Oils for After-Sun Skin — Recipe

Why use Special Oils?

Special oils are a blend of several oils chosen to support your intent or use for the herbal solution–your final product.  Ingredients of an oil blend for summer skin might be different than one for Late Fall or Winter skin, depending where you live.

Special oils in this recipe together achieve an appropriate combination for hot and sunny weather.  Choose organic, if possible: Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Calendula-infused Sunflower oil, Rosehip Seed Oil, Argan Oil, Avocado Pit Oil.  Choose one of the oils as your base oil, the one that supports your intention and the character of the oil you are looking for, and measure out more of that oil than the others.

An sample choice of oils, if your skin is really dry, could be a combination of Olive and Avocado Oils, with their high oleic value, a good choice for maintaining a good moisture-loss barrier at the skin surface. In terms of quantities, if using Sea Buckthorn oil, measure out only 15-20 drops, rather than a teaspoonful. If using Rosehip Seed Oil, use about 1 teaspoonful in your blend. These “red” oils are very powerful and a little goes a long way.

To make a blended oil, start by filling a 1-ounce bottle, or other small amount that you’ll use up quickly. Make it fresh for optimal vitality and goodness which is food for your skin. A one-ounce bottle may last about 2 weeks, or less, depending on how often it is applied.

Using Special Oils

Called “special” because they truly are a curated collection of oils, these oils can be applied daily if the right proportions are mixed together for a specific intent.  A special oil blend could include improving the skin barrier function, decreasing water loss, or improving the skin’s ability to absorb sunlight with less burning.  For example, the “red” oils like Sea Buckthorn and others have fabulous components for skin in small quantities only.  Too much can actually change skin color to orange.

Other properties of special oils include their constituents which may be extra-oily, or the reverse, extra-dry.  So, balancing the proportions makes a perfect solution for your skin.  Contact me for more information, see below.

Read my “Be safe!” message below, at bottom of the page!

Compromised or Sensitive Skin

As always, know your skin type and sensitivities!  Perform a patch test if you are sensitive.  If you have sensitive skin, a rash, wound, acne or other skin concern, stop and reconsider your options.  Ask your health care provider first before applying an oil solution to your skin if your skin is compromised or you’re unsure.  If you’ve gotten sun-burned, see my notes, below.

Read my “Be safe!” message below, at bottom of the page!

Recipe for Special Oil Blend:

3 teaspoons of Extra-Virgin Olive oil (or Calendula-infused Sunflower oil)
2 teaspoons Avocado oil
1 teaspoon Rosehip Seed oil
15-20 drops Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil
2-3 capsules Vitamin E Oil

Method:

Mix each of three oils for a total of 6 teaspoons (the same as 2 tablespoons) of special oil blend. Choose a one-ounce bottle, adding the oils directly into the bottle. Break Vitamin E oil capsules directly into the mixture. When all oils are added, stir gently to combine. Cap tightly. Store away from heat and light.

Essential Oils?

It’s not necessary or even good to add essential oils to an oil blend for sunburned skin, unless you chose wisely, and add them very sparingly. To be wise, consider German Chamomile (if not allergic to this essential oil), Lavender, and/or Frankincense essential oils. For the one-ounce special oil blend, add up to a total of 9 drops of essential oils, such as 3 drops each German chamomile, Lavender and Frankincense. Drops go into the bottle first,  then pour your special oils over the aromatic oils. Cap tightly and swirl to combine.

TO USE:

Chose an area of the body to oil—you could begin with your arms or upper chest. Pour (or pump) a quarter-sized amount into one open palm. Rub palms together briefly to distribute the oil over your the palms and fingers of both hands. Then tap-apply your oiled-up hands to your skin, tapping out the oil to cover as much as possible. Finally, gently massage-in the oil. Repeat this process until your arms are oily, but not dripping.

If your skin is sunburned, wait a few hours to apply oil. Instead, apply a cooling wash to regulate the skin temperature. Then, the day after you’ve treated your sunburned skin to an herbal wash, you can apply your special blend oil from the recipe above!

Be good to your skin and don’t get sunburned in the first place!

But, things happen, right? With special oils, you have a way to care for sun-damaged skin. Stay hydrated, eat carrots and sweet potatoes — yellow and orange vegetables, which have a red pigment, b-carotene, that helps skin to thrive, not burn, with sun exposure.  BUT, you still have to be careful not to get sun-damaged skin!

NOTES on Sun-burns

As noted, the day you get a sunburn, provide comfort to your sun-compromised skin.  Instead of applying an oil right away, use a water wash, consisting of cool-water shower, or a cooled-down herbal tea.  Cool down your skin, resolving the extra heat your body has absorbed.  The next day apply oil to your skin.  The sun-burned areas will still go through process of  blistering and shedding, but you will have supported its repair efforts in a big way.