Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Beat Breakouts Naturally with Lavender Oil

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by Stephanie Rogers · 05/12/08

Lavender isn’t just a pretty, relaxing scent. It’s a great way to manage breakouts without slathering chemicals all over your skin. Many of us have memories of smearing foul-smelling creams on our faces when we were battling breakouts in high school and the kind of stuff we used then isn’t kind to our skin now. Clearasil and other ‘pimple creams’ marketed to teenagers tend to create dry, scaly patches that look even worse than the breakouts did in the first place.

Since it’s antibacterial, lavender oil helps clear up breakouts and prevent them from reoccurring when used regularly. It can also help ease redness and inflammation, reducing the need for camouflage via cakey makeup, which can make the problem worse. Through balancing the oils in the skin and purifying the pores, lavender helps the skin correct the problems that are causing breakouts to occur in the first place.

Most people can use lavender oil ‘neat’ on the skin, meaning it’s not diluted with carrier oils to make it less harsh. If you’ve got really sensitive skin, though, you might want to test a drop on your forearm before applying it to your face. If you experience irritation, try mixing it with grapeseed oil or hazelnut oil, which are both good choices for acne-prone skin.

Lavender oil can also be mixed with witch hazel for use as a toner. Add 4 drops of lavender oil to 4 ounces of witch hazel, keep it in an airtight bottle and apply it with a cotton ball before you go to bed. Stick to the oiliest parts of your face that are most prone to breakouts – avoid sensitive areas like the skin around your eyes and in the creases of your nostrils. The witch hazel will help reduce swelling and redness.

You can also purchase natural skin care products that have lavender oil as a main ingredient, such as the Organic Lavender line by Avalon Organics, which is a good choice for adult acne since it’s geared toward sensitive skin. Just make sure the products you purchase contain actual lavender essence, not synthetic fragrances which don’t have any beneficial effects.

Look for lavender oil in the essential oils section of your local natural health store, or purchase it online.

Beauty, Herbal Remedies, Lavender, Skin Care

Calendula: A Soothing Herbal Remedy for Skin Ailments

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by Stephanie Rogers · 05/02/08

Calendula, also called the Pot Marigold, is a beautiful plant for the garden, and its edible blooms are prized for their cheerful beauty. But did you know it can also be used for a variety of health purposes? Calendula Officinalis is a great herbal treatment for all manner of skin ailments including burns, bruises, sprains, rashes, chafing and open wounds.

Calendula is antimicrobial and antiviral, and is generally prepared as an oil or salve for easy application. It’s a great alternative to Neosporin and other petroleum-based wound salves, as it will speed healing and prevent infection. It decreases swelling, kills bacteria, speeds tissue regeneration and prevents scarring. As it’s anti-inflammatory, it can also be used to get relief from itchy, irritating varicose veins.

Many women like to rub Calendula on their growing bellies when they’re pregnant to prevent stretch marks. Another great use is to soothe childbirth-related postpartum pain – you can soak cotton pads with the oil and freeze them for instant relief. Similarly, it can be safely used to treat a baby’s diaper rash naturally and effectively.

You can purchase the herbal oil or salve from an herbal supply company, or make it yourself if you grow the plant in your garden. Herbal oils generally have a base of olive or coconut oil, and salves add beeswax to give them a thicker texture.

It can be applied as massage oil, rubbed on with a cotton ball, or simply smoothed onto the affected area. Calendula is often seen in beauty treatments such as moisturizers and soaps, and its benefits can be received that way as well. It combines well with Comfrey and St. Johns Wort, two other herbal remedies for the skin.

A few great products that include Calendula are Kiss My Face Honey & Calendula Moisturizer, Kiehls Calendula Herbal Extract Alcohol-Free Toner and Weleda Calendula Baby Cream.

Baby, Beauty, Calendula, Herbal Remedies, Skin Care