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.

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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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Nourishing face oil

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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.

DIY lip balm

 

Ever since I walked down the Essential oils aisle in Sprouts about 4 years ago, I have been intrigued by the healing properties of those oils and as I read up on them I became more vigilant about using commercial products even something as simple as a lip balm. So, I decided to experiment and after a few clumsy takes I came up with this simple method that became my go-to lip balm recipe.

It’s easy to prepare and has two of my favorite ingredients – Lavender essential oil and Avocado oil. I picked lavender for its anti-inflammatory and calming effect on the skin as well as mind. I chose avocado oil for its long shelf life (1 year), UV protective factor and its high oleic acid content which makes it a great moisturizer in the cold dry months of winter. I opted for Vitamin E as it boosts the shelf life of the balm and provides a decent amount of sun protection.

Ingredients

Avocado oil – 1 ¾ tsp

Beeswax – ¾ tsp

Vitamin E capsules (400 IU) each – 2

Lavender essential oil – 2 drops

2 Lip balm containers clean and dry

Method

Place a pan of water with a heat resistant glass bowl over it on medium flame. Add the beeswax and let it melt slowly. You can lower the flame to medium low. As it begins to melt, stir in the avocado oil using a silicone or wooden spatula. Remove from the flame and quickly squeeze out the oil from the vitamin E capsules into the mixture along with the lavender oil. You’ve got to be swift here as the mixture starts solidifying soon so quickly pour it into the lip balm containers and let them cool before capping them.

I make a batch of 3-4 balms and keep them in the fridge to keep them fresh and last longer. Yields about 2 balms. Don’t worry if there’s a little leftover! Store it in a tiny container for your bag.

Try out this recipe and let me know what you think about it!