See, when you finely grind and boil oats, you can extract colloidal material; this gel-like substance has a rather high lipid content (30%, to be exact). “These are the same moisture-trapping molecules that are plentiful in prepubescent skin,” says board-certified dermatologist Loretta Ciraldo M.D., FAAD. Read: It feeds your skin nutrients that your skin naturally has when it’s young and supple. While you can buy colloidal oatmeal in the stores, you can also use regular oatmeal and still get the benefits listed above. Assuming you don’t have an oat allergy, there’s virtually no risk to adding oatmeal to your health and beauty routines. According to Elina Fedotova, a celebrity esthetician and owner of Elina Organics Spas located across the Midwest, “oatmeal is an organic source of skin-restoring minerals like zinc, manganese, phosphorus, and iron.” She notes that oatmeal also contains selenium and copper, which help to protect your skin from UV damage and offer antimicrobial defense for irritated complexions. You can certainly use oatmeal by itself to get sweet skin relief, but depending on your skin type and any issues you’re experiencing, you can also consider tossing in additional ingredients to target specific concerns. Oatmeal combines well with a wide range of foods, essential oils, and botanical waters. However, always perform a patch test if you’re unsure of whether you might be allergic to a specific ingredient.
