Hydration
You might think hydration is something that only people with dry or dehydrated skin need to worry about. But hydrating your skin is just like hydrating your body. Your body needs hydration to look and feel its best. And no matter what skin type you have, so does your skin.
With so many different products claiming to give you the hydrated skin you desire, including oils, serums, creams and gels, how do you choose one that actually gives your skin the right dose of moisture it needs?
Hydrator vs. Moisturizer: What’s the difference?
“Moisturizer” is an umbrella term for various types of moisturizing ingredients such as Emollients (includes fats and oils), Squalene (an olive oil extract), Humectants, and Occlusives.
But in the world of marketing, the terminology is not the same. “Hydrator” and “Moisturizer” are marketing terms which can be defined by the branding companies in almost any way that they want. Even though there is no standard for what defines a hydrator and a moisturizer, for the most part, the industry uses these terms to differentiate how your skin gets the moisture it needs.
How About Water?
Water alone will not keep your skin moisturized from the outside. It is likely that, once applied, it has evaporated away by the time you leave the bathroom. And it has taken along with it, much of your skin’s natural oil (sebum).
In fact, the more you wash your skin without applying a moisturizer or hydrator, the more likely your skin will dry out, as the acid mantle and sebum are washed away, leaving your skin with no protection against dryness.
What are Some Other Moisturizers?
Occlusive agents, (such as petrolatum or mineral oil—both of which I can not recommend that you put on your skin!) are substances that create a water and air tight barrier. This does a good job of keeping the moisture in your skin. The most common occlusive agents that you will find in skin products include petrolatum, petroleum jelly, and mineral oil. They are inexpensive and do the job intended. But the large size of their molecules means that they are difficult to penetrate the skin, and tend to build up in the skin’s outer layer.
Over many months or even years, this build-up will inhibit the skin’s natural respiration. I have seen evidence of this myself when working with people who, for chronic health issues, are doing intense herbal cleanses. At a certain point in the cleansing process, people who have applied mineral products over a long period of time, will have a few days of greasy yellowish discharge coming out of their skin, as the body releases this build-up. If you have ever seen it, you will avoid these ingredients like the plague in all of your skin and cosmetic products!
Some of the natural occlusive ingredients that are plant based and do not build up in the skin, are cocoa butter, jojoba (a plant wax), and shea butter.
Emollients (such as plant oils) also work by creating a lighter seal on the surface of skin which prevents water from escaping. They make the skin feel smoother and less dry. Generally they do not inhibit the respiration of the skin. And since their molecules are smaller than occlusives, they do not build up in the outer layer of the skin, but are absorbed and removed over time.
These are primarily carrier oils, vegetable based oils with a fatty content. There are many choices of emollient oils available, with different textures and levels of moisturizing capability. Some great examples are Kalahari melon seed oil, argan oil, raspberry seed oil, coconut oil, sea buckthorn oil, rose hip seed oil, and almond oil.
Hydrators are also called humectants. These ingredients absorb water from the atmosphere or from deeper layers of your skin, and hold it on the surface of your skin. They make your skin feel smooth and moist—but beware! They are also pulling water out of the deeper layers of your skin, sort of robbing Peter to pay Paul. They can easily contribute to further dehydration of the skin. They do insure that you will need to apply more and more skin lotion, as the dehydration leads to the need for more moisturizer. Sounds like product security to me!
These ingredients include glycerine, lactic acid, citric acid, and hyaluronic acid. A very small amount of these ingredients in some products may be okay for certain skin types, especially in the case of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the eyes, skin, joints, and connective tissue of the human body.
Natural hydrators that are less likely to draw out moisture, include raw honey and aloe vera. These hydrators have a more gentle action, and don’t tend to create the same level of dehydration of the deeper skin layers.
It’s important to recognize that these ingredients work very differently from each other. The success you have in getting to your goal of better skin hydration depends on your selection of ingredients based on your skin type.
What is Best for Your Skin Type?
There are a lot of different products on the market, including balms, oils, creams, gels, ointments, salves, and hydrators. Most skin lotions and other moisturizing products will contain occlusive and emollient ingredients, as well as humectant ingredients.
The best way to find out what works for you is to read the ingredients of your skin products and experiment. Your skin might do better with only a moisturizer or hydrator, not both. By learning exactly how your skin likes to drink, you maximize your way to hydrated skin.
Dry Skin Types Respond to a Thick Emollient or Occlusive
If your skin is naturally dry year-round and tends to flake or peel, it is likely not weather-related dehydration that’s causing your dryness. Your skin just has a hard time retaining moisture.
You will need to moisturize to create a protective seal on the surface to lock in moisture. A thick, emollient moisturizer will help prevent water from leaving your skin. Natural choices include shea butter and cocoa butter. Nut oils like coconut oil, and jojoba are other ingredients to try.
Dehydrated Skin Types Respond to a Hydrating Serum
If your skin is dehydrated, you need to actively add water back into the skin. Look for a hydrating serum with ingredients such as honey, aloe vera, or hyaluronic acid, (which retains 1,000 times its weight in water). Your goal is to add a healthy dose of hydration back into the skin.
Hydrate From the Inside Out
The state of the skin is an indicator for the rest of the body. If your skin is dehydrated, one of the most important pieces of the solution is to regularly drink plenty of water. A good goal is at least half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, shoot for 75 ounces of water per day.
But water is often not enough. In my own experience, I was drinking substantially more than that of pure water every day, yet I still had dehydrated skin, and other symptoms of mild dehydration. I felt like my body was simply not absorbing water as it should, and water was going through me but not making its way into my cells and tissues. After trying different types and brands of water with no substantial improvement, I began to drink fresh fruit & vegetable juices daily. The nutrients, minerals, and enzymes in the fresh juices regenerated the tissues and cells of my body. In just a few weeks of regular juicing, my skin was beginning to look smoother, younger, and more hydrated.
Adding water rich foods such as watermelon, strawberries, and cucumber, makes a difference. These can help give the skin and body the hydration they need to look and feel their best. Also eliminating carbonated drinks, drinks containing alcohol, artificial sweeteners, or sugar, which all contribute to dehydration; and replacing them with water and fresh juices, will begin to change the health of your body on a cellular level, and improve hydration very quickly. This will all benefit the hydration of your skin.
Oily Skin Types Respond to Hydrators and Moisturizers
If you have an oily skin type, it type doesn’t mean your skin isn’t dehydrated. If your skin is dehydrated, it can actually exacerbate excess oil issues.
People with oily skin often have compromised barrier function, which makes it hard for their skin to retain moisture. As moisture leaves the skin, it becomes dehydrated, causing the skin to produce more oil.
This becomes a vicious cycle, and the only way to break it is to give skin the proper hydration and moisture it needs. Look for water-based, non-comedogenic hydrators and moisturizers. Water-based products will feel lighter on the skin and won’t clog your pores.
Comedogenic ingredients—those that block pores and contribute to acne—include a long list of ingredients. You can check them here at https://skinutritious.com/blogs/articles/comedogenic-ingredients-official-skinutritious-list
Many natural ingredients are on this list, including Almond oil, Avocado oil, Beeswax, Coconut oil, Flaxseed oil, Grape seed oil, Olive oil, Sesame oil, Wheat germ oil, to name a few. And just one comedogenic ingredient in a blend can cause more break-outs, so it is important to check your formulas against this list.
Sunflower, safflower, jojoba, and all essential oils are acne-safe. While most oils are comedogenic, these were all found to be non-comedogenic.
Formulating Your Own Natural Skin Products
It is helpful to use both a moisturizer and hydrator in many formulas. If you are using a multi-step process, use hydrating products containing aloe vera, honey, or hyaluronic acid first, then follow up with an occlusive like shea butter or plant oils to lock it in.
Or, if you want to keep things simple, look for a product that contains both types of ingredients.
If you want a healthy , hydrated complexion all year round, you may need to change your formulas with changing conditions and seasons. For some conditions, like the winter season, you are likely to need to hydrate and moisturize. If you move from a dry climate to an area of high humidity, you may find that your skin does better with oil based products containing only moisturizers rather than hydrators.
This downloadable booklet–13 Power Smoothies for Life–comes as the realist of Michael and I making a new agreement in January to commit to our daily (often twice daily) smoothies.
Wow what a difference we both feel, with all of these nutrient dense foods in liquid form, nourishing our bodies every day! Want to try it yourself? Download our booklet of 13 Power Smoothies for Life. Commit to 30 days. Your body will thank you!
What can these recipes help with? The real question is, “what can they not help with”. They are made with power rich food ingredients that provide many vitamins, minerals, enzymes, omega-3 fats, and antioxidants–elements that we need every single day to keep our vibrant health.
Most of us do not get enough of these on a daily basis, and as we age or go deeper into depletion, our bodies need ALL of these critical nutrients even more.
We can be eating a very healthy diet, and still not getting enough nutrition from our foods. Most Americans are getting only a tenth of the omega-3 fat that they really need, and 96,000 deaths in the USA annually are linked with omega-3 deficiency.
Only 20% of Americans are getting enough vitamin B12; and vitamin B12 deficiency is not just for vegetarians. Under acid conditions in the stomach can keep us from absorbing vitamin B12, even if we are consuming enough.
Some experts in the field believe that nutritional deficiency is pandemic throughout the world. Over 50% of Americans are deficient in vitamin A, vitamin C, and magnesium. And these are but a drop in the bucket of daily nutritional requirements for acquiring and maintaining vibrant health.
If you think that you can take a few pills and bypass the need for smoothies, think again! Many experts agree that the nutrients provided by Nature, in whole foods (fruits, vegetables, raw seeds and nuts, herbs, etc.) is far more complete and effective than popping vitamin pills. In fact, many nutritional supplements can create toxicity in supplement form, but do not have this effect when taken in whole food form.
Conditions that the power smoothies can improve or eliminate over time:
- Degenerative diseases such as cancer, arthritis, diabetes, etc.
- Vision loss
- Hearing loss
- Liver, kidney, heart, and lung issues
- Skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rashes, dry or scaly skin
- Aging symptoms
- PMS and hormonal imbalances
- Fatigue
- General body pain
Once you get the hang of making the smoothies, you can make up your own recipes with the formula provided in the booklet. You will be knowing that you are covering many if not all of the necessary nutrients to build health, in one drink. And by adding essential oils in tiny amounts, you will never be bored with the flavor of your smoothies!
I have been working with this recipe for several years now, and I have actually seen it work wonders for some people. It can help the following conditions. It is not a miracle cure–and like everything, it does not work for everyone.
Even so, this recipe offers improvement for most, great improvement for many, and seems to halt or slow progression for some. It is definitely worth a try for those who want to try a natural method before going for surgery or other eye corrections.
Conditions that I have experienced or witnessed improvement with this recipe, include:
- Cataracts
- Blurry vision
- Lack of focussing ability
- Floating blobs
- Wearing glasses or lens correction
- Eyestrain caused by computer or over use
- Dry eyes
- Red or irritated eyes
Eyedrops Recipe
Part 1
Eyebright herb 1/4 tsp.
Golden seal herb 1/8 tsp.
Raspberry leaf herb 1/4 tsp.
Cayenne powder herb (not essential oil!) 1 drop (1/64 tsp.)
Simmer in 2 cups distilled water for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Part 2
1/16 tsp. N-Acetyl-L-Carnosine (No other form of carnosine will absorb into the tissues of the eye to dissolve calcium, a primary concern with cataracts.)
1-1/2 cups distilled water.
Combine and stir until completely dissolved.
Combine
Add 22 drops of Part 1 into all of Part 2. Store excess of Part 1 in fridge for up to 3 months. Fill Eyedropper Bottles and store out of direct sunlight.
Use daily, or up to 3 times daily for extreme cases. It generally takes 3 months of very consistent usage to see an improvement. It may take 6 months or longer to reach optimum results.
How to Support Eyes and Vision Restoration–The Rest of the Picture
There is much more that one can do to support eye health and recover from vision loss, cataracts, or even wearing glasses. Not everyone can restore vision, and not every condition can be corrected, but many issues can be resolved over time with an eye friendly diet.
Macular degeneration, cloudy vision, and cataracts, can all be improved or resolved by adding certain key nutrients to our diet. Lutein, astaxanthin, and zeaxanthin are anti-oxidants that the eyes must have in our daily diet to maintain health. Most Americans do not get enough of these vital vision nutrients, which results in macular degeneration and deterioration of our vision.
Omega-3 fats, proper calcium ratios, retinol, and B vitamins all play critical roles in keeping the health of our eyes, even more so as we grow older. And simply supplementing nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin, may not give us the results we are looking for. This is because supplementation of some of these nutrients can cause toxicity. In many cases, the form of nutrients taken as a supplement is not the same as the nutrients found in our foods. Often, they are cheaper versions, or synthetic versions, prone to be less absorbable and less effective.
So how do we get enough of these critical nutrients in our diets? One simple answer is, by drinking a daily smoothie with all of the nutrients needed to restore your vision, regenerate your body, and eliminate aging signs.
Download our short booklet with 13 smoothie recipes and get started today!
This cocoa butter deodorant recipe is completely free of dangerous chemicals and ingredients. It is
- Phthalate free
- Gluten free
- Glycerin free
- Aluminum free
- Preservative free
- Sulphate free
Cocoa Butter Deodorant Recipe
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon beeswax
2 to 3 tablespoons baking soda
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) organic cocoa butter
2 tablespoons cold-pressed unfiltered coconut oil
You will also need:
A plastic fork
A plastic deodorant tube, or a soap mold
Small saucepan
Directions:
Put the beeswax into the pan, along with the coconut oil and cocoa butter. Heat the pan over the lowest heat setting.
Once the beeswax, cocoa butter and oil are completely melted, turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool.
Stir the melted ingredients with the plastic fork. Add the baking soda and stir very well.
Allow the mixture to cool, stirring frequently to keep it well mixed. You may set it in the refrigerator to speed the cooling process. Be sure to keep stirring frequently.
When mixture is fully cooled and somewhat stiff, but still creamey enough to spoon up, spoon the mixture into the container, pressing it in, and set it into the refrigerator to solidify.
If you are using a soap mold instead, spoon the mixture into the soap mold, and set it in the refrigerator.
Note:
You may need to store your deodorant in the refrigerator in summer months. If you want to make your finished product firmer, try adding a little more beeswax to the mix.
Hey friends, take a look at the Wonder Bag website. Not only does this bag enable us to slow cook many foods without burning fuel. It is also sold by a great company that gifts a Wonder Bag to a person in need in third world countries, one for every bag purchased online. That is the kind of company I love to support!
My first batch of Wonder Bag bone broth (a paleo diet staple, great for regenerating and reducing the effects of aging too) did not gel in the fridge, and was generally disappointing.
So, with the next batch I made some adjustments and it came out GREAT! It even gelled outside of the fridge as it cooled—a sign that it is very good bone broth, full of collagen and minerals.
So I wanted to share the details of how I made it work in the Wonder Bag.
Wonder Bag Bone Broth
1. First, I added a few chopped veggies with a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a 4 quart pot. I used celery, sweet peppers, carrots, beets, fresh thyme, sage, and savory, a couple of bay leaves, and 2 teaspoons of salt. I cooked them for about 5 minutes over medium heat just until they sizzled a little and the celery began to look translucent.
2. Then I added 4 quarts of water, 2 drops rosemary essential oil, and several large marrow bones from goat and buffalo. I also added 2 chicken feet, which are available from US Wellness Meats. You could substitute chicken wings for the feet, and beef bones for the goat or buffalo bones if you want to.
Be sure to use bones from wild or grass fed/pastured animals, raised without antibiotics, for the healthiest bone broth.
3. I brought the pot to a strong boil over high heat. Once it was boiling for about 10 minutes, I removed it from the fire and immediately put it into the Wonder Bag and closed it up.
4. Now this where I deviated from the suggestions in the Wonder Bag Cookbook. I left the pot in the bag for 4 hours. After about 4 hours, I removed it from the bag, put it back on the stove and reheated it until it boiled. Then I popped it right back in the bag for another 4 hours.
5. I repeated this all day long. Each time I took it out to reheat it on the stove, it took less than 10 minutes to return it to a boil. Then I would re-bag it and go about my day.
6. At night, I reheated the broth for the last time at about 11:30 pm. This time I did not remove it from the bag until 6:30 am when I got up in the morning. It was still nice and hot. I reboiled it two or three more times, until the cartilage was dissolving off the bones, and the broth was thick and rich looking.
7. All in, it took about 30 hours to make this bone broth. And most of that time, I was off working in the high tunnel, doing chores, planting flowers, or anything but cooking!
8. I strained it and poured it directly into quart ball jars, and allowed it to cool to room temperature. It began to gel before it ever went into the fridge.
9. I took it out of the refrigerator the following day. It had gelled into a solid wiggly mass, and it was easy to remove the excess fat that had solidified on the top. This will store for a week or two in the fridge, or longer in the freezer. I like to freeze it in meal size portions ready for adding to vegetables or meats.
Bone Broth is a great regenerator. It supports recovery from disease, depletion, and injury. Bone Broth also supplies vital nutrients, such as collagen, that are lacking in the standard American diet. As we grow older, our bodies stop producing collagen, which causes a break down in our skin, joints and bones. Bone Broth can be added to any vegetable or meat dish, or used in soup and sauces. When taken daily, it can help regenerate bones, teeth, blood, skin, and hair.
It is also very high in minerals that are super absorbable, which boosts the immune and nervous systems in our bodies. Collagen is better absorbed with added Vitamin C, so Bone Broth can be eaten with tomatoes, peppers, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts—all of which have more vitamin C than an orange!
I had been “sudsing shampoo free” for years. One day I just got tired of putting chemicals on my head, and I began a long journey of exploring my options.
I found that so many “natural” shampoos were still laden with chemicals, phthalates, and a multitude of other chemicals. I found several non-sudsing shampoos on the market, but none of them worked for me long term.
Finally I resorted to using the coconut shampoo bar from Chagrin Valley. It worked very well, but sometimes I would feel like the soap was leaving a build up on my hair, so I would switch back and forth with my own suds-free shampoo recipe and the soap.
This has worked beautifully for me over some years now, but every now and then I wish for a really truly natural sudsing shampoo base that I could use once in awhile.
Then we found a source that produces clean, certified organic sudsing bases. These bases are certified organic by EcoCert, an approved for use in Whole Foods products. We immediately fell in love with these products. We now offer them online for our customers. (Decyl Glucoside is available for skin and shampoo formulations; Laurel glucoside is better for household cleaning products, dishes and laundry).
I have already experimented with a couple of my own shampoo recipes, and I am sharing them now for you to experiment with too.
Natural Sudsing Shampoo Recipe
Note: This recipe requires the use of a hand held stick blender.
1/2 cup Decyl glucoside
6 tablespoons rose hydrosol or water
4 tablespoons aloe vera gel (not juice)
6 drops seabuckthorn seed, argan, or neem botanical oil
1/16 teaspoon spirulina powder
1/8 teaspoon vitamin C powder
1/8 tsp xanthin gum
(If you need extra conditioning, add 1/2 teaspoon protein powder)
DIRECTIONS:
Stir the Xanthin gum into 2 Tbsp of the water. Stir very well until there are no lumps and product is smooth.
Place the rest of the water or hydrosol, decyl glucoside, and aloe vera into a 16 oz container for use with your stick blender.
Add xanthin gum mix and blend thoroughly, moving the stick blender up and down until the shampoo thickens and no lumps remain.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again.
Test with a ph testing strip. Ph should be between 5 and 7 for shampoo. If ph is too high, add more vitamin C.
Options
You can experiment with using soy protein powder, silk protein powder, hemp powder, etc. Many types of protein powder could be a candidate for nourishing and conditioning the hair.
If you want to add essential oils for therapeutic reasons or for scenting, add just a few drops to see how the formula handles it. Every oil addition will affect the sudsing quality of the base. You must find the balance between oils for conditioning and sudsing shampoo base for cleansing.
Essential Oils for Hair Loss
If you are experiencing hair loss, you may want to try these essential oils or a combination of several. These are the most recommended oils for restoring hair and stimulating the scalp.
Essential Oils for Dandruff
For dandruff, try adding one or several of these oils.
Watch for our updated Decyl Glucoside based mud shampoo recipes coming soon!)
Snoring Solutions with Essential Oils
Snoring is one of those issues that effects not just the snorer, but his or her partner as well! Snoring is associated with sleep apnea, which is a major cause of chronic fatigue, health issues, and even emotional and mental disturbances. And, well–it’s just not sexy.
So if there was an easy and enjoyable way to reduce or eliminate snoring, wouldn’t you jump at the chance to give it a try? I just have to share this with everyone I know, because it has made such a difference in the lives of some of my customers.
This recipe contains some of the most studied oils found to be effective against snoring and sleep apnea. If the recipe below is not quite strong enough, you can resort to the stronger version, which has even more clout, but also has a stronger aroma.
To enhance your potential for success, you can try the following things:
- 20 to 30 minutes before bedtime, diffuse Snoring Solutions Diffusion Blend (see recipe below) in your bedroom. Once you actually go to bed, you can turn the diffuser off, as the air should be saturated.
- Massage neck, upper back, and chest with Anti-Snore Massage Oil (recipe below) just before going to bed. For an extra insurance, massage the oil onto the bottom of your big toes, which are reflex points to the head.
- Use a wedge pillow, or two pillows so that you are on an incline when you sleep.
- Another study found that sleeping on your side, with a full body pillow, works for many people.
- Don’t drink alcohol–it causes the back of the throat muscles to relax enabling snoring. People who don’t normally snore will often snore after consuming alcohol before bedtime.
- Use a neti-pot with saltwater solution to open breathing passages before going to bed.
Anti-Snore Massage Oil Recipe
30 ml or 1 ounce of carrier oil, sweet almond or jojoba
7 drops lavender essential oil
7 drops lemon essential oil
7 drops marjoram essential oil
7 drops Atlas cedar essential oil
16 drops owyhee essential oil (peach artemisia)
Combine oils in a 1 ounce bottle. Shake well.
Massage on neck, upper back, shoulders, and chest, just before you go to bed. Keep the bottle within reach so you can use it again if you should awaken from snoring in the night.
Super Strong Anti-Snore Massage Oil Recipe
Replace essential oils in the recipe above with:
7 drops peppermint essential oil
10 drops thyme linalol essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
7 drops river red gum essential oil (eucalyptus camaldulensis)
10 drops owyhee essential oil
Mix and use the same as the first recipe. Rosewood, spruce, citronella, geranium, and clove have all been used successfully for sleep apnea and snoring as well. Please feel free to experiment with this!
Snoring Solutions Diffuser Blend Recipe
In a 5ml bottle, combine:
1 ml (20 drops) thyme linalol essential oil
1 ml (20 drops) river red gum essential oil
1.5 ml (30 drops) rosewood essential oil
1 ml (20 drops) owyhee essential oil
0.5 ml (10 drops) clove essential oil
Diffuse this blend for 20 minutes before you go to bed every night.
Some people notice a decrease in snoring in as little as 3 nights. Others may take up to 6 weeks to see results, so don’t give up too early.
Sometimes people can eventually go without using the essential oils after a period of time on this program. Others find that they need to stay consistent to keep sleep apnea or snoring from returning. Either way, it is a great tool for getting a good night’s sleep (and saving your marriage too!).
When applying essential oils to skin, dilution creates a better potential for success. If oils are not properly diluted, they can create an unintended effect.
Essential oils should be diluted to a strength that imitates the way they are available in nature. Between a 1% to 4% dilution is a very good starting point for oils that will be applied to the skin.
1% dilution
For children, elderly, pregnant, very sensitive, inside nose, mouth, or ears
•8 drops essential oil in 1 oz. carrier
•4 drops essential oil in 1/2 oz. carrier (or 1 Tablespoon carrier)
•3 drops essential oil in 2 drams carrier
2% dilution
For full body massage, spinal compresses, and most applications
•15 drops essential oil in 1 oz. carrier
•8 drops essential oil in 1/2 oz. carrier (1 Tablespoon)
•5 drops essential oil in 2 drams carrier
4% dilution
For local inflammation, pain reduction, burns, wounds, sprains, funguses, infections, organ compresses, whenever stronger effects are desired
•30 drops essential oil in 1 oz. carrier
•15 drops essential oil in 1/2 oz. carrier (or 1 Tablespoon carrier)
•10 drops essential oil in 2 drams carrier
Stronger dilutions
Stronger dilutions are sometimes useful for certain applications. Wounds, burns, skin funguses, insect bites, and topical infections will often call for an oil from 50% to 100% essential oil (pure undiluted oil is referred to as “neat”).
- Equal amounts of essential oil and carrier make a 50% dilution
Nature’s Dilution Ratio
Keeping in mind the extreme concentration of essential oils, it is usually more effective to use highly diluted formulas, as they mimic the levels of aromatic substance as they occur in nature.
Every drop of essential oil produced contains the aromatic equivalent of 50 to 70 cups of herbal tea. One pound of lavender essential oil takes 1,000 pounds or more of lavender blossoms to produce. These are clues to use them sparingly and dilute well, honoring the true value of these natural gifts from the plant world.
None of our products are recognized or approved by the FDA. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. This information is anecdotal, and is provided for educational purposes only. It is not meant to be taken as medical advice. See a health care professional for medical advice.
More about our disclaimer.