Natural Skincare & Essential Oils

May 6, 2014

This week's feature blog comes from the wonderful Vivien Allen. Vivien is a certified Aromatherapist & Herbalist, and she has a strong background in Physics & Chemistry. In her lab Vivien crafts herbal medicines  & oils, serums, and detergents. Overall, Vivien is an expert in her field of Aromatherapy and natural skincare. 

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Do you know what is in the products that you use every day ? Do you read the ingredients on the products that you just put on your skin? Your skin is your body’s largest organ, everything that you put on your skin will enter into your body .

Ten years ago after going through many health issues, I decided to do research on all the products that I was using. I looked at the ingredients in my laundry detergent, fabric softener, shampoo, skincare & even cleaning products. I quickly discovered that there are many dangerous chemicals in all the products that we use every day. Since synthetic ingredients are economical, stable & accessible, large companies often find it necessary to turn to synthetic alternatives. Many people have allergic reactions to these chemicals mainly due to the use of synthetic fragrance, colorants, preservatives & petroleum based ingredients.

These chemicals can cause allergies, headaches, migraines, mental depression, and even cancer. After reading these horror stories about dangerous chemicals, I decided that I am going to make everything that I put on my skin. I also make my own cleaning product, laundry & dish detergent. Since then, I'v gotten rid of my childhood allergies & migraines.

For the last ten years, using natural & aromatherapy products has been a major part of my life. I make aromatherapy products for naturopathic, homeopathic & osteopathic doctors.

I make some of my own therapeutic grade essential oils & herbal oils that I use in my practice. Essential oils have been used for thousands of years offering tremendous therapeutic benefits. You too can enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy at home. It is easy to incorporate aromatherapy into your daily routine. Use therapeutic grade essential oils only as these oils give you the greatest benefits. My favorite essential oils are Lavender & Roman Chamomile. It is very useful to keep a bottle of Lavender & Roman Chamomile essential oils in your medicine cabinet. Below is a list of some of the things that you can use these oils for.

For Migraines & headache – Massage your neck & forehead with lavender or marjoram oil mixed into a 5 ml carrier oil. Headache & migraines are often caused by tension or stress. (You can also try out GLOW's Head-Ease Essential Oil Balm).

For burns or sunburn, apply a blend of Lavender & Roman Chamomile oil into a carrier oil. This blend will help those with eczema as well. Here is a special blend that you can try. 2 drops of Roman Chamomile, 6 drops of lavender, 20 ml of carrier oil such as Avocado, Grape seed or Olive oil. (Check out GLOW's Sunkissed Spray).

For insomnia, try a warm aromatic bath containing with 5 drops of lavender & 5 drops of Roman Chamomile essential oil. Then treat yourself to a hot cup of chamomile tea. (You can also find relief using GLOW's Sweet Dreams Essential Oil Balm).

For the mysterious pimple on your face, try zapping it with lavender oil. Apply 1 drop of lavender oil directly to the spot and leave overnight. (Or try GLOW's Acne Spot Treatment Serum). 

Hornet or bee stings – Apply 1 to 2 drops of Roman Chamomile topical to the area & massage into the area.

For infants, it can be used in a diluted form to sooth an irritated & teething infant.For women, Roman Chamomile is used to relieve PMS and abdominal pain.

Vivien Allen, 

Certified Aromatherapist

For more information on aromatherapy and essential oils, you may contact Vivien at: vallen@flawlesskin.com