- Rare is the person who purposely puts harmful chemical on their body.
- Human beings as a whole want to look good and feel good for as long as they can.
So WHY is it that the average woman introduces over five HUNDRED chemicals to her body every day from skin care and beauty products alone?
Why is it that only 9% of woman are aware of the ingredients in their personal care products and that only one out of ten women purposely shop for chemical-free versions?
When synthetic-chemical based products are introduced to the body, they put a heavy load on our immune systems, making it difficult for our bodies to do their jobs. After application to the human body, the fat-soluble molecules of a skin care product go through for layers of skin:
- Stratum corneum
- Stratum granulosum
- Stratum spinosum
- Stratum germinativum
- (and an extra layer, the stratum lucidum, if applied to palms or feet)
working their way through the skin cells, sliding down with the assistance of hair follicles or sweat glands if available, the newly introduced molecules arrive at the tissues of the dermis and subcutaneous layer.
The molecules are either:
- ‘Accepted’ by the body (in our topic at hand, molecules from natural ingredients in a skin care product), or
- Seen as an invader (synthetic chemicals in the product).
It is the job of a body’s white blood cells that are waiting in the tissues to identify and eliminate the invaders, working quickly to keep the insides of our bodies as clean as possible.
White blood cells immediately start working to rid the body of anything foreign.
Let’s revisit the fact that the average woman (we’ll call her ‘Tina’) introduces 500 chemicals into her bloodstream every single day just from personal care products.
What happens when Tina’s body is also working to eliminate other invaders at the same time, such as parasites, abnormal cells, bacteria, viruses, etc.?
Quite simply, it just can’t do as good of a job when given too much work to handle.
- Tina feels lethargic (lack of energy).
- Or she is constantly fighting allergies.
- Or she manages to always pick up the latest ‘bug’ that is going around.
- Or her injuries take an incredibly long time to heal.
- Or abnormal cells (aka cancer cells) in her system are not eliminated efficiently…which has disastrous effects over time.
Tina has a consistent morning routine, so the same products are applied, the same extra-heavy load on the immune system is repeated…daily…without knowing what is going on beneath the surface.
Even with this very brief overview, it’s easy to see that synthetic-chemical-based skin care products CAN be a reason for imbalances and cancers to develop, but perhaps not in the way that is commonly discussed.
Our bodies are overworked from all of this ‘extra’ that is being absorbed and can’t keep up with its most basic and necessary functions – it is constantly fighting for homeostatic balance, day after day after day.
This ‘extra’ is (very, very) avoidable by switching to natural lifestyle products that WORK, such as natural ingredients and Essential oils.
Essential Oils for Vitality and Health
Essential oils affect the body as a whole, supporting our overall vitality and health. To demonstrate, when we look at Lavender, being rich in monoterpenols, lending it to be a helpful essential oil for inflammation and cleansing.
However, Lavender also has high ester content (46.98% linalyl acetate on average), which provides sedative (calming), immunostimulant (stimulates the immune system), analgesic (helps relieve pain), and vasorelaxant (reduces tension in the walls of blood vessels) properties.
As another example, Thyme ct., noted above for having high linalool content, is also high in terpinen-4-ol (11.22% on average), which activates white blood cells, is hypotensive (lowers blood pressure), antihistaminic (manages allergies), and is a central nervous system depressant (helpful for anxiety, panic, and stress reactions).
The wide variety of support shown in these two illustrations is true for the chemical makeup of all essential oils.
An essential oil (such as Sweet Basil) can help with skin inflammation while ALSO addressing overwhelm, stress, mental and emotional burnout.
An essential oil (such as Clary Sage) can be great for an anti-acne blend while ALSO easing anxiety and other emotional issues.
An essential oil (such as Jasmine can be perfect for protection against sun damage while ALSO regulating mood and enhancing alertness.
Combining two or more essential oils together to work synergistically has an even wider range of benefits!
Case Study: Hormonal Acne + Anxiety
In a personal case study, a 38-year-old woman who had been using an online dermatology provider to receive custom skincare formulations (for hormonal acne) volunteered to try a carrier oil plus essential oil serum for six weeks.
A blend was created with astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-anxiety therapeutic properties and chemical components.
Within ten days, she reported that her skin texture had greatly improved, her redness was gone, and would officially be ditching the chemical-based formula that she had been using for months.
Case Study: Adult Acne & Scarring + Stress
In another case study, a 52-year-old woman who had been battling dryness, acne scarring, and hyperpigmentation also volunteered to try a carrier and essential oil facial serum.
A blend was created with cell regeneration, oil regulation, and stress reduction in mind.
Within two weeks, she reported that her acne scarring and dryness had improved significantly, she had fewer breakouts, and her skin felt and looked better.
Harsh products and acne medications were replaced with this natural face serum.
Blending with a Holistic View
The examples above were formulated with a holistic view – meaning created based on the needs of the whole person in mind – physically, emotionally, and situationally.
These blends address a larger physiological picture of WHAT is actually causing the dryness, acne, or eczema (to name just a few). As we know from studies in psychoneuroimmunology, when an individual is dealing with mentally and emotionally, even if they are not consciously aware of it, it shows up throughout the body in other forms
Stress and overwhelm can result in psoriasis, Eczema, Hives & Premature wrinkles and dryness! Our bodies and minds are so incredibly connected and it all comes full circle.
So what we are saying is that understanding the benefits of natural ingredients, the long-term ramifications of using synthetic chemicals on our immune system's ability to work correctly and the power of essential oils to heal our skin ailments AND provide health and vitality to so many other aspects of our lives is the answer to take your health into your own hands...
Take our hands and let us help you not only find your BLiSS, but also to help you gently step into a world of holistic health, stress management, and overall life enjoyment!