Health Conditions and Treatments

Pure essential oils are found in many of the world’s finest beauty care preparations for mature skin, with very good reason. Known effects of essential oils include stimulation of cellular metabolism, tissue regeneration, antioxidant action, anti-inflammatory effects, and hormone-like activity. These benefits form the therapeutic foundation for topical support of the health and beauty of aging skin. And while essential oils used in natural skin care many not sound as exclusive as some fancy laboratory-made concoctions from Europe, their results can certainly be as profound. The added plus being you can make a blend precisely suited to your skin’s needs at a fraction of the cost of the high-end European imports. All the ingredients you’ll require are often available at your local health food store, with the more exotic items found on the internet from providers of therapeutic-grade aromatherapy supplies.

What is it about essential oils that make them so suitable to the task of making mature skin glow? The aromatic oils are nature’s liquid healing wonders. It is thought that plants produce them as their own healing potions, with variations that depend on the plant’s habitat; a plant needs to generate new cells, defend itself from oxidative radicals, and promote its own fitness as much as humans do. These aromatic oils are highly compatible with our own health and well-being. Countless essential oils have been examined over time, and a few stand out as extraordinary medicines for our skin. Creating a personal formula using them is a simple task: just mix a small amount of essential oils with the appropriate (and therapeutic) seed or nut oils at the right concentrations, and voila! Your own highly effective skin care blend.

Let’s have a look at the carrier oils, also aptly named ‘base’ oils. These are oils cold-pressed from seeds, nuts and fruit that will make up the foundation of any formula. There are several to choose from that support the health and beauty of mature skin. These natural oils will form 95-98% of your blend, with the essential oils being added as the ‘active ingredients’. Avocado is first on the list, being included in many recipes for its hydrating and nutritive properties. Avocado is especially suited to dry skin, and should make up about one-fifth of the ‘base’ for dry-to-normal skin. Next is Apricot Kernel, also highly recommended for dry-to-normal skin, or for irritated and damaged skin. Apricot can make up the entire base if you so desire. Evening Primrose is a highly nutritive oil with a significant amount of essential fatty acids - important for building healthy tissues. Evening Primrose can make up to one quarter of the base. Hazelnut oil is very common in skin care blends, as it is well tolerated by all skin types. It can be especially useful for those with a tendency toward oily skin, as it has mildly astringent properties. Despite the seeming contradiction to applying ‘oil’ to an already ‘oily’ complexion, Hazelnut is recommended in the most advanced medical aromatherapy texts for this use - it can make up to 100% of the base. Perhaps the most important carrier oil to consider for mature skin is Rosehip seed - pressed from the seeds of a wild rose from South America, it contains research-validated vitamin A compounds that act like natural ‘Retin-A’, enhancing the skin’s natural regeneration, lessening the appearance of fine lines, supporting healthy skin that may have endured sun-damage, and unifying skin coloration. Rosehip seed can, and should, make up to one quarter of your base recipe. For example, a four-ounce base formula specific for dry-to-normal skin may be one ounce Avocado, one ounce Rosehip seed and two ounces of Apricot Kernel - other oils should be substituted according to your skin type.

And now for the magic ingredients, the essential oils: Carrot Seed essential oil is distilled from the seeds of Wild Carrot, Daucus carota. It is considered one of the most potent revitalizing essential oils for the skin. It is chosen particularly as a remedy for dull, pallid and lifeless skin where one’s lifestyle and/or environment may have taken their toll on the skin’s vibrancy. Carrot seed has a smooth, earthy aroma that will blend well with many other oils. Also for revitalizing the skin, Rosemary Verbenone can be highly effective - this is a type of rosemary essential oil containing a higher amount of regenerative ketones than common rosemary. The essential oil ‘displays its main activity in the dermis (the middle layer of the skin), where it stimulates the metabolic functions, circulation, and elimination of waste products’ according to Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt, one of America’s leading medical aromatherapists, in his ‘Advanced Aromatherapy’.

Essential oils that simulate the effects of estrogen have been found supportive of mature skin health. Perhaps as natural estrogen production lessens over time, these oils continue to give the skin a youthful hormonal environment. Two oils which can be considered are Clary Sage and Sweet Fennel. Each are noted by various authorities as exceptionally important for aging skin. Clary Sage is soft, sweet and herbaceous, with an aroma considered mildly euphoric to some. Sweet Fennel is a little stronger aromatically, and has been recommended for ‘anti-wrinkle’ formulas for every age. You may decide purely on the basis of your personal aromatic preference if you wish to include one of these estrogen mimicking oils.

Sea Buckthorn Berry CO2 extract is gentle oil with a pleasingly sweet aroma - it contains significant amounts of essential fatty acids and antioxidants. It is noted as a particularly effective anti-wrinkle and skin softening agent. Users have commented on its benefits for a wide-variety of skin conditions. Cistus, another specialty essential oil for the care of mature care, is distilled from a plant that grows in hotter climes. The oil is used for its firming effects where sagging skin is a concern. Its natural astringent action also makes it an excellent choice for those with adult acne.

Then there is the tried and true French Lavender - Lavendula angustifolia - the essential oil which began the modern aromatherapy revolution with the discovery of its nearly miraculous healing power. Lavender is balancing, gentle and regenerative. It may be added at any concentration to your blend. Its sweet and floral aroma is loved by many - though if you find it too sweet, and are looking for a potent regenerative essential oil, try Helichrysum instead. Helichrysum contains regenerative molecules unique to this plant alone, with a warmer, slightly spicy and herbaceous aroma. Finally, perhaps the most rare, yet most effective overall essential oil is Rose Otto; just a little goes a long way - so despite it’s high cost, even one-half of a percent in your formulas can make your skin really glow.

The formulas for therapeutic care for mature skin are fairly straightforward. Oftentimes, you can start with 10 drops of each essential oil per ounce of carrier oil. For example, if you have four total ounces of base oil, you could use 40 drops of each desired essential oil as a starting point. Much more essential oil than this is rarely better; in fact, many oils work best at low concentrations, and some can potentially irritate the skin at high doses. Further, if you are combining several essential oils together in one blend, try not to go over a 5% total concentration of essential oils (approximately 30 drops per ounce) - the face and neck are relatively sensitive areas, and will respond best to small amounts of nature’s ‘active’ ingredients. If you are not working with a recipe, you can start with equal amounts of each essential oil, and adjust according to your perceived potency of each oil; some oils will have more powerful aromas than others, and you could likely do with slightly less in your overall blend. You can also adjust according to your aromatic preferences as well, creating a formula that not only supports your skin’s health and metabolism, but smells lovely too.

Though many of these ingredients are preferred for women’s beauty care, comparable recipes are also used by men. A more masculine formula can be created using essential oils from woods - Cedarwood and Sandalwood are both good examples, having excellent therapeutic properties. Both Frankincense and Myrrh essential oils both have warm earthy aromas and are also noted for their positive effects on aging skin. Including oils purely for their aromas is always an option, too! Please note, there are a there are a few oils that should not be applied to the face: Cinnamon, Oregano, Clove and Red Thyme; pressed citrus as well as Angelica Root oil are ‘phototoxic’ (make the skin more sensitive to UV rays) and should not be applied to skin that will be exposed to sunlight in the following 72 hours. If you’re not sure about a particular essential oil, check with a reliable resource.

Creating your own personal therapeutic skin care blend is a wonderful aromatherapy project for beginning and advanced practitioners alike. You’ll have an effective mixture made just for your skin type, and that you can adjust according to your needs in the future. Plus it’s fun to do, and easier on the pocket book than high-end commercial formulations. As always when starting out with these medicines from nature, be aware of you’re body’s responses to the oils, respect their potency, and most of all, have fun!