Aromatherapy offers simple yet highly effective means of making your own skin care blends. Essential oils are found in many, if not most, of the world's high end face-care formulas. The reason being is the diversity and potency of their therapeutic effects. When creating a skin care blend, it's crucial to also consider the base or "carrier" oils into which the essential oils are mixed. There is a wide variety of carrier oils available as well, and several exotic ones with tremendous value in skin care. Here's a look at a few of the more exotic, and highly therapeutic carrier oils available for your homemade creations.
Rosehip seed oil is first on the list. In terms of the exotic carrier oils, it is the one that's been the most widely available for the longest time, so it may not seem so exotic to some. This doesn't at all diminish its truly important therapeutic activity. Pressed from the seeds of rosehips grown in the mountains of Chile (a rosehip is essentially the fruit of wild roses), the oil has a lovely reddish orange color, indicating its high level of therapeutic nutrients. The oil often has a potent, earthy aroma to it.
The action of rosehip seed oil is regenerative to the skin. It has been the subject of much research, showing the oil alone can lessen the appearance of wrinkles, sun damage and scars, as well as improve the skin's texture overall. You'll find it in nearly every recipe for "mature skin" at approximately 20% of the total base mixture. It can be used at 100% if you like. It should not be used in formulas for acne, as its regenerative action can promote breakouts. You'll also find a CO2 extraction of the whole rosehips, deep red in color, if you which to use a more concentrated form.
Tamanu nut oil, also called Foraha, and even sometimes Callophylum inophyllum, is pressed from the nut of trees growing in tropical regions around the Pacific (specifically the islands of Vanuatu). The oil is unique in its consistency and color: the unfiltered oil is exceptionally thick and grainy, and can be solid at room temperature. The filtered oil is often still quite thick and grainy, with a dark green / brown color and somewhat pungent aroma. The grains are simply natural variations in makeup of the fatty acids within the oil, and will disappear when the oil is blended or applied to the skin.
Tamanu oil is considered a "wonder oil" in that it is thought to heal virtually every conceivable condition of the skin. It is an excellent choice for wound healing, scar reduction, and caring for mature skin, as tamanu can significantly increase the "turnover" rate of skin cells -- increasing the speed of this process by up to 3 times. It is thought effective for treating fungal infections, acne and eczema as well. Tamanu can be used at 100% strength, but is most commonly blended with other base oils at 10-20% of the formula.
A new oil sweeping the high end skin care markets is Argan, also called Moroccan Oil -- taking its name from the origin of the nut. The oil has been used for ages in the region for both cooking and cosmetics. It's acceptance by users of natural beauty products have been a boon to the local economy, and resulted in positive steps to preserve this wonderful natural resource.
Argan nut oil is known for its relatively high amount of natural vitamin E, along with other polyphenol antioxidants. Polyphenols are highly effective antioxidants which generally have other important health effects as well. Consider that it's the polyphenol "resveratrol" in red wine that has been found to extend the lifespan of many animals. Along with these micro-nutrients, argan is full of essential fatty acids -- and the combination of these nutrients work together to create an oil with excellent anti-aging therapeutics.
If you're really wanting to go all out in creating a formula, these oils can all be combined together for your base mixture. Use equal parts of each -- and consider blending with a fourth oil such as coconut, evening primrose oil apricot kernel (as you'll commonly find each of these oils recommended at twenty percent of the base oil recipe). Once you've got your base mixed, choose three essential oils to suit your skin's needs, and add 7 drops of each per ounce of carrier oil blend. You'll have a truly superior skin care preparation, perfectly tailored to your skin's needs.
More natural health information is available from the author at Ananda essential oils and at the organic medicinal herb blog.
