Herbal body care

Total body care is a necessary regimen. It isn’t enough to take care of the face; the rest of the skin deserves some pampering too. There are a number of herbs which you can use for herbal body care. The body is composed largely of the skin organ. In order to take care of the boy, you need to take care of the skin. The herbal body care applied will essentially provide protection for the skin too.

Herbal body care for dry skin includes using body lotions, scrubs and bath oils. Refrain from using soap since it could dry your skin even more. For dry skin itches, add quarter-cup vinegar to bath. The herbs that could promote oil production and herbal body care in dry skin are: chamomile, fennel, rose, geranium, lavender, palmarosa, sandalwood and small amounts peppermint and rosemary. Frankincense, jasmine, neroli and rose although expensive are also beneficial.

Herbal body care for oily skin involves using herb that normalize overactive oil glands which include herbs such as sage, lemongrass, basil, eucalyptus, cedarwood, cypress, lemon, yarrow and ylang-ylang. Bathing could also help oily skin if used with Aromatic Bath Salts or Aromatic Batch Vinegar. Avoid high heat in saunas since it encourages skin to become oilier. Bath salts make bath water feel silky, remove body oils, perspiration and soften the skin.

Herbal body care for sun-damaged skin involves PABA (part of the B-complex vitamins) and cinoxate (cinanamic acid from cinnamon). These two herbal body cares are commonly used ingredients in sunscreens. Sesame oil is also believed to decrease the impact of the sun’s burning rays by 30 per cent. Olive, coconut, peanut oils and aloe vera are herbal body cares that block out 20 per cent of the rays. Using three to six percent dilution of extract of helichrysum also called immortelle is also an effective herbal body care that serves as sunscreen. Carrot-seed essential oil is very helpful to sun-damaged skin and is used to treat pre-cancerous conditions. The beta-carotene found in this oil is also effective herbal body care used in protecting against skin cancer induced by ultraviolet rays. The South American herb pau d’arco is also an effective herbal body care that is an antioxidant that helps treat skin cancer.

Do not use bergamot if you go out into the sun. This herb contains phototoxic compound called bergaptene which skin’s sensitivity to light and can cause skin discoloration or rashes.

Rosemary

Rosemary originates from the Mediterranean. It is a silvery evergreen shrub that is now grown worldwide. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is an important culinary and healing herb.

Greek and Chinese traditional healers used the rosemary to sooth digestive aid and relieve intestinal gas or flatulence. Rosemary leaf tea is currently being used as a standard treatment for these conditions. Germany has approved officially the use of rosemary to treat indigestion, gas, bloating and other digestive symptoms. Tea can be prepared by drying rosemary leaves. Or, you can use small amounts of either tincture or liquid extract mixed with warm water.

In the past, the Greeks believed that the plant can enhance memory and the students even wore the rosemary garlands as they take the exams. Even Shakespeare believed that rosemary is good for memory as Ophelia added rosemary in her mad scene lists. The herb’s well-earned reputation as a memory enhancer is partly due to its high concentrations of health-promoting antioxidants. These compounds protect the brains and other parts of the body against unstable oxygen molecules that are called free radicals which is the primary cause for cell damage in the body. It also sharpens the memory by breaking down the brain chemical called acetylcholine.

There are different uses for rosemary:

Inhalation use. Inhaling the rosemary oil can sharpen the mind, counter mental fatigue and treat nervous exhaustion. It’s essential oil can be added to bath water, inhaled directly or diluted with neutral carrier oil and used for massage.

Topical use. It can be applied to the skin topically to soothe muscle sprains, strains and arthritic joints. The oil contains camphor, skin irritant that can increase blood circulation to the skin when applied topically. This oil is frequently added to hair preparations. Rosemary oil when added with thyme, cedarwood, lavender oils in a neutral carrier oil such as jojoba could lessen type of patchy hair loss called alopecia areata.

Internal use. Rosemary oil is recently made available in capsule form for internal use. Capsules that contain memory oil together with oregano and thyme oils are used for the treatment of yeast overgrowth in the intestines. This blend is due to rosemary’s antibacterial and antifungal characteristics.

There are no known drugs or nutrient interactions that are connected with rosemary. To prevent possible problems linked to rosemary doses, you should remember the following:

- Rosemary oil could not be taken internally unless in enteric-coated capsule. If taken in other form, it can irritate the stomach and cause heartburn.

- If applied topically, rosemary oil may cause dermatitis and skin redness to people who are sensitive to the herbal medicine. Stop using it when you noticed such symptoms.

- Don’t use the herbal medicine in high dosage when pregnant since it could possibly cause complications.

- If you have epilepsy, do not take medicinal amounts of rosemary. The camphor found in the herb could worsen seizures.

- If you have insomnia, do not take insomnia bath in the evening since it has stimulant effect which could keep you awake.