AROMATHERAPY

Wrinkles and the Ageing Skin

Age creeps up on us silently. We carry on quite happily, applying our make-up, getting dressed, going out. And then one day, perhaps after a late night, we look in the mirror and see a face that is no longer young.

The shock of growing old has driven many a tormented soul in search of the exilir of youth. Alchemists and philosophers have for centuries been trying to please their ageing rulers by coming up with the secret formula that will save them from the inexorable pull of the years.

Fortunes have been made by those who claim to stave off the inevitable results of living and growing older. Today, the rich and famous swop the names of cosmetic surgeons or fly to exclusive European clinics where rejuvenation is a speciality, Even stock brokers take an active interest in wrinkles, because they know that if a company can come up with a formula that works in dispelling .. or preventing - them, millions of pounds can be made as millions of people rush to snap up the product.

Behind the scenes of all this frenetic activity, nature's essential oils have been quitely playing their part. Those who fly into London for non-surgical essential oil fac e-lifts make up a who's who of beauty and their secret is well kept because there's not much point in looking ten years younger if you are going to tell the whole world about it.

The name of the rejuvenation game is to stay ahead of or, perhaps more accurately, stay behind the crowd.

Cellular regeneration is the key to youthful skin, and essential oils provide a way of doing this which is far more pleasant than the most recent methods which involve using foetal cells. The nutrients and proteins in essential oils help to maintain the matress-like bounciness of collagen, upon which the outer layers of the skin rest, and encourages the regeneration of new cells.

The circulation- stimulating properties of the oils oxygenate the blood which in turn energises the cells, allowing regeneration to take place. Some oils do this particularly well. Other oils such as fennel contain hormone-like properties and these encourage the firming of the skin, giving it a natural youthful appearance.

While treating yourself with these anti-ageing oils, it will obviously speed things along if you don't overload the system with yet more toxins that the skin has to work hard to eliminate.

Cut out alcohol (a real ager if ever there was one), coffee, tea, sweets, red meats and all things that you know clog up your skin cells as well as your digestive system. Is it worth it, you ask? Undoubtedly, yes,. if you can cut ten years from your appearance you'll feel ten years younger, have more energy and even your outlook on life will change.

Anti-Ageing-Essential Oils To Combat Wrinkles.

Violet leaf - Patchouli - Oregano - Clary-sage - Yarrow - Orange - Fennel - Chamomile German - Vervaine - Neroli - Rosemary - Rose - Frankincense - Geranium - Galbanum - Myrrh - Palma Rosa - Lavender - Lemon - Lime - Thyme - Hyssop - RE 1" - Carrot

You can use any of these oils on its own or make combinations of two or more, to suit your needs. Use the oils in a bath, as a face oil or body rub, and do remember to treat the bit you don't see in the mirror as often as the face - your body! Because everyone's skin regenerates at a different rate, allow at least thirty days before expecting to see outward signs of improvement.

Later in this section you will find special formulas for face treatments for four age groups and these are combinations of many oils. But even one oil can be of great help in your personal revitalisation programme. Take, for example, geranium. This excellent oil for helping you deal with stress, tiredness and anxiety over problems - all pof which can make you look and feel much older than you are.

Geranium oil won't actually get rid of the prob;lems for you in a puff of aromatic smoke, but it will get rid of the anxiety so that you can better deal with the problems.

It will also treat the various conditions that can manifest themselves on the skin as a result of difficult emotional experiences - red blotches on the chest, spots on the back or skin that looks saggy or has flaky patches. In addition , it will reverse the apathy and body droop that often accompany the troubled mind.Use 6 drops of Geranium oil in the bath, put 60 drops into 30ml light nut oil for a face oil; and 30 drops into 30ml light nut or vegetable oil for a body rub.

You can actually see an improvement after one session. Before bathing, stand naked in front of the mirror and observe the posture and look of your body. Now have a bath to which you have added 6 drops of geranium oil and lie there inhaling deeply for at least five minutes. When you get out rub the geranium body oil over your whole body and stretch in all directions for a few minutes. Now have a look in the mirror again. You'll see a market im-provement already,so imagine the difference if you used this treatment everyday.

You can actually see an improvement after one session. Before bathing, stand naked in front of the mirror and observe the posture and look of your body. Now have a bath to which you have added 6 drops of geranium oil and lie there inhaling deeply for at least five minutes. When you get out rub the geranium body oil over your whole body and stretch in all directions for a few minutes. Now have a look in the mirror again. You'll see a market im-provement already,so imagine the difference if you used this treatment everyday.

There is no getting away from the fact that we are all inexorably growing one year older for each three hundred years and sixty-five days, but the essential oils help to ensure that we don't give the march of time a chance to take over. The accumulated anxieties of a busy life contribute to a general movement as we age.

Many difficulties arise from bringing up children, maintaining good relationships and following a career . Anxieties, however, inhibit the action of the lympathic system. If we can eradicate anxieties and adopt a positive attitude, the lympathic starts to work betterand accumulated toxins are cleared through the proper elimination systems of the body.

Spots and blemishes disappear, the body uplifts and you find yourself saying 'I feel better now'. because you feel better about yourself, both emotionally and physically, you'll look younger - and you'll feel younger because you are better able to relax and cope. Allow a little longer for the bloom to come back to your skin for the revitalisation to be complete.

Forget about ageing gracefully - in a way that's giving in. Fight it every step of the way. Ther's no time to begin or end this revitalisation programme. It may take you a little longer to reach peak potential when you are ninety, but even at that age essential oils can make you feel and look younger.

Clearly, being in good physical condition helps to keep the energy level up as we age and contributes to our ability to remain in control, but as far as looking better is concerned, it is important to keep the mind young and alert. For this, bergamot is marvellous - it's stimulating, uplifting, go-getting, forceful oil, as well as an anti-depressant.

Now we come to the anti-wrinkle fcial treatment for various age groups. Use them every night on the face and, if you wish on the neck and chest , as far as the collar bone

Wrinkle Prevention For The Over Twenties

Neroli	8 drops
Lavender	5 drops
Fennel	5 drops
Chamomile German	3 drops
Geranium	8 drops
Carrot	1 drop
Carrier Coil-Hazelnut-almond-Apricot	30mls

Anti-Wrinkle For The over Thirties

Yarrow	10 drops
Patchouli	2 drops
Palma Rosa	10drops
Clary-sage	8 drops
Fennel	7 drops
Rose	8 drops
Carrot	5 drops
Borage Seed	5 drops
Jojoba	5 drops
Carrier- Diluted in Hazelnut-Apricot Kernel oil	30mls

Anti-Wrinkle For The Over-Forties

Neroli	10 drops
Lavender	10 drops
Frankincense	10 drops
Rosemary	2 drops
Fennel	10 drops
Lemon	3 drops
Carrot	10 drops
Evening Primrose	10 drops
Carrier - Dilute in Hazelnut -Apricot kernel	30mls

 

Anti-Wrinkle Oil For The Over-Fifties 

 

Violet Leaf	5 drops
Galbanum	5 drops
Rose	5 drops
Neroli	10 drops
Lavender	3 drops
Myrrh	2 drops
Carrot	10 drops
Bpois de rose	10 drops
Evening Primrose	10 drops
Borage Seed	10drops
Carrier: Diluted in Hazelnut or Apricot Kernel oil	30 mls

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy: Valerie Ann Worwood