There’s nothing new under the sun, so why do we not use what Mother Nature has given us. A lot is being written and talked about when it comes to essential oils these days. Why are they so popular now? It’s not like they haven’t always been around.
Essential oils have been in our space for centuries. If you look at some of the hieroglyphs on the temple walls in Egypt, you’ll see these oils being used in rituals and beauty regimens. It’s not just the oils, you’ll also see the resins and attars being used in incense and perfumery. The Catholic Church uses Frankincense and Myrrh incense to clear the energies of the church, some might say they’re smudging.
What are essential oils and how are they being used in beauty and wellness?
It’s been said that the best and simplest way to describe essential oils is to know that they are the results of extraction from within the leaves, flowers, stems, roots, berries, resin and bark of the plants. They’re either cold pressed, steam distilled and solvents are often used to extract the oils from some of them.
Some would refer to essential oils as being volatile in nature, yet they’re used in so many ways to benefit us a humans. We use them for skin and body care, hair care, to change/alter the mood of our environment when we need to lift ourselves up or calm and relax our minds. The beauty of these oils is something to behold. How do we take advantage of what they have to offer?
Essential Oils For Beauty?
When it comes to essential oils in beauty products, you’ll see them used in face serums, shampoos, perfumes and some moisturizing creams. The benefits gained will depend on the oil and the challenge you’re using it to help solve.
For instance, when caring for oily or combination skin, you might use a blend of Green Myrtle, Lavender, Rosemary Verbenone in a base of Kukui and Coconut oil. Now the questions becomes, why would I use oil on oily skin? It depends on the blend of oils. When used in the correct measurements and the right choice of essential oils, oils will balance out the amount of oil your skin produces and hydrate you skin just as well. Make sense?
Herbs For Wellness?
Some of you might remember your Grandmothers making concoctions using elderberries or some other herb to brew up a tonic. Mine use to make elderberry wine, along with muscadine wine and blackberry wine … as you can see she liked wine. Here’s the thing though, whenever we were challenged with what they called low blood (anemia) we’d be given a teaspoon/tablespoon of wine over a period of time. It would build our system up and we’d be fine throughout the winter.
Sometimes my Grandmother’s potion wouldn’t be strong enough to handle some challenges, so she’d take us to the Root doctor. You know them today as Herbalist. Yes, in my case, these were the women that had mastered the art of herbs, flowers, barks and their roots. You name it and they had a blend for it. Some of them were even making their own essential oils, salves and butters. We’d be rubbed down in oils and fat to ward off or get rid of a cough, cold, cut or bruise.
You’ve Always Had the Answer, What Happened?
It’s not that we never had the use of oils and herbs in our space, we were just trained to think that they didn’t work as well as other forms of medicine. When you don’t use knowledge that used to be your staple way of handling burns, colds, coughs and a host of other challenges, you forget it. What have we forgotten?
For those of you that still have elders in what you refer to as “the country” and want to think of them as backwards, You might want to listen when they start talking. Why? Because they possess a wealth of knowledge that could help you through many challenges when it comes to Mother Nature and what She’s provided on the planet for your health and well being. Take time out to talk with your Elders and when you do, teach your youngsters what they’ve taught you.
That’s it for this week. If you’d like to see more on this subject, just let me know. As always …
Dedicated To Your Beauty,
Juliette Samuel
Esthetician/Author/Publisher
The post Essential Oils and Herbs for Beauty and Wellness appeared first on Black Skin Care – Natural Hair Care – African American Skin Care.
