Five Winter Skincare Recipes Using Essential Oils

We are at it again, every year we post skincare tips to help you get ready for the winter season. This season, we've expanded to lips and feet beauty recipes for you lovers of truly natural beauty.

Granted, our Canadian winters have been eerily pleasant and warm.  Let's hope that it doesn't stay that way, I've come to appreciate winter's necessity in providing balance and beauty to our lives. Even with this appreciation, the frigid months gives us unique health & beauty concerns, from asthma, fly-away hair, dry patches on our faces, itchy, flaky legs and yes, those awful cracked heels on our feet!

Beauty Pause: Dry Skin

Dry Skin… The environment, including harsh winds, sunlight, and central heating removes moisture from the skin. But there is one...one more specific harm that comes from our increasing indulgence in our favorite daily ritual -  hot baths and long super warm showers!

The body just can’t take it.

Better to take quick, luke warm showers and follow with body butters or lotions with calming botanicals, omega rich oils and free-radical fighting vitamins (vitamins A, D. B, and C)!

Enjoy!
@aromaliving


other interesting places to visit:
~ We add a free linky tool on Lovely Promenade!  If you don't see your category, just email us and we will add it for you.

~ Essential Hair Care for Winter post we did in December 2011.

Skin Care Recipes for Dry and Sun Damaged Skin

sun-damaged skin

We have about 3 weeks of summer left and I thought now would be a good time to provide some recipes for dry and sun damaged skin.

Avocado & Cucumber Clay Mask

This recipe is great for dry, sun-damaged or ageing skin. Cucumber works well as a cooling and revitalizing agent, and especially effective for sun-damaged skin. Check out our other facial care recipes using cucumber.

• 5 cm (2inches) unpeeled crushed cucumber
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Almond Milk
• ¼ Avocado flesh
• 2 tablespoon (30ml) jojoba oil
• 2 tablespoon (30ml) Glacial Marine Clay Powder

Mix all the ingredients together well. Add enough glacial marine clay powder to make a paste that is dry but still  workable. The more clay is used, the faster the mask will dry and the more tight the mask will feel on your skin.  Apply on face, taking care to avoid the eye.  Let dry while laying down for complete relaxation.  Use a wash cloth with luke warm water and gently remove the mask.

Papaya Clay Mask
An effective mask to conteract the damaging effects of the sun. Papaya contains vitamins (particularly high in A and C) and enzymes which give it mild exfoliating properties.

• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Glacial Marine Clay (Wet)
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Mashed Papaya
• 1-2 drops orange essential oil

Mix to a smooth paste, apply on face, let dry.  Use wash cloth with luke warm water and gently remove mask.

Rejuvenating Masque

• 1 tablespoon of Rose clay or Glacial Clay
• 3 drops sea buckthorn CO2 select
• 10 drops or 1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
• 2 tablespoons Neroli Hydrosol
• 1 drop Neroli Essential Oil
• 1 drop Frankincense Essential Oil

Blend all ingredients well, adding more hydrosol if necessary to make a smooth, spreadable mixture. Tie your hair back out of the way. Apply to neck and face. Lie down and enjoy the wonderful aroma for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse well with tepid water, moisturize with your favorite carrier.

Note - You can omit the Frankincense, and use instead Rose Geranium hydrosol and essential oil for combination skin, Melissa or Tea tree hydrosol and manuka or lavender essential oil for problem or oily skin, Rose hydrosol and essential oil for any skin. This recipe is from Natures Gift.

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Sun Repair Essential Oil Blend

• 10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
• 5 drops of Rosehip Oil
• 1 ounce of Aloe Vera Gel 

Leave on face for 5 to 10 minutes, gently wash off face.  If you want to make a serum, exchange the aloe vera gel with a carrier oil like jojoba oil or sweet almond oil.  It can be oily if you are prone to oily skin. Put in a dark bottle and store in a cool place.  Will last about 1 to 2 weeks.

Disclosure:

The content on this site should not be considered medical advice and is not meant to treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness.

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Light, earthy, delicate, deeply fragrant are prefect adjectives for your new body spray.  Exotic Rose Body Spray is part of our Rose Skin Care Collection.  Its recipe blends rejuvenating rose Damascena essential oil with rose water, organic aloe vera, and other active ingredients that make up a refreshing body mist that moisturizes while leaving your skin lightly scented. 

Two in one all over body spray - moisturizing and fragrant. 

Did You Know? Rose Essential Oil is excellent for : Aging Skin, Broken Veins, Depression, Dry Skin,  Headache, Insomnia, PMS Symptoms, Sensitive Skin & Stress.

To create your own custom wellness, bath and body products, choose an unscented body lotion from Escents Aromatherapy, (one of our affiliated companies we work with) and add 10-20 drops of Rose Essential Oil per 30ml or 1oz of product. You can also add 5-8 drops in an aromatherapy diffuser or to your bath.

Enjoy!

Cecilia @aromaliving

Brown Sugar Recipes

Make these wonderful body scrubs at your spa location.

SIMPLE BROWN SUGAR BODY SCRUB
Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup almond oil (carrier oil)
• 5-10 drops essential oil (lavender and grapefruit or Geranium for a nice glow)

Combine the almond oil and essential oil in a bowl. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Store in a dark, glass jar and leave in a cool location.  Excellent for legs and feet.

EXFOLIANT BODY SCRUB
This is an incredibly effective scrub that will leave the skin feeling wonderfully smooth. Once you’ve rinsed it off, you will still feel a little oily, but that will quickly disappear as the oil will be quickly absorbed into your skin.

• ¼ cup(60ml) sugar
• ¼ cup(60ml) jojoba oil 
• 3-4 drops of your favorite essential oil
• 2 tablespoon (30ml) mild soap-based shampoo

Carrier Oils
You can use different kinds of carrier oils such as those listed-below and you can use a blend of these for increased therapeutic benefits.

• Jojoba oil, safflower oil, apricot kernel oil, grapeseed oil and olive oil (not the cooking oil). 

Dry Skin

• Avocado oil is very soothing and moisturizing.

Handcrafted Goat’s Milk Soaps

Generally, milk is good for the skin because of its hydrating properties, which promote moisture and prevents dryness. It also helps reduce skin from darkening brought about by the wear and tear of aging.

Now try goat's milk in a soap.