Summer Skincare

With the lovely weather we have been enjoying and more set to come taking care of our skin has never been more important. No matter how careful you are the ultra violet (UV) rays of the sun are damaging to the skin. Modern sunscreens are excellent at filtering out the harmful rays, but we are all guilty of over exposure to skin damaging UV light.
Ultra violet A (UVA) and ultra violet B (UVB) damage the skin, causing sore, irritated skin, early wrinkling, skin cancers and other problems. UV rays create free radicals within our skins cells. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that scavenge for other molecules resulting in cells damage. Antioxidants quench free radicals and may protect cells from oxidative damage.
All essential oils have some level of antioxidant activity. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) measures the antioxidant capacity in biological samples. Many essential oils have an ORAC value of 100, 000 or over. Clove essential oil has the highest ORAC value at 1078,700 ute/100mg (compare this to two ‘super fruits’ blueberries and strawberries- blueberries have an ORAC rating of 6,552 while strawberries rate 3,577). So you can see that essential oils can be of great benefit when caring for our skin.
Natures essential oils have a special affinity with the skin and can calm, care and improve the appearance of our skin when used regularly. A study in France has found that the essential oil of Myrrh has a profound oxygen quenching effect on free radicals produced with the skins sebum and UV rays. Myrrh has been highly valued throughout history for its healing powers. Frankincense and Sandalwood essential oils are both protective and rejuvenating or the skin. Frankincense is great for mature skins as it has a toning effect that may help to reduce wrinkles, whilst Sandalwood is especially suited to dry, parched skin.
Lavender has to be mentioned when talking about skincare. Lavender essential oil is wonderful for any type of skin damage due to its dramatic healing effects. For sunburn add a few drops of essential oil to a bottle of cooled boiled water and shake vigorously then either spray the mix directly onto the skin or soak a cotton handkerchief in the scented water and use as a cooling compress. Lavender will not only soothe the skin and kick-start the healing process, it will calm and soothe the mind, helping with any associated headache or fever.
Although essential oils are derived from nature they are extremely potent and always need to be diluted in a carrier of some kind. For skincare a bland, perfume free cream works well, as do base oils such as sunflower or sweet almond oil. Stick to a 3% dilution (3 drops to every 10ml of carrier) for the body but drop that to 1% for facial use.
A small number of essential oils can increase the skins sensitivity to ultra violet light, and need to be avoided when exposure to sunlight is likely. These oils include bergamot, lemon, lime and biter orange as well as other less commonly used essential oils such as angelica root and cumin.