Face oil - how to choose the right one for your skin.

Today's market offers a wide selection of face oils but using oil on your face is hardly a new practice.
For ages, women around the World have been using healing vegetable oils to nurture and beautify their skin. The western world is just catching up.
Oils have been part of my personal care for a long time. I believe, I have never purchased a commercial body lotion. It has always been oil. I use oils on my face daily and I find them effective, versatile and simple to use. I also love working with oils and use them in every treatment I offer at my clinic. The healing potential of oils is greatly underestimated and commonly not known.
Oils are beautiful; various in colour, texture and scent. They also differ in their healing profiles and biochemical makeup. 
I would like to encourage you to give oils a try. But before you run out to buy one lets see which oil will benefit your particular skin type the most.
One more thing; there are many oil blends by various skin care companies on the market. To start with, explore pure organic cold pressed vegetable oils also known as base or carrier oils like: Rosehip, Argan and such. I believe you will like them a lot. Once you get a feel for base oils, the next step will be to add essential oils. At that point you will be able to affect much more than the health of your skin with your face oils.  Another time about this....

DRY SKIN loves oil and can benefit from a variety of oils.
Apricot kernel
Argan
Camellia
Sesame
Rosehip

MIXED/COMBINATION SKIN does not like the oily feeling, yet it can benefit from oils like:
Camellia
Meadowfoam
Jojoba
Coconut

OILY SKIN will benefit from oils which help to balance the excessive production of sebum.
Grape seed
Hazelnut
Jojoba

AGING SKIN is still either dry, sensitive or on the oily side so follow one of the above suggestions.

You can use oils daily instead of a moisturizer, as an addition to a moisturizer and/or to massage your face and neck at least once a week. Organic and cold pressed is always the way to go.
Are you using oils already? It would be great to hear about your experiences.

Simple oat scrub for dry and sensitive skin.

The cold weather is here, the heat is on and your skin might have just started feeling a bit too dry and dehydrated. This is a very simple scrub for dry and sensitive skin (not the best for oily) which will help gently exfoliate dead skin cells without stripping the protective acid mantle.

The acid mantle is a very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of the skin acting as a barrier to bacteria, viruses and other potential contaminants that might penetrate the skin. It is secreted by sebaceous glands. The pH of the skin is between 4.5 and 6.2, so it is acidic. These contaminants and other chemicals are primarily alkaline in nature and the skin's moderate acidity helps to neutralize their chemical effects.

You can create it from the stuff that is already in your kitchen, literally for pennies. I think everyone ought to know how to utilize simple home ingredients to create beauty care products, from high end skin care divas to women who love the simplicity, purity and creativity which comes with concocting your own stuff.  It comes in very handy in many situations. Even if you are a lover of brand products, you never know...You may run out of your favorite product and need to exfoliate like, NOW, or maybe your wallet is a bit thin these days. If you are an 'earthy beauty' I do not need to convince you.  

Simple steel cut oat which you use to cook porridge is a great exfoliating agent. When prepared properly it will softly clear your face of dry and flaky skin and it will leave it glowing.
HEALING PROPERTIES OF OAT:
helps to soften the skin
anti-inflamatory
soothing
helps to relieve itchiness
*high in silica
The quality of oat is: warm, moist and sweet; ideal for dryness.
Oatmeal can be used as a poultice for skin conditions like eczema, cold sores and shingles.

Many skin care companies use oat as the base for their scrubs and exfoliating creams. Now you can experiment with your own.

I use organic steel cut oats which I buy at my local health food store.
First, the very simple version. All you need to do is:
throw a handful of steel cut organic oats in a blender and take it for a spin until it turns into powder
sift it to remove any leftover large pieces
place in a jar
you are ready to go
use after cleansing 2x a week
grab about 1tsp and mix it with water forming a soft paste in your hand
work it all over your face and neck
rinse and apply your moisturizer or face oil

You can up the healing properties of this scrub by adding 1Tbsp of dried Calendula flower petals. You would place the petals and oat together in the blender and follow through, the same as you did with the simple version of this scrub. 

Calendula is just one possibility. You could use rose, lavender or echinacea. Have fun with it...

The lovely strawberry.

Lately, the sweet taste and beautiful scent of strawberries have been my indulgence.  Locally grown strawberries taste way different from the imported, oddly large and totally lacking aroma fruit we buy in the cold months of the year. Now is the time to truly enjoy them.

Native to North and South America, strawberries are a good source of vitamin C. They are also very good for the intestinal tract and improve elimination. They alkalize your body, are high in sodium and have a good amount of potassium.

Strawberries are delicious juiced, in fruit salads or on their own.
Try frozen banana, a handful of strawberries and almond milk in your smoothie. Very tasty!  

You can infuse their leaves to make an astringent face spray for oily and combo skin types. Prepare like an herb tea, cool and transport into a little spray bottle. It keeps for a day.

Fresh strawberry pulp will brighten the teeth and freshen the breath.

Use strawberries in a mask for oily and combination skin and to calm blemishes.

They will tighten the pores, lighten uneven complexion, eliminate dead skin cells and leave you glowing and refreshed.

Strawberry mask:

2-4 well washed organic strawberries 

1tsp of honey ( you can eat the leftovers:)) )

optional: 1tsp of green clay and a good drizzle of jojoba oil 

strawberry mask

Blend all of the ingredients, apply for 10 minutes, relax and expect the loveliness of the strawberry to rub off on you:))