I recently posted a picture on my Facebook page about a facial steam that I was doing at home. Every girl loves to pamper themselves now and then, am I right!? For a couple of months now, I have been doing some sort of steam facial or face mask at home on a weekly basis, and my skin has never looked better! It took a few tries to figure out which masks worked best for my skin type, and which brands offered the better ingredient list. No matter how often you pamper yourself, it does the body no good when you are putting toxic filled products on your face. That is one of the reasons I fell in love with this facial steam! Each ingredient has so many great benefits, not only for beauty, but also for your overall health. I got so much feedback from the picture I posted with questions that I decided to write a short blog about the ingredients in the facial steam, and just why those ingredients are good for your skin and health.
The facial steam that I have been using is from one of my favorite companies, Mountain Rose Herbs. You can look at the facial steam on their website: https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/facial-steam/profile. I ordered the whole facial kit that included enough products for 5 facials. You can also order the products individually in bigger sizes. The facial steam from Mountain Rose Herbs contains organic Comfrey leaf, organic Chamomile flowers, organic Rose petals, organic Calendula flowers, and organic Sweet Orange essential oil. I wanted to know why each of the ingredients were included, and exactly what their benefits were for the skin. I searched my favorite blogs that I follow, and found a ton of information about each herb and flower. Another search through research articles provided more information that could fit in this blog article. So, I am going to cover a few health and beauty benefits from each flower and herb with more detailed blogs about each one coming shortly.
Comfrey leaf: Comfrey is a perennial herb that produces small bell-shaped flowers that come in various colors including cream, pink, and purple. A characteristic feature of comfrey is its large broad hairy leaves. For centuries, this herb has been used for treating conditions including chronic pain and inflammation. Controversy surrounds the use of comfrey internally, and is generally not recommended for internal use as it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are toxic to the liver. In fact, the FDA banned internal use in 2001. Regarding external use, comfrey has many benefits. Also known as knitbone, studies have shown comfrey being beneficial for aiding in fracture healing by knitting the bones together more quickly. The benefits of adding comfrey to your beauty regimen are numerous including benefits for soothing dry skin, soothing itchy skin, healing bruises, skin ulcers, and reducing inflammation (1). When added to the facial steam, it acts as a soothing agent for dry, itchy skin while reducing inflammation that may be brought on by acne, allergies, or other skin conditions including eczema.
Chamomile Flower: Chamomile is one of the most utilized and recognized herbs on the
market due to its numerous beneficial uses for our overall health. From beauty to reducing anxiety and stress to promoting sleep, chamomile is a must for your apothecary collection. Chamomile is a very gentle herb to use, and has almost no negative side effects making it perfect for children, people with sensitive skin, and the elderly. High levels of antioxidants including terpenoids and flavonoids are found in chamomile flowers that are beneficial for reducing inflammation, fighting free radical damage, preventing cell mutation, improving the immune system, reducing anxiety and stress, and providing healthier skin, hair, nails, teeth, and eyes (2). When added to the facial steam, it aids in calming any skin irritation that you may have, and reveals healthier skin by combating free radical damage. As this is a steam, you also get the benefits of inhaling the powerful components of chamomile (3). When inhaling the steam, the chamomile can reduce anxiety and stress levels resulting in an overall healthier mind and body.
Rose Petals Roses! I can’t get enough of their lovely smell. Not only are roses beautiful to look at and smell, they provide numerous health and beauty benefits that have been cherished for centuries. Studies have shown that rose oil has been beneficial for reducing acne breakouts, balancing the hormones, reducing stress levels, and relieve the signs and symptoms of rosacea (4). A unique ability of rose oil is to improve the skin’s permeability, making the skin better able to absorb the nutrients and moisture that you apply. Although this is a great benefit, don’t be fooled! Many toxic filled beauty products add rose oil for this purpose. Although the rose oil is good, your skin will more readily absorb any of the toxic ingredients that are added to the beauty product you are using. For this reason, it is so important to read the ingredient label, and not just assume that it is a healthy product because it contains rose oil. Roses are a great way to moisture the skin naturally, as the oils from the roses lock in the moisture resulting in softer smoother skin. Rose oil is a natural astringent that aids in tightening the pores and providing a dewy complexion.
Calendula flowers: Calendula, also known as pot marigold, is in the same family as the very familiar marigold, and has many uses including culinary, cosmetic, and medicinal. Among the herbs, calendula is one of the most powerful antiviral herbs, and is a powerful antioxidant (5). Calendula has been shown to provide smoother and softer skin while improving firmness and hydration. This herb may soothe inflamed and itchy skin.
Sweet Orange Essential Oil: Orange essential oil is derived from the orange peel. You may notice a small amount of oil or a strong aroma when peeling or zesting an orange. Many people already know that oranges contain high amounts of vitamin C that are great for boosting the immune system. Vitamin C is also helpful for protecting the skin, and is a power house when it comes to anti-aging and dark spot corrector benefits. A quick glance around the beauty department, and you’ll see vitamin C is added to just about every kind of skin care product out there. Orange oil has been shown to improve the complexion, reduce the signs of aging, and ease anxiety, and improve circulation (6). This is due to limonene and myrcene. Limonene is a powerful antioxidant. Orange essential oil is an easy pick for me when I feel like I need a quick pick me up or burst of energy. Diffusing orange oil or inhaling straight from the bottle is a great way to reduce stress and improve your energy.
As you can see, this facial steam is so much more than something pretty to look at. It truly has many beauty and health benefits from each of the carefully thought out ingredients. Be mindful, and purposeful, about what you decide to use in your beauty regimen, as the ingredients offer so many other benefits (or harms if toxic filled) than you may realize. After using this steam, my face feels so much smoother and softer. My complexion and tone have improved, and I feel much less stress and anxiety. I highly recommend it!
Another facial steam recipe that I came across is from Women’s Heritage. I follow their blog, and love their attention to ingredient detail and recipes. Their facial steam recipe has a few different herbs and flowers in it that you may find interesting. See their recipe here: https://www.womensheritage.com/blog/2017/3/16/herbal-facesteam-with-rip-tan.
If you have another recipe for a facial steam, please leave it in the comments below so we can all try it out! Have a blessed day!
Love,
Dr. Jessica
Resources:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/18/comfrey-topical-rescue-from-skin-healing-plant.htmlhttps://draxe.com/chamomile-benefits/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22894890https://draxe.com/rose-essential-oil-benefits-skin-depression-hormones/https://draxe.com/calendula/https://draxe.com/orange-oil/
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