Hi lovelies! I am going to be 25 next month and I don't feel anything near 25 years old. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, I've started doing some SIMPLE and NATURAL anti-ageing treatments. I will be telling you about that in today's post; it involves some essential oils. Very natural, simple and inexpensive. See below; coconut oil, castor oil, vitamin E oil and Tea Tree oil.
Coconut Oil as a day cream
I started using coconut oil about a month ago as an alternative to day cream. Coconut oil is an effective moisturiser for any skin type and prevents flaky skin and dryness- perfect for me! It delays wrinkles and sagging but if you already have wrinkles, have no fear! Because its never too late to treat them. Just rub some coconut oil on those wrinkles, lines and creases to soften them away. Not only is it a good moisturiser for the face, it is an all round moisturiser. I'm talking about from hair to toe. It is a multi-functional oil.
Hair-Coconut oil can help tame frizz, condition, strengthen and repair hair.
Body- it is a good massaging oil. Use it after shower.
Lip- apply coconut oil on your lips as a lip balm.
Other usages on the body
Make-up- it can be used as a make up remover. I've tried it a couple of times and it is quite effective. It is as good as DHC cleansing oil but coconut oil is cheaper, multi-functional, gentler and natural (no chemical).
Sun care- coconut oil has a natural SPF 4.
That's the external uses and now the internal uses. Coconut oil can be used as a cooking oil and cooking with it will help the body in many ways. It can help improve the digestive system, prevent various stomach and digestion-related problems. It can strengthen the immune system as the oil helps fighting harmful bacteria. Coconut oil help your body absorb other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids. For those looking to loose some weight, coconut oil can also help you with that. The oil contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that can help in taking off excessive weight, furthermore it increases the metabolism and thus burns more fat.
How has it improved my skin?
I thought it would be very greasy and sticky but in fact it's extremely light, not sticky and not too greasy. It's bearable. I like it, it has prevented flaky skin and dryness and it makes me feel so natural. lol. So far so good.
About the greasiness, I guess it depends on how much you use. A little goes a long way, I only use about the size of a 5p coin. Keep massaging into your skin and it will help absorb the oil making it less greasy. A jar of coconut oil will last you a year, that's a lot of money saved especially when it's multi-functional; no need to buy make-up remover, cooking oil, expensive face cream, etc.
Where can I buy coconut oil and how much does it cost?
You can get coconut oil in health shops like Holland & Barratt, Planet Organic and independent pharmacies/health shop. Look for cold pressed and organic ones. They cost about £10-16 depending on the size and brand.
Castor Oil
I mentioned a while ago that I use castor oil as an alternative to night cream and I still do. I've been using it for over a year now and I recently bought my second bottle. Again a little goes a long way. This however is very thick so I will only recommend you using it a night. I've been applying the oil all over my face including under eye area, that really helps in reducing bags and dark circles.
Benefits
Skin- the reason I apply castor oil over night because I have dry skin and the oil softens and soothes dry and irritated skin-
I had some red patchy skin and after applying castor oil over night the redness were gone the next morning. It also helps to kill pathogens that can cause skin problems. The oil locks in moisture and has numerous minerals, vitamins and fatty acids that are essential for great skin health. In terms of anti-ageing, castor oil reduces the appearances of wrinkles and tones the skin. If you want to use castor oil for skin care, make sure it is COLD-PRESSED from castor bean, the label on the bottle will indicate whether it's cold pressed or not.
Hair- Castor oil is well known for stimulating hair growth. By massaging the oil onto scalp it will help blood circulation and moisturising dry, flaky and itchy scalp. It helps treat split ends, provides essential minerals for growing strong hair, supplies omega-6 essential fatty acids for healthy hair.
Applying castor oil on eyelashes can lengthen and thicken them. If you're eyebrows have stopped growing and you want them back, put some castor oil. I put castor oil on my eyebrows every night and they grow back pretty fast- I know that means that I have to get them threaded very often which can be quite annoying.
Other benefits: Internally.
Castor oil can help induce labour; mix 2-4 fl oz of castor oil with orange juice, taken once every 12 hours. You do not use the oil before you have reached 39-40 weeks of pregnancy. But there are
possible side effects; diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, muscle cramps, decreased urination and dehydration.
Further more, castor oil can help liver and gall bladder function, boost immune system, remove intestinal blockages, improve gastrointestinal health and ease painful arthritic joints.
How has it improved my skin?
I love it because it works instantly. My skin looks more toned the next morning and my bags are reduced. But the only bad thing is, if you're not used to applying it at night you might not be able to sleep well. When I first used it, I was so concerned about the oil being wiped off if I move to my sides but I got used to it after a few weeks. Although, castor oil soothes dry skin but once washed off in the morning you will still need to apply your day cream, in my case the coconut oil.
Where to get it and how much does it cost?
You can buy this in any health shops and independent pharmacies. The bottle I got cost £12.99 from Holland & Barratt.. For those who are intending to buy a small bottle to try, you will not be able to find a small bottle. The only way to find a small one is asking someone who already has castor oil to pour you some to try.
Vitamin E oil
When it comes to anti- ageing, hands are also crucial. Must not forget about them as they show your true age and same with you neck. I have recently started to do hand mask every other night when I'm sleeping using vitamin E oil. It's extremely thick, thicker than castor oil and is quite greasy.
Benefits
Vitamin E is known to be a strong antioxidant that prevents premature ageing. The list of wonderful skin benefits that vitamin E oil is as long as castor and coconut oil. Vitamin E oil speeds up cell regeneration and so can be used to treat scars, acne and wrinkles. Treating wrinkles mean it is anti-ageing and makes the skin look younger. Vitamin E can also be used to treat sunburn or protecting you from the sun, according to Forbes(2013) combining with vitamin C can act as a natural form of sun protection. Vitamin E oil also helps the skin retain its natural moisture content.
Other than skin benefits, vitamin E oil is also good for boosting immune system, reduces cholesterol and the risk of developing cancer. High levels of vitamin E can reduce the risk of sunstroke and coronary artery disorder or heart disease.
The generic name for Vitamin E is "tocopherol".
How has it improved my skin?
I've only been using it on my hands for about 3 weeks and I've seen good results. One example is when my cuticles were peeling and they were so sore. I rubbed the vitamin E oil into the cuticles for two nights. The first morning they were almost gone and were completely treated the second morning. Second example is when my skin got a bit rough from not wearing gloves when washing the dishes- I got a bit lazy. After a couple of nights of using vitamin E oil on my hands, the skin definitely have gone a lot softer.
Where can I get this and how much is it?
You can find this in a bottle of capsule form in any health shops, The Body Shop, online stores and independent pharmacies. I don't think you can get this in Boots, I haven't seen it. Vitamin E oil are affordable, they are usually between £5-10 depending on the brand.
Tea Tree Oil
Last but not least, Tea tree oil. I only use this when I have spots or I can see a spot is forming, its really good for those purposes. I once had a spot each side of my forehead and I did a mini experiment using the tea tree oil on one spot and spot cream on the other. Lol. The next morning I woke up, the spot that was treated with the spot cream was still there and still looked red. The spot treated with tea tree oil was gone.
Benefits
It's not only good for treating spots and acne its also good to treat insect bites bites which is what I do. Tea tree oil also has many benefits and uses, internally and externally.
It helps heal and soothe sunburns, heals skin infections naturally, relieves itchiness from rashes as well as helps reduce rashes, treat acne, helps to prevent lice naturally; just add a few drops to your shampoo, cures toenail fungus and athlete's foot and naturally cures bad breath.
Tea tree oil can also be used around the house; helps freshen carpets, freshen laundry, keeps bathroom fresh, homemade kitchen cleaners and homemade natural deodorant.
How has it improved my skin?
As I mentioned earlier, I only use it for treating spots and sometimes insect bites and not for anti-ageing purposes.
Where to get it and how much does it cost?
You can get tea tree oil in many places, health shops, pharmacies and even £1 shop- that's where I got mine from lol. but it works fine.
That's the end of a length blog post. I hope you enjoyed it, if you did please share :)
What sort of anti-ageing treatment do you do? Do you use any essential oils?
