Women's Natural Beauty: Essential Oils for Mature Skin Care


Beauty: Natural Beauty

Therapeutic essential oils are found in the highest quality beauty care products designed for mature skin. Natural oils have many beneficial properties including the stimulation of cellular metabolism, the regeneration of tissues, reduction of oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory effects, as well as various hormone-like activities. These known benefits are the therapeutic fundamentals for topical support of the health and beauty of aging skin. Not only are true essential oils kinder to the planet than synthetic mixtures, their health-giving effects can be dramatic. Beyond the obvious benefits, the natural health enthusiast can make a skin care blend precisely suited to their skin's personal needs, at a fraction of the cost of the high-end laboratory-made blends. Many of the ingredients are available locally at your health food store. The more esoteric items found either on the internet or through mail order from providers of therapeutic-grade aromatherapy and apothecary supplies.

You may ask, What makes essential oils and their complementary carrier oils so effective for natural skin care??The answer is found in nature herself. It happens that the elemental structures of plant oils are beautifully and decidedly compatible with that of our skin. Essential oils are easily absorbed through the skin's various layers, and even through the skin's individual cell walls. This compatibility makes the process of creating and using your own formulas extremely simple. One only need blend together a few ingredients to create a state-of-the-art healing and nourishing formula for better looking and feeling skin.

Essential oils for topical application in nearly every instance will be blended with what are known as carrier oils or base?oils. These cold-pressed seed or nut oils make up the foundation of most natural skin care formulas. There are a many lovely carrier oils from which to choose a few favorites for nourishing and healing mature skin include: Avocado is known to be both hydrating, and nutritive; it has a medium consistency and is generally included at about 20% of the total base oil mixture. Apricot Kernel is fantastic for dry skin and is used for healing damaged or irritated skin. Apricot oil can be used in combination or with other carriers or as 100% of the base oil. Borage oil is used as a small (perhaps 10%) portion of the carrier blend; it helps to calm inflammation and supplies important essential fatty acid nutrients. Borage and Evening Primrose oil may be interchanged though the Evening Primrose should be used in slightly larger concentrations of up to one-quarter of the base formula. Hazelnut oil is a very common carrier in skin care blends. It has a thinner consistency and is best used by those with oily skin conditions. With its astringent properties Hazelnut should not exacerbate oily-skin conditions. Lastly, and likely most importantly, we have Rosehip Seed. Rosehip seed oil combines a plethora of therapeutic properties including the ability to speed turnover of skin cells without drying or flaking (as can be a common side effect of synthetic preparations with the same purpose). An excellent base oil mix for mature skin might include 70% Apricot Kernel, 15% Rosehip and 15% Evening Primrose. For those with dry skin, add Avocado oil at 20% and reduce the Apricot Kernel to 50%. For oily skin, replace Apricot Kernel with Hazelnut.

And now for the magic ingredients, the essential oils: Carrot Seed essential oil is distilled from the seeds of Wild Carrot, Daucus carota. It is considered one of the most potent revitalizing essential oils for the skin. It is chosen particularly as a remedy for dull, pallid and lifeless skin where one's lifestyle and/or environment may have taken their toll on the skin's vibrancy. Carrot seed has a smooth, earthy aroma that will blend well with many other oils. Also for revitalizing the skin, Rosemary Verbenone can be highly effective this is a type of rosemary essential oil containing a higher amount of regenerative ketones than common rosemary. The essential oil displays its main activity in the dermis (the middle layer of the skin), where it stimulates the metabolic functions, circulation, and elimination of waste products?according to Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt, one of America's leading medical aromatherapists, in his Advanced Aromatherapy?

Clary Sage essential oil is noted as being particularly suited to natural beauty care. It contains sclareol, which mimics the effects of estrogen; this is noted by one expert author as the primary reason it helps with skin aging. It may also be the reason Clary Sage is said to regulate the skin's secretions, bringing balance to both over-dry and over-oily skin. Elsewhere, it is noted as relaxing even mildly euphoric which may also contribute to its positive effects for wrinkles. Sweet Fennel is another estrogenic?essential oil, called for by Valerie Worwood in the Complete Book of Essential Oils?as an ingredient in wrinkle-preventative blends for all ages.

A couple of lesser known yet highly effective skin care specialty oils are Cistus and Sea Buckthorn. Cistus is distilled from the Rock Rose flower, with astringent qualities used for firming the skin. Some Cistus varieties tend to have a rather medicinal aroma, but truly fine ones are sweet and alluring. Sea Buckthorn is pleasingly sweet, and should be considered for blends for all skin types. Found as a CO2 distillation (not to be confused with the cold-pressed Sea Buckthorn carrier oil) the essential oil is a deep red color, indicating the high concentration of carotenes, vitamin A precursors so important to skin health. The virtues of Sea Buckthorn have been hailed by users with a wide variety of skin conditions and types at every age it is useful in very small amounts, and need only make up 1% of your recipe to enjoy its benefits.

Of course no discussion of skin care and aromatherapy would be complete without Lavender. True lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) can be included in aromatherapy blends for skin at any age. It may be especially supportive of aging skin through its combination of anti-inflammatory, balancing, and regenerative actions. Lavender is also well-known for its relaxing effects, and its support for stress reduction may quickly result in improving your skin's appearance. For those whom enjoy its floral aroma, Lavender may be added in whatever concentration one chooses to impart its aromatic quality to the formula. For an even stronger anti-inflammatory and regenerative effect, use Helichrysum essential oil (also known as Everlasting or Immortelle). Helichrysum may be the most profoundly healing essential oil for damaged skin, often called for in blends for healing wounds or reducing the appearance of scars. If you are combining aromatherapy with other treatments such as microdermabrasion, Helichrysum would be an important ingredient in your blend.

Creating your own blend is a simple and enjoyable process. Simple, as you only need select the essential oils you wish to include, and can add them in equal amounts 10 drops of each essential oil per ounce of base oil is a perfect start. Enjoyable as the essential oils smell so wonderful! One can't help to keep inhaling their aroma while preparing a formula. The essential oils ARE potent; it's best to limit your total essential oil concentration to less than five percent of the overall mixture. This works out to 30 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier. If using more than three essential oils (i.e. more than 10 drops each of three varieties) limit the amount of each essential oil so that the final volume per ounce is less than 30 drops. So for example, if using five essential oils, use a maximum of six drops of each per ounce of carrier oil. Almost all essential oils work best at these seemingly low concentrations more is not better. You can, however, adjust the essential oil ratios to suit the needs of your skin and/or your aromatic preferences.

Many of the oils mentioned here are found in blends for women, but there is no rule that prevents men from using them as well. For an aroma that a man may appreciate, deeper, earthier essential oils can be used Sandalwood, Frankincense and Myrrh are all essential oils noted for their benefits to mature skin. Also, for any gender, including essential oils for their fragrance and not just their therapeutic properties is certainly an option. With one's emotional health often clearly reflected in the condition of their skin, there's more than likely to be a benefit beyond simply smelling nice! Just be aware that there are a few oils that should not be applied to the face; these are some of the spicier oils Cinnamon, Oregano, Clove and Thyme varieties; cold-pressed citrus oils like lime, lemon, orange and bergamot should also be avoided for facial care, as these oils can cause the skin to be extra-sensitive to UV light. If you have any uncertainty about a particular oil, there are many quality resources regarding essential oil safety available both on the internet and in print.

Making therapeutic blends for mature skin is enjoyable, easy-to-do, and cost effective. By using therapeutic-grade oils and carriers, you'll be creating an effective, beautiful smelling formula precisely for your own skin condition. Moreover, you can adjust the recipe over time as your needs change, or make different formulas with various aromas to double as natural perfumes. As always with aromatherapy, start slowly, listen to your body and have fun!

The author is the owner of Ananda Aromatherapy, a source for world-class essential oil, therapeutic essential oil blends and aromatherapy accessories. Her site includes wonderful collections of essential oils and aromatherapy resources. More can be found at anandaapothecary.com/essential-oils.html


Hot Topics In Beauty

    Women's Natural Beauty: Essential Oils for Mature Skin Care

    Therapeutic essential oils are found in the highest quality beauty care products designed for mature skin. Natural oils have many beneficial properties including the stimulation of cellular metabolism...

    How To Use Strength Exercise For Healthy Aging

    When Judith Salerno, the deputy director of the National Institute on Aging, ran her first half-marathon at the age of 50 after exercising with her personal trainer, 77-year old Dixon Hemphill, she sh...

    Anti-Aging Secrets for Men

    So much of the youth-preservation and anti-aging industry here in America used to be focused exclusively on women, who were thought to be the only sex of the human species to be interested in preservi...

    Discount Cosmetic Dental Care: A Real Story

    In June 2007, our local news channel ran a story about a young man named Rudy, who crossed the border to Juarez, Mexico to get discount dental care. It seemed he wanted his teeth capped, and his denta...

    8 Effective Ways to Banish your Wrinkles

    Wrinkles and fine lines are as inevitable as death and taxes. All adults in the planet will experience the appearance of laugh lines, crow lines and other forms of wrinkles sometim...

    How To Lose Belly Fat Fast And Lose Love Handles Fast

    As we age, our metabolism starts to slow down and we start to gain fat in all the wrong places. To make matters worse, it is known that the older we get,the more sedentary our lifestyle will be. This ...

    Antiaging Nutrition - How Food Can Defeat Age

    Proper anti-aging nutrition can seriously reduce most signs of aging. Wrinkles, memory loss, heart disease risk and osteoporosis to a certain extent can be prevented with the right di...

    Find The Best Teeth Whitening Product That Works For You

    How do you find the best teeth whitening product? It seems like everyone, men and women alike, are looking for the best way to whiten their teeth. A whiter, brighter smile has been equated with beauty...

    A Balanced Diet Gives You Shiny Skin, Free Of Acne

    your food is your grave,said the famous dramatist and author Bernard Shaw. He was a strict vegetarian too. my stomach is not the graveyard to bury the dead animals,?he said of the non-vegetarian food....

    Diet Pills - Secrets Revealed

    Although obesity is the problem that has assumed a dangerous proportion at present, diet pills plays an important role in counteracting weight gain. As obesity is the...

    How Do I Choose a Cosmetic Dentist?

    As with any healthcare professional, when you choose a cosmetic dentist, there are many points to consider. Should you experience complications during any of your ...

    Anti-Aging Lotion Secrets: A Path to Beauty.

    Whether its drugstores or retail outlets youll find many kinds of lotions. Variations include crack healing lotions, wrinkle creams, aromatherapy lotions, anti-aging lotions and moisturizing lotions t...

Most Recent Beauty Supplements

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Beauty Blogs:

Releated to Beauty:

Beauty Links:

Beauty Beauty Rss feeds.