that 'glow' I mentioned earlier. So approachable and warm.
He mentioned how important it is to be well groomed to your liking because that immediately lifts your self esteem.

The simplest things you do for yourself can empower you in a big way.

I like how the Bio-Oil Workshop focused on building up your confidence first and using a product second.

As I've mentioned earlier Bio-Oil hydrates pretty well and absorbs real quick too. The thing about scars is that you have got to be disciplined enough to massage onto your skin twice a day every day for at least 3 months. Which is actually no biggie, once after your morning shower and once before bed, easy.
Have you tried it before? What were your problem areas? Do share.

Thank you Bio-Oil for an afternoon of self boosting tips and these lovely gift. I always appreciate a little attention to detail.