Provence Beauty's Multi-Purpose Oil Is My New Travel Essential

This article was created in partnership with Provence Beauty. Editors hand-pick every product that we feature; when you purchase through links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission.

I don't know about you, but whenever I hear the term "multi-purpose" about a beauty product, I turn into a bit of a cynic. With the exceptions of coconut oil and shea butter, I have never met a product that's been able to meet the unique needs of both my hair and my skin. Anything rich enough to suit my curly hair usually causes me to break out, while anything lightweight enough for my combination skin fails to effectively hydrate my hair. Plus, I usually find that oils are the worst of both worlds: They're so slimy that they make my hair look greasy, weigh down my curls, and turn my skin into an oil slick. The worst possible timeline.

Enter Provence Beauty, and my hard line against multi-use oils goes right out the window.

Recently, I took a weekend trip to Boston, and I needed to pack as light as possible. I had just gotten a bottle of Provence Beauty's Rose-scented multi-purpose oil, and figured I would put the brand's promise of creating "an effective lightweight moisturizer" that leaves skin "not greasy, but hydrated and enriched" to the test.

The most immediately noticeable and charming thing about this product is the appearance of the oil itself: It's a little glass bottle with rose, peony, and bergamot flowers in it, which instantly makes me feel luxurious for having it in my toiletry bag. Being that travel—particularly when your luggage is limited only to a backpack—can be such a decidedly un-glamorous experience, taking this product out every morning and evening was a much-needed ego boost on a weekend during which I was forced to re-wear the same jeans for two days in a row.

The oil itself feels lightweight to the touch, and, true to promise, it absorbed into my skin within seconds of application. This was a delightful surprise, being that one of the reasons I don't use raw shea butter too often is because of the greasy residue it tends to leave on skin. I also used this oil on my cuticles and as a hand/foot cream, and am pleased to report that I did not leave greasy handprints on everything I touched, nor were my oiled-up feet slipping and sliding all over the hardwood floors. Win-win!

The ultimate test of this oil, though, was whether it would work on my hair. My curl type hovers between a 2C and a 3A, and it falls well past my waist, so my biggest struggle is finding a product that moisturizes my strands and tames frizz without weighing down my curls, which are already weighed down by the length.

I was flabbergasted by how well this product worked. Just a single dropper full was more than enough for my full head of hair, and in moments my frizz was tamed and my curl pattern maintained. Personally, I recommend parting one's hair in the middle, separating the halves, and using about a quarter to half a dropper full (depending on how long your hair is) for each half. It's still oil, so it should be used in moderation to prevent grease, but when I used this method, I didn't notice grease at all—even after using the formula more than once in a single day!

Perhaps the best aspect of this product, though, is how divine it smells. I love rose scents, but they can be a little overpowering (or remind me of old ladies at church), so I'm picky about the rose scents I indulge in. This oil strikes the perfect balance of heavy rose and light peony, so I was absolutely delighted to get hit with the soft, subtle smell of flowers when my hair fell in front of my face or if I raised my arm and caught a whiff of my skin. It's understated enough that I was still able to wear perfume throughout the weekend without the two smells clashing, but I appreciated the fact that some semblance of the scent stayed with me. It was like a sweet little personal secret I could indulge in throughout the day, often at the most unexpected moments.

This oil is only $13, so catch me stocking up this week at Provence Beauty's website so that I can hoard these little bottles (and trying their other floral options) for all of my upcoming trips. Never again will I have to waste precious luggage space on the myriad skin and hair products I lug around with me regularly. Low-maintenance living, here I come!