Florida takes it’s tole on skin and so relying on oils and herbs helps to keep us not only healthy but also beautiful. Whether you use them in your diet or on you skin, they are beneficial and should be a part of your daily cosmetic routine. Many plants contain restorative, healing, and hydrating qualities which will help us in repairing the skin and retaining a youthful appearance. Using them in your diet or in your cosmetics, they can help to slow the aging process.
Essential oils seem to rejuvenate the cells and serve as antioxidants, anti-fungal and anti-inflamatory agents and maintain a quality care routine for your skin. Various skin types require different oils and herbs or blends. You don’t need a large amount of the oils and essential oils must be blended with jojoba or almond oil. You can even use the oils in your regular lotions. For most oils adding one drop to four of carrier oils will be a good combination but it is essential that you use them safely. Remember always do a skin test first by mixing a small drop of essential oil into at least four drops of carrier oil.
So let’s discuss what oils and herbs you might want to use for mature skin or in Florida, sun damaged skin. Oils which you can try include Myrrh, Neroli, Carrot seed(personally I do not like the aroma of carrot seed oil but I do use it in my sunblock recipes), Rose and sage. Rose can also be an herb when using the dry petals of the rose. An herb that we keep in the house almost all the time is ginseng. Cut in small pieces it can be used to relieve sore throats. It can also be used in tea and infused to apply to the skin.
Dry skin is very common in many climates. When I go back up north, my skin seems to really dry out. That may be because I am accustomed to the humidity in Florida. For dry skin I use Rose, Sandalwood, Geranium, Cedar, and Ylang ylang. Herbs include Gotu Kola, again as an infusion and then strained and added to lotions or carrier oils.
This is a start and I will discuss some of the other skin types in future blogs. If you don’t have these oils, please order them from our shop or by clicking on the links in our blogs. This is what helps us keep the website up and running.
Also, if you enjoy our posts, please add comments and let us know how you are using essential oils or herbs in your life or practice.
I like almond oil as a carrier oil. It does not seem as heavy as jojoba but many of my friends use jojoba. Test the carriers to decide which you like best and which performs best on your skin.