Winter weather can wreak havoc on the skin. The dry, cold air dehydrates skin, making it appear older and less supple. When properly applied, body oils can reduce the effects of winter weather.
Start by cleansing the skin of all perfumes and lotions. If you have the time and resources, then exfoliating your skin is also advisable. While your skin is still hot and damp generously apply body oils. Allow the oils to soak into the skin before putting on clothing.
All week I have been talking about gifts you can make to give away at Christmas or for any occasion. That is, except for Monday – there was no blog Monday night because I had technical difficulties and couldn’t save anything so I finally gave up and went to bed. Tonight, I’ve got a gift that is going to be wonderful for anyone you give it to. This is the gift of body oils.
Body oils are fragrances that can be blends of essential oils or formulations of designer fragrances. You can wear them as an oil or they can be specially blended into a spray. The oils stay with you all day, even when you use just a very small amount. They blend in with your body chemistry and the same oil on you will have a different aroma on someone else. Some of the oils, like Egyptian Musk, are unisex and men and women wear the same oil but they smell wonderful on either one. The designer type fragrances are formulated for men and women just like the designer’s original fragrance. The best thing about the body oils is that there are no harmful chemicals or alcohol in them.
Now is the time of year when people are looking for great gifts to give to friends and relatives for the holidays. Whether it is for the home or the body, many of us like to give wonderful smelling scents as gifts for Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. We have previously discussed using essential oils to scent the air with diffusers. Essential oils can also be added to the bath, massaged into the skin, or inhaled directly.
If you are concerned about using natural skin care products, you should use body oils instead of perfume or cologne. Body oils are designed to be used on your skin. They may or may not contain essential oils. They are often formulations based on the traditional designer brands. When you purchase perfume or cologne in a department store, you are paying a premium price for the brand name, the advertising campaigns, cosmetics gifts, and the beautiful fancy packaging. These designer brand name perfumes are comprised of concentrated oils and 75% to 85% alcohol, ethanol and or water.
The alcohol and ethanol used make your perfume smell much stronger than it is but it fades within a few hours. As your perfume (or the alcohol in it) evaporates, it not only takes your fragrance but your natural body oils with it, drying your skin as it goes. Body oils are pure, concentrated perfume oils in a cosmetic grade vegetable oil base that blend in with your body chemistry making the scent your own. They evaporate naturally giving your skin a softer, smoother feeling – plus they contain no alcohol, ethanol or water so many people who are allergic to perfumes and colognes can wear body oils with no problems.
We have a retail store in Topeka, Kansas where we sell body oils. People come in the store looking for a particular scent but they usually want to smell the designer oil types because they recognize the name. Most people do not ask us how to use the oils they buy so I always assumed that they already know what to do but I am recalling how my brother, Land Grant, used his first oil and I think I need to explain some ways to use body oils. Land (yes, that was his given name) fell in love with the designer type body oil called Joop. He bought a 2 ounce bottle and I didn’t see him for a few days. He came back in within a week to buy another bottle and I asked him if he spilled it or what happened since a two ounce bottle will last quite a long time. He told me he used it all and he wanted more!
How to Use Body Oils:
If you use oils often and you have a different method of applying it to your body, please let me know so I can spread the word.
Today I’m going to give you a recipe I like for a perfume made from essential oils. You will need small glass bottles and pipettes to transfer the oils, and a small notepad to record your recipe so it can be reproduced or adjusted.
To create our perfume we are going to start by using a couple drops of vetiver and cedarwood as the base notes. This is trial and error, you try it and if you like it good, if not you can change it. Keep track of the number of drops of each essential oil you use on the notepad. When you have your base notes the strength you want, add a few drops of clove bud for the middle note and a few more drops of orange and ginger as the top notes.
Let the essential oils sit for 24-48 hours away from heat and sunlight. Your perfume blend will change somewhat as it matures. If you like the blend, go ahead and dilute it by adding fractionated coconut carrier oil to the bottle. Add a little carrier oil at a time until you feel the dilution is right. If you want to change the blend, you can adjust it before adding the carrier oil and let it sit another 24-48 hours. While adjusting, keep track of the number of drops of oil you use. This recipe will give you a spicy perfume blend. Try other essential oils to make your own unique scents.
Now is the time of year when people are looking for great gifts to give to friends and relatives for the holidays. Whether it is for the home or the body, many of us like to give wonderful smelling scents as gifts for Christmas or Kwanzaa. We have previously discussed using essential oils to scent the air with diffusers. Essential oils can also be added to the bath, massaged into the skin, or inhaled directly.
If you are concerned about using natural skin care products, you should use body oils instead of perfume or cologne. Body oils are designed to be used on your skin. They may or may not contain essential oils. They are often formulations based on the traditional designer brands. When you purchase perfume or cologne in a department store, you are paying a high price for the brand name, the advertising campaigns, cosmetics gifts, and the beautiful fancy packaging. These designer brand name perfumes are comprised of concentrated oils and 75% to 85% alcohol, ethanol and or water.
The alcohol and ethanol used make your perfume smell much stronger than it is but it fades within a few hours. As your perfume (or the alcohol in it) evaporates, it not only takes your fragrance but your natural body oils with it, drying your skin as it goes. Body oils are pure, concentrated perfume oils in a cosmetic grade vegetable oil base that blend in with your body chemistry making the scent your own. They evaporate naturally giving your skin a softer, smoother feeling – plus they contain no alcohol, ethanol or water so many people who are allergic to perfumes and colognes can wear body oils with no problems.
If you are concerned about using natural skin care products, you should use body oils instead of perfume or cologne. Traditional designer brand perfumes are comprised of concentrated oils and 75% to 85% alcohol, ethanol and or water. When you purchase perfume or cologne, you are paying a high price for the brand name, the advertising campaigns, the “cosmetics gifts” you receive for purchasing a certain dollar amount, the alcohol used, and the beautiful fancy packaging.
The alcohol and ethanol used make your perfume smell much stronger than it is but it fades within a few hours. As your perfume (or the alcohol in it) evaporates, it not only takes your fragrance but your natural body oils with it, drying your skin as it goes. Body oils are pure, concentrated perfume oils in a cosmetic grade vegetable oil. They evaporate naturally giving your skin a softer, smoother feeling – plus they contain no alcohol, ethanol or water so many people who are allergic to perfumes and colognes can wear body oils with no problems.
That special day for your loved one is coming up and you haven’t found the right gift yet so here is a helpful and good smelling idea. Give them a gift of aromatherapy products that can elevate their mood and make them feel sensual and pampered. Of course, you can always purchase a ready-made gift basket but your loved one will feel really special if you put some thought, planning and time into building the gift on your own.
Now let’s think about what aromatherapy items to place in your basket for the perfect gift. The items you might use include fragrance oils or body oils with scented lotions and shower gels to match; aromatherapy shampoos and conditioners; body butters such as shea butter, mango butter, or cocoa butter; and air fresheners and essential oils with diffusers to disperse the fragrances.
Once you have decided on the items to put in the container you will arrange them by placing them on a filler. The filler is a cushion on the bottom of your basket (something like crumpled colorful paper or confetti – be creative!) Next you can decoratively arrange the items in the basket and cover it with cellophane or simply tie a ribbon on the handle. Happy shopping!
There are many essential oils that you can use alone or in blends of two or three to fight wrinkles and the aging process. My favorite oils for this purpose are lavender, thyme, patchouli, clary-sage, fennel, chamomile, frankincense, myrrh, lemon, rosemary, and orange. There are others that are also good for treating wrinkles so please comment on this post if you’d like the whole list of anti-aging essential oils.
You can use the above oils as a face oil (add a carrier oil), in a bath, and also as a body oil because you should be pampering all of your skin, not just your face. Skin regenerates at a different rate for all of us so allow at least thirty days before expecting to see an improvement. It is also important to treat your inside as well as the outside so don’t overload your system with toxins like alcohol, red meat, caffeine, and sugar because they clog your skin cells as well as your digestive system.
January 2, 2012