Jo's Health Corner: Calendula

Essential Oils for Sensitive Skin

Click on the picture for a larger view

It is important that great care is taken when selecting the essential oils. Oils with anti-inflammatory properties like yarrow, lavender, neroli, German chamomile, and everlasting/helichrysum should be used for sensitive skin according to Battaglia.

Evening primrose, jojoba, apricot kernel and infused calendula oils are base oils that traditionally been used for sensitive skin.

Make your own ointments, creams, facial gels, and toners using the essential oils and base oils mentioned above.

My post, Essential Oils for Skin Care - Sensitive Skin will give you more information about skin care for sensitive skin.

Thanks for reading!

Before you leave:

I recommend that you always perform a skin patch test when you try a new oil.

Check out my safety page to make sure you are aware of any contrindications before you use essential oils. Some oils are not suitable when suffering from certain conditions. Also, Read this Before You Start Using Essential oils. Some oils should not be applied prior to sun exposure so make sure you check this list before spending time in the sun.

Not sure how to apply the oils? Visit these pages to learn how to apply the oils:

Topical Application

Inhaling Essential Oils

Are You Diffusing the Oils Correctly?

How to Dilute Essential Oils

Vita Flex Technique

If you're new to essential oils you might want to check out my Getting Started Guide.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives.

Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.

4:39 PM | Read more...

Essential Oils and Psoriasis

What is it?

Psoriasis is a hyper -proliferative skin disorder. It is the rapid growth of skin cells that is causing the lesions associated with psoriasis. Skin cells grow about 4 times faster than normal and this cause the formation of silvery layers. The reddish lesions covered with silver-white scales are found on areas such as the scalp, ears, knees, chest and lower back and elbows.

Psoriasis is stubborn and often difficult to deal with and it requires a lot of patience and long-term treatment. It is important to stick to the program. General health is not usually affected but the psychological stress needs to be taken into consideration.

Causes
According to Battaglia, it is difficult to determine the causes but the general thought is that it is caused by metabolic disturbances since it affects the whole body. Battaglia says, according to Pizzorno some indications are:

Some lesions may be caused by deficiency in essential fatty acids.
Incomplete protein digestion or poor intestinal absorption of protein breakdown products.
Several gut-derived toxins are implicated in the development of psoriasis.
Can be triggered by nervous tension and stress, cuts, infections, illness, viral and bacterial infections, sunburn or drugs such as lithium, chloroquine and beta blockers.

What to do
Before we get to what specific essential oils to use it is important to also consider the following:

Identify and address food allergies.
Use alteratives to promote detoxification.
Avoid stressful situations, fatigue, environmental changes (exposure to cold), trauma to the skin.
Manage inflammatory response by the use of anti-inflammatory remedies.
Use anti-inflammatory and antipruritic essential oils.

Aromatherapy plays a very important role in reducing stress. Battaglia suggests that lavender, sandalwood and bergamot are the most suitable of the oils to use. He says that they can be used as an inhalation, in a bath, or used in a 0.5-1% massage blend. For the massage blend he recommends to use Evening Primrose oil as a carrier.

Wheat germ oil can also be applied to patches on the face, and Battaglia says you can mix 2 drops of tea tree oils to every 10 ml of wheat germ and apply morning and evening.

Anti-inflammatory oils such as yarrow, helichrysum or German Chamomile should also be considered.

Battaglia says if the liver is overloaded by excess toxins in the blood then its detoxification ability is reduced, and it means the psoriasis will worsen. According to Battaglia, carrot seed and helichrysum have historically been used to correct abnormal liver function.

Oils for psoriasis recommended by Battaglia:

Essential oils:
Bergamot, cajuput, carrot seed, German Chamomile, helichrysum, juniper, lavender, sandalwood.

Other oils:
Infused calendula oil

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives.
Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.

Sources:
Salvatore Battaglia (1995). The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy. The Perfect Potion Pty Ltd

This post is linked to:
Fat Tuesday

12:30 PM | Read more...

Tips for Sunburns

We have had wonderful weather up here in the Sierra Foothills the last few day so we have spent many hours outside. I spent a little too much time sitting in the sun the other day. Fortunately, my daughter made an essential oil spray of lavender and calendula for the wound that she got from her bicycle crash the other day. I felt a lot better after using my daughter's lavender spray. Below are some tips on what to do if you're sore after spending too much time in the sun.

A cooling bath for a sore skin

If the skin is very sore after a day in the sun you might want to pour a cooling bath and add some essential oils. Suitable carriers that historically been used for sunburns are honey, milk, aloe vera, honey and cream. Mix the essential oils with the carrier, and add to the bath water once its filled. The adult dose is 8-10 drops of essential oils to a full bath. I add half the amount to my 9 and 10 year old, so make sure to dilute it even more for smaller children.

Super Duper After Sun Healing Spray

Distilled water 1/2 cup

Witch hazel 1/4 cup

Aloe vera 1/4 cup

Lavender 8 drops

R. Chamomile 2 drops

Geranium 1 drop

Honey 1 tsp.

Mix water, witch hazel and aloe vera. Combine honey and essential oils and mix well. Add the essential oil mixture to the water. Make sure you use at least an 8 oz. spray bottle. Use several times during the day.

Other useful things to have at home in case the skin gets sunburned:

Extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin oil has traditionally been used to treat and heal burns for centuries. The cold pressed oil is high in vitamins and minerals.

Calendula
Calendula is a staple in our house. I make infused oils and I always keep an bottle in the fridge. It can be used as a stand alone, or added to other blends, or mixed with essential oils can for extra healing. It is powerful on its own. I also use it as an ingredient when I make ointments, facial creams, or facial toners.

Wheat germ oil
Is high in antioxidants and is useful for burns and damaged skin.

Honey
Is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory and can be used as a healing agent for dressings. Essential oils increase its effect, lavender and chamomile are especially useful.

Peppermint tea
Is cooling and a good choice when it is hot and someone needs to cooled down.

Spray bottles
Make a simple spray of Lavender and use as a cooling and soothing spray.

We joke in our family and say that we eat our sunscreen:

We hydrate well
We eat extra antioxidants, especially beta carotene
We eat omega essential fatty acids.
We eat plenty of vegetables and some fruit to protect our skin as well.
Use essential oils for skin care. Essential oils have some of the highest ORAC values of all substances.
We make sure we get enough trace minerals, vitalized protein and vitamins in the summer heat. We add oxygen drops with electrolytes, enzymes, amino acids and trace minerals to our drinking water.

Related posts:
We eat our sun screen. Do you?
Summer, Sun and Insect Spray

I recommend that you always perform a skin patch test when you try a new oil.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives.
Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.

This post is linked to:
Fat Tuesday , Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways , Simple Living Wednesday , Healthy 2day Wednesdays , Wildcrafting Wednesday , Simple Lives Thursday, Natural Living Monday, Eco-Kids Tuesday, Healthy Tuesday Hop

11:22 AM | Read more...

Make An Easy Facial Toner

I made a real quick facial toner earlier today. A toner is used to remove all traces of the cleanser, act as a gentle astringent, brighten the skin, heal the skin, and restore the acidity level. It is quite easy to make a facial toner and you don't need many ingredients. You can use distilled water, herbal infusions, or floral waters for the toner. Today I decided to make a infusion of calendula and lavender flowers.

The standard recipe for a facial toner is:

4 oz. water or herbal infusion

1 teaspoon dispersant like aloe vera or vegetable oil

5 drops of essential oils

-Mix the essential oil with the dispersant and add to the liquid. The dispersant is used to dissolve the essential oil.

Today I used:

A couple of teaspoons of lavender and calendula flowers for the infusion

1 teaspoon of infused calendula and lavender oil.

3 drops of lavender essential oil

2 drops of frankincense essential oil

I like to divide the toner into a couple of spray bottles, but I mix all the ingredients in one bottle first. Even though the main purpose of this blend is to be used as my facial toner, I can quickly use it for any little scrapes, cuts or bruises on any of the other family members.

You can choose the herbs, essential oils, and the vegetable oils that works for best for your skin. My posts Aging and Mature Skin, Combination Skin, Oily Skin, Sensitive Skin, Dry Skin, and Massage oils will help you decide what oils you need.

Why did I pick these ingredients?

Lavender

Lavender has traditionally been used for eczema, burns, acne, wounds, insect bites, minor cuts and scrapes. It's anti-inflammatory and soothing properties have a balancing effect on the skin. It's cytophylactic, which means it encourage growth of skin cells, is ideal for mature skin and treatment of burns.

Calendula

Calendula has anti-inflammatory, astringent, vulnerary, emollient, antifungal and antiseptic properties. It has traditionally been used for wounds, diaper rash, stings, warts, varicose veins, fungal infections,abscesses, cold sores, bruises, cuts, sprains, sores, scar tissue, muscle soreness and more.

Frankincense

Frankincense rejuvenates aging skin by improving skin tone and returning dry and oily skin to normal, balanced state. It firms skin, promotes healing and fights inflammation.

As you can see it is not hard to make your own facial toner.

Thanks for reading!

Before you leave:

I recommend that you always perform a skin patch test when you try a new oil.

Not sure how to apply the oils? Visit these pages to learn how to apply the oils:

Topical Application

Inhaling Essential Oils

Are You Diffusing the Oils Correctly?

How to Dilute Essential Oils

Vita Flex Technique