Jo's Health Corner: skin care

5 Essential Oils for Happy Skin

There are many benefits of using essential oils in skin care. The essential oils are easily absorbed through the skin and they can be added to vegetable oils, moisturizers, scrubs, face masks, ointments and so on. It is also especially beneficial that they have an appealing scent which works on the emotional level as well. I love applying my morning facial cream with geranium because I also love the aroma and it makes me happy. The essential oils have been used throughout history for healing, cleaning, religious ceremonies, flavoring, skin care and perfumes.

Some of the benefits of essential oils in skin care are:

they improve blood circulation and muscle tone
they are anti-inflammatory
they reduce the signs of emotional stress
they are antiseptic
they regulate sebum production
they help eliminate waste
they increase the speed of removing old skin cells and also stimulate the growth of new skin cells

There are many oils which are beneficial to the skin so I have selected my favorites.

Lavender

The one and only. I always say if you can only afford one bottle of essential oils then pick lavender. It is very versatile oil with many uses. It works for all skin types, if you have dry skin, combination skin, mature skin, oily skin, and sensitive skin you can use lavender. According to Battaglia, lavender is also beneficial in conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, acne, psoriasis and boils.

Geranium

Who doesn't love the scent of flowers? Not only is the aroma of geranium positive, happy and mood lifting, but geranium will also make the skin happy. Battaglia says it is valuable for oily, dry or combination skin as well as balancing the production of sebum. It is also a valuable oil for burns and wounds according to Battaglia. I like to add geranium to massage oil to add balance to my aging skin.

Learn more about Aging skin

Frankincense

Yes, frankincense is an amazing oil. It rejuvenates aging skin and return dry and oily skin to normal. According to Battaglia frankincense is recommended for mature and dry skin, wrinkles, wounds and scars. It firms skin, promotes healing and fights inflammation.

Cedarwood

Cedarwood is a wonderful oil and it smells of fresh cut timber, but I noticed many don't realize its value in skin care. According to Battaglia, cedarwood's astringent and antiseptic properties makes it very useful in oily skin conditions. He also says it helps to clear dermatitis and psoriasis. Battaglia also says it is a great hair tonic and effective for treating dandruff.

Tea trea

Tea tree is another great oil to use and it is mild enough to use on children. However, always check out the safety information before using any essential oils on children. According to Battaglia, tea tree is very effective for treatment of acne and pimples when combined with lavender. It can be mixed in a 1% dilution with a light oil such as jojoba or apricot. Massage into face and then wipe off. He says it can be added to shampoo and used in the treatment of dandruff.

If you haven't tried any of these oils in skin care before then I suggest that you try. Except for frankincense, these oils are fairly inexpensive as well as very versatile. Using essential oils for your skin care regimen is safer than using most commercial products that contain many harmful chemicals. An extra bonus is that the oils can be used for so much more than skin care.

Important
This information is for educational purposes only, and is not meant to diagnose or prescribe. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or suffer from a medical condition, consult with your health care practitioner prior to using essential oils. Be careful when using essential oils with hormonal activity and don’t hesitate to contact a professional. Make sure that you look over the safety information before you start using essential oils.

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.

Sources:

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

9:05 AM | Read more...

Paola's Decadent Body Butter

My 13 year old daughter Paola made her own body care products to raise money for girls camp this summer. She worked hard last week making all the products so she could sell them at our church's fundraiser event Saturday night. She made a variety of products but her Decadent Body Butter went fast. It was by far one of her best selling product.

Here are some of Paola's Products.

Paola's body butter is very moisturizing and is easily absorbed into the skin without leaving the skin as oily as when I use coconut oil. I used some of the leftover body butter and it is the most amazing moisturizer I have ever used. My skin felt so smooth. A friend of the family bought one of the containers and she also said it was amazing, she has very dry skin and this was the first moisturizer she has used at night where she didn't wake up with a dry skin the next morning. She was amazed that her skin was still smooth and moist after several hours.

We added Joy essential oil blend to make this body butter feel really luxurious.

"Joy™ is a luxuriously exotic blend with uplifting overtones that creates magnetic energy and brings joy to the heart. When worn as cologne or perfume, Joy exudes an alluring and irresistible fragrance that inspires romance and togetherness." YL Website

The oils in Joy are:

Rose, bergamot, mandarin, ylang ylang, lemon, geranium, jasmine, palmarose, Roman Chamomile, and rosewood.

The ingredients in the body butter:

I cup of shea butter

1/2 cup of coconut oil

1/2 cup of olive oil

5-10 drops of essential oils. We actually doubled the amount.

How to do it:

Paola melted the shea butter and the coconut oil in a double boiler. She let it cool for 30 minutes after it melted.

She added the olive oil and the essential oils, and put the mixture in the freezer just long enough until it just started to solidify. Lastly, she used the mixer and whipped it until it got a butter like texture. She poured into containers.

Why these ingredients?

Shea butter

Shea butter is actually a wax in semi-solid form. It is made from the nuts of the Shea nut tree in South Africa. It is high in vitamin E, has a slightly sunscreen effect, and softens the skin. It is said to help with burns, dermatitis, psoriasis, and sores and may help reduce wrinkles.

Olive Oil

Has moisturizing benefits and may help skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has wonderful antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Also, when coconut oil is consumed and used topically on our skin, it helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively as well, such as Vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant nutrient that protects the skin.

- Coconut oil is anti-inflammatory.

-Coconut oil may also help in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections.

- It is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal, and contains no trans fat (even olive oil has some trans fat). It may help prevent wrinkles.

Keep this butter in a cool place.

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

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:
Sunday School Blog Carnival, Mop It Up Monday, Motivate Me Monday, The Better Mom Mondays Link Up, Natural Living Monday, Thank Goodness It's Monday, Mostly Homemade Mondays, Mama Moments Monday, Motivation Monday, Fat Tuesday, The Gathering Spot, Eco-Kids Tuesday, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Titus 2sdays,Take a Look Tuesday, Show Me What Ya Got, Healthy Tuesday Hop, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Encourage One Another, Healthy 2Day Wednesday Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, WFMW, The Mommy Club, Adorned From Above, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Homemaking Link-Up, All Things Thursday Link Up, Simple Lives Thursday, Natural Living Thursday, The Homeacre Hop, The Busy Bees, Fight Back Friday, Domestically Divine, Tuesday Greens, Teach Me Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Thank Your Body, Fresh Bites Friday, LHITS DIY Linku Up, Simple Living Wednesday

5:54 PM | Read more...

My Favorite Facial Oil

Click for better view.

I have made my own facial oils for years using essential oils, infused herbal oils, vegetable oils and coconut oil. This is by far my favorite because it is so easy to make. You might have to adjust the amount of coconut oil to your liking.

I prefer to use essential oils good for aging and oily skin so I mostly use frankincense, lavender, palo santo, jasmine, and bergamot. Frankincense and lavender have cytophylactic properties. Cytophylactic properties means that the oils stimulate the generation of new cells, which will aid in preserving the health of the skin.

Play around and use the oils that you like the best or are best suited for your skin type. For more ideas, check out my Natural Skin Care section.

This is recipe comes from my original post Make It Yourself- A Super Easy Facial Oil

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

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

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

This post is linked:
Thank Your Body Thursday, Natural Living Thursday, Sunday School Blog Carnival, Mop It Up Monday
Natural Living Monday, Mostly Homemade Mondays, Motivate Me Monday, Fat Tuesday
Teach Me Tuesday, Tuesday Time Out, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, WFMW, The Mommy Club, Homemaking Link-Up, Party Wave Wednesday, The Homeacre Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, All Things Thursday Link Up

1:35 PM | Read more...

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.

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.

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

4:39 PM | Read more...

Cytophylactic Properties of Essential oils

Click on the picture for a larger view.

I have mentioned the cytophylactic properties of essential oils several times before, and they are especially beneficial in skin care for aging and mature skin. Cytophylactic means that the oils stimulate the generation of new cells, which will aid in preserving the health of the skin. These oils are also used for treatments of burns. Frankincense, lavender, helichrysum, rosewood, sandalwood, patchouli and myrrh all have cytophylactic properties. Find out more detailed information in my post myrrh, frankincense and sandalwood- Top three Oils for skin rejuvenation

Facial mists or flower water are very beneficial for aging skin. You can use them during the day to add moisture to the skin, or you can spray on the face right before applying the essential oil blend like I do. So, it works like a moisturizer and a facial toner at the same time. It will make it easier to apply the massage oil blend when the skin is moisturized by the toner first. Facial toner recipe

Massage oils suitable for mature skin are jojoba, evening primrose, wheatgerm, avocado, carrot infused oil, and rosehip. Borage and vitamin E oil can be added to enhance their effectiveness.

Other oils to consider are hazelnut, kikui nut, macademia nut and St.John's Wort. Don't get stuck on that you have to use these oils, I just made a oxygenating facial gel with coconut oil and it works wonderfully for my skin. It may also help prevent wrinkles.

My post, Essential Oils for Skin Care - Aging and Mature Skin has more information about how to treat aging and mature skin.

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

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

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

6:28 PM | Read more...

How To Make an Herbal Infusion

Click for a larger view.

I make herbal infusions a lot. My favorite combination is lavender and rosemary but I make others too. I add herbal infusions to my facial toners, deodorants, insect sprays, and soap.

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

This post is linked to:

The Homeacre Hop

9:20 PM | Read more...

Make It Yourself - A Super Easy Facial Oil

I made this facial oil a while back and I really like how it turned out. This facial oil provides a great protection for my skin when I go for my daily walks in the sun. I want to make sure I use a good oil to protect my skin. I don't use any sunscreen since "we eat our sunscreen", but I want to make sure that keep my skin well hydrated. I made enough so I could split half with my teenager. I added frankincense and palo santo which are both anti-tumoral for my son's facial tumor, and they will also be very beneficial for my aging skin as well.

The oil

8 tablespoons of unrefined grapeseed oil

1 tablespoon of virgin coconut oil (you really need to add a little bit at a time to get it the way you want it)

2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel

1 capsule vitamin E

15 drops of lavender essential oil

15 drops Palo Santo essential oil

15 drops of Frankincense essential oil

15 drops of Cellfood ( I sometimes make the facial oil without the Cellfood)

I started off by adding aloe vera and the grapeseed and coconut oil to a glass bowl. I used a whisk to mix it well since the coconut oil was not liquid enough. I added the essential oils last and blended well. This oil didn't turn out as thick as I liked due to the kind of aloe vera gel I used. I bought it at the local health food store, and once I opened it I noticed it was a lot runnier than I expected. When I noticed that it was fairly runny I decided to use less of it, but you can play around with the aloe vera gel to get the right thickness you want.

When I make things I often make them as I go along. I like to add some of the mixture on my arms to see if I like the consistency, and if I find it too greasy I add more aloe vera for example. You can experience with oils that fits your skin the best. Here are some guide lines: Oily skin, Aging and Mature Skin, Dry Skin, Combination Skin, and Sensitive Skin.

Here are the oils I used and why:

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. Frankincense has cytophylactic properties. Cytophylactic means that the oils stimulate the generation of new cells, which will aid in preserving the health of the skin. These oils are also used for treatments of burns. It has traditionally been used for wrinkles and scars, so I use if for wrinkle prevention and my son for his huge facial scar from his surgery.

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.

Palo Santo

It has antitumoral properties and is antiseptic. It strengthens the immune system and is also used for acne and skin care.

Other ingredients I used:

Coconut oil

I used more coconut than usual this time. According to some, it may prevent the skin from developing age spots. Coconut oil is probably one of the main reasons people in tropical climates can spend so much time in the sun and not suffer from skin cancer. Coconut oil has wonderful antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Coconut oil is also anti-inflammatory. It may also help in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. It is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal. It may help prevent wrinkles.

Cellfood

Cellfood is a proprietary cell oxygenating formula containing 78 trace minerals, 34 enzymes, and 17 amino acids. Provides extra ordinary nutrition. I use Cellfood as supplement and as an ingredient in my high oxygenating facial gel.

Grapeseed oil

Grapeseed oil is a light oil that is very suitable for the face. It also has mild astringent properties.

Aloe vera

Aloe vera is moisturizer and a softener. It is extremely healing for the skin.

Play around with what you have at home and make your own facial product. Try some of the product on your arms before you apply it to your face if you're not used to the essential oils. Make sure you are familiar with the dilution chart and safety page before you start.

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

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

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

Johanna is an aromatherapist and an independent distributor of Young Living Essential Oils She is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives. She also runs Naturally Sports & Wellness together with her husband.
Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.