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Woman's Beauty Naturally – The Grace Of Essential Oils In Skin Care

Using natural botanical skin care is a wonderful experience.
With uplifting aromatic essential oils and other natural
carrier ingredients, it is easy to nourish the skin in a very
special way. While dramatic effects can sometimes be had using
synthetically created products, natural botanical blends can
bring about a lasting healthy glow free from the possibility of
side-effects.

Simple-to-make essential oil mixtures will use some formula of
aromatic oils from plants and flowers, based in a carrier oil,
usually cold pressed from seeds or nuts. Balanced aromatherapy
blends offer the therapeutic healing effects of essential oils
and the nutritive essential fatty acids of the carriers.
Creating your own mixtures is a fun, rewarding and money-saving
endeavor; you need only a bottle or two for the mixing, and an
eye-dropper to dispense the essential oils.

Several essential oils and carriers are held in high-esteem for
their regenerative and nutritive properties. With only a small
collection of oils, you can make highly-effective recipes
applicable to particular skin conditions such as premature
aging, UV and other damage, acne-prone skin and more.

Some of the more important aromatherapy oils used in beauty and
skin formulas for both men and women include: Helichrysum
italicum – a potent skin metabolism stimulator and strong
anti-inflammate (inflammation at a cellular level is associated
with nearly all skin damage and premature aging). Rosemary
essential oil of the Verbenone chemotype – this serves a
similar function to the oil of the Helichrysum flowers,
increasing skin metabolism and enhancing the removal of
cellular waste material. True Lavender, or Lavendula
angustifolia, is also a strong anti-inflammate and skin
regenerator with a lovely relaxing aroma – it lowers tension in
addition to directly treating the skin cells, furthering natural
beauty. The oil distilled from the Wild Carrot seed (also known
as Queen Anne's Lace) is very regenerating, bringing life to
tired, lifeless skin resulting from high-stress and toxic
environments. Palmarosa is considered a 'wonder oil' because of
it's brilliant aroma and strong yet gentle antiseptic
properties; Niaouli is another essential oil commonly
recommended for the same reasons, in addition to it's ability
to tighten and firm the skin.

This is only a few of the many essential oils included in skin
formulas, though these are considered among the most important
for their broad range of effects. Almost any essential oil can
be added to a blend in balanced quantities. In many cases, oils
are added as much for their lovely aroma as their direct
therapeutic benefits to skin tissue. Many aromatherapists, and
natural health professionals for that matter, consider the
overall mental and emotional condition to be of primary
importance in creating an appearance of fitness and beauty.
Many citrus and floral oils are used for this reason – Neroli,
distilled from the flowers of the bitter orange tree, is an
often used example. Others are Jasmine, Sandalwood (very
popular in Men's skin care), Geranium and Ylang Ylang.

Essential oils, be they for direct effects on skin metabolism,
or for the overall state of wellness of the user, will be
diluted in a carrier oil, sometimes known as a base oil. It is
important to note that diluting the oils will often actually
enhance their effects; essential oils are often too strong to
be used directly, and many studies have shown increased
efficacy in dilutions down to 1% or less of the total formula.
The carrier oils serve several other functions as well; they
"carry" the essential oils into the skin, increasing their
total absorption. They also nourish the middle and lower layers
of the skin with essential fatty acids or EFA's – compounds now
considered critical to the health of all living tissues.
Further, some carrier oils have vitamin analogs which assist in
skin regeneration and repair.

Some of the carrier oils often found in skin formulations
include Hazelnut, Rosehip seed, and Evening Primrose. Hazelnut
is a very gentle oil with little aroma of it's own, and being
suitable for virtually all skin types, it use used in a vast
number of blends as the primary carrier. To this, Rosehip seed
oil is added for it's concentration of triple-unsaturated fatty
acids, and it's natural trans-retinoic acid; a vitamin-A
compound similar in effects to Retin-A without drying side
effects. Evening Primrose is often also included in lower
concentrations for it's high levels of GLA or gamma-linolenic
acid, and is considered important in cases of eczema and skin
showing signs of premature aging.

Making your own blends with these ingredients is truly a fun
and rewarding experience – you only need a bottle to mix them
in, and some means of counting out drops of essential oil. An
eye dropper works wonderfully, and graduated plastic pipettes
are readily available. A basic blend to begin with, which is
designed for overall health of the skin, is made thusly: to one
ounce of Hazelnut Oil, add fifteen drops Thyme Linalool, fifteen
drops Rosemary Verbenone, fifteen drops Neroli (or a
high-quality Petitgrain if you prefer – it is much less
expensive with many of the same properties), and fifteen drops
Spike Lavender (a Lavender with strong antiseptic qualities – a
little more 'medicinal' than the sweeter True lavender). This
blend was originally formulated to clear up oily skin, but is
now used to support normal skin in daily application.

If your skin has been chemically damaged, is overly-sensitive,
or otherwise 'weakened' with broken capillaries, try this
mixture, applying frequently: For each ounce of base oil, use
three parts Hazelnut, one part Rosehip Seed, and one part
Evening Primrose. Add the following essential oils: fifteen
drops Moroccan Chamomile, fifteen drops Helichrysum, fifteen
drops true Lavender, and fifteen drops Roman Chamomile. The
Helichrysum, Lavender and Rosehip seed will enhance the skin's
own natural metabolism, and the addition of the Chamomiles will
greatly reduce inflammation that is found with almost all damage
and/or aging.

If your skin is prone to acne, or has over-active sebaceous
glands, the following blend can be of great assistance. It
contains regenerative, antiseptic, and cleansing oils. Simply
use Hazelnut as the base, and to each ounce include fifteen
drops of Green Myrtle or Inula graveolens, fifteen drops
Eucalyptus dives (because of the ketones in this oil, it should
not be used if pregnant – or under 10 years of age – but is
otherwise considered safe), fifteen drops Spike Lavender, and
fifteen drops Rosemary verbenone.

If your skin doesn't have particular damage to it, but appears
lifeless due to exhaustion and/or exposure to significant
amounts of pollution or environmental toxins, this is the blend
for you. Use one part Rosehip Seed and 4 parts Hazelnut as the
base. To each ounce, include fifteen drops Carrot Seed (also
known as Wild Carrot or Queen Anne's Lace – a well known skin
restorative), fifteen drops Lemon verbena (which enhances the
removal of toxins from skin tissues), fifteen drops Niaouli (an
all-around brilliant antiseptic oil with firming effects), and
fifteen drops Rosemary verbenone (again, for it's regenerative
and stimulating effects). If you are wishing to strengthen,
tighten, and firm your skin, try this dilute mixture (the
concentration of essential oils is relatively low here for use
near the eyes) five ounces of Hazelnut oil and one ounce of
Rosehip seed oil, fifteen drops of Green Myrtle, fifteen drops
of Rock Rose (a plant grown in very sun-drenched areas,
excellent for gently tightening the skin). If you like, add
fifteen drops of Rosemary verbenone for it's regenerative
properties, but omit if this causes sensitivity used near the
eyes.

These are only a few aromatherapy skin care recipes for a
woman's natural beauty medicine chest. There are many texts
available to help you create more complex blends, or one's with
your favorite aromatics. Blending your own facial and skin
formulas is easy, rewarding, and in the long run,
cost-effective. Using natural botanicals in a consistent,
mindful manner can lead to long-lasting, noticeable natural
health of your skin. Just remember with aromatherapy, essential
oil concentrations should be kept low for best results – pay
attention to how your own body reacts and you're sure to find
the ingredients and measures most effective for you!


About The Author: Misty Cech, ND is a degreed naturopath with a
professional practice in Boulder, Colorado. She is the wellness
consultant for Ananda Aromatherapy at
http://www.anandaapothecary.com/organic-essential-oils.html and
http://www.ananda-aromatherapy.com

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