Natural Skin Care Oils

Incorporating certain natural skin care oils into your regimen can do wonders for your complexion. In fact, this aspect of natural skin care could be the missing link that's keeping your appearance less then satisfactory.

If you would like to start using natural oils on your skin and see incredible results, you need to know which ones will work and which ones to avoid. Believe it or not, some oils can do more damage then good, so caution must be used.

There are two main types of oils that can be used on the skin – carrier oils and essential oils. Carrier oils are usually used in the soap making process to actually create the skin care product. This is done through a chemical reaction with lye called saponification. Essential oils, however, are usually added after saponification has taken place for fragrance and skin care purposes.

Carrier Oils

Here are a few of the best carrier oils that you can use on your skin and a brief explanation of their benefits. For more information about a specific oil, just click on the word highlighted in blue.

• Castor oil, although known more as a laxative then as a beneficial skin care nutrient, has many amazing properties that can help heal acne.
• Avocado oil is a great moisturizer and has a large amount of naturally occurring vitamin E and vitamin A.
• Olive oil creates extremely mild soaps that are great for sensitive skin and even babies.
• Peanut oil makes a great skin conditioner.
• Calendula oil is anti-inflammatory, soothes burns and reduces itching caused by rashes and bug bites.
• Shea butter is anti-inflammatory, has healing properties and even offers all natural UV protection.

Here are some of the carrier oils that should be used with caution:

• Cottonseed oil is almost always exposed to harmful pesticides unless you find an organic source.
• Coconut oil is only beneficial if used in moderation. When this natural skin care oil takes up more then 20% of a product, it can cause severe drying.
• Palm oil is a neutral skin care oil as it is neither good nor bad for you complexion. It is used mostly to add hardness and lather to a product. Too much will be overly drying.

Unfortunately, most of the beneficial natural skin care oils are not readily available within the mainstream skin care market. Although you can buy real all natural skin care products from certain sources, the best (and cheapest) way to start using these oils is to learn how to make soap yourself.

Soap making is super easy and a ton of fun! Plus, you can contact me any time if you have questions about the soap making process.

Essential Oils

• Tea tree essential oil has incredible anti bacterial properties that help kill acne, warts, dandruff and other infections. Out of all the natural skin care oils, this one is one of my favorites!
• Geranium essential oil is great for evening out oily skin.
• Lemongrass essential oil works well to get rid of black heads.
• Ylang-ylang essential oil helps even out combination oily and dry skin.
• Carrot seed essential oil helps moisturize dry skin.
• Myrtle essential oil will tighten large pores.
• Spanish marjoram essential oil will reduce puffiness.

Keep in mind that some essential oils are only meant to be used as fragrances. Be sure that you only use the ones that are safe for the skin. Here are a few that could be possible skin irritants:

• Ajowan essential oil
• Angelica Root essential oil
• Basil essential oil
• Bay Laurel essential oil
• Bergamot essential oil
• Cinnamon Bark essential Oil
• Clove Bud essential oil
• Hyssop essential oil
• Marjoram essential oil
• Oregano essential oil
• Peppermint essential oil
• Scotch Pine essential oil
• Savory essential oil
• Spearmint essential oil

Just remember that everybody's skin reacts differently to different elements. Believe it or not, an essential oil that can be harmful for one person can be beneficial for another. Therefore, It's a good idea that before you use any natural skin care oil, to test it on a small section of your body to make sure that you don't react negatively.

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