Question Time: Essential Oils for Scarring

I regularly get asked questions by existing clients and people via email regarding wellbeing, complementary therapies, and various ailments. So I decided to include some of these questions and my answers here on my blog. For the first Question Time post, the question is:

“Are there any oils that I can use to help speed up the healing of wounds and help reduce scarring?”

Arnica is good for helping reduce any bruising that may be surrounding the wound, it is an anti-inflammatory, and helps scar healing and reduction. Helicrysium is an excellent anti-inflammatory and helps with tissue regeneration. Rosehip Seed oil and Hazelnut oil are also good choices for the carrier oil.

As for the essential oils, I would definitely use lavender. When wounds start healing, the area can often itch so I would recommend perhaps including German chamomile to help counteract this. Mandarin and sage are also good for scars as is carrot seed, frankincense, patchouli, and vetiver.

For a 30ml blend, I would recommend mixing 15ml Rosehip seed with 15ml of either Hazulnet or Arnica then add 20 drops of Helicyrsium (1ml) and 20 drops of lavender. Then 15-20 drops split between the other essential oils that you decide to use – perhaps 10 drops frankincense, 5 drops mandarin, 3 drops German chamomile, and 2 drops sage. It is quite a strong blend so it shouldn't be used all over the body - just on the affected areas 2-3 times a day. It will help speed up the healing process, reduce any redness and inflammation, and hopefully reduce the scarring.

Always perform a patch test first.

If you would like your question to feature in a future Question Time post, please post your question as a comment or email me.

Carrier Oils for Your Dosha

I was recently flicking through the little book Ayurveda (Secrets of...) by Gopi Warrier, Dr. Harish Verma, & Karen Sullivan. I came across a section which talked about massage – both dry and oil massage and how they should be used. It also talked about the various carrier oils which are used in Ayurvedic massage.

Three popular oils which are used in ayurvedic massage are olive, sesame and sunflower oil as these are all very nutritious oils and help aid the detoxification process when used on the skin in massage. The book goes on to say:

“Different oils are recommended for the different dosha types. For example, the best oil to use for vata type is good quality, cold-pressed sesame oil, which strengthens the skin and protects it from fungal infections and the harmful effects of the sun. If you find that this irritates your skin, use olive oil or sweet almond oil instead. Clarified butter (ghee) can also be used. Always heat the oil to body temperature before using it. Many more oils can be used, but the recommendations below are a good selection for your daily massage.
Vata types – Choose calming oils, including sesame, olive, almond, wheatgerm, and castor oil.
Pitta types – Choose cooling oils, such as coconut, sandalwood, pumpkin seed, almond, and sunflower seed.
Kapha types – Choose burning oils. These include mustard, corn, and safflower.”

From my understanding of Ayurveda, the belief is that we are comprised of three vital energies which are called doshas – vata, pitta, and kapha. Everyone consists of all three doshas but to varying degrees and tend to have maybe one or two dominant doshas.

“Our dosha determines our constitution, preferences, personality traits, sleeping patterns, and even the foods we should eat.”

When our doshas become unbalanced as we go through life due to stress, environment, diet etc we become ill.

You can find out what dosha you are and more about them by taking a quiz. My dosha turned out to be vata.

So by using the right carrier oil to suit your dosha can help to keep you in balance according to Ayurvedic philosophy.

Cramp Bark for Cramps

In Healing with Herbs: Simple Remedies for 100 Common Ailments, Penelope Ody suggests making a massage oil to rub on muscles that are cramping. She suggests mixing 40 drops each of lavender and chamomile essential oils to 25ml of cramp bark tincture and 20ml of sweet almond oil. Ensure that the oil is mixed thoroughly before massaging a little into the affected areas. Re-apply as required.

Lavender and chamomile essential oils are anti-spasmodic making them an excellent choice for cramps.

I knew very little about cramp bark as it is not something I have come across in aromatherapy before so I decided to do a bit of research on it. As the name suggests, cramp bark is good for cramp – but not just muscle cramps. It is excellent for uterine cramps, breathing difficulties in asthma, intestinal cramps, muscle spasms, stiffness and tension, general aches and pains, night cramps, and can even help lower blood pressure by relaxing the walls of the blood vessels.

Cramp bark is an anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant, emmenagogic, anti-spasmodic, nervine, hypotensive, astringent, and sedative.

Cramp bark can be taken internally in water (follow the instructions on the bottle), added to water (25ml to 500ml water) and used in a compress on the affected area, or added to a massage oil and rubbed in to the area as mentioned above.

You could add 5ml hypercium (St John’s Wort) oil to the blend above and reduce the sweet almond oil to 15ml as it is also well known for helping with cramps, neuralgia, stiff and aching joints, and tired and aching muscles.

Always perform a patch test before applying a blend to a large area of skin.

Stretch Marks

Unfortunately, stretch marks are more common in women. They occur during puberty, in pregnancy, and when a person grows or gains weight quickly. The areas most commonly affected are the abdomen, buttocks, thighs and breasts.

The skin is made up of three layers – the epidermis (outer layer), dermis, and subcutaneous. Stretch marks occur in the dermis of the skin. The skin is generally quite elastic in nature but when it is overstretched, the dermis stretches and breaks up in places allowing the deeper layers of the skin and blood vessels to show through causing stretch marks.

The cause of stretch marks in pregnancy is not only due to the rapid growth of the baby but it is also hormonal. During pregnancy, hormones are secreted to help soften the pelvis ready for labour but this also weakens the collagen in the skin allowing stretch marks to form more easily. Collagen can be weaker in some women than others which will also contribute to more stretch marks.

Recent research has shown that there may be a possible link between the strength of collagen and the strength of the pelvic floor muscles, so if you notice that you are getting a lot of stretch marks during your pregnancy I would recommend doing regular pelvic floor exercises to help strengthen the muscles.

Once stretch marks occur, the skin is permanently damaged so they will never totally go away but their appearance is reduced significantly with time making them less noticeable. Stretch marks are often red or purple when they first appear which gradually fade to a silvery-white colour.

Ensuring that your body and skin is well hydrated and healthy will make your skin more elastic reducing the risk of stretch marks forming. Drink plenty of water and eat a healthy diet to keep the body in shape and use nourishing creams or oils on the skin to help keep it supple. Oils and creams can also be applied to stretch marks to help soften their appearance.

Oils which are good for stretch marks include vitamin E, rosehip seed, calendula, hypercium, olive, and wheatgerm. Essential oils which are good for stretch marks include neroli, black pepper, geranium, patchouli, sandalwood, lemon, orange, lavender, frankincense, and mandarin. Also, cocoa butter might be worth giving a try as it is said to soften the appearance of scars.

When using creams and oils, it is best to apply them once or twice a day for it to be most effective.

Hot Oil for Dry and Damaged Hair

Mix some olive, coconut and castor oil together and heat until it is lukewarm. Massage the blend into the hair. Soak a small towel in very hot water, wring out the excess water, and cover your head with it. Place a shower cap or plastic bag over the towel then wrap with a hot towel to secure in place. Change the outer towel when it cools. Leave the oil on for at least an hour and then wash your hair as normal.

You can also add a few drops of essential oils to the above blend. For dry hair try geranium, lavender, or rosemary. For damaged hair try chamomile, clary sage, or sandalwood. For dandruff try patchouli, rosemary, or tea tree.

The Oil Cleansing Method

While I was searching the net for information on the castor oil post, I happened across various websites discussing the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) which uses a blend of castor oil and sunflower oil to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturise the skin on your face. It is the castor oil which does all the cleansing, while the sunflower oil does the moisturising.

The Oil Cleansing Method is suitable for all skin types but is especially beneficial for problematic skin including spots, blemishes, blackheads, whiteheads, and acne.

Making the Oil. You will need two cold pressed carrier oils – castor oil and sunflower oil, some hot water, and a clean flannel. The two oils are blended together to create the oil which you will use on your face. The amount of each oil you use will depend on which skin type you have. If you have oily skin, you will use more Castor oil than Sunflower oil and if you have dry skin it will be the other way round. Use the following ratios as a guide – you may find that you need to adjust the mix or perhaps you might like to add a different carrier oil instead of the sunflower oil. If your skin feels too dry after application, use less castor oil next time. For oily skin, mix 1 tsp of sunflower oil with 3 tsp of castor oil; for normal skin, mix 2 tsp each of castor and sunflower oil together; and for dry skin, mix 3 tsp of sunflower oil with 1 tsp of castor oil.

You can also add essential oils suitable for your skin type or a specific skin complaint. For acne, try adding tea tree, petitgrain, cedarwood, juniper, geranium, German chamomile, or sandalwood; for blackheads, use thyme, peppermint, or lemongrass; for dry and sensitive skin, try chamomile, lavender, neroli, petitgrain, rose, or geranium; for oily skin and open pores, try cypress, juniper, cedarwood, tea tree, or bergamot; and for wrinkles, try mandarin, neroli, rose, myrtle, geranium, or sandalwood.

Performing the Cleanse. Pour some of the oil (about a teaspoonful) into your hand and gently massage the oil into the face for at least two minutes ensuring that you work the oil into the skin well especially any problem areas. You can also include your neck if you wish. There is no need to remove make up or wash your face before performing the cleanse as the oil and steam is very effective at doing it for you. Pour a basin full of hot water and soak the flannel. Wring out and hold in place over your face. It needs to be hot but not so hot that it burns your face! Leave in place until it has cooled, gently wipe the face with the flannel, rinse it out, and reapply. Repeat this a couple times to ensure that all the oil and any dead skin and dirt has been removed from the face. After the cleanse, you can splash your face with cold water to close the pores.

As most people know, oil does not dissolve in water, so washing oily skin in water doesn’t get rid of any residual oil on the face. Most shop-bought products contain alcohol to get rid of the oil but this can often leave the skin feeling dry taking your skin from one extreme to the other. The best thing to dissolve oil is oil itself. By using the castor-sunflower oil blend on your face, it will dissolve the oils which have lodged in the pores of the skin, restoring the skins natural moisture balance. Using the hot flannel helps to open the pores allowing the oil to penetrate deeper in to the skin and draw out any impurities in the pores bringing it to the surface so that you can wipe it off with the flannel.

What I love about this method is its simplicity, making it an excellent addition to your skincare routine although I wouldn’t recommend doing it daily – perhaps once or twice a week. I also love the fact that the oils are natural and contain no harmful chemicals and they are cheap to buy too – a lot cheaper than any ready-made skincare product. As soon as I found out about the method, I headed straight for my oils and mixed up a blend for me to use. I have a combination skin with patches of dryness, open pores, blackheads and sensitive areas so I used the blend for dry skin and added 4 drops of neroli essential oil. My skin felt and looked amazing after the cleanse and smelt great from the neroli. As I didn’t use all the oil after one application, I poured the leftover in to a clean glass bottle with a screwcap to keep it ready for my next cleanse.

Castor Oil

Photo by Pro-Zak.

“Castor oil will leave the body in better condition than it found it” says Dr McGarey, author of Oil That Heals.

Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), also known as Palma Christi or the palm of Christ, is derived from the seeds of the Castor plant.

It penetrates deeply into the skin and is able to reach the Stratum Corneum layer of the epidermis making it excellent for all skin disorders and complaints. It is an anti-inflammatory due to its main constituent Ricinoleic acid (89.5%).

Castor oil derivatives are often added to modern pharmaceutical drugs to enhance it or as a carrier for the active ingredients.

The properties of castor oil include laxative (when taken orally), anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, digestive, hepatic, analgesic, antimicrobial, cleansing, stimulates the lymph system, strengthens the immune system, and it balances the autonomic nervous system.

It can be used for constipation, endometriosis, menstrual cramps, acne, burns, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, crohn’s disease, cuts/abrasions, fibroids, breast lumps, bunions, sprains/strains, sciatica, gallbladder and liver problems, ovarian cysts, back pain, sunburn, headaches, muscular and joint aches and pains, inflammation, psoriasis, eczema, rheumatism, warts, ring worm, athlete’s foot, moles and liver spots, arthritis, skin disorders and infections, pain. The list is endless – it probably could be used for any common ailment going – try it out and see what results you get.

Castor Oil can either be massaged directly on the area you wish to treat or using it in a heated compress. Edgar Cayce advocated the use of Castor Oil in a compress to help with various ailments although they were used centuries before this in Eastern European countries. Castor Oil can also be taken internally for constipation as it is a very effective laxative but I do not recommend this method of administration and its use should be discussed with your GP if you wish to use it in this way.

To make a castor oil compress, you will need castor oil, a hot water bottle, a small hand towel, a sealable container, a piece of plastic, water, and baking soda. Although traditionally only castor oil was used in these compresses, essential oils can be added to help with a specific ailment. Fold the towel into three and place in the container and pour the castor oil over it. The container will collect any leftover oil which can be poured back in to the bottle. Ensure that the towel is saturated in oil but it should not be dripping. Place directly on the skin on the area in which it is needed. Cover the towel with the piece of plastic, and then place the hot water bottle on top. Leave the compress in place for about an hour. Remove the compress, and wipe the area with the water and baking soda solution to remove any residue. Once you have finished using the compress, store in the sealable container and keep in the fridge for your next treatment. The compress can be used many times – approximately 30 applications. It is recommended that you use the compress three days in a row and then four days without to help with any of the above. If it is an acute problem, you may only need to apply once leaving the compress in place until the symptoms/pain subsides.

Natural Remedies for Bunions

This post outlines several natural remedies to help alleviate the inflammation and pain of bunions.

Epsom Salts Foot Bath. Soak your feet in a bowl of hot water with a couple tablespoons of Epsom Salts and soak for 10-15 minutes. It will soothe the pain, reduce inflammation, and reduce any stiffness in the joint. As a bonus, Epsom Salts help eliminate odours! More information on Epsom Salts can be found in The Wonder of Epsom Salts Baths post. You could also try taking alternating hot and cold foot baths (with or without the Epsom salts) as the contrasting temperatures can help relieve pain and speed up healing.

Iodine. I read in several books and websites that Iodine can be beneficial for bunions. I’ve never tried this but will definitely be giving it a go. I believe you can get an iodine cream which can be applied, or normal iodine can be combined with castor oil and massaged over the toe joint. Edgar Cayce, a renowned healer in his time, always advocated the use of castor oil packs in relieving pain and discomfort in the body. Castor oil has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.

Massage and Reflexology. Both Massage and Reflexology can be very beneficial if you are suffering from bunions. They can help to reduce inflammation and relieve pain in the area.

Homeopathy. This is one complementary therapy which I know very little about, but I have heard that the Sulphur homeopathic remedy can be beneficial for bunions.

Acupuncture. As mentioned in another post, Bunions can be indicative of an imbalance along the spleen/pancreas meridian. Acupuncture points are situated along the meridian lines throughout the body and are stimulated using Acupuncture needles to help remove any blockages and restore the normal flow of chi around these energy channels. Apart from treating with needles, there are two other techniques in Acupuncture to help with bunions – the first is Zheng gu shui which is an ointment which warms the joint and helps to break up calcium deposits like which are found in bunions; and the second is Moxa. I do not know much about these remedies so if this sounds like something you would be interested in trying, please consult with a qualified Acupuncturist.

Essential Oils. Chamomile, eucalyptus, cajuput, peppermint, ginger, cypress and juniper essential oils are recommended for helping various joint problems due to their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Plai is also extremely good for joint pain.

Arnica and Calendula. Arnica and Calendula have been used medicinally for centuries. They both have anti-inflammatory properties so may help reduce the pain and inflammation around the toe joint. They can be purchased in cream form, as a salve or tincture, and as carrier oils.

Tiger Balm. Tiger Balm contains menthol, camphor, cajuput, clove, demontholised mint, and cassia – all of which are excellent for pain relief and inflammation. I’d recommend using the red version for bunions as it is a stronger pain reliever than the white version. More information on Tiger Balm can be found in The Wonder of Tiger Balm post.

More information about bunions can be found in the Bunions from a Reflexology Point of View post.