Botanical Skincare Recipes
Botanical Skincare is a very old science with deep roots. You begin with your base lotion or cream, and add ingredients to it for the desired effects. Basically all botanical lotions or skincreams are an Emulsion, An Emulsion is a Mixture of Both oil and water. usually water and oil don’t mix, but in an emulsion they do.
In most botanical lotions or skincreams there are generally 4 parts. A water , An Oil, an Emulsifier, and a Preservative The basic idea is very similar to making mayonnaise. To make mayo you Add water and oil with eggs and soy lecithin. to make your botanical lotion or skincream you can use an water infused with one of the herbs listed here, along with an oil on this list and top it off with a preservative and an emulsifier.
Oils –
Olive Oil – Olive Oil has been used for centuries for enhancing and cleaning the skin.
Calendula Oil Infusion – With benefits that include soothing inflammation, controlling bleeding and healing damaged tissue.
Almond oil – Almond Oil softens and nourishes the skin helping to keep it smooth to the touch.
Emu oil – Used often for inflammation and pain , emu oil is extracted from the liver of the emu.
Grape seed and Sunflower oils – oils high in omega 6 with a little omega 9 fatty acids..
Beeswax – Beeswax is really a nourishing moisturizing agent not to mention being anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-allergenic and a germicidal antioxidant. By Locking in Moisture beeswax softens the skin and also makes a long-lasting preventative layer against the elements.
Jojoba oil – a wax that comes from the jojoba plant jojoba can trick the skin into balancing oil generation.
Aqueous(Water) Infusions –
Chamomile Flower – Anti-fungal, soothing and cleansing, chamomile flower lowers inflammation. This infusion is particularly recommended for the delicate skin around the eyes.
Elder Flower – A cleanser, toner, and mild astringent, also used to reduce inflammation..
Lavender Flower – Lavender calms, reduces inflammation, cleanses, soothes and has slight drying properties.
Mallow – Gentle anti-inflammatory properties make Mallow a wonderful way to soothe and calm irritated skin..
Rosemary – by improving blood circulation in the capillaries rosmary enhances skin tone and revitalizes tired skin, rosemary is also known for it’s antiseptic properties as well.
Thyme – A powerful anti-bacterial botanical herb, thyme is useful as a skin wash for acne and even infected eczema. Use alone or in equal parts with chamomile and calendulato soothe and heal.
Preservatives –
Bergamot – bergamot’s cooling, refreshing nature is ideally suited to help calm inflamed skin, antiseptic qualities of bergamot help accelerate healing by reducing chance of infection.
Grapefruit oil – works as a mild disinfectant.
Emulsifiers –
Emulsifying Wax NF – It is used to bind oil and water together in creams, lotions etc. It is a white waxy solid with a low fatty alcohol odor.
Lecithin – makes a creamy lotion or very dense cream. it can take some experimentation to get it to perform to meet your specifications but it holds emulsions together well.
Egg Yolk – egg yolk has amino acids that are great natural emulsifiers.
Acacia Gum – a low viscosity, multifunctional natural emulsifier and stabilizer.
Jim Wintermute has been Writing Articles concerning botanical shampoo
for quite some time
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