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How To Effectively Use Castor Oil For Beard

Castor oil is a long-standing home remedy for a variety of maladies ranging from constipation to hair loss. Women have used it as a beauty aid for centuries to help cleanse skin, re-grow over-plucked eyebrows, and smooth frizzy hair.

Lately, men have been wondering if castor oil could be a good product to use on beard hair. After all, the oil is beneficial to facial skin and the hair on your head, so why wouldn’t it be useful for beards?

In this article, we will explore the use of organic castor oil for healthy beard growth and maintenance. We will also offer some sound advice on using this old-fashioned oil to care for your beard from start to finish. Read on to learn more.

castor oil for beard

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What Is Castor Oil?

Castor oil comes from the pressed seeds of the castor plant. Its chemical composition is unique. It is made up of:

  • Omega 9 Fatty Acids
  • Triglycerides
  • Vitamin E Oil
  • Minerals
  • Proteins

These are vital for healthy hair and skin.

Castor oil can be used to help cleanse and purify the scalp and facial skin. It is both antibacterial and antifungal, so it is an effective component in remedies aimed at treating problems such as dandruff, ringworm, and folliculitis.

Castor oil works in these kinds of remedies by breaking down impurities in the pores and hair follicles so that they can be easily washed away. It is also thought to encourage better blood circulation and promote the production of prostaglandins responsible for stimulating hair growth. Combine these castor oil benefits for beard growth and help promote healthy skin.

Although many articles aimed at promoting castor oil for beard growth maintain that the oil is an excellent moisturizer, this is not exactly true. Castor oil is a drying oil. That’s why it is such an excellent component for use in treatments such as oil cleansing, wherein it helps break down congealed oil deposits in the pores without adding excessive oily residue.

In addition to helping break down impurities on the skin and scalp, it also dries the skin and prevents excess oiliness following the oil cleansing treatment. In fact, some people with very dry skin leave the castor oil out of oil cleansing treatments because it is too drying.

The same holds true when using castor oil as a hair treatment. While a few drops of the heavy, sticky oil can work wonders to give your hair the appearance of being smooth and silky, you would not want to apply the oil to your hair generously for several reasons:

  • It’s messy.
  • It is drying.

That’s why it is best to just use a few drops of this oil as a hair dressing or a beard dressing if you plan to use it as a standalone product.

Does This Mean It Isn’t Good To Use Castor Oil For Beard Care?

Absolutely not! Castor oil has an important place in stimulating beard growth and caring for your beard and your face. Here’s how!

When you first take a notion of growing a beard, you should begin thinking about making your facial skin as healthy as possible. Castor oil used in oil cleansing is excellent for cleaning your pores, stimulating blood circulation, and the production of prostaglandin E2, which promotes hair growth. Castor oil also tones your skin, and if you have had problems with acne or other skin conditions, these treatments will help clear those problems up so your beard can grow freely.

To perform oil cleansing, you will need:

  • A carrier oil such as jojoba, coconut, or almond oil
  • Purchase a cold pressed castor oil (yellow)
  • A few clean towels
  • Hot water

You can also add essential oils for specific purposes if you wish. More on that later!

To clean your face with oil, just pour a teaspoonful (or so) of the carrier oil of your choice into the palm of your hand. Add about 3-6 drops of castor oil. Rub your palms together to warm the oil, and then massage it into your face and throat.

Take your time with the massage part of this treatment. The more you massage, the more you break down impurities blocking your pores and hair follicles. Additionally, massage stimulates better circulation, which promotes hair growth.

Soak the towel in hot water, wring it out, and lay it over your face, barbershop-style. Lie back and relax for 5 or 10 minutes. Rinse the towel in hot water again, wring it out, and gently wipe the oils off your face and neck. Don’t scrub.

Pat your face dry. You may wish to splash your face with cool water or witch hazel as a toner.

You can do oil cleansing every day if you want to, but just doing this once or twice a week will help cleanse your facial skin and get it ready to grow a great beard.

Oil Cleansing Helps With Beard Maintenance

You can continue with this treatment on a weekly or bi-weekly basis even after you have grown a full beard. The oils are great for conditioning your beard hair and keeping your skin healthy. In this case, instead of doing the hot towel part of the treatment, just apply the oils to your face, neck, and beard 5 or 10 minutes before showering, and then wash them off (gently) in the shower. [source]

If you want to, you can include your scalp and the hair on your head in this treatment. If you are experiencing hair loss, you’ll want to do this a couple of times a week, and add six drops of oil of rosemary or peppermint essential oil to your oil cleansing mixture to further promote hair growth.

For maximum hair growth benefits on both your scalp and your face, make your carrier oil almond oil. It is full of magnesium and zinc, and both are great for boosting hair growth.

What Kind Of Castor Oil Is Best For Beard Growth?

These days, Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO) is getting a lot of attention as a beard dressing and growth stimulator. The reason for this is that it is thicker and darker than the standard cold-pressed yellow castor oil, so it really promotes a dark, rich, healthy-looking beard when used lightly as a dressing product. [source]

JBCO is handmade castor oil from Jamaica. It is made from the roasted beans of the castor plant. The ash content in JBCO results in a dusky scent and a darker oil than the cold-pressed yellow oil (which is fine for use in oil cleansing).

The roasting of the castor beans results in higher pH levels, which some say impart even more skin and beard care benefits. The oil is very thick. It is available in three shades ranging from a light golden brown to a very dark brown. This quality is beneficial if you wish to darken your beard or hide gray.

It is also said to be more nourishing to the facial skin and hair. It contains a high percentage of specific monounsaturated fatty acids known as Ricinoleic Acids that have been found to potentially inhibit the production of prostaglandin D2, which may be responsible for hair loss. [source]

Simultaneously, this type of fatty acid stimulates the production of the prostaglandin E2, which reduces inflammation and can lead to increased hair growth and thicker individual hairs. This presents a thicker, fuller, more masculine-appearing beard. [source]

No matter what brand of castor oil you purchase, there are a few things you should look for. Make sure that the oil you buy is:

  • Fresh
  • Unrefined
  • Unprocessed
  • High in Ricinoleic Acid

One of the most popular brands of JBCO is Sunny Isle, and it does deliver consistently on these qualities. You should take note that this product is offered as “castor oil” and as “beard oil”.

The two products are identical in content and quite different in size and price. If you purchase the “beard oil” version, you will pay a lot more for a smaller bottle.

Smart Use Of JBCO In Custom Beard Oils

While you can use castor oil on its own as a beard dressing and to promote the growth of your beard, even with the very best-quality JBCO, this is not the most effective or affordable solution. Instead, a smart combination of the right castor oil, carrier oils, and essential oils blended into custom beard oils can work wonders. [source]

Aside from that, blending your own aromatic beard oils can be fun and saves you a lot of money. Here are a few ideas for using high-quality carrier oils, JBCO, and essential oils to grow and maintain the best beard ever.

What Are Carrier Oils?

Carrier oils are natural oils that are used to dilute and deliver more powerful, volatile or essential oils for use in home remedies and homemade personal care products, such as DIY beard oil. These oils are usually light and beneficial; however, adding the right essential oils can really make a huge difference in terms of effectiveness. Essential oils can add powerful antifungal, antibacterial, healing, and aromatic benefits to your homemade beard care products.

Is Castor Oil a Carrier or An Essential Oil?

Many people use castor oil as a carrier oil, but because it is so dense and rich, and has such strong and specific effects in terms of antifungal and antibacterial capabilities, cleaning pores, drying oily skin, and boosting hair growth, it really has more in common with an essential oil. Using it as a small component in your beard care regimen and in your beard oil recipes really makes more sense than using it in large amounts or exclusively.

Top Carrier Oils for Skin, Hair & Beard Care

#1 – Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil is a light oil similar in composition to your skin’s natural oils (sebum). It is a good choice for oily skin as it is absorbed quickly and moisturizes lightly. This oil is especially helpful for nourishing dry beard hair and split ends.

#2 – Cosmetic-Grade Argan Oil

It is an excellent skin softener. It has antioxidant powers that make it an excellent choice for combating fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging.

#3 – Sweet Almond Oil

It has strong anti-inflammatory properties. It is useful if you have a problem with acne or ingrown hairs. Also, it has high levels of protein, vitamins, and minerals (most notably biotin and magnesium). Sweet Almond oil is an exceptional choice if you have problems with flaky skin and/or dandruff.

#4 – Virgin Coconut Oil

VCO is a wonderful, all-around oil that can be used for almost any personal care task you can imagine. It is naturally rich, hydrating, and protective. It makes the perfect choice as a component of beard oil or beard balm if you live in a dry climate.

#5 – Hazelnut Oil

It has a pleasant, nutty scent and is effective as a beard oil base if you are suffering from eczema or acne.

#6 – Hemp Seed Oil

The hemp seed oil has powerful healing and moisturizing qualities. It is a good choice if your beard hair is brittle.

#7 – Castor Oil

Castor Oil is a thick, sticky oil that is not typically used alone or as a carrier on its own. Instead, it is customary to use it for no more than 10% of any given recipe. It provides powerful cleansing, healing, and moisturizing properties. It also stimulates blood circulation and hair growth. Using it full strength is neither necessary nor desirable.

If you want to try them all, order this carrier oil gift set from Amazon.

Essential Oils Add Fragrance & Benefit To Beard Oil

castor oil for beard growth

The bottom line is that for great beard growth, your beard oil should be a balanced combination of the right carrier oils and the most effective essential oils. These volatile oils are natural, concentrated compounds distilled from an assortment of medicinal and therapeutic plants. [source]

Adding essential oils to your beard oil provides health benefits to the hair and skin along with valuable aromatherapy qualities. Most essential oils have antibacterial and antifungal properties. Many have numerous other benefits, as well. Here are some of the best choices for beard oil.

  • Eucalyptus and Tea Tree oil have a slightly medicinal scent. These cooling oils are antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory. They are very helpful in soothing skin irritation.
  • Olive oil stimulates facial hair growth making it a great alternative.
  • Lemongrass, orange, and lime oil have antibacterial and antifungal properties paired with an invigorating, uplifting scent.
  • Lavender oil is calming and moisturizing with antimicrobial properties that fight dandruff.
  • Peppermint is another cooling oil that smells great and brightens your mood.
  • Sandalwood, clove, and cinnamon oil provide a rich, warm, comforting scent.
  • Frankincense has powerful healing and antioxidant properties for the skin.
  • Cedarwood smells great and helps treat and prevent acne.
  • Amla is beneficial to dry, brittle, damaged beard hair.
  • Castor oil can be considered an essential oil in that it delivers specific benefits, such as antifungal and antibacterial properties, detoxification, hair growth, circulation enhancement, and pore cleansing properties.

These are just a few of the many interesting essential oils available at your local health food store or online. Learning about them and experimenting with them to make your own beard oil and other personal care products is interesting, enjoyable, and thrifty.

Get this majestic aromatherapy essential oils set from Amazon!

Make Your Own Beard Oil

Making beard oil using carrier oils, castor oil, and the volatile essential oils of your choosing is a quick, easy, inexpensive DIY project that can result in healthy skin and a big, bushy, shiny beard! [source]

Here’s how!

  1. In a small, dark glass or opaque ceramic bottle with a tightly fitting lid, combine your oils as follows:
  • 9 parts carrier oil of your choosing (you can combine one or two as you like)
  • 1 part castor oil

Essential oils: Add 6 drops total per ounce of carrier and castor oil mixture. You can combine the essential oils for benefits and scent as you wish. Don’t do more than 2 at a time or exceed a total of more than 6 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier/castor oil combo unless you are following a specific recipe.

  1. Put the lid on the bottle and tilt it back and forth gently to combine the oils. You can use your new beard oil immediately. Be sure to cap the bottle and store it in a cool, dark place protected from light. Remember that essential oils are volatile, so they evaporate rapidly. Failure to cap the bottle or store it correctly will result in a loss of scent and benefits.

Troubleshooting: If you have decided to use coconut oil as your carrier, you will find that it becomes solid at cooler temperatures. To mix it, you can simply set your jar of coconut oil in a bowl of hot water until the amount you need has liquefied. Spoon or pour it off for use. Coconut oil is a very stable oil, so you can warm and cool it multiple times with no damage to the product.

The fact that coconut oil is solid at room temperatures makes it a good choice if you prefer the consistency of a beard balm over a liquid oil product. If you make a solid beard dressing product, you will naturally mix and store it in a small tub rather than in a bottle.

Recipes To Try

Sweet Mint

Combine:

  • One tablespoonful of liquefied coconut oil.
  • 3 or 4 drops of Peppermint Oil
  • 20 drops of castor oil

Note that with this very basic recipe, you can substitute any single carrier oil or essential oil as you wish. This is a good way to familiarize yourself with a variety of ingredients.

Refreshing Castor Oil For Hair And Beard Plus Acne-Prone Skin

Combine:

  • One tablespoonful of jojoba oil
  • 2 drops of Oil of Peppermint
  • 2 drops of Tea Tree Oil
  • 20 drops of castor oil

You can substitute Eucalyptus oil for Tea Tree in this recipe if you wish. Any type of mint oil is also fine to use. If you prefer the scent of lavender to peppermint, that’s a good substitution, too.

Constant Comment

Combine:

  • One tablespoonful of Hazelnut Oil
  • 3 drops of Orange oil
  • 2 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
  • 1 drop of Cinnamon Oil
  • 20 drops of Castor Oil

The perfect combination of scents for the autumn months.

Holiday Happiness

Combine:

  • One tablespoon of liquefied Coconut Oil.
  • 2 drops of Cedarwood Oil
  • 20 drops of Castor Oil
  • 2 drops of Sandalwood Oil
  • 2 drops of Peppermint Oil

A very festive mix! [source]

Assemble A Beard Care Tool Kit

Smart use of the right beard oil and/or beard balm can really help you grow a great-looking, healthy beard, but that’s not all you’ll need. If you are serious about growing and maintaining impressive facial hair, there are certain tools you must have right from the start. Your beard care tool kit should contain:

  • Sharp, barber-quality scissors
  • A good, natural bristle beard brush
  • A static-free wooden beard comb
  • A top-quality beard trimmer
  • Mustache wax, if desired

Keeping your supplies in a good-looking travel bag will help you keep things organized. It also makes packing easy whenever you go on a trip.

Add Black Jamaican Castor Oil For Beard Care Routine

It’s easy to see that castor oil is an excellent addition to your beard care toolkit, and BJCO is the very best choice of all. This product helps cleanse and nourish your skin while improving circulation and stimulating the production of the prostaglandin E2 in your hair follicles. It smooths, moisturizes, and evens out the tone of your beard hair. Follow the information presented here for successful beard growth and care from start to finish.

Neem Oil Uses: 17+ Ways To Enjoy It’s Amazing Benefits

Azadirachta indica, more commonly known as the Neem trees. The plant and the many Neem oil uses have played an important part of Ayurvedic medicine (one of the world’s oldest holistic “whole-body” healing systems. Neem oil is commonly available and offers numerous benefits.

Neem oil extract from leaves is rich in wellness and medicinal properties, and acts as many functions:

  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Antibacterial
  • Antifungal
  • Antiparasitic
  • Analgesic

14 amazing neem oil uses

This is why cosmetic/pharmaceutical grade neem oil is used frequently in over-the-counter medications and personal care products. Industrial grade neem oil is a valuable active ingredient in natural products for care of the home and yard.

To reap the benefits of neem azadirachta indica, look for products that contain the neem leaf extract, add it to the products you already use and/or learn how to make your own healthy, natural neem oil products.

Here are 17+ great Azadirachta Indica Neem Oil Uses and ideas to get you started.

1. Protect Your Skin And Fight Aging

Cosmetic/pharmaceutical grade pure Neem oil is chock full of carotenoids and antioxidants that help protect your skin against the ravages of free radicals, which cause signs of aging such as wrinkles and age spots.

2. Heal & Moisturize

For any type of skin, at any time neem extracts provids excellent moisturizing and healing benefits. It is rich in vitamin E and fatty acids that help improve skin elasticity and provide and retain moisture.

3. Treat Acne With Neem Oil

It may seem strange to use essential oils on acne, but one of the truly remarkable things about neem seed oil is the fact that it is perfect for all types of skin.

The natural anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents in the extract of neem help reduce the redness, swelling and pain associated with acne outbreaks. The fatty acids moisturize and nourish the skin, while the antibacterial properties fight the bacteria that cause acne.

4. Treat And Prevent Scars

Treating acne outbreaks with neem oil helps treat old acne scars and prevents new scars from forming. Likewise, it makes one of the best neem oil benefits when used to treat scars caused by injury.

While it can be used with good effect on existing stretch marks, you should be aware that you should not use neem oil if you are trying to conceive or if you are pregnant or nursing a baby.

5. Relieve Eczema And Psoriasis Symptoms

Although these two disorders are caused by a genetic predisposition, it is possible to reduce and manage symptoms with proper care. Neem oil soaks into the skin deeply and also provides a protective barrier to promote healing.

Just as with acne, the Vitamin E, fatty acids, anti-inflammatory agents and analgesic properties of neem oil can help condition the skin and reduce redness, swelling, itching and pain. Its antiseptic properties help prevent skin infections that can complicate and cause outbreaks of eczema and psoriasis.

6. Neem Addresses Simple Dryness Problems

Because this rich oil does soak in deeply and thoroughly, it is very effective for skin care in treating extremely dry skin. Add a few drops of neem oil extract to your existing lotion or cream to add an extra, moisturizing barrier between your skin and extreme cold, heat and/or environmental toxins.

7. Effective Antifungal Agents

The compounds known as nimbidol and gedunin found in neem oil are effective antifungal agents. This is why many over-the-counter antifungal medications contain neem.

You can boost the effectiveness of your OTC anti-fungal cream by adding a few drops of neem seed oil, or you can simply try using neem oil on its own to fight ringworm, athlete’s foot and nail fungus. Understand that you must use pure neem consistently and over a long period of time to see positive results in fighting off fungal infections.

8. Neem Oil Can Lighten And Even Out Your Skin Tone

Because neem products act to hamper the production of melanin which causes dark pigmentation, neem oil applied topically, consistently, on an ongoing basis can lighten freckles and age spots, help even out pigmentation and/or lighten your complexion overall.

9. Neem Oil Tames Frizzies And Conditions Your Hair

Rub a few drops between the palms of your hands and stroke neem oil through your hair to tame frizzy hair and impart an attractive shine. Use neem oil for hair and scalp to experience great results.

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10. Boost Conditioning Power

Add a few drops of neem oil to your shampoo and conditioner to boost your products’ conditioning power and add bounce and shine to your hair.

11. Condition Your Scalp

Condition your scalp by applying neem oil combined with coconut oil or olive oil directly to the scalp prior to washing. Massaging the oil into your scalp will also help increase blood circulation and open up pores, which may help stimulate hair growth.

[Read: 12 Great Ways To Improve Your Hair & Scalp With Neem Oil]

12. Treat dandruff!

Adding neem oil to your hair products and using it as a scalp conditioner will also help prevent, treat and even eliminate dandruff.

13. Neem Oil A Good, Safe, Natural Treatment Alternative For Head Lice or Head Louse

Regular use of hair products containing the oil may help prevent infestation. Treatment after the fact is a lengthy and involved process; however, use of this natural oil is preferable to use of toxic chemicals for many very good reasons.

14. Hot Oil Treatment For Hair

By combining a few drops of neem oil and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil you can create an effective, affordable, all-natural hot oil treatment to treat and correct dry hair and split ends.

15. Treat Minor Cuts And Abrasions

You can use neem oil just like an antibiotic ointment to treat small injuries.

16. Neem Oil Use In The Garden An Excellent All-Natural Insecticide

Use industrial grade Neem oil spray in your yard and garden as an excellent all-natural pesticide. Purchase the product online or at your local garden center. Be sure to follow package instructions carefully.

NOTE: Beware that a neem oil insecticide can also kill beneficial insects.

Penn State suggest using neem oil for lawn grub worm control. Another study showed combining Neem with diatomaceous earth gave the best control of aphids on artichokes.

17. Repel A Wide Variety Of Insects Including Cockroaches, Silverfish and More…

Use industrial grade neem oil full strength to paint a thin line around your doorways and windows to help repel a wide variety of insects.

Soak cotton balls with industrial grade neem oil and tuck them into the backs of cabinets, under appliances and into other out-of-the-way places to repel cockroaches, ants, silverfish and other unwanted pests.

Combine Organic Neem with Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth for a more powerful insect repellent!

18. Treat Fungal Infestations In Your Yard And Garden

Follow packaging instructions on industrial grade neem oil to treat fungal infestations in your yard and garden. This product is very useful for treating problems such as:

  • Black Spot
  • Sooty Mold
  • Root Rot
  • Powdery Mildew

19. Repel Fleas And Ticks With Neem Oil

Add a few drops of neem oil to your dog’s shampoo to kill and repel fleas and ticks. You can also create an all-natural flea spray by combining a dozen drops of neem oil, half-a-dozen drops of dish soap and a cup of warm water. Don’t make too much at once. You should use it up within a couple of days while the neem scent is still strong.

This Is Just A Start!

While this may seem like a lot of ways to use neem oil, the truth is that these 17+ tips just scratch the surface. Between cosmetic pharmaceutical grade oil and industrial grade oil, there are hundreds of thrifty, practical ways to use this versatile, valuable product. Check out our other articles to learn even more.

Neem oil is one of nature’s wonderful plants and carrier oils with amazing health benefits just like tea tree oil, coconut oil, avocado and witch hazel.

Neem Oil For Hair? 12 Great Ways To Improve Your Hair & Scalp

No matter what type of scalp and hair challenges you face, Neem oil can help. This versatile oil from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica) has been used in India for centuries to address a wide variety of personal care needs and to treat many different kinds of ailments.

Among the many benefits of Neem azadirachta indica is its high vitamin and fatty acid content and superior anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, natural anti-inflammatory, analgesic and healing properties, adding Neem oil for hair care is especially suited to deal with scalp and hair problems. Read on to learn 12 great ways you can add Neem oil to your hair care regimen.

Neem Oil For Hair? 12 Great Ways To Improve Your Hair & Scalp

1. Neem Oil Helps Get Beautiful Hair

Stroking just a few drops of Neem oil through your hair before brushing and styling smoothes down dry, rough spots leaving your hair shiny and manageable.

Keep your hair smooth and shiny even in high humidity by applying a very small amount of Neem seed oil to dry hair. Just rub a few drops between your palms. Stroke it through your hair and style as usual.

2. Neem Oil Shampoo For Hair Improving The Appearance Of Split Ends

Using a small amount of organic Neem oil regularly as a hair dressing will help improve the appearance of split ends. For added conditioning, mix a half dozen drops of pure Neem oil with about a teaspoon of carrier oil. Some good essential oils for use as a carrier oil include:

  • Coconut oil
  • Almond oil
  • Jojoba oil
  • Olive oil

Massage the mixture into your scalp and comb it through your hair. Leave this mixture in place for several hours and wash using a mild shampoo.

Be careful not to strip the oil from your hair. Your goal is to leave a very fine film in place to impart shine and manageability and to get split ends under control.

You can do this treatment at bedtime and wrap your head in a towel overnight to prevent damage to your linens and to help the oil soak in.

Alternately, you could wear your hair in a protective style such as a bun or braids and simply go about your business. If you don’t overdo it, the extra oil makes a nice hair dressing.

3. Get Frizzy Hair Under Control

When you wash your hair, put a few drops of Neem oil in the palm of your hand before dispensing your shampoo. Mix the two in your palms and stroke through your hair. Don’t scrub as this will tangle and damage your hair.

Leave the shampoo in place for about five minutes before rinsing. Neem oil will rehydrate your hair making it shinier and more manageable.

4. Scalp Treatment

Excessive production of sebum can cause clogged pores on the scalp. This can block hair growth and cause thinning hair, damage to hair roots and inflammation.

Massaging your scalp with a Neem oil mixture stimulates blood circulation and gently cleans and nourishes the scalp getting into the hair follicles. The anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties of neem oil help heal the scalp and improve its condition.

[Read: 17+ Ways To Use Neem Oil And Enjoy It’s Benefits]

5. Treat Scalp Eczema

Neem added to your shampoo and conditioner and used as a scalp treatment and hair dressing will help keep scalp problems such as eczema and psoriasis under control. Because it has very powerful anti-inflammatory properties, Neem oil for skin can provide many of the same benefits as a cortisone cream.

Regular use of the oil can help reduce itching, pain, swelling and redness on areas of the scalp affected by eczema. It can also treat other skin problems such as rashes and acne breakouts. The glycerides and essential fatty acids found in Neem oil soak deeply into the skin deeply and help soothe and heal damage while moisturizing and providing a protective barrier.

6. Get Rid Of Dry Scalp & Dandruff

Dandruff is caused by fungal infections. Neem oil is effective as an antifungal agent when used against many different types of human fungi (even Candida).

Use of a dandruff shampoo that contains Neem oil will help reduce dandruff and balance the pH level of your scalp. Alternately, you can just add Neem oil to the shampoo you currently use.

7. Grow Thicker, Longer, Healthy Hair

Because Neem oil is rich in antioxidants, it can protect your scalp against damage from free radicals. It prevents hair loss and urges the hair to grow longer and thicker.

Its healing, regenerative and medicinal properties improve the overall health of your scalp so it can recover from damage caused by environmental toxins, medications, stress and other causes.

Massaging Neem oil into the scalp once or twice a week increases blood circulation and stimulates hair growth.

8. Pre-Shampoo Treatment For Natural Hair

If you are in the process of growing out chemically straightened, permed or color treated hair, Neem oil can help. Mix up a “pre-poo” conditioning treatment consisting of:

  • Three Tbsp Shea butter
  • One Tsp Neem oil

Massage this mixture into your scalp and stroke it through your hair at bedtime. Wrap your hair in a towel to protect your linens and help the oils soak in. Wash as usual in the morning. This combination is also very good for controlling dandruff and conditioning dry, itchy scalp.

[Read: What is Neem Oil And Is It Really Good For You?]

9. Treat Head Lice Naturally

The Azadirachtin in Neem oil is a powerful insect repellent and natural insecticide that can kill off head lice and nits without the use of toxic chemicals. To treat head louse , follow these steps:

  • Wash the hair thoroughly with shampoo with Neem oil added. Let the shampoo stay on the hair for a minimum of ten minutes.
  • Rinse thoroughly with very warm water and apply a leave-in conditioner with Neem oil added. Again, allow the product to sit on the hair for 10 minutes.
  • Towel dry and apply pure Neem oil to the scalp and hair.
  • Comb through the hair with a nit comb.
  • Be sure to put nits and lice in a plastic bag, seal it and dispose of it properly.
  • Cover the hair with plastic wrap and put on a disposable plastic shower cap.
  • Wear plastic and shower cap overnight.

You must do this every day for 14 days to ensure that all lice at all life stages are killed. [2]

PubMed stated that Neem was – “highly effective in vitro against head lice. The neem shampoo was more effective than the permethrin-based product.”

10. Treat Yourself To A Deep Conditioning Hot Oil Treatment

Give yourself a home spa day at least once a month and treat your hair and scalp to a hot oil treatment!

  • Combine about 20 drops of Neem oil with a couple of ounces of your favorite carrier oil. Increase or decrease the amount depending upon the length of your hair. You will want to have enough oil to make your hair and scalp quite oily.
  • Warm the oils by placing the bottles in a container of very warm water. Don’t make it too hot as this will interfere with the benefits of neem oil.
  • Massage the mixture into your scalp and stroke it through your hair.
  • Wrap your head in a very warm towel to help the oil soak into your hair and scalp deeply.
  • Rest and relax for 15 minutes to half-an-hour before washing the oil out of your hair. For complete relaxation, apply a facial mask, turn on some quiet music, put up your feet and close your eyes.

TIP: If you find it difficult to wash the oil out of your hair, or if you just don’t like the oiliness in your shower or tub, remove excess oil with cornstarch before washing your hair.

To do this, sprinkle cornstarch over your hair and tousle it through the hair. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then brush it out. You may wish to step outside or lay some newspaper on the floor to catch the cornstarch as you brush it out.

11. Turn Your Hot Oil Treatment Into A Healthy Hair Masque

Add essential oils or other active ingredients for added benefits!

  • For aromatherapy benefits, add 6-12 drops of oil of lavender or other aromatic oil of your choosing.
  • For added dandruff control benefits, add 6-12 drops of oil of lemon or tea tree oil.
  • For extra conditioning, stir in a teaspoon of all-natural, local honey.
  • For an intensive protein treatment, stir in an egg yolk.

12. Correct Premature Graying

If your hair is going prematurely gray, regular use of Neem oil may be able to help reverse the damage. Although graying caused by aging is not reversible, graying caused by imbalanced hormones, stress, illness or other treatable problems may respond very well to treatment with Neem oil used in any of the ways suggested here.

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How To Add Neem Tree Oil To Your Shampoo

Improving your shampoo with a few drops of this fabulous oil is an easy way to boost the quality of your hair care routine.

Begin by making sure your shampoo is high quality and natural. It should not contain harsh chemicals, coloring and additives. Gentle, all-natural liquid castile soaps are a good choice as shampoo. Those made with almond oil are especially gentle and nourishing.

To add Neem seed oil to your shampoo, mix at a rate of 6-12 drops of Neem oil per teaspoon of shampoo. You’ll need to experiment with this a bit to see what works best on your hair.

The easiest way to combine the ingredients is to simply mix them up in the palm of your hand when you shampoo your hair. If you do mix your ingredients up in advance, make small batches. Neem oil mixed with a soap or detergent will break down within a few days and lose many of its benefits.

Related: Neem Oil VS Palm Oil For Use In Cosmetic Products

There Are Many Good Reasons To Use Neem Oil On Your Hair

Pure neem oil is a safe and affordable alternative to the chemical laden hair products available on the market today. It is easy to find online or at your local health food store.

Clearly, adding this all-natural, healing oil to your hair care routines is a simple and smart way to improve your scalp health, dry skin and your good looks! Follow the advice presented here to reap endless neem oil benefits.

Sources:

  • http://www.hairfinity.com/us/en/Neem-oil-for-hair-a-how-to-guide/
  • http://www.livestrong.com/article/143541-Neem-oil-head-lice/

How To Use Neem Oil For Treating Acne Problems And Why?

Many people of all ages suffer from acne, which is an inflammatory skin condition marked by red, swollen lesions, pimples, and blackheads on the face, neck, chest and back. All-natural Neem Oil may help with controlling acne, but more on that later.

A study conducted by Columbia University Medical Center’s Dermatology Department found that approximately seventeen million people in the US suffer from acne, which is caused by a number of things such as:

  • Prescription medications
  • Hormone imbalance
  • Poor hygiene
  • Poor diet
  • Stress

neem oil for acne

An acne-prone skin may also be caused by involvement of a hereditary component. The condition is made worse by clogged pores, by a buildup of dead skin cells, makeup, oil, dirt and environmental toxins. When pores become clogged, bacteria thrives, and the result is an acne outbreak.

Acne remedies are a big money-maker for commercial cosmetic and personal care manufacturers. Unfortunately, these potions and notions are often very expensive and very ineffective.

The good news is that the best way to treat acne is entirely natural, quite affordable and beneficial to your overall health and well-being.

In this article, we will tell you how you can use Neem oil for acne treatment, and provide some useful advice to help you establish a healthy lifestyle to build up your immune system so that your body can fight off acne outbreaks naturally. Read on to learn more.

Six Causes of Acne

Neem Oil Helps Prevent & Treat Acne Lesions & Scars

Neem oil is a very popular, natural essential oil derived from the seeds of the Neem tree (Azadirachta indica) or Indian Lilac. This hardy evergreen tree grows abundantly in warm regions and produces a wealth of substances used for a wide variety of health and personal care products. Of these, neem oil is the best known and most readily available in the United States and other western countries.

It is important to understand that no single product that will completely cure acne since a combination of several factors causes the condition.

Even the most expensive chemical solutions come with instructions urging the user to:

  • Eat right
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Exercise regularly
  • Get enough sleep
  • Manage stress
  • Practice good personal hygiene

These are all important aspects of successful acne treatment. When you practice these smart lifestyle habits and use neem oil and neem products regularly to cleanse and moisturize your dry skin and treat acne outbreaks, you will soon see positive improvements.

Remember that acne is an inflammatory condition. When acne-prone skin or sensitive skin types becomes irritated by a buildup of oils, dead skin cells, dirt, etc., bacterial growth results. Bacteria on the skin and blocking pores and hair follicles can cause an immune response which results in red, irritated skin and a buildup of pus and/or sebum around the bacteria. This problem can present as:

  • Whiteheads
  • Blackheads
  • Nodules
  • Pimples
  • Cystic Acne

If left untreated or improperly treated, these lesions can lead to permanent scarring and disfigurement. It is imperative to take a holistic approach and deal with acne on a gentle, consistent basis.

What To Do?

For many people, an acne cure seems very elusive. It is not surprising that people turn to a wide variety of products ranging from over-the-counter topical products to prescription medications to overcome this condition. Herbal home remedies also abound, and most (if not all) can work quite well in conjunction with neem oil. Among them are:

  • Aloe Vera Gel
  • Oil Of Oregano
  • Manuka Honey
  • Argan Oil
  • Tamanu Oil
  • Turmeric

It is interesting to note that of these substances, the oils can be used together or interchangeably.

The biggest difference between cosmetic Neem Oil and cosmetic Argan oil is availability and price. Argan oil is not as readily available since the Argan tree only grows only in a small area of Morocco.

Furthermore, production of the oil is very labor intensive and only takes place during a limited time of year.

Neem trees, on the other hand, grow across India and many parts of Asia. They can also grow in temperate areas of the US where they are being grown commercially for oil production now.

Oil of oregano has many of the same properties as neem oil and may be a bit more powerful regarding anti-bacterial abilities. It is readily available because oregano is an annual herb grown in abundance in a wide variety of settings around the world.

You may wish to have some on hand to help deal with severe outbreaks, but for everyday use neem oil is more affordable and just as effective.

When it comes to treating acne, neem oil brings these abilities to the table:

  • Moisturizing properties help balance the skin’s production of sebum. Drying products can spur the skin to produce too much sebum, causing more acne outbreaks.
  • Exfoliating properties: Organic neem seed oil draws out toxins and softens the skin making it easy to wash away dead skin cells. This quality helps keep pores clear.
  • Anti-fungal properties help fight off any tendency to develop problems with Candida, ringworm or other fungal infections of the skin.
  • Antibacterial properties have been proven effective in combating the bacteria that causes acne.
  • Healing properties encourage rejuvenation, the growth of new skin and reduction of scarring.
  • Antioxidant properties counteract damage caused by free radicals and promote healthy skin.
  • Natural anti-inflammatory properties soothe pain and swelling and reduce redness.

Related: 17+ Ways To Enjoy Neem Oil’s Amazing Benefits

Is Neem Oil Safe?

Neem oil is an entirely safe product for topical use and virtually free of any adverse side effects. When you use over-the-counter medications or prescription drugs, there is always some risk of adverse side effects.

You can safely use neem for acne, on a regular ongoing basis throughout your adult life. While some people do experience a degree of sensitivity to pure neem oil, this problem is easily countered by just diluting the oil with a carrier oil or other substance (e.g. aloe vera gel).

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Tips For Treating Acne With Neem Oil

Here are a few ideas you can use and adapt to treat and prevent acne outbreaks.

1. Use organic neem oil full strength or combined with another essential oil to spot treat individual lesions. Just a drop or two of neem oil on its own or mixed with equal parts of oil of oregano, tea tree oil or Argan oil can help overcome bacterial infection and promote healing.

Apply at night before bedtime for best results. You can also apply the oil to lesions once or twice during the day, as needed. If these pure oils cause irritation, they may be too strong for your skin. In this case, try diluting them with a carrier oil.

2. Dilute Neem oil with a carrier oil such as:

  • Hemp Seed Oil
  • Sunflower Oil
  • Coconut Oil
  • Almond Oil
  • Jojoba Oil
  • Olive Oil

Generally speaking, six drops of neem oil to one teaspoon of carrier oil is about the right ratio. Adjust this as you wish to suit your needs. You can apply this combination directly to lesions and acne scars or use it as an all-over moisturizer.

3. Create a light, daytime moisturizer for your skin with pure aloe vera gel and neem oil. Again, about a teaspoon of a carrier oil (aloe) to 6 drops of neem oil makes a good mixture. Adjust as needed for more or less moisturizing.

NOTE: When applying your nighttime moisture treatment, massage your skin gently for a couple of minutes. The massage will help stimulate healthy blood circulation, which is vital for removing toxins from the skin and promoting healing.

4. Wash gently with neem oil soap. Look for a mild, neem soap to help cleanse your skin effectively and support your other neem treatments. It may be tempting to scrub your skin but resist this temptation.

Scrubbing will only irritate your condition and make matters worse. Instead, massage gently with neem soap and warm water. Finish up with a cool water rinse. Pat your skin dry with a clean towel and apply your moisturizer.

5. Keep a regular schedule. Be sure to establish a regular skin care routine and stick to it. Wash your face gently, yet thoroughly every night before bedtime.

In the morning, you may wish to wash your face thoroughly again, or just splash with warm water, followed by cool water and daytime moisturizer. Use your best judgment and follow your preferences.

Following a regular, consistent routine for an extended period is important if you want to attain and maintain positive results.

When you use natural products to improve your health and appearance, you will not get immediate results; however, patience and persistence will pay off in the long run. You will not just improve your appearance. You will also improve your overall good health.

6. Eat a balanced, healthy diet. The buildup of toxins in the body can cause or exacerbate acne. Strive to eat a whole foods diet that consists mostly of fresh fruits and vegetables, high quality, lean protein sources and whole grains. Avoid processed foods and junk food.

7. Stay well hydrated with pure, filtered water. Drink lots and lots of pure filtered water to help flush toxins from your system and keep your whole body operating at optimum levels. Say “NO!” too soft drinks and bottled water.

Soft drinks are nothing but concoctions of chemicals and artificial flavors and colors. Bottled water is just water from somewhere else put in a plastic bottle from which it leaches carcinogens while it goes flat. Invest in a home water filtration system or a simple filtration pitcher. Filter your own, fresh tap water and drink plenty of it.

8. Exercise regularly. Increase your blood circulation and help your body process and eliminate toxins by getting at least 20 minutes of light to moderate exercise every day.

It is also smart to exercise vigorously for about half an hour 3 or 4 times a week. Exercise helps reduce stress and improves your ability to get good sleep.

9. Sleep regularly and well. Your body needs 6-8 hours of high-quality sleep every 24 hours. Getting proper sleep helps rejuvenate and heal your body, mind and spirit.

10. Manage stress. Give yourself a spa day once a week (or at least once a month) to pamper yourself with skin and hair care treatments. Give yourself a couple of hours to apply a masque, give your hair a hot oil treatment, take a nice, relaxing bath and just unwind.

Don’t think of it as just an indulgence. Remember that wise lifestyle habits will help you get your acne under control. Stress management is a vital part of living a healthy way of life.

Graphic of the 5 Types of Acne Pimples

Acne Treatment Recipes:

Neem Oil, Honey, Turmeric & Yogurt Masque For Your Face

Turmeric is an Indian herb that has many fabulous medicinal uses. Affordable and readily available on your grocer’s spice shelf, Turmeric is very effective in fighting acne because it has strong antiseptic properties.

Yogurt contains lactic acid, which breaks down dead skin cells and helps exfoliate the skin. Honey is filled with nourishment and goodness. Added moisture and all of other wonderful benefits of neem oil get included to the mix.

Follow this recipe to make a simple masque that you can use weekly to help slough off dead skin cells and rejuvenate your skin.

Combine equal parts (about a teaspoon each) plain yogurt, honey, and turmeric. Add neem oil at a rate of about 6 drops per teaspoon of other ingredients. Mix it in a bit at a time to get the right consistency. You want a slightly wet paste that you can smooth over your skin easily without excessive dripping. Adjust the ingredients as needed to get a workable consistency.

Once you’re satisfied with the texture of your mixture, wash your face gently with warm water and apply the masque. You’ll want to leave it in place for about half an hour, so take advantage of the fact that you can’t go anywhere or do anything with a bright orange face!

Lie back and relax. Listen to some music. Put a couple of cucumber slices over your eyelids.

When the time is up, wash your face thoroughly and apply your night or daytime moisturizer as appropriate. Note that you may want to take a shower and wash your face after using this masque because Turmeric can stain your skin a bit. Giving your face a good thorough wash and rinse under running water will help counteract that.

French Clay Masque With Neem & Essential Oils

If you have very oily skin, you may wish to use a French clay masque occasionally. French clay can be purchased at health food stores or online. Follow package instructions to mix the clay powder with enough water to form a stiff paste. Stir in neem oil and other essential oils as desired at a rate of 6 drops of oil (total) per teaspoon of clay mixture. Some good oil choices include:

  • Neem oil
  • Argan oil
  • Tea tree oil
  • Eucalyptus oil
  • Oil of lavender
  • Oil of Oregano

Generally speaking, it is unwise to combine more than two types of essential oil unless you are quite knowledgeable about the use of these oils, so plan on using only neem oil or use neem oil combined with only one of the other types of oil. Understand that the total amount of oil should add up to 6 drops of oil per teaspoon of clay.

Apply the masque to your face and allow it to dry for 15 or 20 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water followed by cool water and proper moisturizing. The masque is very drying, so you should not use it more than once a week.

In fact, once a month should suffice. Do not apply the masque to the fragile skin around your eyes. Instead, apply a moisturizing treatment to this area.

Light Treatments For Back, Neck & Shoulders

Cucumber & Neem Oil:
This is a very simple, cooling masque that may be especially helpful if you have spent quite a bit of time in the sun. To make this masque, just peel a cucumber and put it in your blender. Puree it and then add neem oil at a rate of 6 drops (more or less) per teaspoon of liquid.

Note that pureeing a whole cucumber will make quite a lot of masque, so you may want to save this recipe for use on your back, chest, neck, and shoulders.

As with the turmeric masque, apply the finished product and take it easy for half an hour to give the ingredients time to work. When the time is up, wash the mask off gently and follow up with appropriate moisturizer.

Apple Cider Vinegar Spray:

  • Combine neem oil, grape seed oil, and apple cider vinegar.
  • 6 ounces of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon grapeseed oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon neem oil

Decant this mixture into a spray bottle and spray it on your back, shoulders, neck or other areas affected by acne. Leave the mixture in place for a few minutes (until it dries) and then wash off.

This spray mixture makes an excellent, pre-shower treatment. Don’t mix up large batches as it will not stay fresh more than a couple of days.

Add Neem Oil To Your Bath Oil

For a soothing, all-over treatment, add a tablespoon or so of carrier oil with neem oil to your bath. Take a nice, relaxing soak for at least fifteen or twenty minutes. When finished, pat your skin dry with a clean towel.

Take some time to relax in a terry cloth robe to allow the oils to soak into your skin. Note that for this treatment; you may wish to shower first and wash with a neem oil soap. Finish up with your moisturizing bath.

Alternately, you can use Epsom salts as a carrier for neem oil and other essential oils for the bath. One or two cups of Epsom salts mixed with about a teaspoon of neem and other essential oils per cup of salts is the right ratio. For skin conditioning and aromatherapy try:

  • 2 cups of epsom salts
  • 1 tsp oil of lavender
  • 1 tsp neem oil

Mix the oils into the salts and pour the mixture under running water to dissolve and disperse thoroughly.

This combination makes a very relaxing, therapeutic bath that is beneficial in many ways. Neem oil soaks deeply into your skin to moisturize and fight off free radicals, bacteria, and fungus. Lavender is deeply relaxing and anti-fungal.

Epsom salts deliver a healthy dose of relaxing magnesium. Note that you should take a warm shower to rinse off following this treatment, but don’t wash with soap as this will remove the benefits imparted by your soak.

Some Things You Should Know

1. Just as with any other herbal or natural treatment, you should be certain you are not allergic or sensitive to neem oil before slathering it all over your face, neck and back! Apply a dot of pure neem oil to the soft skin of your inner arm and leave it in place for 24 hours. If no sensitivity develops, you can proceed with confidence.

2. Neem oil is perfectly safe for external use; however, it is not considered safe for ingestion. Neem leaves and neem powder are safe for ingestion and can be helpful in boosting the immune system. You can get powdered neem leaves in capsule form for this purpose.

3. Be aware that you should not use any neem product if you are trying to conceive or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

4. Neem oil and neem products are not safe for use by children and can cause serious health complications.

5. Neem oil can be irritating. Take precautions to avoid getting it in your eyes or your nostrils.

A Consistent, Holistic Approach Is Key To Conquering Acne

It is important to understand that acne is not just a skin problem. It is a lifestyle problem. Treating it only topically with any product will have only limited results. To truly eradicate acne, you must take a whole body approach that addresses every aspect of your health and well-being.

Neem oil is an excellent addition to any healthy lifestyle pursuit. Follow the tips presented here to create a healthy, acne resistant lifestyle. Steady, consistent use will add up to steady, consistent improvement. You should begin to see results within a week to ten days If you don’t see results, consult your health care professional.

Sources: 1 | 2

Peppermint Oil For Spiders: How To Keep Them Out Of Your Home

If you aren’t a fan of creepy crawly things, you probably don’t like the idea of spiders taking up space in your home. While spiders can help take care of more irritating bugs, like houseflies and mosquitoes, they can also make you shudder.

In some areas of the country, you are more likely to have poisonous spiders enter your home. Keeping them out is a great decision.

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Peppermint Oil An Effective Spider Repellant To Control Them In Your Home

One of the best ways to get rid of spiders in your home is to get rid of the pests on which they feed. Peppermint essential oil like this can be effective for repelling spiders, ants, aphids, certain types of beetles, fleas and flies. Therefore, you’ll eliminate the problem as well as the food source that keeps them alive.

If you add other pest-repelling essential oils to your blend, you can target even more bugs. Even if the other oils aren’t effective for getting rid of spiders, if they repel other bugs, the spiders will starve.

The Problem With Pesticides

Even the Environmental Protection Agency recommends using preventative measures as the first step in pest control. One of the problems with chemical pesticides is that people don’t use them properly. Some people think using more of a chemical will kill more bugs. However, using too much pesticide can be dangerous for your health.

Pesticide labels list where the chemical may be used. You shouldn’t use a pesticide designed for outdoor use indoors and vice versa.

When no disposed of properly, they can pose a poison danger for children in your home. They can also leach into the environment. Help conserve the environment by choosing peppermint plants for a natural spider spray.

Why Use Essential Oil As Pest Control?

While many people don’t like insects and spiders, they also don’t like the idea of spraying noxious chemicals in and around their home. Essential oils are natural.

Although some may be dangerous if consumed by humans or pets, essential oils are considered to be minimum-risk pesticides by the EPA. You won’t be consuming the peppermint oil to get rid of spiders; you’ll be using it around the house.

The pesticides used to kill most insects may not affect spiders. According to About Home, when spiders move around, they keep their bodies suspended in the air. If the body doesn’t make contact with the pesticide, they won’t die. Spiders have no circulatory system to transmit pesticides from the bottoms of their legs to the rest of their bodies.

According to DeadPestz.com, the strong smell of peppermint oil is overwhelming to spiders. The spider doesn’t have to come into contact with the solution. Instead, it is repelled by the aroma.

This is good news to anyone who likes to let spiders live to kill off those other annoying bugs. They just won’t do it in your home.

Some people wonder if an anti-spider spray with peppermint really works If you’re not sure, here’s how to test it out yourself.

Pick two spots where spiders generally make their home. Vacuum or sweep the spiders and cobwebs away. Spray one area liberally with the oil.

Keep the other area free of peppermint oil. Keep checking the areas to see if the spiders return.

A blogger at This Big Happy tried this experiment on a porch with numerous spider-infested corners. She found the spiders stayed away from the spots sprayed with peppermint oil.

To use peppermint oil spider repellent effectively, don’t be stingy while spraying. Make sure the spray covers a wide area.

Brown Recluse, a venomous spider in dry winter grass

Brown Recluse, a venomous spider in dry winter grass

What Are The Most Dangerous Types Of Spiders?

As scary as they may look, most spiders won’t hurt you, according to Entomology at the University of Kentucky. Even spiders that can puncture human skin to transmit their venom are not as aggressive as you might imagine.

According to Spiders.us, there are more than 4,000 species of spiders in North America. Venomousspiders.net reports that only about 6 people die from spider bites in the U.S. every year.

Black widows are perhaps the most infamous type of venomous spider. The females have a shiny, bulbous black body with a telltale red hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen. Black widow spiders tend to stay outside.

They may hide in the overlap of your fence or under rocks. Black widow spiders typically hide unless they’re provoked. If you jostle their webs, they may quickly appear.

Most people bitten by black widow spiders are affected when they reach into the spider’s typical hiding spot. Don’t place unprotected hands into a wood pile or abandoned flower pot. Don’t reach behind your fence posts without checking first.

If you’re planning to garden, spraying the area around the garden with peppermint oil may repel any black widow spiders hoping to spend the day with you.

The brown recluse is another type of poisonous spider. This spider isn’t as unique in appearance as the black widow. It may be cream or brown. It has a violin-shaped, dark marking on the section of its back where the legs attach to the body.

Brown recluse spiders also prefer to hide in dark spots. Victims are often bitten when they put their feet into shoes where the spider is hiding. The spider may also enter your bed as you’re sleeping.

It won’t bite you if it’s unprovoked. However, it will defend itself if you roll onto it.

Spraying the area around your bed can help keep brown recluse spiders away. You can also keep cotton balls saturated with peppermint oil under your bed and on your nightstand.

Peppermint oil is also effective when sprayed inside of shoes. You’ll help prevent brown recluse spiders from making homes in your shoes. As an added bonus, your shoes will be deodorized. The antibacterial and antifungal properties of peppermint oil can be beneficial for many foot and skin conditions.

Hobo spiders live in dry, arid regions in the western U.S. They can be identified by a chevron pattern on their bodies.

They do like to make their way indoors. However, they are unlikely to travel up vertical surfaces. For this reason, they are more commonly found in basements or on the ground floor. If you live in an area where hobo spiders are found, you can concentrate your use of peppermint oil repellent on these floors.

How To Make And Use Peppermint Oil Spray

To keep spiders out of your home, make a peppermint oil spider repellant spray. Fill a spray bottle with water. Add at least 15 drops of peppermint essential oils like this.

The larger the spray bottle, the more oil you’ll need. The peppermint water should have a strong aroma if it’s going to keep spiders at bay.

Apply the pepper oil spray solution along floorboards, door openings and cracks in your home. Spray any area where a spider could enter.

If you have a concentration of spiders in a particular area of your home, place 5 drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball and leave it in that area. Refresh the cotton balls every 2 to 3 weeks.

The spray and cotton balls should be directed toward the inside of the home. The spray won’t help you if it gets washed away by rain. Make sure you don’t put cotton balls in reach of children or pets that could choke on them.

You can also use peppermint oil to keep spiders away on a camping trip. Spray the ground around the exterior of your tent with the solution. Keep several cotton balls soaked with the oil near your head while you sleep. You can also place them near the door of the tent.

Peppermint oil also deters ants. Therefore, it’s handy to have around the cooking area of your campsite.

If you’re concerned about traveling with the liquid spray, saturate several cotton balls before you leave the house. Keep them in a sealed container, and remove a few as necessary. This is a great way to use a natural spider repellent when staying in a cabin, old house or even a hotel.

You can also wear peppermint oil on a diffuser pendant to benefit from its aromatherapy as you keep spiders away. The smell can help energize you and fight bacteria and viruses.

Is Peppermint Oil Safe To Use Around The House?

Peppermint oil can be dangerous if eaten. Keep peppermint oil away from children and pets.

Cats may be especially sensitive to peppermint. Ultimate Cat explains that although peppermint is in the same family as catnip, it can be dangerous when used around cats. Don’t place cotton balls soaked with peppermint oil in an area your cat can access. When spraying peppermint oil, make sure your cat does not ingest or roll around in the residue.

If you’re concerned about the safety of peppermint oil around children, consider using fresh leaves from a peppermint plant. Although it won’t be as effective as using 100% pure peppermint oil, you’ll still spread the scent in areas where spiders could hang out.

Crush a few peppermint leaves. Rub them in the areas where you typically find spiders. You can also rub them around cracks or leave them around door and window openings.

You can also make your own peppermint oil infusion. A homemade infusion contains less menthol than the 100% pure essential oil. This can help you rest easy when using it around cats or young children.

To make a peppermint oil infusion:

  • Pack a small jar full of peppermint leaves.
  • Crush them in the jar using a wooden spoon.
  • Fill the jar with olive oil. It should cover all of the leaves.
  • Let the leaves soak in the oil. This will take 2 days in the warm sun or 1 month in cool weather.
  • Shake the jar every 12 hours while it’s steeping.
  • Strain the leaves from the oil using a fine mesh strainer.
  • Keep the oil in a covered container in a dry, dark place for 3 to 6 months.

Another recipe for making your own peppermint oil can be found in this video:

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NOTE: You need to replace the value of “video_id” with your actual YouTube video ID. You can also control the size of the lightbox window by customizing the width and height parameters.

Unlike peppermint essential oil, this type of homemade infusion is edible. Therefore, it can be safer to use around pets and babies.

You can also make a tincture by swapping the oil for grain alcohol. A tincture may be more practical for spraying around the house. The oil can leave a greasy residue on surfaces.

Other Tips For Keeping Spiders Away

Peppermint oil can repel spiders trying to enter your home, but it is only one tool. If you already have an infestation, you’ll need to kill the existing spiders. One of the best methods is to simply squash a spider.

To prevent future infestations, in addition to using peppermint oil, keep the area around your home neat. Don’t leave piles of material like leaves, sticks or firewood near doors or windows. Trim any vegetation that makes contact with the house.

If you’re bringing firewood, plants or other outdoor items inside, check them for spiders first.

Caulk cracks from the outside. Even the tiniest crack around a window can give spiders access to the warmth of your home.

Use a pressure washer to clean your home’s exterior regularly. Spiders can hide under siding, in corners and in gutters. Pressure washing will kill the spiders and get rid of their egg sacs.

Keep clutter to a minimum in storage areas. Dark spaces not frequented by humans or pets make ideal places for a spider web. Clean out your closets frequently, vacuuming in all the hard-to-reach places and moving things around.

Peppermint oil is not a magical cure for keeping spiders away. If you have a problem with spiders in your home, you will need to take extra measures to kill them. Using glue traps and keeping your house free of cobwebs and clutter can help.

Other essential oils that could help get rid of spiders include: lavender oil, neem oil, coconut oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, citronella oil and cinnamon oil.

Food grade diatomaceous earth makes another great option for insect or pest control. It can effectively kill spiders, cockroaches, spider mites, bed bugs and other crawling insects in no time.

Once you’ve taken preventative measures to discourage spiders from making their home in yours, use peppermint oil regularly to prevent them from returning.

Amazing Emu Oil Benefits And Its Uses

People talked a lot about the emu oil recently and many claims made regarding its benefits for health and beauty. But what is emu oil? Where does it come from? Is it really as good as claims make it out to be?

In this article, we will answer these questions and explore the many benefits of all-natural emu oil. Read on to learn more about the uses and health benefits of emu oil

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What Is Emu Oil?

Emu oil came from the fat underneath the skin of the emu bird. Emu is a large, flightless Australian birds, second in size only to ostriches. Australian aborigines treasured these flightless bird for tens of thousands of years. Also, they make an important part of Australian aboriginal culture as they serve as a valuable source of meat, skins, and the precious oil.

The Australian emu birds appear as one of the oldest species of birds on the planet. In fact, emus existed and remained unchanged for around 80,000 years. Aboriginal oral history and cave drawings indicate that the emu has been very much a part of aborigine culture for at least 4000 of those years.

When Europeans arrived on the scene in Australia, the indigenous people introduced them to emu oil as a way of protecting their pale, delicate skin from the ravages of the hot Australian sun.

Emu oil works as sunscreen and all-natural skin moisturizer. It also imparts a wide variety of other benefits both applied topically and taken internally. In addition to many thousands of years of anecdotal evidence, scientific exploration over the last few decades revealed emu oil holds powerful anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial properties.

Doctors often recommend it for scar treatment, wound healing, burn treatment, and much more. When taken internally, emu oil demonstrates its ability to help relieve many kinds of pain and to help soothe gastrointestinal difficulties. [source]

What’s In Emu Oil?

Emu oil’s many therapeutic qualities came from its rich fatty acid (eicosanoid) content. In fact, this natural oil consists of about seventy percent fatty acids. The omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids deliver the superior anti-inflammatory effects of the oil.

Eicosanoids perform as messengers within the central nervous system. They also help prevent and reduce inflammation caused by exercise, stress and/or exposure to pathogens and toxins.

Here’s what you’ll find in correctly processed emu oil:

Oleic Acid

Also known as omega 9 fatty acid, oleic acid helps reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol and increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol when consumed. When applied topically, this fatty acid assists in transdermal absorption of the oil and any substances mixed with it.

Linoleic Acid

Linoleic acid or the omega 6 fatty acid inhibits the production of melanin and reduces the appearance of age spots and/or sun spots. Also, dermatologists recommend it for reduction of hyperpigmentation caused by excessive sun exposure.

Linolenic Acid

The omega 3 fatty acid acts as natural anti-inflammatory agents. It is often delivered orally to combat chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and heart disease. Taken orally, it also helps to boost the growth, development, and overall health of the brain.

Working together, these polyunsaturated fatty acids help relieve joint pain, muscular pain, general inflammation, scars, wrinkles and blemishes by nourishing skin cells and promoting collagen development.

Additionally, an ample helping of vitamins and anti-oxidants provide even more benefits to skin, hair, nails and overall good health. The oil contains generous doses of vitamins A and E, along with polyphenol, flavones, carotenoids and phospholipids.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E serves as a powerful anti-aging agent, which works by balancing cholesterol, fighting free radical damage and strengthening the walls of the capillaries within the skin. It also helps moisturize the skin and contributes to elasticity.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A acts as an antioxidant and boosts the immune system to help prevent fungal, viral and bacterial infection.

How Do You Get Oil from Emus?

Throughout history, the Australian aboriginal people located flocks of emu and hunted them selectively taking only what they needed to supply oil, meat, skin, feathers and other necessities of their everyday lives. Just as Native Americans wasted no part of the buffalo, deer and other wild animals upon which they depended, native aboriginals also used every part of the emu. Even beaks and claws were used to make beads, buttons and other decorative items and fasteners.

The traditional way of extracting the oil from the emu skin was to hang the skin in the sun with a basin or other receptacle beneath to catch the oil as it dripped out.

Today emu are farmed in Australia and in many other parts of the world. Farmers raised them as livestock, and depending upon the size of the farm, the farmer himself may slaughter them or they will be sent away somewhere else for slaughtering and processing.

Processing involves extracting the oil from the skin and also from the thick layer of adipose, the fatty tissue located on the bird’s back. This thick layer of fat serves much the same purpose as a camel’s hump. It serves as a receptacle for the storage of calories and nourishment that the bird will use during lean times. [source]

In hopes of developing a non-fatal extraction method, researchers conducted some experimentations with extracting the fat from this “hump” using liposuction. However, this became unsuccessful. Although the actual process did not kill the birds, they got struck with sickness and died within a few days. For this reason, they raised the argument that subjecting an animal to liposuction appears more cruel than a quick, humane slaughter. [source]

Can Emu Oil Be Considered A Vegan Product?

Clearly, since this oil comes from living creatures it does not belong to the category of products vegans or vegetarians would want to use. People concerned about animal cruelty may also want to steer clear of this product. For vegans, jojoba oil comes as a good alternative. [source]

Seek out oil sourced from small farms where the birds own plenty of room to run, range free. and enjoy their lives for as long as they can instead of getting sent to a slaughterhouse. The trip to the abattoir can cause trauma and confusion to the birds resulting to injuries or deaths during transport. Commercial slaughter involves the breaking of the birds’ necks by machine.

If the birds received inadequate care or cruel treatment, the quality of oil and meat declines. In use, emu oil gets absorbed quickly and deeply by the human body. Any impurities or excesses of adrenaline or other hormones it may contain will also be absorbed.

How Will You Know If Farmed Emu Are Well-Treated?

Even though the American Emu Association (AEA) provides guidelines for humane treatment of farmed emus, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals expressed some concern regarding both their treatment in large commercial enterprises and methods of slaughter. [source]

Emu mature very slowly and are usually at least two years old at the time of slaughter. It makes an important practice to provide them plenty of care. All for the sake of experiencing humane, quality life before providing great quality of the oil and meat they produce.

To be well-cared-for, emu need lots of space to run and socialize with each other. Also, they need to free range for bugs, grass, and other natural sources of food. They also need good shelter, good feed, and plenty of water.

Emu Industry Promotional Video

Just as commercially raised chickens crowd dark spaces and receive mistreatment, this may also happen with commercially raised emus. Unscrupulous breeders may give the birds antibiotics on a regular basis to ward off illness caused by overcrowding. They may also treat the birds with hormones and give them genetically modified feed in an attempt to hasten their growth.

For all of these reasons, find a certified cruelty-free oil. In the United States, emu oils should come from manufacturers with license or approval from the AEA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This ensures the animals receive proper treatment and their oil went through proper extraction and other processes.

After the fat gets removed, the extraction proceeds with rinsing and draining of the fat pad before freezing it. Improper handling of the fat pad may cause contamination. Moreover, the oil rendered from the fat pad will receive heating, filtering, and refining for maximum purity. As a result, the oil maintains its light yellow color and gets easily absorbed by skin upon application.

Why Use Emu Oil?

With the tremendous investment of time and resources involved and the death of the bird, it may seem that it would hardly serve its purpose to properly gather and process emu oil. However, emu oil is an astonishingly valuable oil humanity can take advantage of in a wide variety of ways. Due to this, it comes as a worthwhile protocol to follow for anyone involved.

This rich, healing oil works excellently for protecting, moisturizing, and treating many skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, shingles, lichen sclerosus and more. It contains powerful anti-inflammatory, highly moisturizing, non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic properties many skin types can easily absorb. [source]

Emu oil helps the skin build healthy new skin cells. This makes it an especially good choice as an anti-aging product or a treatment for a wide number of skin conditions including:

  • Hypo-pigmentation
  • Stretch Marks
  • Canker Sores
  • Sun Damage
  • Dermatitis
  • Wrinkles
  • Shingles
  • Rosacea
  • Psoriasis
  • Alopecia
  • Eczema
  • Burns
  • Scars
  • Acne
  • Sensitive skin remedy

It also serves as an important note that emu farmers do not usually slaughter the birds for their oil alone. The meat gives great value and makes a very healthy addition to an omnivorous diet. The skin is used to make leather similar to ostrich skin.

How Do You Use Emu Oil?

Many ways exist on how you can make good use of emu oil in your everyday life. It makes a wonderful addition to your skin care, hair care, and nail care routines. It also appears as an excellent choice for pain relief and wound healing, as well as a superb dietary supplement.

6 Ways To Use Emu Oil For The Skin

Improve Skin Texture

If your skin thinned as you age, apply emu oil to help boost collagen production and add moisture. The oil will nourish and plump-up the skin cells and stimulate the skin to produce more skin cells thus, reducing wrinkles resulting to a thicker, stronger skin.

Get Rid Of Under-Eye Circles

Troubled with dark circles under your eyes? Just add emu oil to a multi-step process to deal with them effectively. Naturally, you must get plenty of sleep to avoid dark circles under your eyes but this may not work enough.

If you are genetically predisposed to under-eye bags, you can deal with them by applying chilled compresses. Used tea bags (especially green tea) or chilled cucumber slices work well.

Apply the compresses for about 5 minutes. Follow up by gently massaging the delicate skin around your eyes with a few drops of emu oil to help relax the muscles, improve circulation and stimulate the lymphatic system. [source]

Treat Acne

Because of its light texture and quick absorption, emu oil makes an excellent choice for oil cleansing for acne. Also, it works great in delivering essential oils such as tea tree oil and lavender oil, to medicate and heal the skin.

This light oil will not clog your pores. Instead, it will help reduce inflammation, moisturize the skin, and improve its texture. In addition to using emu oil for oil cleansing, you can also use it as a spot treatment for blemishes. Additionally, it helps reduce redness and speeds up healing.

Get Eczema Relief

After-bath moisturizing with emu oil has been found to be extremely helpful when dealing with the flaking, itching and redness caused by eczema. Some people say that once a day application is enough, but others find that it’s more helpful to use the oil several times daily. This is perfectly safe as emu oil is generally considered hypoallergenic.

Treat Cracked, Dry Skin

After-bath application is also an excellent idea for people living in cold, dry climates. The oil helps to reduce inflammation and increases cell production. It is especially effective when applied to challenging areas such as heels, knees, elbows and chapped cheeks and hands.

Cracked Heels

Pay special attention to dry, cracked heels. Treat yourself to a foot soak in a tub of warm water with Epsom salts. Rinse your feet with warm water and pat them dry. Use a pumice stone to scrub away flaking, dead skin. Massage your feet with olive oil and then apply pure emu oil directly to damaged, cracked areas of skin. Put on cotton socks to help the oil soak in deeply and put your feet up for at least an hour. This application with the Australian refined emu oil is an especially good treatment at bedtime.

3 Ways to Use Emu Oil For Hair & Nails

Heal Your Scalp

Because emu oil does absorb so deeply and so quickly, it is an excellent choice for soothing and healing your scalp. Its anti-inflammatory activity can help treat a wide variety of scalp conditions such as dandruff, centrifugal alopecia and more. Essential fatty acids and vitamins A and E help nourish your scalp and encourage collagen turnover and development which may prevent hair loss and promote new hair growth.

Condition Your Hair

Stroke a few drops of emu oil through your hair as a leave-in conditioner. You can also make an emu oil shampoo for regular use. The light oil absorbs quickly to nourish dry hair and smooth frizz.

Heal and Strengthen Nails and Cuticles

Apply a few drops of emu oil to your nails and cuticles every night at bedtime to help prevent hang-nails, soften your cuticles and nourish the nail bed for stronger healthier nails. Because of its anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties, emu oil is also an excellent treatment for problems such as nail fungus.

4 Ways To Use Emu Oil Topically For Healing

Heal Wounds

Topical application of emu oil is far more effective than topical application of almost any other kind of oil because it is so readily absorbed. When you apply emu oil to scratches, cuts, scrapes and even surgical incisions it delivers a healthy dose of unsaturated fats and nutrients deep into the skin. This stimulates the development of new skin and promotes quick healing with little or no scarring.

Heal Burns

Chinese researchers have conducted some very thorough (if somewhat horrifying) research involving burn healing on rats. [source]

The results of this research found that use of emu oil on second degree burns promoted quick and thorough healing in the group of subjects that were treated especially when compared with the control group which did not recover.

The oil was found to increase the rate of skin renewal and decrease the accumulation of water in blisters that resulted from the burns. The oil also decreased inflammatory cell growth. Interestingly, these results were only attained when the oil was applied one or two days after the injury. It did not work well when applied immediately after the injury. [source]

Heal Virus-Induced Sores

Canker sores, cold sores, shingles and other types of sores that are caused by viral infection can be soothed and healed by direct application of emu oil. Naturally, the virus must run its course; however, use of the oil will help prevent pain, itching and resulting scarring.

Heal and Soothe Nasal Passages

If you do have a stuffy nose or if you tend to get nosebleeds, try using emu oil to moisturize your nasal passages. Its anti-inflammatory properties can help relieve swelling and make breathing easier. It’s moisturizing properties will help prevent cracked, dry mucous membranes and bleeding. [source]

3 Ways to Use Emu Oil To Massage Away Aches & Pains

Pain Relieving Body Massage

It’s easy to understand why emu oil is very popular with professional massage therapists. It is an excellent choice for use when massaging people with arthritis, muscle strains, sprains and other injuries. A massage with emu oil with or without the addition of other therapeutic essential oils can provide a great deal of relief for injury and chronic pain.

Soothe Aching Muscles

Serious athletes and weekend warriors alike can benefit from the use of emu oil to help relieve muscular inflammation caused by overexertion. On its own or in preparations such as Blue Emu, it delivers a great deal of relief and healing.

Blue Emu is a fine example of emu oil products that make good use of emu oil both as an active ingredient and as a carrier oil. This popular product is a combination of emu oil, aloe vera gel, methylsulfonylmethan (MSM) and glucosamine.

Aloe is well-known for its soothing and healing properties. MSM is frequently prescribed for treatment of chronic pain – especially arthritis pain. Glucosamine promotes cartilage health and is often prescribed for treatment of arthritis pain. The addition of emu oil to these three powerful ingredients gives their effectiveness a boost and helps speed and enhance delivery of those benefits.

Soothe Arthritis

The anti-inflammatory properties of emu oil alone can help reduce pain and inflammation in the joints. Massaging the oil directly into the joints several times a day can go far to diminish tenderness.

The fact that the oil does sink in so quickly and thoroughly means that it can also be used as a carrier to provide transdermal benefits using other oils and medications. For example, you might mix it with oil of peppermint or capsaicin to cool and soothe arthritis pain. [source]

3 Ways to Use Emu Oil For Mother & Baby

Prevent & Heal Stretch Marks

You can prevent and treat stretch marks with regular application of emu oil. Use the oil to moisturize the skin of your breasts, stomach, hips and thighs throughout your pregnancy and after delivery to prevent the development of stretch marks.

For existing stretch marks, moisturize daily – especially after bath or shower. Treating existing stretch marks can be a very slow process, so be patient. You may not be able to completely get rid of your stretch marks, but regular, daily use of emu oil will reduce their appearance.

Ease Breast-Feeding Pain

Breast-feeding can cause dry skin, cracked nipples, soreness and pain. To avoid these problems, moisturize the nipples with emu oil several times daily. Be sure to wipe the nipples clean with a warm damp cloth before feeding your baby since it may not be safe for an infant to ingest the oil.

Treat Diaper Rash

Because of its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and healing properties emu oil is a natural choice as a diaper rash treatment. Even though it is considered to be generally hypoallergenic, you should naturally perform a patch test before using emu oil on a large area of your baby’s skin. Place a drop on your baby’s upper arm and allow it to soak in. Monitor the area closely for 24 hours. If no irritation occurs, you can safely use emu oil topically.

5 Ways To Use Emu Oil For Do It Yourself Remedies

Use As a Carrier

Emu oil’s biological compounds are very similar to those of your own skin. It is this quality that makes the oil such an excellent carrier for a wide variety of medicines and remedies. Unlike other animal fats, emu oil is a very good carrier oil because it does not contain any phosphorus and absorbs into the skin deeply and completely. [source]

Emu oil is an excellent soothing, curative oil on its own. It is able to break through skin barriers and penetrate the skin deeply and quickly, so it always pays to take care when mixing anything with emu oil. When you add carefully chosen essential oils you can create your own custom products that deliver deep healing transdermally. This is especially good for making anti-itch products, heating rubs and pain relief rubs.

Safe For Pets

If your pet is plagued by flea bites, emu oil can help ease the itching and speed healing. Protect your dog’s paw pads during very cold or hot weather by applying emu oil regularly to help thicken and soothe the skin. Add emu oil to your pet’s diet as a tonic to help treat inflammatory conditions and boost overall good health.

Repel Bugs

Emu oil contains terpenes which work to repel and disorient many insects. Applying emu oil to exposed areas of skin before you go outdoors may help keep bugs away. Be advised that the effects are not long-lasting. You will need to reapply the oil hourly.

Soothe Insect Bites

If you do get bitten by a mosquito or other insect, you can calm down the swelling, itching and pain by applying a few drops of emu oil.

Make Emu Oil Soap

If you make your own soap, experiment with using emu oil for part or all of the fat. The resulting soap moisturizes your skin deeply because of its rich linoleic and oleic fatty acid content along with vitamins E and A.

Soap made with emu oil is very soothing to dry skin and very effective as part of the treatment for skin conditions. Because emu oil is non-comedogenic it will not clog your pores or cause breakouts on acne prone skin.

6 Ways Emu Oil Helps You When Taken Orally

Dietary Supplement

You can purchase emu oil as an oral supplement in capsule form. These emu oil capsules are available in different independent online shops. As an overall tonic, it’s hard to beat emu oil. It provides a tremendous amount of Omega three, six and nine fatty acids. The benefits of consuming emu oil include regulation of blood pressure levels, improved triglyceride levels, better control of diabetes and even help with weight loss. Taking emu oil orally as a dietary supplement is a great way to add metabolism boosting healthy fats to your diet.

Boost Your Immune System

Emu oil is filled with essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants that can help you build a stronger immune system. This can be a real boon in fighting off cold and flu viruses. Additionally, it can help you get through a cold or flu with less discomfort. Emu oil’s anti-inflammatory properties help soothe sore throats and stuffy noses.

Relieve Inflammation

When taken internally, emu oil can have a very positive effect on inflammatory conditions such as ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. It can also be helpful in treating a wide variety of other inflammatory conditions such as inflammation of the ear, migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints and other overuse injuries. A combination of use of emu oil is a dietary supplement and topical application can be very effective against swelling and pain associated with these problems.

Lower Cholesterol Levels

The Canadian Nutrition & Metabolism Research Group conducted a study in which they gave one group of participants olive oil supplements and another group emu oil supplements. The group receiving emu oil showed significantly lower and more greatly reduced cholesterol levels at the end of the three month trial.

Get a Healthy Gut

Much of your immune system is located in your gastrointestinal tract, so the fact that emu oil is so very healing and soothing to your gut naturally helps to improve your immune system. Additionally, the oil’s high linolenic acid content provides a very powerful treatment against the antibiotic-resistant infection, H pylori. This is the bacteria that causes a number of gastric diseases such as peptic ulcers, gastritis and gastric malignancy.

Relieve Mucositis

People who are undergoing radiation therapy for cancer often develop a condition known as chemotherapy -induced mucositis. This is very painful ulceration and inflammation of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. Emu oil has been shown to help repair the damage done by this condition. For this reason, it is very often prescribed as a supplement for patients undergoing radiation therapy.

Does Emu Oil Have Any Side-Effects?

For the most part, emu oil is hypoallergenic and safe for use by people of all ages and degrees of sensitivity. Even so, as with all over-the-counter health, beauty and wellness products, you should exercise caution. Before applying the oil over a large area of skin, be sure to perform a patch test.

For adults, put a few drops of the oil on the thin skin of your inner forearm. Leave it in place for 24 hours and monitor for signs of irritation.

For children under the age of 12, apply a few drops (or a single drop in infants) to the outer skin of the upper arm. Leave it in place for 24 hours and monitor for irritation.

If no signs of irritation appear, you can safely use the oil.

As a supplement, be sure that the emu oil you choose is intended to be taken orally. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, be sure to consult your doctor before taking emu oil. Even though it is generally considered safe for people of all ages, you should be aware that no testing has been done to ascertain its safety for oral use in infants, so you must exercise extreme caution. [source]

Is All Emu Oil Alike?

The quality of emu oil can vary greatly depending on many factors. These include the conditions under which the emu were kept, the quality of their feed and the type of processing to which the oil was subjected. Unlike many other types of natural oil, highly refined emu oil is preferable because it contains a greater amount of fatty acids.

Be sure to check the source of any emu oil you purchase. Oil produced by small farmers is preferable to that produced by large companies. The best oil comes from animals that are well-cared for and humanely slaughtered. Look for cruelty-free emu oil.

Because the demand for emu oil has increased so greatly in the past few years, some larger companies are breeding and keeping the birds in inhumane conditions in an attempt to maximize their profits. Overcrowding and poor conditions always leads to sick livestock and parasite problems.

For this reason, you should always be certain that the oil you are purchasing comes from birds that have not been treated with vaccines and pesticides or fed growth hormones, antibiotics or genetically modified feeds. All of these contaminants are held in the fat of any animal, and emu oil is just emu fat. If you use oil that is sourced from poorly treated, unhealthy birds it will very efficiently convey that abuse to you.

Australian vs. American Emu Oil

Some people feel that it is safest to purchase only emu oil that has been sourced from Australian breeders; however, regulation of breeders in the United States has improved in recent years. The best US breeders are certified by the American Emu Association (AEA) which establishes guidelines on emu care.

To ensure the best quality when purchasing emu oil in the United States, look for certification by the American Emu Association. This will help you purchase with confidence knowing that the oil you are buying is pure and that the emus were handled humanely throughout their lives.

The AEA also maintains certification programs which allow for third-party verification of the stability, purity and composition of oils produced by their members. The agency conveys approval based on a number of criteria, including free fatty acid and water content, as well as the absence of contaminants such as germs, toxic metals, hormones, anti-biotics and pesticides.

US processing of the oil should be performed by an entity that is regulated by the FDA. When properly managed every step of the way, the final product should be 100% pure, safe and stable with a long and reliable shelf life.

What Is Emu Oil Good For?

Clearly adding emu oil to your daily health, beauty and wellness routine is a very smart choice. Always be sure to purchase oil that is 100 percent pure and natural, especially when you intend to use it as a supplement.

Once you have found a reliable source, stick with it. Don’t be tempted to try out bargains because you are very likely to encounter poor quality oils that have been mixed with other types of inferior oils.

Remember that emu oil enhances absorption of anything it is mixed with, so if your emu oil is mixed with petroleum products, alcohol, or other additives the result will be quick absorption of those impurities into your system.

When you choose emu oil that is certified cruelty-free and 100% pure and natural, you can be certain of safe use and great results.

Benefits Of Pumpkin Seed Oil For Skin And Hair

Pumpkin seeds make an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and beta-carotene. Its very fine oil functions well in many applications as a health and beauty aid, food, medicine, and supplement.

In this article, we will explore the history of pumpkin seed oil (PSO) and explain why adding it to your daily health, fitness, and personal care routine serves as a good idea. Read on to learn more about the benefits of pumpkin seeds and its essential oils.

anti bacterial pumpkin seed oil, seeds and pumpkin

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Can You Get PSO From Any Pumpkin Seeds?

Not all pumpkin seeds produce this marvelous oil. The specific pumpkin used for this purpose is the Styrian pumpkin (aka: Cucurbita Pepo). This smallish pumpkin shows an attractive green, ochre striped skin, and fairly soft, deep yellow flesh

Its seeds are dark and plump and without shells, so it is easy to press the oil from them. These seeds are just chock full of nutrition. They boast high doses of vitamins A, C and E, as well as Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, beta-carotene, amino acids, lysine, tryptophan, zinc and much more.

The oil pressed from these seeds contains an interesting characteristic known as dichromatism. This makes it appear with two different colors depending upon the depth of the oil. A thin layer of PSO appears to be greenish or yellowish; however, a thick layer will appear to be red. The reasons for this quality are nicely explained in this interesting video.

The rare property of pumpkin seed oil – dichromatism

The Styrian pumpkin originally hailed from the “New World” and Christopher Columbus brought it back to Europe. The people of Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, and Croatia enjoy its tasty, healthful seeds as a snack, addition to cereals, baked goods, and other dishes ever since.

The seeds look unusual as they look dark, plump, and no hull. They resemble very large watermelon seeds.

You can find lighter colored seeds in many stores. However, they do not contain the same nutritional value as dark seeds and do not produce the same high quality of oil. After harvesting, farmers retain the largest, plumpest, and darkest seeds, and plant them for next year’s harvest.

You can get PSO oil from this: Vivapura Organic Raw Styrian Pumpkin Seeds.

The Styrian pumpkin started growing in southeastern Austria farms since the very late 1600s. Locals cherished it for its health, beauty and culinary value. For a time, they only used the seed oil for medicinal uses by decree of the Austrian Empress, Maria Theresa. In March of 1773, she issued an edict stipulating exclusive production and selling of Styrian by apothecaries as medicine as it’s too precious to become a food product.

Styrian pumpkin, also known for its Latin name Cucurbita pepo. Its oil may be referred to as:

  • Pumpkin Seed Oil (PSO)
  • Calabaza Seed Oil
  • Green Gold Oil
  • Pepo Oil

We use these terms interchangeably throughout this guide.

To produce high quality Styrian Cucurbita Pepo oil, manufacturers roast its dark and plump seeds before cold-pressing. The resulting oil comes perfect for use in homemade personal care products such as lotions, creams, soaps, and more.

Pumpkin seed oil also makes an excellent addition to any kitchen due to ease of use as a flavorful oil in a wide variety of dishes. You don’t need the skills of a chef to use it as you can just drizzle it over salads and rice. It also tastes great on desserts such as ice cream for a satisfying, nutty flavor, and an effective nutrition boost. Don’t use it as a cooking oil as heating or browning it tends to reduce its nutritional value.

Watch this charming video that provides a complete history of the Styrian pumpkin and its importance in Austria.

The Green Gold – P.G.I. Pumpkin Seed Oil of Styria, Austria

The Properties & Qualities Of Styrian Pepo Oil

Pure natural “green-gold oil” varies in shade from light yellow through shades of green to deep reddish brown. The color comes from chlorophyll. It always carry along a delicious nutty scent, and a smooth, light texture.

The PSO holds a fairly short shelf life if not refrigerated. You can store it in a cool, dark place for about 6 months. You can further extend its shelf life by keeping it in the fridge.

The oil possess a low comedogenic rating of 2, which means it may clog pores. Nonetheless, it makes an effective acne treatment agent when used in combination with light oils, such as jojoba or sunflower seed oil.

Because of its high nutrient value, along with its powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-fungal, and antibacterial properties, PSO delivers a wealth of benefits to skin, hair and nails when applied topically. It contributes greatly to overall good health when added to the diet and taken as a supplement.

Below includes the components of pure Calabaza Seed Oil from Austria:

  • Omega 6 fatty acids
  • Omega 3 fatty acids
  • Arachidic acid
  • Beta-carotene
  • Linoleic acid
  • Myristic acid
  • Palmitic acid
  • Stearic acid
  • Zeaxanthin
  • Phytosterols
  • Tryptophan
  • Folic acid
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C
  • Phosphorus
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin K
  • Oleic acid
  • Vitamin B
  • Magnesium
  • Manganese
  • Selenium
  • Copper
  • Lysine
  • Zinc
  • Iron

Pumpkin Seed Oil For Skin And Hair

The Anti-Aging Properties of PSO

With bountiful amounts of essential fatty acids, antioxidants and nutrients, pumpkin seed oil makes a perfect choice for care of mature skin. Its high vitamin E content nourishes and heals the skin, and the light easily absorbed oil provides excellent hydration. Used both topically and as a supplement, pepo oil helps promote healthier, younger-looking skin.

The Moisturizing Properties of PSO

The light, smooth texture of PSO gets easily absorbed by all skin types. It provides hydration and nourishment to dry skin, damaged skin, acne-prone skin, and to those suffering from chronic skin conditions.

The Wound-Healing Properties of PSO

Applied topically and taken as a supplement or addition to your diet, PSO can help wounds heal faster. Its rich vitamin K content helps blood clot effectively, thereby helping wounds to heal more quickly. PSO also helps prevent skin lesions caused by inflammatory, chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. Add it to your diet, infuse your personal care products with it, and apply it full strength to injuries, abrasions, and scars to promote faster and more effective healing.

The Skin Toning Properties Of PSO

The high vitamin content of pumpkin seed oil effectively improves the suppleness of the skin and evens the pigmentation. Vitamin C comes especially helpful in brightening and lightening skin tone, and all of the vitamins contained in this nourishing oil effectively promote the production of healthy skin cells. If you got a patchy skin tone or you got “ashy” skin, add pepo oil to your daily diet and add it to your skincare routine. Consistent use will bring about positive improvements.

Skin Renewing Properties Of PSO

Adding pumpkin seed oil to your personal care products and your daily diet will help encourage skin cell turnover. This means that your body will slough off old, dead skin cells and replace them with new, vibrant ones more frequently and more efficiently.

How Does Pumpkin Seed Oil Benefit Hair?

For hair care and general hair health, PSO works great for both topical applications and as a nutritional supplement. Its high folic acid and vitamin B content promotes healthy hair, skin, and nails. As a scalp treatment, it helps cleanse, protect and hydrate hair follicles, and it promotes shine as a hair tonic. Also, PSO gives awesome benefits for conditioning and healing over-processed hair.

Men having problems with hair loss caused by male pattern baldness can exploit the benefits of green-gold oil. This oil works effectively in inhibiting the enzyme and 5-alpha reductase which slows hair growth by engaging testosterone to produce DHT.

In 2014, the publication known as “Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine” published results of a clinical study which concluded that consistent use of 400 mg of PSO as a dietary supplement consumed twice daily for a period of 6 months helped men suffering from androgenetic alopecia to increase hair count by 40%. [source]

Experts also found calabaza seed oil effective against central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), a condition which frequently affects African American women. It shows as repetitive hair loss that manifests as itching, inflammation, and irritation at the crown of the head. Moreover, rapid hair loss will set in a circular pattern emanating at the crown and spreading outwards until the patient becomes totally bald. This pattern repeats itself in a cyclical manner. [source]

Doctors prescribe anti-inflammatory medications to treat this condition. Anecdotal evidence shows that the natural anti-inflammatory effects of calabaza seed oil brings a powerful and positive affect on this painful and aggravating condition. Researchers found both topical treatment and nutritional supplementation with PSO to help soothe the inflammation and irritation and promote lasting hair re-growth and scalp healing.

How Does Pumpkin Seed Oil Compare With Prescription Hair Growth Products?

Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia (AGA), comes as a very common problem among men of a wide variety of ages. In fact, it affects about fifty-million men in the United States. This type of baldness usually begins at the hairline and works its way back to the crown leaving a bald pate with a fringe of hair around the sides and back of the head. [source]

There is a very strong genetic component associated with AGA which involves production levels of the androgen, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). When DHT levels increase in the body, testosterone levels decrease and this can lead to hair loss and the stoppage of new hair growth.

In recent years, scientists developed pharmaceutical treatments for AGA. They include Finasteride (aka: Proscar or Propecia) and Minoxidil (aka: Rogaine). Finasteride works as an oral medication that binds to the enzyme responsible for converting testosterone into DHT. Minoxidil is a topical application that works by stimulating the hair follicles.

Like all prescription pharmaceutical solutions, these medications can have serious side effects and come with a high price tag. While both are somewhat effective, they take quite a while to work and should not be used on a regular, ongoing basis.

By contrast, Austrian green-gold oil is completely safe, easy to come by, inexpensive and entirely beneficial. It has been clinically proven effective against male pattern baldness and has been used to combat hair loss of all types for centuries.

You certainly have nothing to lose by giving PSO a try (both as an oral supplement and as a topical treatment) before embarking on a course of prescription drugs. Even if you don’t get the hair growth results you hoped for, you will still get benefits when you add this nourishing, healing substance to your daily nutrition, health, and personal care routines.

How Do You Use Pumpkin Seed Oil For Hair & Scalp?

Because of its powerful antibacterial and antifungal properties, calabaza seed oil makes a valuable tool in keeping your scalp clean and healthy and your hair follicles unclogged. Regular use and regular consumption as a supplement and a food can only lead to better overall health and improved condition of skin, hair and nails. [source]

Not only will PSO help you grow more hair, it will improve the condition of the hair you have. Below includes a few easy tips to help you reap the most benefits for your scalp and hair.

  1. Deep condition scalp and hair once or twice a month. For deep hair and scalp conditioning add pepo oil to a carrier oil that is appropriate for your hair type at a rate of 6 drops per ounce. Unless you have very long hair, an ounce should be plenty. You needn’t have oil dripping from your hair. Massage the oil into your scalp and comb it through your hair. Put on a shower cap or wrap your hair in plastic wrap and leave the oil in place for half an hour or so.
  2. Wash as usual. If you feel concerned about getting excess oil in your shower stall or drain, “dry shampoo” your hair with cornstarch before washing with water. To do this, just sprinkle a bit of cornstarch over your oily hair and distribute it evenly with your fingertips. Allow it to sit for about 5 minutes and then comb it out. Your hair will still be somewhat oily, but the cornstarch will absorb quite a bit of the excess.
  3. Shampoo once or twice a week. Add PSO to your shampoo at a rate of 6 drops per ounce and smooth a few drops onto your damp hair after washing as an effective leave-in conditioner that calms frizz and adds shine. Take care not to shampoo too often. The western habit of shampooing daily is really counterproductive to healthy hair growth and maintenance. Kick that habit and reduce shampooing to once or twice weekly instead.
  4. Take your vitamins and your green-gold oil! To be sure of getting enough PSO daily to really benefit your hair, purchase gel caps to take with your regular multi-vitamin every day. Be sure to look for supplements that are pure, organic, expeller-pressed, unrefined calabaza seed oil. You can take up to 2000 milligrams every day. Remember to store all your supplements in a cool, dark place to retain maximum effectiveness.
  5. Keep a bottle of delicious Austrian green-gold oil in your fridge. Learn about the many ways you can add PSO to all sorts of dishes for a delicious, nutty zing. Add it to your smoothies, pour it over ice cream, make salad dressings, top off meat dishes and more.

Oil Rinsing: Using Pumpkin Seed Oil

What Are The Skin Benefits Of Pumpkin Seed Oil?

As a topical skin care oil, light, non-greasy PSO absorbs quickly and helps heal damaged, cracked, dry and flaky skin. It hydrates the skin and holds in existing moisture to plump up wrinkles and fine lines. When used regularly for oil cleansing, it can help reduce bacteria on acne-prone skin to prevent breakouts, heal blemishes and reduce scarring.

Because calabaza seed oil is so very rich in vitamins, fatty acids, antioxidants, minerals and more, it serves as a powerhouse when it comes to moisturizing, healing, combating free radicals and providing effective anti-aging benefits. Its powerful anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties make it a good choice as an ingredient in oil cleansing for acne. Added to coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) it makes a fine component in stretch mark and scar treatments.

How To Use PSO For Skin Care

You can use pepo oil as a main oil in a wide variety of homemade personal care products such as soaps, lotions, creams and scrubs. Watch this interesting video demonstrating how easy can you make a simple, 2-ingredient green-gold oil and baking soda facial scrub.

Pumpkin Seed Oil Face Scrub

You can also use it as you an essential oil in preparations such as hot oil treatments for hair and scalp or in oil cleansing. Using it in large amounts for these types of preparations would overkill the process.

When using calabaza seed oil as an essential oil mixed with a carrier in a hot oil application, do not to heat the PSO. Instead, heat the carrier oil on its own and add green-coldoil at a rate of six drops per ounce to the heated oil. Always be careful not to heat oil for personal care use excessively. Burning yourself is counterproductive to good skin care!

Pumpkin Seed Oil Skin Care Recipes & Tips

Below lists a few simple recipes and ideas you can use to make the most of PSO for skin care.

Pumpkin Seed Oil Cleansing

The idea behind oil cleansing is to clean your skin gently with organic oil instead of using harsh, oil stripping cleansers and water. Even though it might seem this would make your skin more oily, it actually does the opposite. When you keep your skin cleaned and well-moisturized with an organic oil, it will be less likely to produce excess oil on its own. Oil cleansing softens and removes oil plugs from your pores and helps prevent blackheads, white heads and pimples.

To clean your face with oil, you would simply pour a small amount of the oil of your choosing into the palm of your hand, rub your palms together and massage the oil into your face and neck. Massage well for several minutes to stimulate good blood circulation.

Soak a face towel in hot water and lay it over your face and neck for a few minutes. When it cools, rinse it in hot water again and wipe the oil off your face and neck gently. Finish up with a splash of warm water followed by a splash of cool water.

When using pepo oil for oil cleansing, treat it as an essential oil. Select an appropriate carrier oil, such as jojoba oil or sunflower seed oil (both light non-comedogenic oils) and add pumpkin seed oil at a rate of about a half-dozen drops per ounce. If measuring into the palm of your hand, you can estimate that your palm holds about a teaspoonful of carrier oil. Add 3 or 4 drops of pepo oil.

Make A Face Mask With PSO

When you give your hair a hot oil treatment, you can also treat yourself to a homemade pumpkin seed oil face mask. This is an excellent opportunity to put your feet up, rest, relax and rejuvenate.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Half a teaspoonful of jojoba oil or sunflower seed oil
  • About 3 tablespoons of pumpkin puree
  • A tablespoonful of plain yogurt
  • A tablespoonful of raw honey

Here’s what you’ll do:

  1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir thoroughly. Use a fork to ensure that the ingredients are well-mixed.
  2. Smooth the mixture over your face avoiding the eye area. You may wish to put a little pure pepo oil around your eyes before applying the mask to give that area some extra moisturizing treatment. If you find calabaza seed oil a little irritating around the eyes, use plain vitamin E oil or some other very mild oil. Placing used, chilled chamomile tea bags over the eyes is also very soothing.
  3. Rest and relax for 15 or 20 minutes and then rinse your face with warm water followed by cool water. If you are applying this mask while applying a PSO oil treatment to your hair, naturally, you would just hop in the shower to rinse the mask off. Remember to finish up with cool water for both hair and face because this tones the skin and smoothes the hair.
  4. No matter what your skin type, you will see improvements from regular use (once or twice weekly) of this mask. Its nourishing ingredients work equally well to help improve skin tone, prevent breakouts on acne prone skin and reduce wrinkles. Try this Piping Rock Virgin Pumpkin Seed Oil Cold Pressed 100% Pure 16 fl oz.
  5. Take a PSO bath. For all-over moisturizing of skin, hair, and nails add a teaspoonful of Austrian green-gold oil to a comfortably warm bath and take a nice, relaxing soak. It’s a good idea to shower first so that you can finish up with your soak without using soap or shampoo while bathing. Just soak for half an hour or so and dunk your head under the water to distribute PSO evenly over your skin and hair. Pat your skin dry afterward, and wrap your hair in a warm towel to soak up excess water. This is a great all-over, bedtime treatment.
  6. Add a few drops to your makeup and/or apply a few drops directly to your skin before applying makeup to moisturize, even out skin tone and attain a smooth, luminous finish.
  7. Remove eye makeup and grow great lashes! Try using pumpkin seed oil as an eye makeup remover. It is less messy and easier to use than castor oil and provides the same eyelash growth stimulating properties as this classic standby.
  8. Nourish sparse eyebrows. Like castor oil, pepo oil can be very effective in encouraging sparse eyebrows to grow. Remove eyebrow pencil with PSO and massage the oil into the brow area to promote blood circulation and encourage new hair to grow. Because this oil is light, non-sticky and fast absorbing, it is a better choice for use at bedtime than castor oil.
  9. Treat cold sores and blemishes. Use a cotton swab to dab a bit of pure PSO onto cold-sores or blemishes several times daily to ease inflammation and accelerate healing. This treatment is especially effective at bedtime.

Culinary Uses For Pumpkin Seed Oil

You can easily add PSO supplements to your everyday vitamin routine, but that shouldn’t stop you from also enjoying it at your dinner table. Try these easy, fun ways to add this nourishing taste treat to each and every meal. A few dishes to get you started on this:

Simple Styrian Style Pumpkin Soup

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • A large Dutch oven or similar cooking pot
  • A couple of tablespoons of stable cooking oil (e.g. coconut)
  • One medium onion – diced
  • One medium Styrian pumpkin – peeled and chopped into chunks
  • Pure, filtered water
  • Three tablespoons of white wine or white wine vinegar
  • One heaping teaspoonful each of curry powder and chili powder
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Five tablespoons of PSO
  • Roasted pumpkin seeds

Here’s what you’ll do:

  1. Place your cooking pot over low/medium heat and add your cooking oil. While it is warming, dice your onions and chop your pumpkin. If you are a slow dicer and chopper, do this in advance.
  2. Sauté the onions in the warmed oil for about 3 minutes and then add the chopped pumpkin. Cover the pot and let it cook for 5-7 minutes.
  3. Remove the lid, stir, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes longer. Test the pumpkin with a fork to see if it is “fork-tender”. If it’s still hard, stir and cook covered for another 5-7 minutes. When the onions and pumpkin are soft and slightly browned, you can proceed to the next step.
  4. Add enough pure, filtered water to just cover the pumpkin chunks. Replace the lid and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes or until the pumpkin is easy to mash. Remove the pot from the heat and add the spices and vinegar or wine. Mash the mixture thoroughly with a potato masher.
  5. Add the calabaza seed oil and blend the mixture with a hand-held blender or mixer.
  6. Dish out into shallow soup plates and drizzle with a little green-gold oil. Sprinkle with whole, roasted pumpkin seeds and serve. Makes approximately 4 helpings.

Note that Styrian pumpkins are not always available in the US and other non-Austrian parts of the world. You may be more likely to find them at health food stores. Additionally, they sometimes make an appearance at supermarkets as ornamental pumpkins in the autumn.

If you cannot find a Styrian pumpkin, make a smart substitution with a pie pumpkin or acorn squash. Don’t use a jack-o-lantern pumpkin as they are not especially tasty. Do be sure to use authentic Styrian pumpkin seed oil and Styrian pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Seed Oil Salad Dressing

Make a simple oil and vinegar salad dressing using two parts apple cider vinegar (ACV) and one part PSO. Add salt and spices to taste if you wish. This make a great dressing for any salad, but it is especially fine for chef salads and others that include meat and eggs.

Choose Pumpkin Seed Oil Supplements Wisely

Although supplements made with authentic oil straight from Austria is the very best, a product offered by a well-trusted and established non-Austrian supplements manufacturer can easily be just as satisfactory if the supplement company correctly sources its oil.

Sometimes, you can save quite a bit of money by purchasing from an established company in your own country that has been able to obtain lower prices on raw materials by purchasing in bulk.

When purchasing gel caps, read the label carefully. Avoid formulations that have unnatural additives and preservatives. Make sure the materials used to great the capsule are organic and vegan safe (if that is a consideration for you).

Prices for liquid oil and for gel caps can vary quite a bit. As long as you do your homework and find a brand that satisfies all your requirements, you are sure to be a satisfied customer.

How & Where To Buy Pumpkin Seed Oil

When shopping for calabaza seed oil in liquid or gel cap form be sure to get the genuine article. You should look for Austrian pumpkin seed oil that originally comes from natural, family-run farms.

While it makes an important thing to look for organic labeling, you should know using pesticides on Styrian pumpkins happen rarely because the vines grow so quickly and rampantly. Due to this, it becomes difficult for the farmers to get into the fields to apply pesticides and other products.

As an alternative, they simply sow the biggest, darkest, plumpest seeds into organically enriched earth. They stand and wait to see what will happen next. With good rainfall and plenty of sun, harvesting comes as the next step.

Finding an Austrian green-gold oil made from genetically modified plants comes as a very hard task. The Styrian pumpkin is a traditional and revered heritage plant. Austrian manufacturers of green-gold oil strive far more for authenticity than mass production.

As with all sensitive, natural oils, only purchase the cold pressed ones. Use of heat or chemicals to express the oil from the seeds would damage the oil and detract from its natural benefits.

As with pesticides and GMOs, this point is of little concern if you buy genuine Austrian PSO made from Styrian pumpkin seeds. The fact that the seeds do not contain shells makes it easy to express the oil without the use of harsh chemicals or heat, and cold pressing is the traditional method.

When looking for oil for culinary purposes, seek out the darker oils as they have the richest, nuttiest flavor such as this Flora Certified Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil.

Remember that pepo oil can go rancid if stored improperly, so keeping your gel caps and your liquid oil in the refrigerator is always a good idea. Even so, it’s a good idea to use up your product within 6 months as it can lose aroma and flavor if stored for a very long time. [source]

What Are the Health Benefits Of Pumpkin Seed Oil?

PSO is a great tonic for overall glowing, good health. The conditions it has been proven clinically or anecdotally to benefit are many and varied. Among them are:

  • Arthritis & Other Inflammatory Conditions
  • Benign Hypertrophic Prostate (BHP)
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
  • Internal Parasite Infestation
  • High Cholesterol Levels
  • Poor Blood Circulation
  • Macular Degeneration
  • Erectile Dysfunction
  • Eczema & Psoriasis
  • Brittle, Weak Nails
  • Arteriosclerosis
  • Kidney Stones
  • Brittle Bones
  • Depression
  • Cataracts
  • Hair Loss
  • Diabetes
  • Acne

One of the most important beneficial qualities of PSO is its anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is the basis of all pain and illness, and the abundant phytosterols found in PSO help soothe and heal a wide variety of ills.

The zeaxanthin found in this healthful oil promotes eye health. It ifights off the development of cataracts and such serious vision problems as macular degeneration.

7 Ways Pumpkin Seed Oil Supports Your Health

Minerals

Plants pull minerals from the soil, and this makes them a very good source of minerals for people and animals. Pumpkins, their seeds and the oil that is made from them are rich in magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, iron and zinc.

Antioxidants

PSO is similar to oils such as evening primrose oil in that it is rich in lignans and phenolic antioxidants, as well as some uncommon forms of vitamin E that are accessed and used by the body in unique ways. Antioxidants help protect against the ravages of aging and the development of cancer and other chronic, life-threatening conditions.

Anti-inflammatory

Calabaza seed oil has been revered for its medicinal value for centuries. Its anti-inflammatory properties come from generous amounts of linoleic, oleic, stearic and palmitic acids. This is what makes this wonderful oil a time-honored, traditional treatment for problems such as leg ulcers, acne and sores caused by viruses and sexually transmitted diseases. Anti-inflammatory properties also support good gut health, which results in strong immune function.

Prevent Diabetes & Enhance Treatment

Use of PSO can help improve insulin regulation and prevent problems associated with diabetes, such as kidney dysfunction. [source]

Fight Off Infection

The powerful antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties of this all-natural oil boost your immune system and help you stay strong to fight off all manner of infection. They also make this oil a top choice in treating skin conditions, dandruff and other problems caused by infection of various types.

Address Some Forms Of Cancer

Green-gold oil contains a great deal of lignan, which has been shown to be effective in combating prostate cancer and breast cancer. [source]

Ease Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

The phytosterols and zinc found in PSO have been shown to successfully address the estrogen induced swelling associated with BPH. [source]

It is abundantly clear that adding pumpkin seed oil to your daily diet is a smart idea. No matter what your age or level of health, its rich mix of nutrients and beneficial properties can help strengthen your body and boost your immune system. A strong immune system can protect you from a wide range of conditions ranging from cancer to central nervous system dysfunction to memory loss and learning disability.

Does Pumpkin Seed Oil Have Any Side Effects?

Generally speaking, this gentle, natural oil is safe for all skin types; however, some people with sensitive skin and/or nut allergies have reported irritation and inflammation. As with any product, it is always wise to perform a patch test before applying calabaza seed oil to a large area of skin. To do this, apply a few drops of PSO to the thin skin of your inner arm. Leave it in place for 24 hours. If no irritation occurs, you can safely use pepo oil on your skin.

When taken as a nutrition supplement, pumpkin seed oil may act as a diuretic and may affect your body’s efficiency in processing lithium. This could present serious health risks. If you are taking lithium or if you are simply concerned about this, you should consult your doctor before consuming calabaza seed oil. Likewise, if you have a nut or seed allergy, or if you are pregnant or nursing a baby talk with your doctor before using this oil.

Who Should Use Pumpkin Seed Oil?

The simple answer to this question is “Everyone should use PSO!” It is beneficial to people of all ages and all levels of health. It is a wonderful personal care and beauty aid for every skin and hair type, and it is truly delicious in combination with such a wide variety of foods that it would be very difficult to find any person who would not enjoy it.

Most especially, people suffering from hair loss should partake of PSO. As both a topical treatment and a nutrition supplement, this marvelous oil has been proven to address hair loss caused by a wide variety of conditions.

It is also an excellent skin moisturizer for people wishing to combat the ravages of aging. Its antioxidant properties make it very effective in healing and soothing worn skin and plumping and lessening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

People suffering from a wide variety of skin conditions can benefit from topical use of green-gold oil. As an addition to oil cleansing for acne-prone skin, its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, nourishing and healing properties make it especially valuable. It is also very effective when added to preparations for treating skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

In short, Styrian pumpkin seed oil has something of value for everybody. Adding this nourishing, tasty oil to your everyday diet and your everyday personal care routines is an enriching and enjoyable way to improve your quality of life and your quality of health.

Amazing Benefits And Uses Of Marula Oil

Marula oil serves as a beauty staple of the women of South Africa for many centuries. The marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea) grows freely and with wild abandon throughout Tsonga, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Madagascar.

The oil comes as light-weight, and soaks quickly and deeply into dry, damaged skin to help prevent transepidermal water loss. It contains rich antioxidant properties and serves as an excellent anti-aging product. 

Marula oil also works superb for treating scars and stretch marks, as well as acne and many other skin conditions.

benefits of marula oil

How is this oil produced? How does it compare to other cosmetic oils? Furthermore, how much should you pay for it? How can you use it, and how will you benefit? In this article, we will explore these questions and more. Read on to learn more.

In this article, we will explore these questions and more. Read on to learn more.

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Marula Oil vs. Argan Oil & Other Popular Oils

The amount of nourishment and benefit provided by marula oil weighs quite a bit greater than that provided by any other type of natural oil. Marula oil contains between seventy and eighty percent linoleic acid. Argan oil, by comparison carries approximately forty percent.

Because of its fine molecular structure, marula oil gets absorbed into the skin even more quickly and provides more effective protection than argan oil. In most instances, it appears as the right oil for skin care, hair care and nail care. So far, no cases of negative side effects appeared along with the use of marula oil. However, as it comes from a nut, allergic people may wish to use a fruit, flower or vegetable based oil instead.

Below lists some basic facts about cosmetic and personal care oils to help you make a quick comparison.

Marula Oil

A chock full of fatty acids and vitamin C and E. Marula oil also plays as a non-comedogenic oil. It holds very powerful anti-microbial properties, making it a good choice for damaged, irritated or inflamed skin, oily skin and skin plagued by inflammation and scarring.

Argan Oil

Extracted from a type of nut in Morocco. Argan oil compares favorably with Marula oil, but it does not belong in a powerhouse in terms of antioxidants, fatty acids, and antimicrobial properties.

Moringa oil

Another African nut oil, moringa oil packs in vitamin A and C, as well as fatty acids. Like Marula oil, it is used in a wide variety of ways in both Africa and India, where many sees it as a popular personal care and culinary oil. Moringa oil appears stable and remains fresh for as long as five years if stored properly.

Maracuja Oil

Maracuja oil comes from passion-flower seeds. This oil comes rich in vitamin C and useful for treating acne, lightening and brightening the skin, and soothing inflammation. It works as a good anti-aging oil due to its rich antioxidants content.

Rosehip Oil

Another seed based oil that has been used as a beauty aid and personal care product for centuries. It is rich in vitamin A and C, as well as essential fatty acids and antioxidants. As such, it is a good product for dry skin moisturizing and healing, and it makes an effective anti-aging serum.

Evening Primrose Oil

Evening Primrose Oil, a seed oil from several different varieties of North American wildflowers. It holds very high concentrations of gamma-linoleic fatty acids (omega 6), good for reducing inflammation of the skin throughout the body. The evening primrose oil also works as a good choice for treating acne and other types of skin inflammation. Moreover, it makes a nice carrier oil for massage oil preparations intended to treat arthritis pain or muscle soreness.

Jojoba Oil

This botanical product, actually not an oil, but rather a wax ester similar in composition to human sebum (the natural oils of the skin). Jojoba oil is a very light, quickly penetrating oil that is good for conditioning skin, hair and nails. It is a safe choice for people who have nut allergies. Also, it serves as an excellent choice for a carrier oil used in combination with marula oil or any other conditioning oil or essential oils.

Stability, one of the main ways in which marula oil functions superior to many other types of natural oils. This stable oil works in its natural state with no preservatives added because of its antimicrobial properties, which seem superior to other popular oils.

This quality can make marula oil a very valuable ally in effectively using other types of natural oils. As astable oil with a long shelf-life, it makes a good addition to commercial cosmetics and at-home beauty and health recipes.

The Clinically Proven Healing Power Of Marula Oil

The oil packs in antioxidants, essential fatty acids (omega 6 and 9), vitamin E, minerals, and other nutrients. It boosts cellular activity, reverses sun damage, and protects against environmental damage.

This quality makes it an excellent choice for treating sensitive or sunburned skin, and acne prone skin. It appears light, non-comedogenic, and also carries powerful anti-microbial properties that help damaged, inflamed skin heal. It serves as an excellent choice for use following a cosmetic surgery, laser treatments, chemical peels, and the like. This Marula Pure Beauty facial oil serves as one good example.

Board-certified plastic surgeon, Ashton Kaidi of Southern California conducted clinical testing on the product known as “Pure Marula Oil.” He found that it can help a lot in scar healing for patients who went through breast cancer surgery, and radiation treatment.

He says that his clinical study showed that patients using marula oil recovered from edema and erythema far more rapidly than those using aloe cream. Dr. Kaidi also recommends the use of this oil to his patients trying to recover from other types of surgery. It included patients who went under laser treatment, chemical peel and/or microdermabrasion. [source]

7 Everyday Marula Oil Benefits

Even if you don’t use this oil to recover from an injury, surgery or a skin condition, you can reap a wide variety of health benefits. Just add 100% unrefined sclerocarya birrea (marula) kernel oil to your everyday personal care routine. The below list shows seven ways this natural oil can benefit your skin, hair and nails.

Moisturizes

Used as a daily (or several times daily) moisturizer, this non-comedogenic oil keeps skin well hydrated, reduces wrinkles, and heals irritation and damage without clogging pores. Because the oil becomes so easily absorbed, it reduces transepidermal water loss by supporting the build up of your skin’s natural lipid layers.

Protects

With its excellent nourishing, healing and hydrating properties, marula oil restores the natural protective barrier of your skin while improving skin elasticity. This quality helps prevent damage caused by extrinsic sources such as sun exposure, air pollution, smoking and even stress.

Healing

The antimicrobial and healing properties of the oil make it an excellent choice for dealing with chapping, scarring, sunburn, stretch marks, wounds and recovery from facial procedures.

Nourishes

Benefit from very high levels of flavonoids, amino acids and vitamins C and E. The abundant levels of linoleic acids in this rich oil allow the oil to get absorbed very quickly for deep, nourishing hydration. Marula nuts contain rich amounts of copper, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium and iron, which conveys via the oil. Absorption of magnesium through the skin promotes overall health.

Guards Against Aging

In addition to neutralizing free radicals, marula oil helps promote collagen production to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Its high omega 6 and omega 9 content ensures deep hydration and improved skin elasticity.

Reduces Inflammation

Along with its antimicrobial properties, marula oil showcases powerful anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it an excellent choice in treating skin rashes, conditions such as eczema and psoriasis and problems such as acne. The oil cleanses the skin, heals injury and reduces redness, irritation and inflammation.

Stimulates Production Of Antioxidants

Oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fatty acid, helps increase the production of antioxidants in your body. The oil possess unparalleled abilities at free-radical scavenging, and staves off damage to the skin caused by a hostile environment.

How Do You Use Marula Oil?

You can use marula oil on its own for deep hydration or you can add it to your existing cosmetic products for an extra boost of hydration. Because of its powerful antimicrobial properties and stability, it will not degrade or become rancid even without preservatives added. Shelf life of the pure oil (when kept in a cool, dark place) measures up to eighteen months.

Marula oil remains stable for use when added to commercial products. This shows a significant difference from many types of organic oil such as olive oil, coconut, jojoba, castor oil, baobab oil and others, which tend to lose their efficacy when mixed with commercial products.

Add a few drops to almost any personal care product to enhance its efficacy. Experiment with using marula oil for all or part of the oil in recipes calling for coconut oil, argan oil, neem oil and others. Just a few drops of marula can convey stability to all-natural concoctions.

This makes good way to use the oil if you have gotten a batch with a nutty scent stronger than you would prefer. Use it as you would use an essential oil in combination with other oils or products at a rate of six drops per ounce. This will allow you to enjoy all the benefits of the oil while diluting the scent.

Try this African Botanics Neroli Infused with marula oil.

12 Smart & Easy Ways To Use Marula Oil Every Day

Condition Hair & Scalp

Before shampooing, apply marula oil for hair and scalp either alone or mixed equal parts with argan oil or another natural oil of your choosing. Apply it a little bit at a time by measuring it into the palm of your hand.

Rub your hands together to warm the oil and massage it into your scalp. Stroke and comb it through your hair paying particular attention to the ends. This part of the hair appears typically drier than the hair nearest the scalp.

Wrap your hair in a warm towel or put on a shower cap to help the oil soak in. Relax for half an hour and then wash as usual.

While your hair is still wet, stroke and comb a few drops of marula oil through it to add smoothness and shine.

Fight Acne

It may seem counterintuitive to put oil against an oily skin, but drying products actually make acne worse by spurring your skin to produce more oil. For better results, use a light, quickly absorbing oil such as marula to clean and soothe your skin, and help your acne heal.

Marula oil comedogenic rating plays at 3-4, which means the oil may cause breakouts when used on its own. However, because of its very light texture, highly nourishing oil that absorbs very quickly, it becomes quite beneficial for acne-prone skin when used as a component of oil cleansing.

Benefits Of Marula Oil. How To Use It As A Moisturizer And For Acne.

Try oil cleansing for acne using marula oil and jojoba oil. These two light oils combined will help soften, and float away oil clogging your pores.

To do this, simply pour about half a teaspoonful of jojoba oil into the palm of your hand and add about half a dozen drops of marula oil. Massage the oil into your face and neck for several minutes. This will help break down oils in your pores that may have coagulated and caused clogging. It will also help increase blood circulation.

Lay a very warm, damp towel over your face and relax for a few minutes. When the towel begins to cool, rinse in in hot water, wring it out and wipe the oil from your face gently.

At this point, you may wish to splash your face with lukewarm water to freshen up, or you may simply leave your skin as it is. You can practice oil cleansing every day or every few days or only occasionally. Follow your instincts on this.

Use pure marula oil as needed throughout the day and overnight as a spot treatment to reduce inflammation, fight bacteria and help blemishes heal.

TIP: According to Tiffany Masterson, founder and creator of the popular line of marula based products known as “Drunk Elephant Skincare“, you may do well to ease into adding oil to your acne care routine rather than beginning all at once.

If oil cleansing and use of oil seems to increase your breakouts, don’t give up. Just scale it back to every other day and treat your skin very gently in between applications. Don’t use any harsh, drying products!

Moisturize Day & Night

Apply a few drops of marula oil as a makeup base in the morning and as an after-cleansing moisturizer before bed. No other moisturizer exists with more effectiveness than an all-natural marula oil. Just a few drops applied lightly over your face, neck, and upper chest, can help protect and moisturize your skin.

Add It To Your Cleanser, Makeup, Sunscreen, Shampoo And More…

Add no more than six drops of marula oil per ounce of product to impart beautifying, nourishing, healing benefits to any beauty product. This will help boost the effects of positive ingredients while neutralizing the negative effects of less desirable ingredients.

Give Your Hair Shine & Bounce!

Rub half a dozen drops between your palms. Stroked through damp or dry hair will help smooth frizz and add control and shine.

Prevent & Treat Scars & Stretch Marks

If you got injured or went through a surgery, use of marula oil as a healing ointment will help prevent scarring. It is also effective when used to reduce the appearance of old scars.

The same holds true for stretch marks, whether caused by pregnancy or weight gain. Adding marula oil to your body moisturizer during pregnancy can help reduce your chances of developing stretch marks. Use it full-strength on existing stretch marks to soften them and minimize their appearance.

Heal & Preserve Tattoos

On its own or mixed with tamanu oil, marula can help your new tattoo heal faster and retain color, clarity and vibrancy.

Look Younger!

Add marula oil to your facial care products and your foundation to improve their effectiveness and help boost collagen production. This will plump up fine lines and wrinkles. Used as a makeup base or added to foundation, marula oil imparts a silky smooth finish.

Heal Burns & Sunburn

For minor burns cool the skin first with cool water or (for a small burn) an ice cube applied for a few moments. Apply marula oil full strength and cover with a clean, dry bandage for protection.

For sunburns that cover large areas of skin, take a cool or tepid bath or shower. Pat the skin lightly dry and apply a light, cooling lotion or aloe gel with marula oil added at a rate of six drops per ounce. Reapply as needed to soothe, moisturize and cool the skin. Wear lightweight, breathable cotton clothing to prevent pain and chafing.

Moisturize & Nourish Your Nails

Before bedtime, wash your hands with warm water and a mild soap. Apply marula oil directly to your nails and cuticles. Then, apply lotion or body butter laced with marula oil (6 drops per ounce) to your hands. Put on a pair of cotton gloves to help the oils soak in overnight.

Buff Your Nails Naturally

Every day or several times a day, put a drop or two of marula oil on the heel of one hand. Use it to buff the nails of the opposite hand. This will moisturize nails and cuticles, improve blood circulation to the nails, and spiff your nails up with a quick shine.

Treat Chapped Lips & Cheeks

When hostile weather conditions chap your lips and skin, use marula oil full strength to soothe and heal quickly!

What You Should Know About The Sacred & Protected Marula Tree

Because hard-to-find marula oil is a bit pricey outside of Africa, it sounds like a rare and exotic commodity. However, this is not strictly true. The marula is a vigorous, drought-resistant tree abundant throughout South Africa and Namibia. It can be successfully grown in very warm, semi-arid to sub-humid climates. In fact, the tree is grown in parts of Asia, India and Australia.

The hardy trees grow easily from seed, and if you live in Australia, you can purchase saplings at garden centers and plant them in your yard for a mere $27 each. Australians apparently use the fruit to make jams, jellies and beverages and eat the delicious and nutritious inner nut kernels from which the oil is extracted.

While the tree can be grown from seed, graft or rootstock, efforts to grow it commercially have not been especially successful. However, commercial planting is hardly necessary since the tree grows so abundantly on its own.

Its widespread natural growth is reflected in its wealth of names from one culture and location to another. You may hear this tree referred to as:

  • Marriage Tree
  • Elephant Tree
  • Cider Tree
  • Cat Thorn
  • Jelly Plum
  • Canhoeiro
  • Mushomo
  • Mutsomo
  • Umganu
  • Morula
  • Dania

The tree (which is a relative of cashew, pistachio and mango trees) grows naturally in woodland areas, but because it is so highly valued and protected, you will often see lone marula trees or small groves left to stand in the center of plowed fields.

Every part of the marula tree is useful, and indeed, the flowers, leaves, roots, bark, wood, fruits and nut kernels have been used as a source of food, building materials, medicine, livestock fodder, insecticide, dye and more since time immemorial. In fact, evidence found in the Pomongwe Caves of East Africa and Zimbabwe indicate that the tree has played an important part in African civilization for approximately 10,000 years.

African Lifestyle: Marula Oil

Laws & Cultural Norms Protect Trees, Workers & Consumers

Although the marula tree serves as a traditional source of many valuable products for people in Southern Africa, its precious oil received attention only recently. This nutrient rich oil is a time-honored South African beauty secret. Traditionally, African women used it in the place of water to cleanse the skin.

The oil comes from the hard seed kernels found inside the pit of the fruit. This oil shows a number of unique characteristics. It consists of about 80% oleic acid (omega 9 fatty acid) making it very easily absorbed by the skin.

This means it provides genuine, deep, long-lasting hydration, rather than simply creating a moisture holding barrier on the surface of the skin. It’s easy to see why this oil would be very popular with women around the world. Also, many anticipate the quick depletion of these  wild growing trees without protection. Luckily, authorities placed several levels of protection for a very long time.

Marula trees serves as a valuable natural resource cherished by native people and protected by the government. Also considered sacred, and very often seen as an old and revered tree holding pride of place as the spiritual center of its village. Villagers gather in its shade for town meetings, religious observation, socializing and special occasions.

Mistreatment or damage of marula trees is culturally taboo. For example, stripping trees of fruit appears as an unacceptable practice. To obtain the oil, harvesters must patiently wait for the fruits to fall.

When this happens, harvesters gather the marula fruit. They remove the flesh and crush them to make juice and a variety of alcoholic beverages ranging from beers to liqueurs. Next, they dry the pits and remove the edible, nutrient-rich kernels. Lastly, they send the produce to the factory for cold-pressing.

The marula tree provides the source of necessities and livelihood for the people of South Africa. Therefore, its care, cultivation and harvesting methods, are closely supervised by the government. The marula tree is protected throughout South Africa and Namibia by Proclamation 257, passed in 1951. Department of Water & Forestry enforces this protection.

Marula Oil – From Tree to You!

Is Marula Oil Rare?

Marula trees appear as fairly large trees, and each female tree typically produces a bounty of fruit each and every year. The attractive full-leaved shade trees produce half a ton or even a ton of fruit per female tree annually.

Initially, the fruits look like small, green apples. They ripen to shades of pale yellow and orange. These small fruits contain four times the amount of vitamin C found in citrus fruits. Moreover, the flesh of the fruit can be used to make alcoholic beverages, jams and jellies.

Outside of the trees’ native habitat, the oil is fairly rare and you may find yourself paying a pretty penny for it. In South Africa and the other 28 countries where the tree can grow wild, it is not such a rare commodity. In fact, in addition to its cosmetic and medicinal uses, people in these areas use it as a very nutritious cooking oil. Furthermore, the nuts are mass-processed to produce biodiesel.

Why Is It Important To Understand The Origins Of Marula Oil?

Many described the product as a “miracle oil” due to its countless and marvelous benefits. For this reason, it became an extremely popular cosmetic commodity in recent years.

High-end manufacturers present very small bottles of pure marula oil for very lofty prices. They make claims of pure oil, better produced, more reliable, and that they provide better incentives for their South African suppliers than lower priced offerings.

While this may be true to some extent, consumers should understand that culturally, locals consider these trees as sacred. Also, there are numerous societal taboos and guidelines in place regarding their care, management, and use of the resources they provide.

Additionally, the governments of South Africa and Namibia, made very strong rules and regulations in place for the care and treatment of marula trees. It also includes the harvest of fruit, bark, timber and leaves and the production of marula related products.

High end companies often boast that they use only cold-pressed oil extraction techniques while other companies use excessive heat, mass crushing of whole fruit or chemical extraction techniques. While this appears as technically true, everyone should understand that it is apparently only true of nuts being used to produce biodiesel.

Marula nuts used for preparation of oil for cosmetic purposes are cold-pressed in relatively small batches. [source]

Another point often made by high-end manufacturers is that they only harvest marula fruits from the ground and never picked directly from the tree. Regulations and cultural norms would likely make this a valid point for all marula oil producers. As mentioned, stripping fruit from the trees is not allowed.

The tree usually grows naturally in the wild and bears bounteous amounts of fruit. This assures consumers that most pure marula oil came from the wild, environmentally friendly, and GMO free. Because of government regulations, you can also make sure the oil you purchased went through proper handling is Fairly Traded.

Behind The Brand: African Botanics

Fair Trade Incentives

It is important that the people of South Africa be fairly compensated for their work and for this natural resource unique to Africa. The marula oil production served as a community activity, and important source of income for South African people for generations. One benefit of choosing marula oil over other types of cosmetic oil is that you can be fairly certain that the hard workers behind the scenes are being properly compensated.

Some high end companies may lead you to believe that only they are paying fair trade prices for the raw material, but this is unlikely to be true. Cosmetic quality marula oil from South Africa and Namibia is most likely entirely fair-traded.

The reason for this is that, these governments regulate the partnerships that marula producers make with worldwide suppliers. These partnerships must meet fair trade requirements, and the people who gather and prepare the oil must be fairly compensated.

As with any commodity in demand, there are always people who want to take advantage or exploit. Due to this, always wise to check out the integrity and background of any company you plan to do business with. Some companies do establish direct partnerships with the cooperatives of workers who actually gather the fruit and prepare the marula products. Others go through a middleman.

Obviously, the ones with direct contacts provide more profit directly to the workers.

Here is a good explanation of the value of fair trade.

Marula: Fair Trade in Action [source]

Why Are Some Brands So Costly & Which Brand Is Best For You?

When choosing the right brand of marula oil to suit your purposes, you are sure to be struck by the vast difference in prices amongst products that clearly demonstrate very similar qualities. Of course, you are wise to look for products that are hand-harvested from wild grown trees, produced using a cold-press process and certified as both organic and fair-trade.

You should also understand that these caveats apply to most cosmetic marula oil. The trees grow wild all over South Africa and in many other places. They are closely protected by the government and by customs and traditions. For this reason, most marula oil products are environmentally and socially safe and can claim genuine community care and environmental responsibility.

High end companies may charge as much as $70 an ounce for marula oil. Reasons behind this include the  guarantee of proper treatment of the trees and the workers, and correct processing of the oil. As seen, they do not necessarily hold unique qualities. It may show some variation in the content and enforcement of regulations surrounding Marula trees. But for the most part, you can count on getting a good quality, fairly traded product (especially from South Africa or Namibia).

Differences in preparation and quality seem to fall mostly in categories such as packaging. Also, the amount of time the owners of the company spend “on the ground” at their marula producing properties makes another category.

Differences in packaging usually amount to whether or not the oil comes packaged in a dark glass or a clear glass or a plastic bottle. The difference in price for a very similar product plays around $50-$60.

Essentially, you can get the same product (correctly and fairly grown, harvested and prepared) for a very low price. However, you should carefully keep your inexpensive clear glass bottle of marula oil in a cool, dark place (e.g. your bathroom cabinet). This seems a small concession to make for some very significant savings.

A multipurpose item you may want to try: Slice Of Nature Pure Marula Oil Cold Pressed Wild Harvested Marula Oil for Face, Body, Hair

How To Select Best Brand Of Marula Oil For You

When comparison shopping, here are four points to keep in mind:

Double-Check

To ensure safety and legality, investigate the practices of the company you choose. But generally speaking, pure marula oil produced in Namibia or South Africa always serve as a stable and reliable product.

Locate

The precise location of the trees to harvest makes an important thing to consider. These trees mostly grow wild in uncontrolled settings. As with any organic product, proximity to traffic, factories and other potential pollutants can make a difference to the quality of the product.

Examine

Marula oil appears light in texture and never sticky. It should not appear cloudy, but instead look transparent and liquid at room temperature. When you apply it to your skin, it should soak in quickly leaving little or no oil on the skin surface after letting a minute pass. At this point, keep in mind that you should use this light, penetrating oil very sparingly. Just a drop or two will go a long way.

Accept Natural Variations

Among a number of good choices, you may encounter variations in color and scent. But as long as you choose a 100% unrefined sclerocarya birrea (marula) kernel oil.  you don’t need to worry about minor differences from product to product. This goes the same with comparing a batch to another within the same brand. Furthermore, this natural product ranges in shade from a very light yellowish-brown color to a deep, golden brown.

The oil typically smells rather nutty. Also, this scent seem light and pleasant as always, but sometimes the darker oil packs a very powerful scent. These differences may have something to do with production methods. However, they may just as well reflect growing conditions. Usually, oil sourced from Southern Africa showcases the best quality. The low rainfall and abundant sunshine produce the perfect growing conditions for these sun-loving, drought resistant trees.

Where to Buy Pure Marula Oil

You can look for marula oil at your local beauty supply shop. However, in many ways, probably better for you to shop online. This option gives you the opportunity to verify claims, compare reviews, and often take advantage of valuable special offers and discounts.

In this article, we did some of the legwork for you. The products linked here all stood up to our tests of purity, ecologically, and socially friendly harvesting methods and safe processing methods that deliver all the goodness and value of marula oil from Africa to you!

22 Amazing Uses And Benefits Of Lavender Oil

Lavender essential oil is extracted from lavender flowers. These flowers are also used whole in potpourri. The highly aromatic essential oil is often used in household and personal care products such as cleaners, air fresheners, shampoo, soap, and lotion.

In fact, the common name of the lavender plant or lavandula is derived from the Latin “lavare,” meaning “to wash.”

Apart from its cleaning and purifying uses, lavender also has many medicinal uses. In both standard and alternative medicine, lavender oil is prized for its calming effect and its antiseptic and antifungal properties.

In this article, we will discuss the many uses and health benefits of lavender oil and provide some easy tips to help you make everyday use of this powerful essential oil. Read on to learn more.

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8 Uses For Lavender Oil Around The House

Because this popular essential oil packs such powerful deodorizing, antiseptic, antiviral, antibiotic, and insect repellent properties, it is a great addition to your green living arsenal. It can be used to make a variety of natural cleaning and freshening products for the home. [source]

Here are eight quick, easy ideas for you to try:

#1 – Sanitizing Surface Spray

Add lavender essential oil to plain, white vinegar at a rate of 6 drops per ounce. Decant into a spray bottle and use to clean and disinfect countertops, sinks, and other tough surfaces. Don’t use this spray on wood or leather surfaces as the vinegar tends to damage and stain these porous materials.

#2 – Scented Dish Soap

Add lavender oil to unscented dish soap or plain liquid castile soap at a rate of 6 drops per ounce to make a delightfully scented, antibacterial dish soap. Your dishes will be sparkling clean, and you can enjoy lavender aromatherapy as you work.

#3 – Lavender Laundry Soap

Your scented liquid castile soap can double as a laundry soap, or add lavender oil to unscented commercial laundry detergent for a fresh, bright scent.

#4 – Reusable Dryer Sachets

Use dried lavender to make scented sachets to toss into your dryer. You’ll need dried lavender leaves and flowers, plain cotton cloth, and the ability to do a little simple sewing.

When your sachets begin to lose their scent, you can recharge them by sprinkling them with a little lavender essential oil. You can also use this oil to scent wool dryer balls.

#5 – Scented Ironing Spray

Add the oil to distilled water at a rate of a couple of drops per ounce. Decant the mixture into a spray bottle and use it to dampen clothing and linens as you iron.

#6 – Stain Remover

Pure lavender oil is quite handy for removing small stains from cloth and from a variety of surfaces. It is effective for removing grease, oil, tar, nail polish, paint, and the like.

#7 – Pest Repellent

Repel ants, cockroaches, earwigs, and other creepy crawlers by soaking cotton balls with oil of lavender and placing these repellent balls strategically around, in, and under your kitchen cabinets.

Soak cotton balls with the oil and tuck into closets and drawers to repel moths, roaches, silverfish, and other pests. Replace or recharge monthly.

#8 – Freshen Up

Use cotton balls soaked with lavender essential oil to help deodorize stuffy items and areas. For example, they can really help freshen your workout shoes or keep off-season shoes and boots fresh and pest-free in storage.

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How Is The Lavender Essential Oil Used In Medicine & Personal Care?

Lavender oil imparts many health benefits. Some benefits of lavender oil areare:

  • Lavender oil is an excellent disinfectant for the skin and scalp.
  • It is beneficial for respiratory problems.
  • It can help improve blood circulation.
  • This essential oil has analgesic properties.
  • It can help heal wounds.
  • It is natural anti-inflammatory.
  • The lavender oil can help relieve pain.
  • It calms the nerves.
  • It smells good.
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The lavender essential oil is used in a variety of aromatic applications. In aromatherapy, it is used alone or in conjunction with other essential oils, such as:

  • Cedarwood
  • Clary Sage
  • Geranium
  • Tea Tree Oil
  • Nutmeg
  • Pine
  • Jojoba Oil

…and more to create an assortment of personal care and medicinal products.

The versatility of the lavender essential oil is quite surprising and impressive. In addition to uses in aromatherapy to treat agitation, anxiety, insomnia, stress, pain, and respiratory ailments, lavender oil also has several topical applications.

It has been found effective in treating many different conditions of the scalp and hair. For example, it is often used to treat hair loss. It is also effective as an ingredient in preparations intended to treat head lice.

Its relaxing qualities make it an excellent choice as a supportive product for integrative medical procedures such as chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, and massage therapy.

Because of its antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties, it is an excellent addition to soothing salves and creams intended to treat rashes, acne breakouts, ringworm, and bug bites.

Many Benefits Of Lavender Oil In Aromatherapy

In aromatherapy, this oil is invaluable in promoting a calm effect. It is also useful in treating headaches and helping relieve exhaustion. The scent of lavender helps slow central nervous system activity. This can help bring about a sense of peace and well-being. Adding calming lavender treatments to your daily routine can help soothe your nerves and lift your spirits.

Because of its calming qualities, lavender essential oil can be used in aromatherapy to treat:

  • Nervous exhaustion
  • Nervous tension
  • Emotional stress
  • Tachycardia
  • Restlessness
  • Depression
  • Confusion
  • Migraines
  • Headaches

The scent of lavender helps stimulate mental activity. Practicing deep breathing enhanced with oil of lavender before and during test taking can help you cope with test anxiety and focus on the task at hand.

Aromatherapy with oil of lavender calms the nerves, lowers blood pressure levels, helps regulate heart rate, and stimulates better blood circulation. All-in-all, enhancing your atmosphere with this delightfully scented oil can help your cardiovascular system function at optimum levels. This means more nutrition and oxygen delivered to all parts of your body for enhanced muscle strength, greater mental acuity, and better overall good health.

22 Simple Ways To Use Lavender Every Day

This versatile oil is a must-have in every household. It makes a valuable addition to your medicine chest, your dressing table, and your cleaning supplies cabinet! Here are just a few of the many ways you can use oil of lavender.

#1 – Sleep Well

If you suffer from insomnia, you may find that tucking a sachet of lavender flowers into your pillowcase will help calm your nerves and bring you a restful night’s sleep. You can enhance the scent of the sachet by adding a few drops of oil of lavender.

If lavender flowers are not available to you, a dozen drops of lavender on a handkerchief held near your nose can help soothe your nerves and encourage a good night sleep.

Lavender oil, together with a good cooling pillow and a firm mattress, is so effective as a sleep aid that many people have been able to replace over-the-counter and prescription sleep medications with a cup of lavender tea and a bit of aromatherapy at bedtime.

#2 – Total Relaxation

Massage with a natural oil infused with lavender oil is remarkably relaxing and can help calm your nerves for a good night’s sleep. If you are experiencing a great deal of stress, a massage with lavender-infused oil can provide some much-needed rest and relaxation.

#3 – Calm Your Nerves & Soothe Your Tummy

Organic Tea made with lavender flowers is also calming and can soothe an upset stomach. Purchase prepared tea or steep a teaspoonful of dried lavender flowers in a cup of hot water for about 10 minutes. Strain, sweeten to taste, and enjoy.

#4 – Aid Digestion

When used correctly, lavender oil can help increase food mobility in the intestines. Furthermore, it can stimulate the production of bile and gastric juices for better digestion. It’s one of the most effective natural remedies for problems such as:

  • Stomach pain
  • Indigestion
  • Flatulence
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Colic

Before taking lavender essential oil internally, talk with your doctor to determine just the right amount for you.

#5 – Relieve Nausea Or Motion Sickness

Treat motion sickness or nausea by placing a drop of the oil on the tip of your tongue. It may also be helpful to place a drop behind each ear and/or at the base of your navel.

#6 – Help With Hair Loss

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease in which the body wages war against the hair follicles. The result is hair loss. Both studies and anecdotal evidence indicate that massaging the scalp with lavender oil every day can help reverse this process and stimulates new hair growth if practiced consistently. It takes about 7 months of daily scalp massage with lavender oil to promote significant hair regrowth.

#7 – Fight Fungal Infections

Topically applied, lavender oil has been shown to be effective against candidiasis and tinea (fungal infections). It is also useful in treating skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema.

#8 – Soothe Aching Joints & Muscles

Used in conjunction with Epsom salts in the bath, this powerful essential oil can help relieve pain in the muscles and joints while delivering a delightful dose of relaxing aromatherapy.

#9 – Relieve Pain

Add lavender essential oil to heating rubs or make your own rub using oil of lavender, coconut oil, or olive oil and a warming essential oil such as clove oil, oil of peppermint, or oil of cinnamon. Use 6 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier oil. Massage this mixture into sore joints and muscles for natural healing and pain relief.

When added to the oxygen supplement used during surgery, lavender oil can help reduce post-operative pain.

#10 – Treat Head Lice

Head lice can be effectively treated with a mixture of neem oil and lavender oil. Mix at a rate of one ounce of neem oil to 6 drops of lavender oil. See our neem oil article for full instructions. (CLICK!)

#11 – Repel Pests

In addition to treating head lice, lavender essential oil is quite effective at repelling pests such as flies, midges, and mosquitoes. Apply to exposed skin to keep midges and mosquitoes away.

#12 – Soothe Bug Bites

If you are bitten by a mosquito or other stinging insect, dab a few drops of the oil directly onto the insect bites to reduce inflammation and itching, and help promote faster healing.

#13 – Treat Minor Injuries

The oil can be used full strength or mixed with a carrier such as olive oil, coconut oil, neem oil, or aloe vera gel to treat problems such as:

  • Minor cuts and scrapes
  • Minor burns
  • Sunburn

Treat minor cuts and scrapes by washing the injury immediately and using oil of lavender as an antiseptic treatment. If you do not have access to water, just apply a few drops of oil immediately to help prevent infection.

Treat minor burns by applying a few drops of straight lavender oil to the burn immediately. This can help prevent blistering, pain, and scarring.

#14 – Treat Acne

Dermatologists say that lavender essential oil can be incredibly valuable in treating acne. Its antiseptic properties help combat the bacterial infection, while its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce redness, swelling, and pain. Its calming properties help soothe the nerves and manage post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety that often accompany this taxing condition.

Treating acne with healthy oils instead of excessively drying chemical products will help reduce sebum production because the skin will not be constantly struggling to replace lost oils. Lavender oil can be added to healthy oils for oil cleansing. It can also be used full strength as a spot treatment for existing blemishes.

#15 – Everyday Skin Care

Even if you do not have a skin condition such as eczema, psoriasis, acne and other kinds of skin irritations, this healthy essential oil can work wonders for your skin. Add a few drops to your nightly moisturizer to impart natural anti-inflammatory properties and to help fight wrinkles and other signs of aging.

#16 – Breathe Easier

Lavender oil applied topically, placed in a diffuser and/or added to a pot of steaming water can be helpful in treating problems such as:

  • Whooping cough
  • Throat infections
  • Sinus congestion
  • Bronchitis
  • Laryngitis
  • Tonsillitis
  • Asthma
  • Cough
  • Cold
  • Flu

For topical application, apply the oil full strength or combined with a carrier oil as desired to your back, chest, and throat.

Use a cool mist diffuser to diffuse the oil into the air of your room at 15-minute intervals on an hourly basis.

Add the oil at a rate of 6 drops per cup of water to a pot of recently boiled water. Position your face over the steam and drape a towel over your head to inhale the scented steam in a concentrated form.

These treatments can help combat bacteria and viruses, loosen phlegm, relieve congestion and coughing, and soothe sore and dry nasal passages and airways.

#17 – Boost Your Immune System

When you make lavender oil a part of your daily life, you will naturally boost your immunity to numerous illnesses. The antiviral and antibacterial properties of the oil help your body defend itself against several illnesses including colds and flu.

#18 – Relieve A Nosebleed

Enhance nosebleed treatment by adding a few drops of lavender oil to the cloth you use to make your icepack. Wrap an ice cube or small handful of ice chips in a cotton cloth and dispense 3-4 drops of lavender oil on the cloth. Hold this firmly on your upper lip under your nose and rest comfortably with your head back until the bleeding stops.

#19 – Soothe Chapped Lips

Make a soothing lip balm by adding 6 drops of lavender oil to an ounce of coconut oil. Keep this mixture in a small tub with a tightly-fitted lid to use daily and/or as a treatment for chapped lips.

#20 – Manage Dandruff

Treat and prevent dandruff with regular scalp massages using lavender essential oil. Adding a few drops to your shampoo or conditioner will also help with dandruff. If you use the no-poo method, add the oil to the baking soda you will use as your wash and to the vinegar you will use as your rinse.

#21 – Heal Cold Sores

Get relief from the pain of cold sores and promote quick healing by treating with full strength lavender oil. Apply the oil with a cotton swab up to 4 times daily.

#22 – Soothe the Savage Beast

Do not use this oil for treatment of animals without first consulting a professional, with one exception. If you are an equestrian dealing with an anxious horse, mule, or donkey, a dozen drops of lavender oil rubbed between your palms and then gently stroked and massaged over the animal’s nose can work wonders.

Of course, if your equine is too dangerous to approach or tends to bite, you should not do this, but if he or she can be safely handled, add lavender to your regular grooming routine. This practice will instill the idea that the scent of lavender signals calming. This can be very useful when preparing for a visit from the vet or farrier, or simply as a regular part of training. For use with other types of animals, consult your veterinarian.

Techniques to Try

#1 – Cupping

For anxiety, pain, headache, or to clear your nasal passages and/or lift your spirits, use “cupping” anywhere and anytime. Just keep a vial of lavender oil in your purse or pocket, and when you need a quiet moment, shake half a dozen drops into the palm of your hand.

Rub your palms together and cup your hands over your mouth and nose. Inhale deeply for relief of anxiety, respiratory distress, allergy symptoms, or just bad smells.

You can use this technique at work, on public transport, or anywhere else you like. It is also a great practice at bedtime to help enhance sleep.

#2 – Scenting

Use the oil in all your personal care products (6 drops per ounce) and/or wear it as a scent. Dabbing a few drops behind your ears, on your throat, and at pressure points can surround you with a relaxing, pain-relieving scent all day long.

As a bonus, your calming scent will calm others around you and may even help enhance your interactions throughout your day.

#3 – Here Are Some General Guidelines For Use By Adults:

  • One drop should be sufficient if you use full-strength for a small injury or blemish.
  • If mixing with a carrier product (oil, aloe vera gel or existing personal care product), 6 drops per ounce should be about right.
  • If mixing with water for inhalation, one or two drops per cup of water should suffice.
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Is It Safe To Ingest?

Lavender essential oil is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for oral consumption by the FDA, but there is still some controversy regarding this topic. Some sources say it is safe to use internally in small doses. Others say taking it orally is not safe at all and that you should avoid contact with open wounds and mucous membranes.

The problem with ingesting essential oils is that they are almost unbelievably concentrated, so it is very easy to overdo. It often takes 200 pounds or more of the raw plant to produce only a single pound of the concentrated oil. [source]

In such strong concentrations, the antibacterial and antimicrobial properties of these oils can have negative impacts on the balance of friendly fauna in your system and on your organs in general if you ingest too much or take an oil internally for an extended period.

The lavandin essential oil, an extract coming from lavandin or lavandin grosso, a hybrid of true lavender and spike lavender. Lavandin can also serve as an aromatherapy agent, but it usually comes as ingredients to solutions that can cure skin irritation and other types of inflammation. However, because lavandin oil carries stronger properties compared to the true lavender essential oil, you should not use lavandin for skin care.

Anecdotal evidence indicates that use of small amounts (a few drops) occasionally is not harmful and can be helpful. Remember that it is always best to err on the side of caution. Think of lavender essential oil and all essential oils as you would medicine and consult a professional before ingesting.

Proceed with Caution

It is important that you understand that essential oils are natural medicines. They are concentrated and can cause adverse side effects if used incorrectly (or even if used correctly). Always begin by using the smallest amount of the oil possible. Increase gradually to get the desired effect.

Do not mix oils willy-nilly. Always follow recipes carefully and consult with a professional before mixing more than two types of oil

Don’t use the oil on children without first consulting a pediatrician. There are some aromatherapy applications that can be safely used on or around children, but you should be aware that exposure to lavender has been shown to cause development of breast tissue in boys and early puberty in girls. This is because the oil can mimic the hormone estrogen.

For this reason, you should avoid using lavender essential oil in treatments for children and do not purchase the commercially prepared bath products, shampoos, baby oil, etc. that contain lavender. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should not use lavender oil or personal care products that contain lavender.

If you have a chronic condition, such as diabetes, discuss use of essential oils with your doctor before adding them to your personal care routine. For asthma, ask your doctor if you can use essential oils and discuss the various types of oils with him or her.

Before using any essential oil, perform a patch test to be certain you are not allergic. Always proceed with caution so that any negative reaction you may have can be small and contained at the outset.

Possible Side Effects

If you experience a negative reaction to lavender, it may take the form of:

  • Increased appetite
  • Difficult breathing
  • Blurred vision
  • Burning eyes
  • Constipation
  • Vomiting
  • Headache
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Chills

It is important to note that these reactions are mostly associated with internal use of the oil; however, if you experience any adverse side effects (even from external use), you should stop using the oil immediately and (when used topically) wash it off your skin.

Possible Drug Interactions

Because true lavender essential oil does have a calming effect and can act as a pain reliever, it may interact negatively with prescription or over-the-counter medications intended for these effects of lavender. If you are currently taking a prescription medication for hypertension, depression, or pain, talk with your doctor before adding lavender oil to your health care routine. If you are using an over-the-counter product for these purposes, try substituting lavender oil, but don’t use the two together.

Oil of Lavender Simplifies Essential Oil Use

If you’ve always wanted to use essential oils but feel daunted by the prospect of studying up on them, lavender oil is the oil for you. It is the most versatile of all the essential oils, and it comes in handy for numerous uses in personal care, first aid, and around the house.

As an antiseptic, analgesic, and mood-lifting pleasant scent, lavender essential oil simply can’t be beaten. Be warned, though! It may be considered a “gateway oil!” Once you’ve dabbled in essential oils with this powerhouse, you may find yourself inspired to learn more about all the other fascinating and useful essential oils.

8 Powerful Argan Oil Benefits And Why You Should Use Them

Referred to by many users as “liquid gold,” argan oil is a supplement gaining rapid popularity. The argan tree (Argania spinosa) come from Morocco, particularly in Errachidia Morocco, where people used this oil since the old centuries. Now, the argan trees are also cultivated in regions of Israel, and the plant’s health benefits are known worldwide.

The Moroccan oil packs in beneficial contents such as essential fatty acids and vitamin E. Generally, people use if for hair and skin health making it famous among celebrities. However, not only the rich and famous can enjoy the amazing argan oil benefits. You too, can get this essential oil for a reasonable price in many stores and online shops.

argan oil benefits for the skin and face

Read on to discover different argan oil benefits and its uses.

Argan Oil Is An Excellent Skin Moisturizer

Pure argan oil serves as a great face moisturizer or toner. It can revitalize cracked and dry skin with content rich in vitamin E and A. It contains several additional nutrients, making argan oil a healthier choice than a simple vitamin treatment or supplement.

Antioxidants, omega-6 fatty acids, and linoleic acid are all present in argan oil. Specific antioxidants that can improve skin health include tocopherols, squalene, carotenes, and sterols.

The pure argan oil works gently and safe on your face, and is absorbed quickly by the skin, leaving no sticky residue. Apart from dry skin, this oil even works for people with oily skin types. Pure argan oil helps balance the skin’s natural oils and can slow down your body’s production of skin oils.

You can use Moroccan argan oil on your face, as a moisturizing lip balm, and even as a full body moisturizer. Argan oil is exceptionally useful on parts of the body that become dry or dehydrated easily, like elbows, knees, and feet.

Besides adding moisture to dry skin, it provides several benefits for the skin and even your overall health.

You can try this organic argan oil from Pura D’or for your face, hair, skin and nails.

How Should I Apply Argan Oil As A Face Moisturizer?

Use one drop of argan oil and massage it gently into the face and neck. After spreading the oil evenly, and before your skin has fully absorbed it, tap the argan oil into your face gently with your fingertips. This process helps your skin absorb the oil more effectively.

Around the eyes, use one finger to lightly tap under the eyes and over your eyelids. Your ring finger is the best to use since this finger is usually the weakest and applies less pressure on the skin.

Argan Oil Can Be A Skin Exfoliator

Apart from reaping argan oil benefits by using it as a facial and skin moisturizer, you can also use argan oil to make your own exfoliating scrub.

Exfoliation removes dead skin cells that may clog the pores and can give your skin a rough or flaky look. It is good to exfoliate a few times a month, but you should avoid exfoliating any more than twice a week.

If you have sensitive skin, use caution and check to see how your skin reacts first. You may need to use a product or scrub with more mild ingredients.

Try mixing the oil with brown sugar, sea salt, or oatmeal. Feel free to experiment and add other essential oils such as tamanu oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, castor oil and coconut oil to the mix!

After exfoliating, regardless of whether you have sensitive skin or not, be extra conscious of sun exposure. Keep sunscreen on hand. It’s a good idea to exfoliate at night before bed, so you aren’t immediately exposing your skin to sunlight and free radical agents when it’s vulnerable.

Use this muslin cotton cloths along with argan oil while cleaning your face or removing makeup.

Argan Oil Has Anti-Aging Skin Properties

Argan oil is touted as an anti-aging product largely because it contains high amounts of vitamin E. Vitamin E slows the aging process and can help prevent wrinkles. This nutrient protects the skin from free radicals, which refers to harmful molecules found naturally in our environment. [source]

Damage from free radicals can come from pollution, chemicals, or simply bacteria present in our food or water. It is impossible to avoid free radicals, but we can help our body become better equipped to fight them off.

The damage caused by free radicals is a primary cause of aging skin. Vitamin E protects the skin and encourages healing. It does so by repairing skin cells and increasing the oxygen supply to our skin cells, a process vital for healthy skin.

Vitamin E leaves your skin noticeably softer and more elastic. So try aragan oil to remove signs of aging in skin such as pigments and wrinkles.

Argan Oil Reduces Inflammation

Argan oil does not only moisturize and slow the aging process but it also reduces inflammation. The healthy fatty acids present in this oil tackle redness and swelling in the skin. Its natural anti-inflammatory properties make argan oil as an effective soothing agent razor burn or bumps.

The anti-inflammation properties of this oil also help with skin spots, including sun spots, age spots, and acne scars.

Check out this short instructional video on how argan oil helps reduce inflammation, how to apply it, and other inflammation-related conditions that argan oil may be useful in treating:

Argan Oil Can Reduce Acne And Sebum

Anti-inflammatory products like argan oil are good for acne, too. It’s a good idea to treat your skin with a natural acne treatment. Many chemical cleansers and creams on the market today can be harmful to the skin in the long-run and are too strong for the face.

While you might feel hesitant about taking advantage of the argan oil benefits to clear your acne, which commonly comes from an excess of skin oil, argan oil reduces your sebum levels.

Sebum is just another word for “skin oil.” Your body secretes it from sebaceous glands located just under the skin. Every part of your body can release sebum. Excessive sebum production causes an acne-prone skin.

While many products falsely advertise the ability to get rid of sebum, skin care specialists will tell you that applying products to the skin does not affect sebum production. Hormones dictate how much sebum your glands secrete. [source]

People with oily skin might have glands particularly sensitive to hormonal changes or even a hormone imbalance.

Fortunately, argan oil does more than just moisturize the outside of your skin. The fatty acids present help regulate your hormones. For this reason, experts often recommend omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for women suffering from PMS or menopause.

Researchers conducted a study on a sebum control cream containing argan oil. Among both female and male volunteers, the sebum control cream proved as effective in reducing sebum, less greasiness, and improved the appearance of oily skin. [source]

Use this moisturizer made of argan extracts to avoid acne and sebum.

Argan Oil Protects And Heals The Skin

Argan oil has been used for centuries in Morocco as an ointment to heal wounds. Today, people across the world continue to discover many argan oil benefits. Its healing properties make argan oil suitable for a variety of uses.

Many people use argan oil to reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks. Both women and men can also use this oil on razor bumps and burns. It not only has a soothing effect on cuts and burns but also helps your skin heal faster.

Argan oil comes with powerful antioxidants and active ingredients like tocopherols, polyphenols, squalene, carotenes, and sterols. Antioxidants are known to stimulate healing, which is visibly noticeable on the skin. [source]

Argan oil is most effective in preventing stretch marks, but it can reduce existing marks, too. For preventing stretch marks, use two to three drops and rub gently on the skin, moisturizing the areas you normally do.

If you already have stretch marks, try rubbing some onto those areas before a bath and reapplying a small amount again afterward. You can also combine brown sugar with argan oil before your bath for a gentle scrub.

For razor burns or bumps, use one or two drops on the area and massage very lightly. You should be able to feel the soothing effect shortly.

Argan Oil Can Be Used To Condition And Style Hair

Argan oil moisturizes and strengthens hair, making it a great natural conditioner and shampoo. Both the argan oil shampoo and conditioner can help restore damaged cells and smooths the outer layer of the hair, making it more elastic.

You can also use argan oil as a styling agent or a leave-in conditioner. The oil’s ability to repair cells helps smooth frizzy hair.

Argan oil may even encourage hair growth. One research study found that the antioxidants in vitamin E helped participants who had been suffering from split ends and hair loss. The study focused on the vitamin E antioxidant tocotrienol. [source]

Researchers gave participants 100 mg of this antioxidant supplement orally once a day for eight months. By the end of the study, the control group showed a continued loss of hair, while the group taking the supplement experienced noticeable hair growth.

With all argan oil benefits for healthy skin, this essential oil is just as healthy for your scalp, an often forgotten part of skin care. Vitamin E and antioxidants present in argan oil can make argan oil supplements a good choice for hair growth.

You can also use the oil as a conditioner or leave-in treatment. Massage the oil gently into your scalp to stimulate growth and keep your skin healthy.

The amount of argan oil you use depends on your hair care needs, including its length, thickness, and texture. The oil is rich, so start with a drop and work your way up to higher quantities as needed.

Argan Oil Is A Wonderful Treatment For Hands And Nails

Argan oil is good for your hands, since it boasts impressive benefits for skin, but is also good for your nails. The oil improves nail and cuticle health with its high concentrations of vitamin E and vitamin A.

Treat your hands as you would any other part of your body. Begin moisturizing with just one drop, and massage thoroughly into your hands.

For the nails, you have a couple of options. Some people place a drop on each nail, smooth it out, and let it set. An easier method is to fill a wide bowl with argan oil and dip your nails into the oil.

You should let your nails soak for about 10 minutes. Afterward, remove your nails and wipe off the oil with a washcloth or paper towel.

Those who struggle with brittle or easily broken nails should try an argan oil treatment.

Argan Oil Benefits – Can Be Good For Heart Health And Diabetes

Edible argan oil is also becoming popular due to its health benefits. To address the body’s internal health, many people take argan oil supplements or add the oil to their regular diet.

Argan oil can keep your cholesterol at healthy levels. One study tested participants by first increasing their fat intake, and then giving them daily doses of argan oil. Argan oil significantly lowered triglyceride levels, one type of cholesterol, among the volunteers. [source]

You can also address diabetes and blood glucose levels with argan oil. One study compared the effects of fish oil and argan oil on obese rats with diabetes-like conditions. [source]

Researchers found that both oils resulted in improvements. Argan oil helped increase the rats’ metabolism and lowered their resistance to insulin.

An article published in the Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine reports that regularly consuming an edible form of argan oil can reduce your risk of contracting diabetes. [source]

What Kind Of Argan Oil Should I Buy?

You should be sure to purchase high-quality oil products. Some manufacturers dilute the oil or even replace most of it to make a profit. While you are shopping, look for 100% pure, cold-pressed argan oil.

Oil that has been cold-pressed means that the seed has not been altered before being pressed. In hot-press methods, the seed is roasted or processed under high heat, which can remove some of its nutritional value.

According to the Poland Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology, using cold-press methods on oils is the most efficient way to retain their original benefits. [source]

How Should I Store Argan Oil?

Store argan oil away from direct sunlight. Keep the lid sealed tightly. Over time the quality of argan oil deteriorates, and you may not experience the full effect of its benefits. Generally, it is best to use the oil within six months of opening it.

Argan oil will last longer if it is stored in a container that doesn’t let in light. When purchasing argan oil, it is best to look for a product housed in a dark or opaque bottle. Light can cause the oil to deteriorate faster, so minimize the amount of light that can reach the oil.

Are There Any Side Effects Of Argan Oil?

There is a possibility that consuming argan oil might affect people with nut allergies. While argan isn’t technically a tree nut, it has some similarities to the nut family.

Argan oil is a healthy alternative to synthetic skin and hair products. If you haven’t experienced good results with commercial beauty products in removing acne, moisturizing the skin or achieving a shiny hair, maybe it’s time to try a healthier, natural alternative!

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