In November, I moved to Brooklyn from Austin, where the winters are mostly mild. After a month of experiencing New York’s frigid weather, my skin revolted from head to toe, undoing the effects of the routine I’d developed over the past two years to manage a revolving door of skin issues, including eczema and keratosis pilaris.
I was left with rough patches on my hands and eczema flare-ups on my arms and legs that made me dread venturing out in the cold. And while I have a prescription for my eczema, I try not to use it frequently since the extra-strong formula sometimes leaves my skin with discoloration and a rough texture. Pink Moon happened to send me a bottle of its Midnight Melody Body & Hair Oil at the time, so I decided to give it a try.
I first tested the body oil on my hands to make sure I didn’t have a reaction to it and because my hands were the most in need of hydration. Midnight Melody oil, which is made with a mix of sunflower-seed, apricot-kernel, and meadowfoam oils, has a thicker consistency than other body-oil spritzes I have used in the past. Half a pump was more than enough, and despite its texture, my skin drank it up fast. There was almost no waiting time after applying it — my hands reverted to their normal state and even had a nice sheen. It could have been my rush of relief, but the oil had a calming floral scent that was just enough for me to notice but didn’t feel overpowering.
Convinced, I incorporated it into other parts of my routine. After showering, I slathered on lotion and finished with a few pumps of Midnight Melody. Even with moisturizer layered underneath, the oil seeped in quickly, leaving my skin glistening and soft. (On more rushed days, I’ll sometimes mix the oil into my lotion.) It even worked as a hydrating spot treatment after using First Aid Beauty’s Bump Eraser, which is strong enough to tackle my KP but sometimes leaves my skin feeling itchy. For the first time, I was able to scrub away worry-free. Not only did I feel a difference in my once-parched skin, but I noticed it helped with my eczema too: A couple weeks after I started using Midnight Melody, I had a pretty painful flare-up. Typically, it takes days of applying prescription cream for my skin to completely heal, but this time I only needed to use it once. The oil even helped with my skin texture post–prescription cream, which, surprisingly, I haven’t needed again in the months since.
Midnight Melody was so potent that I tried using it in other ways. Its maker purports that it works as a hair oil (as well as a bath oil and fragrance), but as someone who steers clear of anything multiuse, I initially saw this four-in-one descriptor as a huge red flag. But since Midnight Melody already proved to be a miracle worker for so many of my skin issues, I hoped it could do something for my damaged hair. And it did: A pea-size amount applied evenly on my fried ends left them feeling silky, like I just had a deep-conditioning treatment.
I finally had to turn to an expert to find out why it was so effective. Deanne Mraz Robinson, a partner at Modern Dermatology and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale New Haven Hospital, says Midnight Melody’s oil blend has emollient and anti-inflammatory properties. The lesser-known ingredient meadowfoam, in particular, contains antioxidants and “long chains of fatty acids, which act as building blocks to healthy skin cells and support a strong skin barrier, which slows down transepidermal water loss.” It’s worth noting, though, that Robinson does caution anyone with acne-prone skin against using these oils on areas where they break out since they can be comedogenic.
Nonetheless, Midnight Melody has become a staple in my routine. I use it from head to toe after every shower, and my skin and hair feel better than they did even before I moved. While it’s not the cheapest oil I’ve tried, it comes at a great price for an all-in-one product that actually delivers on all fronts. Adding Midnight Melody to my arsenal of products has made my first Northeast winter more bearable, and while part of me still dreads those days in which the temperature drops below 40, I feel much calmer knowing my skin is one thing I won’t have to worry about.
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