The importance of oils in your home to make skin care products

Making natural skin products from home is quickly becoming very popular and the quest for organic products has increased the interest in how to do our own skin range of masks, serums, facial shampoo etc. With the opportunity to shop on line it is very easy to find all the ingredients to produce organic skin products that match exactly our requirements. However for those who don't want to mess around with complicate compounds like gel, emulsifiers and so on, the good news is that most of time you need just few products to mix together which will probably make your expensive cream a thing of the past and your creation will cost much, much less ,

Among the ingredients utilised to prepare lovely creams and masks there are oils like olive oil or vegetable oils for example, that are undoubtedly beneficial for your health and for your skin too. Oils are an essential elements to be used in most of your skin home made recipes the importance of which, cannot be underestimated. They nourish the skin and keep it moisturaised, they are the backbone of the sebum which protects the skin from external agents and contributes to the rejuvenating of the cells. Without oils our skin will ageing faster than ever resulting in all the wrinkles fine lines and saggy skin. Even Acne can be successfully beaten by a treatment based on oils without resulting to clog the pores but instead bringing compounds essential to fight the unbalance production of sebum.

This hub is about the importance of oils in the natural skincare, going through:

1. Difference between carrier oil and essential oils
2. How to use carrier oils to blend essential oils.
3. We will go in details about the benefits of some of these essential and carrier oils and I will give you some oil based recipes.

Carrier oils:

Carrier oils are used to dilute essential oils and are generally non odour and consequently they do not evaporate like the essential oils.The general advise is not to apply the essential oils directly to the skin therefore a carrier oil is needed to transport the essential oil onto the skin. Carrier oils as we have said, are beneficial themselves. Use these oils as a based ingredients for serums, creams, masks etc.

Sweet Almond oil.

probably the most delicate of all, this oil is particularly indicated for serum and eye gel as it doesn’t clog pores but has got beneficial effects even on delicate and essential skin areas like the one around eyes. Almond oil is at the base of many skin care products like creams and and masks with the added benefit that is not greasy and it leaves a silky tone. It is also indicated for masks hair. It is great for all type of skins it is packed with fatty acids so it nourishes while leaving a softener skin and a silky wonderful feeling.

Olive oil;

A powerful antioxidant and an excellent emollient, this oil has been used for century not only as food but also for creams and skin products. It is particularly indicated also for hair. Add to your daily diet too and the benefits will be double.It is used to nourish the skin, and it is particularly indicated for dehydrated and sensitive skins protect it and repair it. For instance and instant scrub for rough dry hand is to rubber some oil mixed with sugar. It will leave your hands smooth and silky

Avocado oil

Avocado has got so many powerful elements in itself, imagine the oil extracted from it.

Avocado oil is easily absorbed by the skin so it means it will penetrate deeply into the layers of the skin carrying with it all the antioxidant and vitamins A, D, E . it is hight in stereols too, which means it helps in protecting the skin from sun damage and it is also good against age spots. It is packed with fatty acid and omega 3, betha carothene an lechitin. If you still not convinced that this oil is good for your considering that it is highly beneficial for eczema and psoriasis because its capacity of penetrating deeply in the skin.

Castor oil:

The lovely castor oil has been dismissed as an ancient remedy with no particular benefits either. When I was a child I was told off by my mother who used to say:”if you don’t behave I will put on castor oil for one week (meaning swallowing the nasty oil). “Yes please” I would say now! Castor oil is packed with so many goodies that my mother's threat would sound a welcome advice.

Castor oil has been used since the ancient time from the antiques Egyptians to Indians and Mediterranean ancient culture, as a medicine and cure for a lot of ailiments. Castor oil is beneficial in curing acne and fighting bacteria. It also very beneficial for making eye lashes grow and therefore it is indicated for thin hair or loss of hair. It is also very good against wrinkles but because it is particularly dense, apply just few drops on your face.Cold press oil works better then refine oil simply because it retains all the natural ingredients the refine oil has been strip off. This is particularly true for the Castor oil. Therefore make sure to use the best you can find.

Essential oils are high concentrated formulas from plants, herbs and flowers which means that they must be used carefully, the less the better. Some of them can be harmful to pregnant women and other can have allergic reactions. It shouldn’t be used directly on the skin but, as said, blended with added carrier oils. Do a patch test on your skin before using essential oil. A simple test is to mix one drop of essential oil with a teaspoon of a carrier oil. Apply a small quantity on your elbow or inside your wrist. Leave it for 24 hour without washing. If nothing happens it is obviously safe to use it.

Amounts to be used in a home made recipes:

Normal amount: 2.5% or 15 drops diluted in 2 tablespoon of carrier oil.

Low amount: 1% 6 drops diluted in 1 tablespoon of carrier oil.Use this amount for everyday cream or serum.

Sensitive skin: The correct amount should be 3 drops in 1 tablespoon of carrier oil.

General advise valid for any when using essential oils. Try a small amount of the essential oil you intend to use on a small skin area preferably the elbow and wait at least 24 hours to see if it causes any problem.

Essential oils must be stored in dark bottles away from the light and in a cool storage.

Scary? You don’t have to, essential oils are one of the most effective treatment against wrinkles and fine lines and help to fight the ageing process. In fact they are packed with fatty acids, vitamins helping the skin to stay young and healthy. Essential oil are the backbone of anti-wrinkles serum recipes and creams.

You can mix and match essential oils with carrier oils or using just carrier oils.

For instance: anti-wrinkles recipes for oily skin:

2 tablespoons of Wheat germ oil mixed with 10 drops of geranium oil.

The geranium it is particularly indicated for oily skin. Wheat germ oil very rich in Vitamin E that stimulates the production of collagen in the skin therefore helping the skin to stay young.

For dry skin:

2 tablespoon of wheat germ, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 6 drops of lemon oil. Mixed together and apply on the skin once a week.This oil will nourish the skin and it is particularly indicated for dry skin

There are countless of creams, facials, masks and home made skin recipes where essential and carrier oils are the backbone of the formulas. Most of those skin care products are really easy to make. The benefits are really worth it even if it needs time to spot differences and improvements. It just requires a little bit of patience and everyday routine.