*~~~~~~~DIY skincare recipe & discussion thread~~~~~~~~*
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

free skin care · Tue Aug 16, 2005 6:59 am

I found a great website the provides specific info on essential oils and their use in skin and/or haircare. Here's the link: http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/redirect.php?u=http://www.standinghorse.com/soothingessentials/berga.html (see "Essential Oils Page One" and "Essential Oils Page Two"),but I'm going to post some of the highlights, so here goes:

Essential Oil Guide for Skin and Hair –

• BERGAMOT: Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, aids in the healing of wounds and scars. Astringent, good for oily skin. Used for acne, eczema, spots, cold sores, boils, wounds.

• CLARY SAGE: Antiseptic, aids in the regeneration of skin cells, wrinkles, anti-inflammatory, also helpful for acne, boils, inflammation, psoriasis, eczema. Helps cuts, wounds and burns to heal. Useful for hair care controls the production of sebum, oily hair, dandruff; discourages hair growth.

• CYPRESS: Regulates oil production, best for oily and over-hydrated skin. Used to treat excessive perspiration, wounds, frostbite, acne and cellulitis.

• EUCALYPTUS: Analgesic, antiseptic, helps wounds to heal, aids in the forming of scar tissue, used for burns, cuts, blisters, ulcers, wounds.

• FENNEL: Anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, stimulates circulation, used for dull and oily skin, bruises, cellulitis, wrinkles.

• FRANKINCENSE: Anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, helps wounds and scars to heal; very good for dry and mature skin, used for wrinkles (was used for embalming).

• GERANIUM: Especially good for oily and dull skin , but it can be used for all skin types. Antiseptic, fungicidal, cleansing, mildly pain-relieving, reduces inflammation, stops bleeding, promotes the forming of scar tissue, helps wounds to heal. Used for acne, bruises, burns, cuts, broken capillaries, dermatitis, cellulitis, eczema, ulcers, wounds.

• GINGER: Used to treat varicose veins and cellulitis.

• LAVENDER: Antiseptic, controls the production of sebum, stimulates circulation in the skin. Assists in the healing of wounds (aids in the formation of scar tissue) and helps to rejuvenate the skin. Used to treat acne, cuts, burns, sunburn, inflammation, psoriasis, wrinkles.

• LEMON: Assists in the formation of scar tissue. Antiseptic, astringent, controls the production of sebum, used for oily skin ,and acne. Revitalizes the skin by improving circulation and encouraging the elimination of wastes (used for cellulitis); gently exfoliates the complexion. With long application reduces broken capillaries and varicose veins, softens scar tissue on scars and corns. It is also said to strengthen brittle nails.

• MARJORAM: Pain-relieving, antiseptic, helps wounds to heal, used for chillblains, cuts, bruises.

• MYRRH: Antiseptic, astringent, reduces inflammation, improves circulation, stimulates the regeneration of of skin cells, assists in the healing of wounds. Used to treat eczema, wounds, wrinkles. Very good for mature complexions or chapped and cracked skin.
• PEPPERMINT: Anti-inflammatory , pain-relieving, antiseptic, astringent, relieves itching, used for acne, dermatitis. (For itching it should be used in very small concentration - less than 1 %) Stimulates circulation and can enliven dull, congested skin. Used in the treatment of broken capillaries.

• ROMAN CHAMOMILE: Reduces inflammation, promotes the forming of scar tissue, aids in the healing of wounds. Used for acne, boils, cuts, chillblains, dermatitis, eczema, rashes, burns and sunburn. Very good for dry skin, especially when it is inflamed and sensitive. Can reduce the redness of broken capillaries.

• ROSEMARY: Antiseptic, gently pain-relieving, assists in the healing of wounds and scars. Regulates oil secretions, stimulates circulation, encourages the elimination of cellular wastes, assists in the drainage of lymphatic fluid; improves dull-looking skin, used to treat acne, dermatitis, varicose veins, cellulitis. Stimulates the scalp, promotes hair growth, used for dandruff and seborrhea.

• TEA TREE: Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, assists in the healing of wounds and scars. Used to treat acne, blisters, burns, sunburn, cold sores , rashes, warts, fungal infections and wounds. One of the few oils that can be used directly on the skin. Useful in oral hygiene, relieves gingivitis, mouth ulcers, periodontal disease and toothaches(gargle). Caution: Can be irritate skin .Do a patch test.

• THYME: antiseptic, astringent, assists in the healing of wounds and scars. Used to treat acne, bruises, burns, cuts, dermatitis, cellulitis, eczema, insect bites.

• YLANG YLANG: Antiseptic, soothing, helps to control the production of sebum, smooths the skin and stimulates new cell growth. Used to treat oily and irritated skin, acne, dandruff. eczema, wrinkles. Stimulates hair growth.

And, just to make things easier, here are the essential oils grouped by skintype or condition:

• DRY SKIN: Chamomile, Frankincense, Lavender, Palmarosa, Rosewood.

• OILY SKIN: Bergamot, Carrot seed, Cedarwood, Clary sage, Cypress, Fennel (sweet), Geranium, Grapefruit, Juniper, Lemon, Mandarin, Tea tree, Ylang-ylang.

• DULL AND/OR CONGESTED SKIN: Fennel, Geranium, Grapefruit, Mandarin, Peppermint, Rosemary, Rosewood.

• WRINKLES: Carrot seed, Clary sage, Fennel, Frankincense, Lavender, Mandarin, Myrrh, Palmarosa, Rosewood, Ylang-ylang.

• ACNE: Bergamot, Chamomile, Clary sage, Clove bud, Geranium, Grapefruit, Juniper, Lavender, Lemon, Lime,Mandarin, Palmarosa, Peppermint, Rosemary, Rosewood, Tea tree, Ylang-ylang.

• REDUCING INFLAMMATION: Chamomile, Clary sage, Fennel, Frankincense, Geranium, Myrrh, Peppermint, Orange, Tea tree .

• BROKEN CAPILLARIES: Chamomile, Cypress , Geranium, Lemon, Palmarosa, Peppermint Rosemary.
• CELLULITE: Cellulitis is composed of fat, cellular wastes and water, the oils used for this condition improve circulation, encourage the elimination of wastes and fluid. Basil, Clary sage, Fennel, Geranium, Ginger, Grapefruit, Juniper, Lemon, Rosemary.

GENERAL TIPS FOR CREATING ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDS:
Many blends for therapeutic effect contain only 3 to 4 essential oils. If you find that you want to use more oils make another blend. You may have two or three things going on within your body. Make a blend for those 2 or 3 things not one blend to cover all.

Anyway, I hope this helps my fellow DIYers...

Good luck and have fun!
Carrie

Important Note: Before you go - in your kitchen or "laboratory," please be sure to go read the info from the above links, as there are some cautions regarding the use of these essential oils and/or tips on how to mix them!!!

Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:40 am

I have been using the ACV toner and the aspirin mask regularly and am completely sold on them. When I went to buy more aloe vera gel I didn't notice that the brand I picked up that said it was 99% pure aloe gel (I think it was Panama Jack) has water as the first ingredient and I wasn't too happy until I realized it easily "melts" the uncoated aspirins - so depending on the ingredient list of your aloe vera gel, you might be able to use it easily for the face mask.

free skin care · Wed Aug 17, 2005 3:40 am

lamicuz wrote:

so, last night i dumped some whole almonds + rice into my coffee grinder and gave them a wiz. i then mixed up the almond/rice powder with a very little bit of grapeseed oil and used it mixed with just a bit of water to make a clumpy light paste for a really good body exfoliation.

the mixture turned out a milky white liquid (i'm guessing from the ground rice) once mixed with water. i'm reminded of all the treatments out there that contain rice/fermented rice/sake ingredients for their softening + anti-aging benefits.

Okay, this got me thinking....

Isn’t the primary active ingredient in Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant rice powder? Isn’t that the enzyme thing that actually makes it work? If yes, then it should be fairly simple to make a homemade version of the DM by simply grinding up rice the way the way that Lamicuz describes.

Whaddaya y'all think? Would this work?

free skin care · Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:23 am

i wouldn't see why not...just make sure to grind up the rice reallllllly well. the "chunks" of rice that i ended up with were perfect for my body but i wouldn't dare use it on my face. i believe that it is possible to buy rice in powder form from skincare ingredient supply companies...

or maybe rice flour from an asian market work...

or one could also try ground rice bran...

Wed Aug 17, 2005 8:34 pm

Hi,

I am new here and live in Australia. I have been making my own cosmetics using oils such as almond oil, apricot oil etc and water and glycerine and mixing them together with emulsifying wax. I have been looking at ingredients of natural moisturisers in the stores and they dont use this wax instead they use sugar cane ethanol and lecithin powder. I have been searching every where for this but cant find where i would be able to buy some ethanol and also how i would use it. If anyone would be able to help me it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Melissa. Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Thu Aug 18, 2005 3:23 am

melissajane wrote:

I have been searching every where for this but cant find where i would be able to buy some ethanol and also how i would use it. If anyone would be able to help me it would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know if this is quite what you mean, but have a look at this link: http://thepersonalformulator.com/wvss/advanced_search_result.php?osCsid=dac22fb87f832e284042178c1061a9f2&keywords=ethanol&osCsid=dac22fb87f832e284042178c1061a9f2 The Personal Formulator does ship internationally, so if this is what you're after, it shouldn't be a problem getting it sent to Oz....

Thu Aug 18, 2005 6:38 pm

Thanks so much for the link to the website Care Kate, however i still havent found what i am after. I want to create skin creams that are 100% natural but looks like it is going to be difficult to find what im looking for.
I really love this forum and have been watching it for some time but this was my first posting. Wink

Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:36 am

Melissa - I don't know if ethanol is that easily accesible in Australia. Have you tried the Australian raw skincare ingredients sites like http://shopping.seoc.com.au/ , http://www.aquasapone.com.au/prodlist.html , http://www.newdirections.com.au/shop/index.php , http://www.heirloombodycare.com.au/ , and, http://www.aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/ ?

free skin care · Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:57 am

All I know about ethanol is that’s what my beloved Indy cars use for fuel! So surely the stuff Melissa is looking for must be different, because I certainly wouldn’t want to put race car fuel on my face!! Shock

Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:13 am

carekate wrote:

All I know about ethanol is that’s what my beloved Indy cars use for fuel! So surely the stuff Melissa is looking for must be different, because I certainly wouldn’t want to put race car fuel on my face!! Shock

Yeah, there's this whole debate in Australia about adding ethanol to petrol and whether that destroys engines (in normal cars over long term). Skincare wise, I guess we're talking about one derived from vegetables though (if that's actually different, I don't know). It doesn't sound like something I would put in skincare by choice but then again I'm not too well informed on the various types of alcohol and which are the ones to avoid.

free skin care · Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:21 am

Mabsy wrote:

Yeah, there's this whole debate in Australia about adding ethanol to petrol and whether that destroys engines (in normal cars over long term).

Doesn't Brazil use some kind of alcohol/ethanol derived from corn to fuel (or add to fuel) their cars? I thought I remember hearing something about that a few years ago while watching a news report on Brazil's "new, booming economy," and that is how Brazil justified cutting down the Amazonian rain forests despite pressure from all the "Greenpeace" type organizations....?

Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:32 am

carekate wrote:

Doesn't Brazil use some kind of alcohol/ethanol derived from corn to fuel (or add to fuel) their cars? I thought I remember hearing something about that a few years ago while watching a news report on Brazil's "new, booming economy," and that is how Brazil justified cutting down the Amazonian rain forests despite pressure from all the "Greenpeace" type organizations....?

I just did some quick searching and found that (at least in Australia) ethanol is fermented from corn, wheat, barley etc About 90% of ethanol (worldwide I think) is used in petrol. The debate that started up in Australia came about after some tests claimed that ethanol damaged engines over long period of use. Whether that was true or not, I am not sure. But I do recall seeing big stickers at petrol stations that said "we do not add ethanol to our petrol" after this whole thing hit the media and lots of discusions on talk-back radio and current affair type programs. It seems though that ethanol in petrol at 10% is considered safe (and this is the max limit allowed by the Aussie govt).

Sun Aug 21, 2005 5:32 pm

Thank you Mabsy for those links, i found an emulsifyer on the aquasapone website that claims to be all natural.
The ethanol that i was looking for is organic sugar cane ethanol which is used in brands such as Miessence moisturiser (dont know if that is only available in oz??) and they claim to be totally natural and there are a couple of other brands that use it too. Sorry to confuse everyone, think i am confused myself!!!

free skin care · Wed Aug 24, 2005 10:16 pm

Hi,

I have been know to spend a fortune on products especially masks. Recently I made my own mask that is so amazing I have to share it.

Green Tea Mask (very calming, gives the skin a glow and seems to tighten the skin a little)

I use Matcha Green tea (Japanese tea powder) I use an organic one.

1/2tsp Matcha powder (pour 1Tbsp of hot not boiling water on it to make a tea)
White clay to blend into a nice smooth paste
1/2tsp of a natural moistuizer or oil base of your preference (Julique Calendula cream or herbal recovery gel)

Wait until the tea cools off before adding the other stuff.

This mask is the best I have ever used for calming redness and acne. Wow. The Matcha is very strong Green Tea and works so so well to really calm the skin and give it a glow.

free skin care · Thu Aug 25, 2005 5:33 am

I found this recipe for an Oil-Control Shampoo that I posted for Mabsy a few months ago and thought it deserved to be posted in the official DIY recipes thread, so here it is:

carekate wrote:

I’ve actually been playing around with essential oils, making different shampoo formulations for my mom as she has extremely oily hair – I mean EXTREMELY oily! Her hair is as oily as my face used to be!! I mean, she washes it and three hours later you can see oil up around the scalp. Eeeck!!

So here’s the oil-control formulation I would recommend adding a full bottle of your fave shampoo:

• 5 drops Ylang Ylang;
• 5 drops Clary Sage (this is the essential oil that is most-often touted for it’s oil-control abilities on the scalp;
• 2 drops Cypress
• 2 drops Geranium
• 2 drops Lemon
• 2 drops Peppermint
• 1 drop Lavendar
• 1 drop Rosemary

My mom has been using this formula since Saturday and it has cut back on the “ooze” factor. We’re hoping it’ll have a cumulative effect and work even better the longer she uses it.

free skin care · Thu Aug 25, 2005 10:41 am

Would any of you girls happen to know of some miraculous DIY potion to help eliminate the symptoms of psoriasis?

It would be much appreciated - thanks

free skin care · Thu Aug 25, 2005 10:56 am

lilome wrote:

Would any of you girls happen to know of some miraculous DIY potion to help eliminate the symptoms of psoriasis?

There are many essential oils that can help and Emu oil is also known to be an effective treatment. Because it is not a good idea to apply essential oils directly to your skin, I believe it would be helpful if you used the Emu oil as a “carrier” oil and blend a couple of drops of any 1-2 of the following essential oils to make your own psoriasis treatment:

EOs effective at treating psoriasis–
------------------------------------------
• Lavender
• Sandalwood
• Frankincense
• Neroli
• Bergamot
• Angelica

You can either massage the oils onto the afflicted area or else add a couple tablespoons of the mixture to your bath water (be careful, the tub will be slippery afterwards!).

In case you do not have ready access to obtain essential oils in your part of the world, I know that you can order most of the EOs listed above fromwww.aroma-pure.com and that they will ship internationally for a reasonable price.

HTH,
Carrie

free skin care · Thu Aug 25, 2005 11:06 am

Thanks so much for the advice, Carekate. How do you know these things? Actually, the psoriasis stuff is not for me. It's for a friend of mine. I'll encourage him to try your recipe since neither traditional nor alternative medicine has helped him.

I only discovered this forum a couple of days ago and I've spent quite a bit of time reading the posts. You girls have given me some great ideas. - Thanks again

Thu Aug 25, 2005 4:26 pm

Quote:

Would any of you girls happen to know of some miraculous DIY potion to help eliminate the symptoms of psoriasis?

My friend has excema on her arms and legs so i made her a moisturiser using avocado oil and added some hemp seed oil and rose hip oil. She says that her excema has never been better.

Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:28 pm

Hey, well I just wanted to say that I had been using the honey and conditioner combo for a while now, and was just wondering is it bad if you use it like that together every day? Thats what I had been doing lately, but when I stopped using it I noticed my hair was frizzy etc and just not as nice. Is it getting damaged or weaker? Confused

Just wondered if anyone knew about it...cause I really like it together with my conditioner. Should I just use it every other day?
thanks
Cool

Any and all help is appreciated Smile

free skin care · Sat Sep 03, 2005 8:05 am

I don't post a lot ... but in reading through this thread in particular, I saw several people asking where they could get distilled water.

Well ... here's a tip I didn't see.

If you have a de-humidifier in your home ... the water that collects in the basin is distilled water. The dehumidifier "condenses" the water from the air ... distilling it.

I save a large bottle of this every once in a while to use in my iron [for when I actually iron clothes!] and to clean my coffee maker.

**********

Now for my question ... anyone have a recipe for a good face spritzer? I noticed that with one brand of mineral makeup there was the suggestion to spritz your made up face with a spritzer to "settle" the makeup and give it a bit of a "natural" look.

Thanks

Mary

free skin care · Sun Sep 04, 2005 5:59 pm

lilome wrote:

Would any of you girls happen to know of some miraculous DIY potion to help eliminate the symptoms of psoriasis?

It would be much appreciated - thanks

I use equal amounts jojoba and almond oil, 1 teaspoon each and add a couple drops of chamomile oil for my psoriasis (scalp). Volatile essential oils can be irritating and make the itching worse. This is definitely my case. Good luck! It's so hard to find moisturizing anti-itch treatments for psoriasis. These oils I use don't cure it by any stretch, but the mixture helps with water retention and most importantly, does not irritate but soothes!! Good luck!

free skin care · Sun Sep 04, 2005 6:01 pm

Also wanted add that I use only say a half a dozen drops before bed, not the whole recipe mentioned above. I massage it in and shampoo it out in the morning.

Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:29 pm

Hi there, just wondering if anyone knew where to buy L-scorbic acid crystals in Canada?
I have the 100% pure ascorbic acid ones but I guess those are different...
anyways if anyone knows where they bought theirs from in Canada if you could let me know that would be awesome!
thanks
~glittergal

Tue Sep 06, 2005 4:11 pm

Hi,

I brewed up some green tea last nite to make the ACV toner and i forgot about it and left the green tea brewing all nite. This morning i didnt have time to add the vinegar or vit C to it so i just used the tea on my face as a toner and it feels great, took heaps of redness out of my skin too. Going to try the full recipe tonight, cant wait!! Very Happy

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