HEALTH: Make your own moisturisers and body scrubs

Affordable skin care, naturally


Nurturing
Ellen Cox

Our skin is the largest organ, it weighs around 14 per cent of our total body weight. If you measured it out flat it would measure 11-18 square metres in area. It acts as a barrier for the body, is water resistant and has eight main functions (absorption, elimination, secretion, protection, regulation (heat), sensation, production of Vitamin D and production of melanin).  Imagine if you could find rain gear that could do all that!
Healthy glowing skin is something we all yearn for. It is reputed to come from the inside out and not the other way around, so nutrition has an important role to play in its well-being.  Environmental factors greatly affect the health of our skin as do hereditary factors (it’s not always your fault!).  It takes roughly four weeks for new cells to reach the surface of the skin – it’s important to keep this in mind when assessing the efficacy of any treatments.
If you wish to enhance your skin care regime naturally and affordably, read on…

CARE FOR YOUR SKIN
Consider your skin to be like a unique fabric. As with a delicate silk garment, if you want it to last any length of time and remain in good nick, you pay attention to the care instructions. You don’t fire it in the washing machine on a hot wash with heavy-duty detergents – if you do it may be the last time you get to wear it. We can’t replace our skin, so taking care of it is a start. Luckily, it has the most amazing capacity to repair itself, and with some extra help from nature, that process can be greatly enhanced. 
High-quality, unrefined vegetable oils offer many benefits when taken internally and when applied externally (I’m focusing here on the benefits of external application). They can be especially helpful for dry skin, sun-damaged skin, thinning of skin and mature skin.  Collagen and elastin, two of the main components of the skin, give it elasticity. Both of these decrease with age, and that’s why our skin becomes less toned and supple. (Sounds much better than ‘saggy’ and ‘wrinkly’!). 

MAKE YOUR OWN
The following oils are recommended for the skin. Massage them in and feel the benefits. All are available from Atlantic Aromatics for under €10. 
>   Certified Organic Sweet Almond Oil (50ml) – Cold pressed and unrefined, this is a great all-rounder for nourishing and protecting the skin. Light and odourless.
>   Avocado Oil (50ml) – A heavier, highly penetrating oil, beneficial for fragile (elderly), mature and seriously dry skin.
>   Certified Organic Rosehip oil (Rosa Mosqueta/Rosa Rubiginosa) (20ml) – An extremely rich source of natural essential fatty acids recommended for scarring (scars should be less than a year old – add Neroli essential oil for best results), premature skin, aging, sun damage and wrinkles.
>   Organic Body Oil (100ml) – The new kid on the block, and my absolute favourite at the moment. A blend of certified organic oils of sesame, apricot kernel and macedamia nut, it was born out of a wish to find a superbly absorbent, nourishing, moisturising and reasonably priced body oil that would leave no oily residue on the skin. Sesame is one of the oldest crops to have oil extracted, and it has long been used in Ayuvedic medicine. The Organic Body Oil blend is rich in vitamins A and E and essential fatty acids, which are known to nourish and revitalise the skin helping it to retain its elasticity.
Adding essential oils to any of these vegetable oils will greatly enhance their beneficial effects for your skin. Remember that all essential oils have an effect on the hormonal system (hormones influence the health of our skin) and have a general balancing effect on the body.
Choose from essential oil combinations listed in below, and add to your chosen vegetable oil in the following dilutions: 10-20 drops essential oils into 20ml vegetable oil; 25-50 drops essential oils into 50ml vegetable oil; 50-100 drops essential oils into 100ml vegetable oil. Always start with the lower quantity of essential oils (1 per cent) to see how you and your skin responds, and always use 0.5 per cent or less on facial skin.
Of course, these oils must be applied in order for them to be of any benefit. Otherwise it’s a bit like buying a mountain of fruit in a bid to be more healthy and then watching it get mouldy in the fruit bowl.

Essential oil combinations
Restore/Rejuvinate:
Rose Otto (5 per cent) or Rose Absolute (7 per cent) – 25 drops
Frankincense – 10 drops
Sandalwood – 15 drops

Relax/Calm:
Lavender – 20 drops
Roman Camomile (16 per cent) – 20 drops
Immortelle or Carrot Seed – 5 drops

Revitalise/Detox:
Geranium – 25 drops
Juniperberry – 20 drops
Grapefruit – 5 drops

BODY SCRUBS
Regular body brushing goes a long way toward helping to improve circulation and detoxify the skin. You need to shop around for a soft brush – some of them would take the skin off a rhino! Body brushing is also crucial to aiding any efforts to reduce cellulite. Always brush upwards towards the heart with a slightly circular motion.
Alternatively, try a salt scrub – it’s an excellent way to exfoliate and energise your skin.  It’s so easy and affordable to make without any unwanted additives. 

Salt scrub
6 Tablespoons Epsom salts
4-5 Tablespoons Sweet
Almond Oil (or Olive Oil)
50 drops Essential oils
Choose from the essential-oil combinations listed above, and mix thoroughly with the salt and vegetable oil. Store in a water-tight container; it will keep for about 3-4 weeks. This quantity makes about 200ml. Ideally use the scrub once or twice a week on dry skin (or barely wet) while standing in the shower. Work up the legs, arms, shoulders, neck and torso, and rinse off. Do not use shower gel or shampoo. Pat skin dry and enjoy softy, silky skin.