Don't we all keep searching for the perfect products and rituals to help us get the most glowing skin we crave? Many of us women have spent hundreds or thousands of dollars in search of the holy grail to give us the glow we crave. But maybe, just maybe, we can get the powerful glowing skin we crave more simply using 100% natural oils for face. Specifically, plant based oils and essential oils that are best for bringing out a healthy glow in your skin.  

Let's face the real facts behind these gorgeous plant essences ~ essential oils ~ that have taken society by storm. Essential oils usage and aromatherapy practices have exploded in the past 5 years, but to really be honest they are not a new trend unless you consider the last 5000 years to be a trend?! They have almost been around as long as the earliest recordings of human beings. Even showing up in the bible with many writings about Frankincense and Myrrh, which were given to baby Jesus at his birth.

There are so many properties in essential oils that can help us in many ways, but these findings did not happen overnight.   One spectacular thing we can take from practices that have lasted a millennia or longer, such as Ayurveda and other Eastern medicinal traditions, is that they must have a good reason to still be around. More in this topic of Ayurveda later on. 

Before we delve into what makes essential oils so great, why don’t we take a look at their origins.

Who discovered them? 

The Ancient Egyptians were pioneering essential oils a long time ago. But it is not possible to know who was the very first to use essential oils. They used essential oils in mummifications, religious ceremonies and magic. 

Scented baths and essential oils would also be used to protect their skin from sun damage and the environment around them.  Jump to circa 1539-657 BC and the Egyptians had begun to refine the use of essential oils and aromatherapy even further. Their use spanned from medicine, cosmetic, incense and then perfumes.

Egyptians are renowned pioneers of many modern practices; using aromatherapy for food, spiritual healing, physical healing and cosmetic reasons. However, many experts believe that essential oils were being used at the same time across India and China.

Depending on which sources we believe it could even be noted that Indian culture and Ayurveda began using essential oils earlier than Egypt.  ​A combination of enriched cultures across the world have all played a part in what we have today.

What is Ayurveda and how does it use essential oils?

The Indian health care system, Ayurveda, is a practice that uses natural healing by ways of spiritual, philosophical and practical methods.  Ayurvedic medicine is over 5000 years old and is still popular in India today and many other alternative health practitioners across the globe, including right here in Canada, have adopted it also. Ayurveda is the sister to yogic philosophy and you can see how much yoga has taken off in the last decade so it makes perfect sense that the medicinal side goes hand in hand. 

Aromatic massages used essential oils and literature from 2000 BC shows that Indian healers used oils to help treat sick people.  They most commonly used sandalwood, coriander, myrrh, ginger and cinnamon. Some of my favourites not only for essential oils but also for cooking! 

How are essential oils created?

If you are still wondering what an essential oil is, they are oils extracted from natural plant sources.  Common essential oils come from plants such as Peppermint, fruit like Lemon, Lavender, tree bark like Cypress, flowers like Helichrysum are used in aromatherapy.

Essential oils come from plant bark, seeds, leaves, stems, and various other parts of the plants. They are created using a steam distillation process. There are varying degrees of quality when it comes to essential oils hence the varying prices you will find when you shop around.  High quality, therapeutic grade essential oils are like fine wine in that the soil, fertilizer, region, climate, etc. all affect the quality of the plant and thus the essential oil that is produced.

When you look at using essential oils in natural body products, natural face products or in holistic health care in general, you must understand the absolute necessity in obtaining the highest therapeutic-grade essential oils possible. They are not created equally and don't be fooled. You do get what you pay for when shopping around. 

Can essential oils give you powerful glowing skin?

Short answer: Abso-freakin-lutely! As the founder of Clean Kiss, it was my curiousity and passion for these gorgeous plant essences that initially gave me the inspiration to start creating natural deodorant, body and natural face care products.

For example, we use many beautiful and precious essential oils in our all natural face cream, Youthful Kisses Daytime Face Cream, because of the way they reducing aging, protect, repair and how they calm and harmonize the mind. These include oils such as Frankincense, Myrrh, Indian Sandalwood, Rose Geranium, Roman Chamomile, and Lavender Essential Oil.  

In other face care products we use Sicilian lemon essential oil, such as in our all natural  Lemon Sugar Facial  & Lip Scrub where it is used to brighten the skin and reduce scarring and sun damage, provide anti-bacterial protection to fight against acne, and of course because it is uplifting and invigorating. 

Speaking of acne, we have an all natural selection of acne products, all containing you guessed it, essential oils and plant-based ingredients, in order to fight the bacteria that causes acne breakouts, to heal the inflammation, to nourish the dryness that harsh "traditional" acne products create and to stop the cycle of breakouts. 

Are all essential oils sustainable?

Some essential oils such as Hawaiian Sandalwood cost around $80USD per bottle if you are buying therapeutic grade of a very high quality. And it makes sense to me now because while visiting Hawaii in 2015 our tour guide told us that Hawaiian Sandalwood trees are becoming extinct. In order to yield a small bottle of oil it may require several hundred pounds, or even several thousand pounds of plant material to extract one pound of pure essential oil. Now I understand why this precious oil is sold at a premium. As a sustainably responsible natural skincare producer, I take this into consideration and am working to find more sustainable solutions that can produce the same great results for the skin. 

Other ways to use Essential Oils at home:

In my home and office I experiment daily with diffusing therapeutic grade that can either calm me, inspire me, invigorate me, help me to sleep, or even to unclog a stuffed up nose when fighting a cold! Give it a try yourself at home if children have trouble settling or are feeling stressed. Try making your own pillow spray to enjoy the calming benefits of rosemary, lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus in every room of your home! Put a few drops of each into a spray bottle with distilled water and voila! you have a natural scent for your home. 

Essential oils are very personal and each person will have their own unique preferences for the scent that appeals to them.  As such you need to decide what appeals to your own body and mind. Check out the essential blends that we have created in our natural body care products. The best part is that they are unisex and can replace all synthetic fragrances (perfumes, colognes, body sprays) that really are not good for your health anyway. 

The bottom line on essential oils for skincare:

Some final words to the wise on the use of essential oils:

• They can indeed give you beautiful, powerful, glowing skin and can also be powerful for your mind and mental health.  Don't underestimate the power that these little bottles of precious liquid can have on your overall health. 
• Be cautious where you buy from because there are a lot of different brands on the market now. Don't cheap out and make sure they are therapeutic grade and use a rigorous and safe growing and distillation process, otherwise you may be using a cheap synthetic that can cause more harm than good.
• Make sure you are using it properly. Therapeutic grade oils can rarely be applied NEAT (directly to skin) and mostly they need to be diluted in a carrier oil such as olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed or jojoba oil. 

I hope this helps to dispel some of the mystery surrounding essential oils and launches you on a quest to explore more around these wonderful, all natural gifts from the earth. As I write this blog post, I am diffusing lemongrass oil in my kitchen and feel quite energetic, focused and fresh!

_________________________________________________________________ 

Want to know more about Clean Kiss? 

At Clean Kiss we are passionate about creating Clean at First Sight natural skincare that you can feel good about using yourself, and for your whole family. 

From health-conscious, active mamas to women entrepreneurs, our customers love the experience of using our natural products that have up to three times fewer ingredients than our competitors and optimal nourishment for your skin.  

Clean Kiss was founded by Family Natural Health Expert, Jodie Pappas, out of her own personal quest to find natural products for herself and her family that ACTUALLY worked. After first creating her signature natural deodorant, she went on to produce a full line of skincare, body and curly hair products. 

Our mission is to help women #findyour40 by igniting your senses and helping you live a simpler and cleaner yet more passionate life. 

Visit us at cleankisslifestyle.com. 

Follow us on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube