Russian Astronauts at one time tested essential oils to protect their skin from powerful sun rays in outer space. Thankfully we don’t need rockets for the tests! It’s really easy to make yourself an after-sun, strongly anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and hydrating recipe that can limit the damage that we all know UV rays is known to do.
The important oils are the CO2 extracts of Sea Buckthorn Berry, Carrot , German Chamomile, Rosemary antioxidant and whole Rose Hip (not the carrier, but that’s good too!) These oils are so useful is that they are gentle on the skin, and are more complex with compounds that may prevent, or at least slow the aging process that excessive sun exposure can produce.
Their gentleness allows them to be used in high concentrations in your formulas without irritation that many steam distilled oils can. (Though you can still add these — just at much lower amounts).
Each of these oils has a complex mixture of nutrients that that may halt 2 important skin aging processes: oxidation and inflammation. Free radicals are produced when light rays removes an electron from a whole molecule. The molecule which has lost an electron becomes an oxidative radical and steals particles from other healthy molecules(this is a rather simple explanation, but does explain the process).
The bioflavinoids available in these CO2 oils stops this process by donating an electron to the now unstable molecule.A blend of antioxidants is useful, as the oxidative radicals themselves take different shapes, requiring different substances to properly quench them.
Inflammation is the other aspect of sun-damage we’d like to prevent. Blue chamomile, along with specific base oils are also known for their ability to reduce inflammation. but the Chamomile may be the strongest, It’s important to consider not just ANY carrier oil, but ones with known anti-inflammatory activity as well.
A variety of blends can be made with these ingredients, even simply choosing from what you have on hand.
Apply these blends right after you’ve been in the sun, and perhaps again later in the day for best results. You may find your skin turns a little red while the antioxidants absorb, but it won’t take too long. ALSO, you can use these BEFORE sun exposure, as well as after, for even better protection.
These are some formulas you might like to experiment with: To make each 1 fluid ounce, begin by estimating one-third of an ounce of each carrier. Coconut, rosehip seed, pomegranate and “foraha” are great choices. Then mix in , Carrot Root CO2, 7 drops Rosemary Antioxidant oil and eleven German Chamomile CO2.
There are many CO2 extracts with high amounts of antioxidants that you can blend for this purpose, so don’t be afraid to develop your own formula.
Care to investigate further? Understand more on the properties of individual oils such as wild amyris oil and Italian organic Bergamot.