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Healthy skin matters and according to this study, the best essential oils and extracts are an important part of achieving healthy skin. Skin care is vital, not just in one's personal appearance, but also in one's overall health. According to the National Institutes of Health, the skin is your first line of defense from the rest of the world in protecting the whole body from dehydration and infections.
Skin care can be a bit difficult and getting the right skin care products can also be daunting. However, various skin care products using unnecessarily harsh chemicals can further harm the skin and even cause other complications to the body.
With that said, you need skin care products that contain the best essential oils and extracts to avoid any harmful chemicals transmitted through your skin. Let's find out the most important details about essential oils and botanical extracts and which ones can best address your skin care concerns.
First, you need to thoroughly understand that there is a difference between essential oils and extracts. Although both are used in natural skin care and mostly in aromatherapy, there are significant facts that you need to know. How are essential oils and extracts prepared, how effective are they, and do all plants have essential oils?
The first difference between the essential oils and extracts is how these are prepared. Plant extracts are easy to prepare and do not require a high and excessive amount of plant material during the preparation process. The process of getting plant extracts is more like an infusion wherein plants are soaked in a liquid to isolate the needed plant extract.
On the other hand, the preparation of essential oils is quite complex that requires a high amount of plant materials. Essential oils are obtained through the preparation process called distillation with the help of steam. Throughout the process, plant essence or the liquid will be distilled off and only a small amount of liquid will be left behind, which is the essential oil.
The preparation of essential oils is way more complicated than the preparation of plant extracts. There are studies suggesting that essential oils are more potent and stronger than the extracts. This is why these essential oils and plant extracts do not have the same effects on your skin.
While essential oils may be stronger and more effective, this also means that sometimes essential oils can have more impact on your skin. Some essential oils need to be diluted before using as a skin care treatment due to their high potency.
However, this does not mean that extracts are not effective. In fact, extracts have a major role in keeping your skin healthy without worrying how strong they are for the skin. At the end of the day, it is your skin type that will determine the effectiveness of these best essential oils and extracts.
It is important that you also understand that not all plants contain essential oils. However, this does not indicate that the plant with no essential oil has no use at all because its extracts can still be used. There are also plants that contain such a small amount of essential oil that is not cost-effective to gather it through distillation.
On the contrary, there are also other methods used in gaining the essential oils from the plant with a small amount. Enfleurage, a process wherein fats are used to collect the essential oils (also called absolutes when this process is used) from these types of plants, can be done. However, this is more expensive and not a reasonable way to gain essential oils.
Several plants may not have essential oils, but some of their parts have. For instance, cucumber and watermelon are water-based fruits that do not have essential oils, but their seeds produce oils that can be valuable to one's health.
Now that you know the difference between essential oils and extracts, it is time for you to discover the best essential oils and extracts that can be used for skin care purposes. There MANY extracts and oils out there, as many as there are plants, but a few are more common and offer benefits worth learning about and seeking out.
Let us start with the ever famous flower rose. It is no secret that a rose, with its beauty and fragrance, brings "joy" and "love" to people. Little did you know; the rose is more than just the flower to celebrate love, but also the flower that can celebrate skin.
Both the essential oils and the extracts produced from roses are beneficial to the skin. Rose oil and rose extract contain healing properties. A recent study suggests that rose essential oil can destroy acne-causing bacteria. Another study backed this when they discovered that rose essential oil can improve skin permeation.
Rose extracts, on the other hand, are known for their intense hydrating properties. With the help of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamin components, rose extracts bring hydration to the skin and soothe any irritation.
When you think of the aroma of calmness, lavender might be the plant that you have in mind. Luckily, lavender flowers produce a large amount of lavender essential oil that can help in skin restoration.
For skincare, lavender essential oil plays a great part in treating acne and inflammation, just like the rose essential oil. Lavender essential oil can prevent and hinder the growth of the bacteria that caused the initial infection. Because of its antimicrobial properties, lavender essential oil can also be used in cleaning cuts and scrapes on the skin.
In addition to its ability to hinder the growth of bacteria and stop infection, lavender essential oil also plays an important role in healing and lightening scars. Aside from that, the scent of lavender is known for yielding a calm feeling and lavender essential oil can also calm down stressed skin.
Aside from the sweet scent of ylang-ylang, you will never guess how many health benefits its essential oil can give. However, let us set our focus on how it helps in skin care and treatments. Just like lavender essential oil, ylang-ylang essential oil lifts mood through its calming effect, which has even been noted to lower blood pressure.
Just like any other essential oil with healing properties, ylang-ylang essential oil is used in steam facials to refresh the skin and give a healthy glow. Aside from treating acne, it also balances oily-prone skin. Ylang-ylang stimulates cell growth that enables the user to avoid wrinkles and other effects of skin aging.
Chamomile is used in aromatherapy as a way of fighting anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. You may already know that chamomile flowers are used to produce stress-reducing teas that can give you comfort and calmness whenever you feel stress and pressure. Since chamomile is a natural herb, its uses do not just stop in teas.
Essential oils can also be gained from the chamomile plant. In fact, chamomile essential oil brings numerous health benefits, more than you can imagine. Deep skin care is possible with this essential oil. Studies indicate that chamomile contains inflammation-fighting flavonoids that can reduce inflammation on the skin.
Chamomile essential oil is also used in fighting free radicals, which are responsible for skin aging. On top of that all, it is also proven that products containing chamomile essential oil and extract can treat eczema and other skin diseases.
Ginseng root is widely used in the herbal world. This is also one of the reasons why essential oils are extracted from ginseng. Ginseng essential oil can do different wonders for one's skin.
Ginseng essential oil is widely known as an effective ingredient in lightening and brightening skin tone. It can boost a fair complexion since its vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants properties help get rid of dead skin cells and highly contribute to a healthy, glowing skin.
As a popular beauty treatment, ginseng essential oil promotes collagen synthesis which helps in fighting wrinkles. Fine lines and other signs of skin aging can be decreased through its antioxidants, which can also provide a firm and tight skin.
Lemon may be one of the most popular fruits in the kitchen, but it does more than add flavor to dishes. The essential oil garnered from lemon peels has antiseptic properties that help in treating pimples and acne. Aside from this common dermatological problem, lemon essential oil can also help in treating other skin disorders, such as eczema and uneven pigmentation.
Have you heard that lemon juice is perfect for detoxifying your body? The same goes for your skin. Lemon essential oil can restore a dull-looking skin. Because of its detoxifying properties, it can help to rejuvenate and restore tired-looking and dull skin.
Geranium is quite popular in the skincare world. The essential oil from geranium is vital in balancing the oil production of the skin. Do you remember that essential oils work differently for every skin type? Forget that with geranium essential oil, because this one is great for moisturizing all skin types.
Astringent by nature, geranium essential oil can minimize wrinkles as it tightens the facial skin. With that said, the essential oil also helps slow down skin aging as it prevents skin from sagging. The use of geranium essential oil is not just limited to the face; it can also be used on different parts of the body to make skin looks tighter.
Geranium essential oil contains healing properties that can help in healing wounds and cuts on the skin. Beyond healing, the essential oil can help to fade and lighten scars, whether from acne, cuts, or incisions.
Although only watermelon seeds have oils, watermelon also produces extracts that are beneficial to the skin. More than just a delicious fruit that almost everybody loves, watermelon's extract can moisturize, cleanse, exfoliate the skin, and promote cell regeneration. Watermelon extract is rich in vitamin C, amino acids, and other important nutrients that can help treat sunburned skin.
The components of watermelon extract can also treat other skin problems and irritations, such as, but not limited to eczema, atopic dermatitis, and premature wrinkles. Watermelon is so nutritious that it helpful for preventing acne, promoting elasticity of the skin, and slowing down skin aging.
The first and most important benefit of cucumber fruit extract is its ability to hydrate the skin because of its polysaccharides component. Polysaccharides are responsible for attracting and keeping moisture in the skin and reinforcing skin's own moisture barrier.
Just like how cucumber fruit cools, soothes, and tightens whenever you use slices of the fruit over your eyes, cucumber fruit extract is also responsible for calming the skin. The cooling effect (which comes from the combination of astringent and anti-inflammatory properties) can help contract large pores, which helps to reduce bacteria building up inside those pores, and as such, can help prevent acne breakouts.
An apple a day can keep the doctor the away. In this case, an apple fruit extract a day can keep the dermatologist away! Most importantly, apple fruit extract can prevent skin problems and skin irritations.
Rich in antioxidants, apple fruit extract is a natural astringent and toner. This can help in tightening pores that are the main cause of pimples and acne breakouts. Apple fruit extract can rejuvenate your skin and help treat your pimples through its high vitamin C content.
Aside from rejuvenating the skin, apple fruit extract also helps in gently exfoliating the skin for a more youthful glow. This can help to remove dead skin cells, which can make skin look lighter and brighter than ever.
Why do you really need to use the best essential oils and extracts for skin care? The answer is clear and simple. These essential oils and extracts are natural ingredients that offer many benefits, with very few if any side effects (unless you have an allergy).
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, essential oils and extracts are not just tools in increasing the skin's glow. Essential oils are also potential antimicrobials that can treat skin diseases. In addition to that, essential oils and extracts are also used as an option for therapy.
Most of the best essential oils and extracts mentioned above have high healing qualities. Essential oil-based products penetrate the skin more effectively and nourish the cells from within. It is also important that you know that oils are capable of regulating sebum secretion to avoid unwanted issues like dryness or blemishes.
Now that the benefits of a few of the best essential oils and extracts for the skin, you're better equipped determine the best products for your skin. Always remember that with so many skin care products out in the market today, you should be wary about the contents and ingredients that may include harmful chemicals that can damage your skin.
To avoid such damage, look for skin care products that favor essential oils and extracts. Remember, healthy skin matters!
