Skin friendly essential oil – Helichrysum

If I could add another essential oil to my list of favorites ( lavender being my no.1 ), it would be Helichrysum.

First some facts – I bought this little bottle at my local Sprouts. It is sold in a carrier oil,  jojoba. It has a herbaceous and honey like aroma and as it says on the bottle, it is “restoring” which means it helps skin heal. Even though it was a tad pricey, it is totally worth!

I love this oil for only one reason – skin benefits!

• Dryness – As temperature and humidity dips in fall and winter, dryness takes over and it can be pretty rough (pun intended) on my skin especially the hands. To combat this I keep a concoction of helichrysum and rose oils using avocado oil as a carrier. All these oils including the jojoba (carrier oil for helichrysum) are extremely soothing and healing for the skin while the rose oil lends its heavenly aroma to the mixture.

My recipe for this is very simple – I add about 4 drops of helichrysum and 6 drops of rose to 200 drops of avocado oil in an amber colored glass bottle with a dropper and massage  3-4 drops into my skin whenever needed. I keep this oil combo on my kitchen counter at room temperature as I discovered early on that it solidifies in the refrigerator.

Other uses of this oil – I have used this on someone with eczema and psoriasis of scalp too and it has worked well.

• Eczema can creep up with changes in the weather or stress and it leaves the skin inflamed. I use the same recipe mentioned above for healing the rawness using a couple of drops on the area affected.
• Psoriasis (of scalp) – This is an autoimmune disorder and does not have a cure. You just need to give your skin a lot of TLC! For this I use 2-3 drops of Helichrysum oil alone and massage it into the area especially after a bath when the skin is still soft and absorbent.
• Anti-aging – It is only natural that an oil with so many skin benefits is also anti-aging! While it helps combat dryness and inflammation, it is believed to work on wrinkles too!

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My favorite essential oil!

Lavender of course! If I could own only one essential oil it would be lavender hands down. I will not dwell upon the botanical facts of the plant from where this amazing oil is extracted…instead I will jump right into the reasons I love this EO.

• Calm – First and foremost it’s my go-to oil for calming down. You know how there are those days when everyone and everything around you needs your attention asap – those are the moments when I grab my lavender roller bottle. I roll it on the wrists and take a whiff or into the palms rubbing them together and placing them gently on the face, inhaling the calm and peace.
• To the rescue – Have you ever burned your finger while simply turning the quesadillas over on a hot griddle or deep frying something? Ouch! That can hurt a lot…well for those once-in-a-while days I dab a little lavender on the burn and voila it takes away the searing sensation.
• Catch the zzzs – How many times have I gone to bed just to end up lying there – simply unable to sleep. It may be nervousness, boredom or nothing at all. That’s why I keep a lavender roller bottle next to me – massage some on my hands and forehead and then wait a little before I fall into a sweet slumber.
• Beauty – I have already mentioned the use of this oil in my beauty recipes in earlier posts – Nourishing face oil and DIY lip balm
• Pet grooming – Finally I come to our beloved pets! I keep a container with ¼ cup cornstarch mixed with 5-6 drops of lavender EO. Every once in a while I sprinkle a little of this mixture into my maltese’s coat followed by brisk brushing. The result? I can buy some time before his next grooming.

Before I forget let me share the Roller recipe. Mine is a 10ml bottle. I fill it with grapeseed oil (it’s light in texture) and 6 drops of lavender oil followed by rolling it gently between palms. I usually make a couple of them and keep them closeby. I always keep one in my bag.

NOTE – A very dear friend of mine who also happens to be a physician however suggested that we not use this oil around kids as it’s very calming in nature and kids need to be focused and be able to concentrate on their school work or other activities most of the time.

Do you know of any other uses of this oil? I would like to know.

Nourishing face oil

I am always looking for beauty products that are as natural and non toxic as possible and nothing can be more natural than those you can create on your kitchen countertop with your own hands! So here I present my very own soothing and nourishing face oil for those cold dry wintry months! You can use this oil on your face as such or under your regular moisturizer.

The EO in this recipe stands for essential oil. I buy the Aura Cacia and Now brands from Sprouts or Natural Grocers.

Now for the scoop on the oils! All the oils mentioned here are absolutely amazing for the skin and are so good at moisturizing but they also have some special qualities-

• Frankincense and Helichrysum are anti-aging with the former working on wrinkles and the latter working on scars and discoloration.
• Rose is anti-inflammatory but I use it mostly for its uplifting aroma.
• Lavender is my absolute favorite as it’s so calming. (I add it to almost every recipe).
• Avocado oil is a carrier oil (something that carries the EOs) as one shouldn’t use EOs directly on skin. It has a good shelf life of about a year and is rich in vitamins A and Bs and oleic acid and boasts some UV protection.
• Vitamin E has moisturizing and UV protective qualities. It also extends the shelf life of the product!

Ingredients

1 drop frankincense EO

1 drop helichrysum EO

5 drops rose EO

1 drop lavender EO

2 vitamin E oil capsules

60 drops avocado oil

A clean dry amber colored glass bottle with dropper

Method

In a clean dry bottle, add all the ingredients. Keep it in a cool dark place.