As much as I enjoy blends, I’m also fascinated by which specific pure oils are good for different beauty tasks. Oils from plants are amazing – they have so many wonderful properties that you wonder why anyone would choose a petroleum oil based product.

So check your ingredients list (look for ‘petrolatum’) and then take your pick from my top five plant oils. They’re not expensive, many can be used internally as well as externally – and they weave a kind of natural magic.

First up is the oil of the moment – coconut oil. Mine is Neal’s Yard Remedies new Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (£9). This oil is insanely versatile. I keep it in the kitchen cupboard because I use it to cook with, but I also plunder the jar to use it on my hair. It’s also my favourite oil for healing – I love the way a dot on the kids’ knees sorts out grazes overnight.

Jojoba oil became a household name thanks to Timotei. Bad shampoo – great ingredient, as jojoba is a powerhouse of a natural moisturiser. I keep this neat pump dispenser of 100% Natural Jojoba Oil from The Australian Jojoba Company (£12.99) by my bed and put it on my cuticles and elbows just before I go to sleep. Lovely stuff.

Argan oil was the ingredient everyone was talking about a few years ago – thanks to Moroccanoil and their game-changer of a hair treatment. Now it’s an ingredient in plenty of skin and haircare products, but I still like the pure version – I go for Argania Pure Argan Oil (£12.99), which has amazing restorative effect on locks and skin, with no greasiness.

I am obsessed with avocados at the best of times so to have a bottle of avocado oil in my cupboard is just bliss. I like Fushi Organic Avocado Oil (£9.50) in salad dressings, on scaly shins and even as a pre-shower face massage. Rinse off with a warm flannel – the oil increases elasticity of the skin as it contains collagen-supporting amino acids and proteins.

Finally, Nigella Oil (£19) from Melvita. Nigella is a flower and the seeds have been known as a cure-all since the time of the Pharaohs. Aromatic and purifying, this oil makes a great scalp massager but I prefer to use it on skin that’s had a hormonal freak out – potential zits are gone by the morning. I love nature.