Plant oils that benefit your skin and the environment
When it comes to taking care of your skin, nature has provided us with a great variety of plant oils that benefit our skin. Natural oils have been used for centuries by many cultures showing us that these oils are not only good for your skin but are also good for the environment.
Why Natural oils are good for your skin
Many of the natural oils protect your skin making it feel smooth, giving it a healthy glow and youthful appearance. It means we can look after our skin without all the nasty ingredients found in processed and manufactured skincare products. Petroleum-based products and those containing minerals can’t be absorbed, which means they sit on the skin, causing problems for the skin like clogged pore sand blackheads Some of the reasons people are moving to natural oils is because it is uncommon for most natural oils to cause allergies, if used correctly, they are relatively cheap and some of these oils can be found in most households.
Why Natural oils are good for the environment
Now I think you can guess why these oils are good for the environment. They are unrefined, which means they don’t go through the same processing as other skincare products. They use less energy to process and have no toxic chemicals added and they are plant based.
Environmentally petroleum-based products bring a number of problems. They are adding to the pollution of our waterways and land, and as fossil fuels, we don’t have a limited supply of these ingredients. This is where Natural Oils are a great replacement, as many of the plants that produce these oils are sustainable, safe to grow, safe to work with, enrich the soil and are not great for the environment.
Often, they are absorbed totally by the skin, so none is washed down the sink after your shower or bath. It’s good for the environment as well as your skin.
A few things to be aware before using natural oils
Before using or changing to a natural oil, you should always consult your doctor and/or your dermatologist. Also, it is a good idea to trial your chosen oil(s) on your skin on a small patch of skin to ensure it doesn’t cause irritation or an allergic reaction. Some oils are not recommended if you have acne as they tend to exacerbate the problem by clogging the skin
It is not a good idea to slap on heaps of oil onto the skin if going outdoors. To avoid sun damage, apply a small amount in the morning ensuring it is absorbed, while applying a larger amount at night when not exposed to sun.
Care needs to be taken when using essential oils such as tea tree and argan, oil. Essential oils can’t be used like some natural oils as they are concentrated oils which can cause irritation or allergic reactions if not diluted. Always use them in a carrier oil like coconut oil by adding only a few drops.
Also remember to let your skin breathe. Often, we are worried to show our face without makeup, but by not having time without makeup or cleaning your face properly you could be promoting more skin problems.
You can’t dump any oils (natural or refined) into waterways or into the normal rubbish in high volumes. In such volumes and concentrations, they are still toxic to other lifeforms, so always dispose of appropriately.
Some of our favourite Natural oils.
Personally, I love Jojoba oil, as it is absorbed beautifully into my skin which tends to be dry. I wear it under my foundation with no problems. I give it a few minutes to absorb on to my clean skin before applying any makeup. It is important to remember when getting natural oils it is best to get the extra-virgin, cold-pressed, unrefined oils as none of the nutrients are lost. Also, these oils are not only for the face, but the whole body which includes your hair.
Note: Click on tables to zoom out to see text more clearly
We hope this post has shown you how good Natural Oils are and how you don’t need to use skincare products full of chemical nasties. There are many plant oils to choose from for all skin types, that work well with the skin with little impact on the environment.
Have any questions or something to add to this post? Please contact us. We would love to share our answers and any other suggestions and advice.
Take care of your skin earthly passionately,
Attracta & the earthly passion team
Reference
October 2016 in the journal Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology suggests that olive oil a great all-body moisturiser application.