What is an essential oil? According to Wikipedia, an essential oil is concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. In recent years Essential oils have received more attention than any other ingredient in skin care products – all due to customer demand. Simply put, people like botanically sourced ingredients for their skin that are made by nature, not in laboratories. Of course, we try to avoid the use of synthetic ingredients that are not only friendly to our skin but to some extent harmful. Keep in mind that essential oils are super-concentrated and they are not really oil – they are free from fatty acids. Essential oils are highly aromatic, evaporate easily and do not clog skin pores. Essential oils contain antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, plus they contain other benefits such as an increase in focus, minimize stress and improve concentration.
Essential oils are a natural substance extracted from different parts of the plant such as flowers, stems, bark, leaves, and roots through distillation which is known as steaming. Moat citrus peels and rinds are extracted through a process known as “cold press” also known as “expression.” This method is used for citrus fruits, such as lemon, orange, tangerine, etc. There are great number of essential oils used in skin care products, each with unique characteristics and properties. Remember that pure essential oils have all the benefits, but synthetic fragrance oils are made in laboratories at the fraction of the cost and mostly driven from coal tar. They resemble pure essential oils but lack the benefits.
So, when you buy skin care products, act like you are buying food and READ THE LABEL. Avoid perfumes; these are synthetic fragrances based on alcohol which dry your skin very quickly. Also, avoid artificial colors. The majority of essential oils are pale or light yellow. Essential oils in skin care products are aimed to nourish your skin, and help to regenerate and rejuvenate skin. In a nutshell they can deliver remarkable results.
At Clavé Body Care, we are using a variety of pure essential oils and seeds oils, not synthetic perfumes/fragrances or colors. Below are a few that we adding to our products with brief benefits. Shop now at www.clavebodycare.com/shop.
Lemon – antioxidant, calming, antifungal, tone the skin and has pleasant aroma
Peppermint – soothing the skin, cooling muscle pain, induce sweating
Lavender – mood enhancer, reduce stress, regenerate skin cells
Jojoba – contain a superb moisturizing property that makes skin supple and silky and nourishes skin
Chamomile – Anti-inflammatory and it is good for itchy and flaky skin conditions
Tea Tree – natural preservative, improve skin’s clarity and it has soothing properties