about massage oils.  Please, read it before posting something like `Hey, I
use oil for my massages.  Has anyone else tried this yet?'.
        Mineral oil and some vegetable oils are thick.  If liberally
slopped on they will both tend to clog pores.  Some people have skin
especially prone to inflammation from this.  On the other hand many massage
lotions have a mineral oil base.  When applied sparingly, as for deep
tissue work, they don't usually cause problems.  There are also a number of
lighter weight vegetable oil blends available.  They go on easily and
produce a much thinner oil film.  They also spill a lot faster if you get
careless with the cap open.  Vegetable oils can go rancid (in the bottle,
on clothes, on sheets, etc.) which mineral oils don't.  Some massage
schools use mineral oil exclusively because of this -- rancid rugs and
sheets are not appealing.  Also, mineral oils are hypoallergenic.
        A convenient squeeze dispenser bottle (i.e., one having a narrow
spout with a small opening) can be found in many stores (you might try at a
camp outfitting store, a pharmacy or even a cosmetics outlet).
        Refrigerating oil when not in use and keeping bottles full also
helps.  If you refrigerate the oil then you might want to warm the bottle
of oil in a hot water bath before using it.  Some people have allergies to
specific vegetable oils.  Some people feel that vegetable oils are in some
way more natural than mineral oils.  Oils containing vitamin E may have a
better shelf life, since it's an antioxidant.