The Finest Skin Care Recipes: Do It Yourself!

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.

Essential Oils: The Natural Chemistry of Skin Health

What makes essential oils and their accompanying carrier oils so effective for natural skin care? It happens that their chemical structures are highly-compatible with that of our skin cells. Essential oils are easily absorbed through the dermal layers and even through the skin's individual cell walls. This makes them extremely simple to create and use your own formulas. Just mix each chosen essential oil into one or more carrier oils (which have their own therapeutic effects as well) at the recommended concentrations, then apply regularly for best results. The carrier oils will do just as the name implies - 'carry' the essential oils more deeply into the skin, and prevent them from being quickly evaporated into the air (as a perfume might be).

The Base Oils: The Base of Every Recipe

In describing the ingredients, we'll start with the carrier oils (also known as 'base' oils). These natural seed and nut oils will make up the bulk of any skin care formula. There are a great many carrier oils to choose from for mature skin support: Avocado - hydrating, and nutritive, with a medium consistency, avocado oil is most often included at about 1/5 of the total base oil mixture. Apricot Kernel - Excellent for dry skin, also for healing damaged or irritated skin; can make up to 100% of the base oil. Borage - Used as a small (5-15%) portion of the base oil mixture; supplies important fatty acid nutrients, which also act to calm inflammation. May be interchanged with Evening Primrose oil, though the Evening Primrose should be used in slightly larger amounts than Borage (up to 25%). Hazelnut - This is the most common carrier in skin care blends. It has a relatively thin consistency, and is best used by those with oily skin conditions. It is mildly astringent, and should not exacerbate trouble with overactive sebaceous glands. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Rosehip Seed - this oil contains a wealth of therapeutic properties, including Retin-A like compounds that increase skin cell turnover without the drying side effects found in pharmaceutical preparations. In summary, a good base oil for mature skin might be 70% Apricot Kernel, 15% Rosehip and 15% Evening Primrose. If the skin is dry, reduce the Apricot Kernel to 50% and add 20% Avocado. If the skin is oily, use Hazelnut in place of Apricot Kernel.

Therapeutic and Aromatic Magic: The Essential Oils

On to the essential oils - the magic active ingredients. These are in no particular order; they all have unique properties, and selecting one or more depends on your personal skin's condition. We'll begin with Carrot Seed, a wonderful warm, smooth and earthy essential oil with a long history in skin care. It is particularly indicated for skin that has lost its glow from undue stress, whether from external environmental factors or other types of strain. Carrot seed is very gentle, inexpensive, and useful for all skin types. Next is Rosemary of the Verbenone chemotype - it's distilled from common rosemary grown in particular regions of the world that lead to a higher fraction of regenerative 'ketones' in the oil. These molecules enhance regeneration and metabolism - improving the use of nutrients and removal of toxins on a cellular level. Also excellent for every woman: Rose Otto. The very precious oil of Rose is the oil of beauty for many reasons — it signals the skin to maintain a balance of moisture, while having astringent and anti-inflammatory actions — Rose is especially important for sensitive skin.

Especially for Women

Clary Sage essential oil is considered to be particularly suited to natural beauty care. It contains sclareol, which mimics the effects of estrogen; this is noted by one expert author as the primary reason it helps with skin aging. It may also be the reason Clary Sage is said to regulate the skin's secretions, bringing balance to both over-dry and over-oily skin. Elsewhere, it is noted as relaxing - even mildly euphoric - which may also contribute to its positive effects for wrinkles. Sweet Fennel is another 'estrogenic' essential oil, called for by Valerie Worwood in 'The Complete Book of Essential Oils' as an ingredient in wrinkle-preventative blends for all ages.

Nutrient-Suppling Essential 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. Carrot Root also supplies many of these nutrients, and may be the better choice for a daytime formula (as the deep color of Sea Buckthorn takes some time to completely absorb). 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.

Balancing and Regeneration

Of course no discussion of skin care and aromatherapy would be complete without Lavender. True lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) can be included in aromatherapy blends for skin at any age. It may be especially supportive of aging skin through its combination of anti-inflammatory, balancing, and regenerative actions. Lavender is also well-known for its relaxing effects, and its support for stress reduction may quickly result in improving your skin's appearance. For those whom enjoy its floral aroma, Lavender may be added in whatever concentration one chooses to impart its aromatic quality to the formula. For an even stronger anti-inflammatory and regenerative effect, use Helichrysum essential oil (also known as Everlasting or Immortelle). Helichrysum may be the most profoundly healing essential oil for damaged skin, often called for in blends for healing wounds or reducing the appearance of scars. If you are combining aromatherapy with other treatments such as microdermabrasion, Helichrysum would be an important ingredient in your blend.

Easy Mixing of Your Custom Recipe

Creating your own blend is a simple and enjoyable process. Simple, as you only need select the essential oils you wish to include, and can add them in equal amounts - 10 drops of each essential oil per ounce of base oil is a perfect start. Enjoyable as the essential oils smell so wonderful! One can't help to keep inhaling their aroma while preparing a formula. The essential oils ARE potent; it's best to limit your total essential oil concentration to less than five percent of the overall mixture. This works out to 30 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier. If using more than three essential oils (i.e. more than 10 drops each of three varieties) limit the amount of each essential oil so that the final volume per ounce is less than 30 drops. So for example, if using five essential oils, use a maximum of six drops of each per ounce of carrier oil. Almost all essential oils work best at these seemingly low concentrations - more is not better. You can, however, adjust the essential oil ratios to suit the needs of your skin and/or your aromatic preferences.

Blending for Men's Skin

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.

Go On - Blend Your Own!

Blending a personal formula may seem overwhelming at first, but in fact it is quite a natural and pleasant experience. Once the formula is decided upon, one simply needs to mix each selected essential oil into the one or more base oils at the recommended concentrations and apply to clean skin on a regular basis. The creation of synergistic therapeutic blends for mature skin is enjoyable, easy-to-do, and a wise choice for the skin, the planet, and the pocket-book. By using therapeutic-grade oils and carriers, you'll be creating an effective, beautiful smelling formula that is designed precisely for your own skin condition. Moreover, you can adjust the recipe over time as your needs change, or make different formulas with various aromas to double as natural perfumes. As always with aromatherapy, start slowly, pay attention to your body, enjoy the process!

The author is a co-founder of Ananda Aromatherapy Essential Oils. More information on the therapeutic use of essential oils can be found at The Ananda Apothecary.