Beauty Secret : Liniment Oleo-Calcaire

 

My biggest beauty secret is “Liniment Oléo-Calcaire”. Just about every time I say this name, people look at me with big eyes and I have to repeat myself. But I love making others discover this product and share this secret.

I myself discovered this product thanks to a manicurist. She uses it to hydrate the skin of models before a photo shoot without giving the skin an appearance of being too oily. I immediately loved the texture and was interested.

 

 So, this liniment oléo-calcaire, what is it?

This product is used to clean babies’ buttocks, so you can find it in the pharmacy in the new-born baby section. The liniment is an unctuous substance containing two primary substances: cold-pressed olive oil and calcium hydroxide (also known as lime water). Applied to the skin by anointing or friction, this product was initially intended to soothe minor burns or irritation.

As everyone knows, olive oil is used to moisturize, nourish and protect the skin. But what most people do not know is that calcium hydroxide is used to restore the natural pH balance of the skin and repair small rashes or sores. It is therefore the perfect product for cleaning babies’ buttocks while also protecting against the acidity of urine and repairing small rashes. Additionally, since it is meant for babies, it is hypoallergenic, containing no traces of paraben, aluminium salts, fragrances, or any of the other hoopla that can be potentially harmful.

So, as you can see, liniment wishes you nothing but the best!

Since I discovered it, I can no longer do without. I use it every day on the body to moisturize my skin. After applying it, the texture seems a little greasy the first minutes, but that quickly fades. It leaves a feeling of a thin protective layer that is maintained throughout the day. A spiteful tongue once told me that, because it was so fatty, it would stain your clothes…I’ve been using the product for three years now, and no, I still don’t have any oil stains on my clothes (at least not from the liniment).

I also apply it to the face in the evenings before going to bed. This will deeply hydrate the skin while also taking care of any pimples. In my case, the face on my skin is mixed and oily, so I never apply liniment in the morning, unless I want my face to shine with the brightness of a thousand suns. My husband, on the other hand, has naturally dry skin (very dry in fact), and he uses it for his face every morning and evening without making his skin look shiny.

Careful :

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t moisturize if your skin is naturally very oily, on the contrary! Excess sebum is not synonymous with excess moisture. The face needs to be well hydrated for the cells to regenerate. So if your face tends to be oily, like mine, apply the liniment in the evening before bedtime, no one will see it.

I believe that liniment can work wonders. For example, my husband regularly shaves his head, which caused him to have a rash on his head. Since he uses this cream, the rash has disappeared. I don’t have eczema or other such skin problems, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this product could have magical effects in these cases as well. For those with very sensitive skin, it can also be used as a face-cleanser. Of course the pharmaceutical companies don’t want to tell you too much about all the benefits of this cream because of its low price tag. This is another magical characteristic of liniment: a 500ml bottle costs around 5- 10 euros (depending on the brand, the pharmacy and the current offer). In my pharmacy, I often find an offer of 3x 500ml bottles for only 10 euros.

Which brand do I recommand ?

All brands for babies that are sold in pharmacies also produce their own liniment. Here 3 brands I recommand :

• Gifrer  liniment is the one I use for my face. It was my favorite one for a while. It costs about 7€ for 500ml
• Mustela liniment is the one I prefer for the body. It contains plenty of olive oil (too much for my face). But this is simply down to personal preference, as this is the one my husband uses for his face. It costs about 9-10€ for half a liter.
• Laboratoires Gilbert liniment. I’ve discovered this one lately. It’s definitely my favorite. The smell is not strong at all (not too much perfume, so not too much chemical I suppose). And it’s the cheapest. It costs about 5€ for a 480ml bottle.

I sum up. The liniment :

• it moisturizes, body and face,
• it protects,
• it heals,
• it sooths burns,
• it restaures the pH of the skin,
• it’s a face cleaner,
• it cleans babies buttocks,
• it doesn’t contain toxic product,
• it makes miracles,
• it costs nothing…

Still hesistating, really ? Try it ! If you don’t like it, you can always give it to a friend with a new-born baby.

Once you’ve tried it, let me know what you think about the liniment.