Perfect Summer Skin

Science is not my strong suit.

Chemistry class gave me nightmares. For nearly a year.

Ditto for Physics, only those dreams didn't last quite as long because I dropped the class after a semester.

Really, I'm convinced my poor performance went back to practical application. If classroom experiments had been more applicable -- like, say, which self tanner gives the most natural looking tan -- I would have been all over it. Because, apparently, vanity motivates me like nothing else.

Last weekend, while catching up on all the world and political news celebrity gossip, I ran across this article: The Secret to Perfect Summer Legs.

Curious, I clicked on over. The article interviewed Dermatologist Amy Wechsler who was preaching the benefits of safflower oil. According to Dr. Amy, the solution to dry, ashy skin is as close as Aisle 3 of your local supermarket. You can take the same safflower oil you use for cooking and apply it directly to your skin as a moisturizer.

Now, let me just be clear for a second -- I would consider buying a bridge from just about anyone if they promised me it would a) reduce fine lines and wrinkles or b) improve the way I look at the pool. So, naturally, I hopped over to Publix and picked up a bottle of safflower oil just as soon as I could get there. My dry, ashy legs were depending on it.

And so began the first science experiement I've conducted in about 15 years.

For the past five days or so, I've been making an effort to use the oil both morning and night. I apply it to my legs and arms. The oil is actually a lot thicker than one might imagine, so the application is pretty easy and not too messy. (You do want to be sure you apply the oil when you're not in a rush, as it does take a little while for it to be absorbed fully into the skin.) The hardest part of the whole process is getting over the fact that what I'm smearing all over my body comes out of a bottle with a recipe for Vegetable Pasta Primavera on the side. If you can get beyond that, you've crossed the biggest hurdle.

Honestly, the results so far have been very favorable. My skin is soft and feels very moisturized. I purchased 32 ounces for around $6 -- and I've barely made a dent in the bottle. If you look at the comments on the article (there were nearly 800 comments, last time I checked), a lot of people already use safflower oil or olive oil on their skin. Safflower oil has the benefit of being odorless, and some were even suggesting adding essential oil to it for a kind of "make your own" perfume effect.

I'm going to stick with the whole oil thing because it really seems to work and because my glowing white, dry legs need all the help they can get, if only for the sake of the other poor people at the pool. (I may even try it on my daughter, who has stubborn eczema -- has anyone tried that before?)

And by the way, if you're looking for a dinner idea, I just happen to have a great recipe for Vegetable Pasta Primavera.

For more frump-fighting ideas, head on over to Fussy's place.