One of my favourite oils usage is topically.
There is much to say about the skin and what can affect it. The skin is our biggest organ and, as such, reflects everything that happens inside our organism: hormones, food habits, stress, exercising (or lack of it). The great secret to a young and healthy skin is to feed one self as if our body is a temple. As Hippocrates, the father of medicine, put it “’Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.’ If we consume foods rich in constituents which contribute to the youth of the organs that will be reflected in the skin, helping to keep its elasticity. The same goes for the products we apply on the skin, since this organ will absorb whatever you put in it.
There are so many products to take care of the skin that some times we don’t really know which ones to use. I have always been addicted in cosmetics and in the miracles that these delicious bottles promise, until I realized that most of the time, cosmetics are only selling promises. It’s possible to have an excellent skin using natural oils. It is cheaper and the oils take care of the skin without harming it.
The word oil sounds scary, especially if you have oily or combination skin (which is my case) because we think we’re putting more oil into it and therefore it will be even worse. That has happened because cosmetics have made us get used to the term oil-free, used in the cosmetics for oily to combination skin. This term only makes sense when we’re talking about refined oils that we find in cosmetics. When the issue is natural oils, although the word “oil” stands, the meaning is totally different. Natural oils will naturally balance the skin and there are several types of oils that can be lighter or thicker and therefore used accordingly. The right selection of natural oils can make wonders to any skin. Why? Because the natural oils balance the skin, unlike the artificially produced oils that will worsen the oiliness and hence the oil-free option to the oily skin consumers. Natural oils – when well chosen – will adapt to the skin and will help its natural balance.
I have a combination skin and since I live in Oslo, which has dry and cold Winters, I have to adapt my face recipe according to the season. I need something thicker in the Winter and something lighter in the Summer, as I explain on the video. The blend that works for me is:
Recipe for 50mL
1/4 grape seed oil (thin oil)
1/4 avocado oil (thick oil)
1/2 sweet almond oil (in between)
Lavender 12 drops
Geranium 10 drops
Sandalwood 3 drops
Avocado oil is quite thick and therefore it is adequate for skins that require more moisture. I add more or less or none avocado oil according to the season.
Grape seed oil is perfect for young skins or for oily skins because it is very light.
Sweet almond oil is medium. It has a lot of beneficial properties and I am actually applying it in the eye area (a powerful reducer of dark circles) and on the body.
Lavender calms the body and the skin, relieves different emotional and physical symptoms such as anxiety, digestion diseases, burns, cuts or bug bites.
Geranium helps to relieve dermatitis and eczema, it is adequate for combination skin or congested skin, it balances hormones, it reduces wrinkles and it tones the muscles.
Sandalwood can be used to cure sunburns, to clear skin complexion, it is also adequate for a good skin texture, preventing sagging and aging skin, it is a powerful smoother leaving the skin very soft, it is adequate for acne treatments because it has antibacterial properties and it relieves itching and infections, like skin redness and sore skin.
This suits me perfectly and my skin has never been so smooth. The oils both hydrate and clean the skin.
There are many possibilities. Oils made from trees are often stronger therefore use less drops of those. Oils made from blossoms always go together. Any oils made from citrus peels should not bee used in the face, since it may be too strong, but lemongrass is fine in small portions.
For the eyes I have started to use the same mixture as I used for the face. It burnt a little bit (probably the sandalwood properties, since it is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory) plus I was not being given the high amount of moisture that my eye contour area required (I had eczema in the eyelids in the past and ever since I need a richer moisturizer on this area than in the rest of the face). So I have tried sweet almond oil for the eye contouring area and it is perfect. Sweet almond oil is quite gentle in the skin and it is also particularly recommended for the eye area, since it reduces dark circles.
As I said the skin will absorb into your bloodstream anything you put on it, therefore you should invest in high quality essential oils.
Applying oils on the skin may leave the skin a bit oily immediately after you apply it. The trick to deal with that is invest in high quality vegetable oils, therefore you can guarantee that the carrier oils penetrate quickly into the skin avoiding a long period of oiliness right after you apply the mixture. I answered some of the most common questions on how to apply oils on the face in this video.
On the face if you don’t use anything else you’re great to go after the application. If you use foundation the oil will help the foundation spread. However if you only wish to use face powder you may have to wait a bit longer until the oil is completely absorbed or remove the excess with a tissue. But if you do that the oil may not give you the moisture that your skin requires. You just have to try it as you go along, but either way I would recommend you to do it right after the shower or as soon as you wash your face so you give it time to sink in as you do the rest of your morning routine.
There is something I can guarantee for sure: once you start applying natural oils on the skin you’ll love the texture and you’ll feel your skin much more healthy in just a few days. Try it and find out!
You can check the video where I demonstrate the face skin recipe on HERE. If you like it subscribe the channel and share! If you would like to know more and find out what could be the face skin recipe for you contact me!
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