Every woman knows that it is necessary to take care not only of the face, but also of the hands. After all, it is our hands that give away our age. In addition, hands most often come into contact with sources of dirt and infection, which negatively affects their appearance. During the day, in addition to their main work, most women are busy with cleaning, cooking, caring for children and other family members.
All this is reflected in the condition of the hands and nails. If you do not pay attention to this problem and regularly do not devote proper time to your hands, the skin will quickly acquire a flabby appearance, and no manicure, even the most expensive one, will help hide age. But every woman wants to look young and always remain beautiful.
Well-groomed hands indicate not only youth and beauty, but also health. Brittle, peeling nails and flaky skin can indicate not only an unkempt appearance, but also many diseases. Therefore, it is so important to take care of your hands and always make time for caring procedures, despite the mass of worries and everyday problems.
Essential oils for healthy nails and hand skin
Of course, it is extremely important to reduce the damage that daily work causes to your hands and nails to a minimum, using greasy soap, daily creams and at least once a week doing hand baths with herbal infusions, but this is not enough. Masks, nourishing and moisturizing creams, special procedures and therapeutic baths should also become an integral and regular component of hand and nail care.
For care (both daily and highly specialized) for the skin of hands of any age and type, you can use essential oils of rose, fennel, geranium, leuzea, grapefruit, lemon, orange, tangerine, ylang-ylang, neroli, sandalwood, hyssop, cypress, lavender .
To strengthen nails and restore their structure, oils of myrrh, rosemary, lemon, chamomile, tea tree, sandalwood, bergamot, and eucalyptus are used.
To get a universal lotion for hand skin care, which could be used daily after any (from light to prolonged) contact with water, as an alternative to cream, before going to bed or leaving the house, you need to mix a softening and soothing base oil - avocado , apricot kernels or almond - with essential oils. So, for 100 ml of the base product, take 3 drops of any three of the above essential oils and mix thoroughly.
Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
Using coconut oil in food has beneficial effects on health. Thanks to its saturated fat, coconut oil:
- Supports the function of the thyroid gland - reduces inflammation, and therefore prevents the occurrence of hypothyroidism, difficulties with concentration and complaints of impaired memory and hyperthyroidism - nervousness, excessive irritability.
- Strengthens cardiovascular activity - consumption of coconut oil reduces cholesterol levels and improves the condition of lipoproteins (HDL, LDL).
- Supports brain activity - ketones, organic substances in coconut oil relieve symptoms of brain disease in Alzheimer's patients.
- Strengthens the immune system - saturated fatty acids: lauric, capric and caprylic in combination with lipids that counteract microbes give the oil antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Regular consumption of coconut oil can prevent colds, flu, herpes and even hepatitis C and Epstein-Barr virus. If you add coconut oil to tea, coffee or cocktails, your headache will go away, your runny nose and sore throat will stop.
- Generating and Enhancing Energy Potential – Nutrients, namely medium and long chain fatty acids, are instantly absorbed and converted by the liver and provide long-term benefits to enhance physical and mental performance. Coconut oil is an alternative to energy drinks and stimulants based on caffeine.
- Speeds up metabolism.
- Eliminates excess weight - thanks to coconut oil, metabolism accelerates, which means it becomes easy for the body to lose excess weight. Saturated fats stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent the accumulation of excess unhealthy weight.
- Normalizes digestive processes - saturated fats are easily absorbed into the digestive tract and relieve constipation, heartburn, and reduce high acidity.
You can find recipes for dishes with coconut oil in our article. - Regulates Crohn's disease - the fatty acids contained in coconut oil affect intestinal bacteria and alleviate the course and symptoms of Crohn's disease.
- It has an anti-allergenic effect - neutralizing allergic consequences from eating soy, peanuts, and fermented milk products.
- Provides a skin rejuvenation effect - using coconut oil externally smoothes out wrinkles, the skin gains elasticity, stretch marks are reduced and age spots are removed. Softening rough skin and preventing the formation of cracks.
- Prevents burns and protects against solar UV radiation - a nourishing effect for skin after sunbathing.
- Provides hair care. Strengthens hair, prevents dandruff formation, prevents splitting of hair ends.
- Improves oral health: removes plaque and prevents caries.
Hand baths
To increase the effectiveness of your usual hand baths, add for one procedure about 3 drops of any essential oil from the list recommended for the skin of your hands, after dissolving it in rich sour cream, honey or cream. Just remember that, as in the case of aroma baths, the greatest effectiveness can be achieved if the water temperature does not exceed 40 degrees, and the procedure itself lasts about 20 minutes.
If you have rough skin on your hands, then use whey or potato broth as a base rather than herbal infusions or water. After working with caustic substances or contact of hands with frosty air, the bath should be replaced with contrasting procedures, in which the hands are alternately dipped about 10 times either in a cold or in a hot infusion of herbs with essential oils.
How are they different from cream?
First of all, it differs from cream in consistency and composition. Oils are fattier, and therefore more nutritious, and better moisturize the skin of the hands, reliably protecting it from the negative effects of the environment. In addition, creams are mainly made from oils, so it is better to use it in its original form than the product on which it is based. The main mistake when applying to the skin is using too much product, which causes stains on clothes. Natural oils are much more effective and efficient than creams.
Compresses and applications
No less effective methods are compresses and applications. You can soak a napkin in a mixture of base oil and essential oils and place it on your hands, covering it with a warm towel, or use hot mashed potatoes with the addition of a tablespoon of base oil and 5 drops of any essential oil (this method is effective for peeling and cracks). For overly sensitive skin, cold compresses applied with cotton wool and covered with a damp cloth are more suitable.
To make an oil mask, steam your hands in hot water, and then thoroughly rub a mixture of a tablespoon of your chosen base oil with 3 drops of rose or bergamot essential oils for 5 minutes.
Learning to use coconut oil for weight loss
Along with a figure-sculpting massage, it is worth drinking this herbal component for weight loss. Edible oil obtained from coconuts is quite nutritious, so it suppresses appetite well.
On the forums you can also find advice that a coconut product should be used to replace breakfast, although this is not the case. Nutritionists advise enjoying 1 tbsp. l. oil in the morning 20-30 minutes before meals. The secret is that the product will create the illusion of satiety, and your portion will be significantly reduced.
A low-calorie diet has proven itself well, the principles of which are:
- no more than 1200 kcal per day;
- the diet includes coconuts and oil from them, and all vegetable and animal fats are excluded;
- weight loss lasts a month, which is divided into 4 seven-day stages: reducing the amount of carbohydrates, cleansing, introducing heavy carbohydrates into the diet and maintaining the achieved result.
This is a more radical way to lose weight using coconut oil, which helps you lose 2-3 kg per week.
How to make hand cream with essential oils
With the help of essential oils, you can either improve the composition of purchased hand and nail care products, or prepare your own homemade cream or lotion.
Homemade hand cream can be prepared by mixing 2 tablespoons of a strong herbal infusion with 50 grams of solid butter, 1 tablespoon of honey (necessarily not crystallized) and 2 teaspoons of base oil. The mixture is melted in a water bath, whisked until completely cooled, 3 drops of delightfully bright and aromatic aromatic oils of ylang-ylang, geranium and hyssop are added to it.
To prepare quick restorative creams for the skin of your hands, which are especially relevant before important events and activities, add essential oils to warm base or vegetable oil or rich cosmetic cream.
So, the best restorative mixtures include (per 1 teaspoon of base):
- 2 drops each of sage, chamomile, lavender and lemon;
- 1 drop each of chamomile and sage mixed with 2 drops of lemon and 4 eucalyptus;
- 4 drops each of chamomile, eucalyptus, sage and lavender;
- a mixture of sandalwood, chamomile and sage essential oils in a ratio of 1:2:4;
- 2 drops each of lemon, chamomile and sage;
- 5 drops of tea tree with a drop of mint;
- a mixture of myrrh, ylang-ylang and nutmeg (2 drops are enough);
- 1 drop each of fennel, grapefruit, geranium, incense and mint;
- 2 drops each of incense, patchouli and nutmeg;
- 2 drops each of sandalwood, nutmeg, cinnamon and rosemary;
- a refreshing mixture of 2 drops mint, lavender, rosemary and thyme or 4 drops myrrh, geranium and orange.
All of the above skin care products also have a general strengthening and regenerating effect on nails, that is, they are comprehensive hand care products.
Liquid cuticle treatment
Using liquid oils is more difficult than mini pencils - if you put a lot of product on the brush, it can spread. Therefore, liquids are used to create manicures at home. Popular manufacturers of professional products are Kodi, Yoko, Canni, MAVALA, PNL, Monami, Naomi.
Yoko
The domestically produced liquid contains fruit extract, mineral oil, and natural antiseptic dye (Cl 15985). The product moisturizes well and makes nails well-groomed. The maximum effect is visible after 2 weeks of daily use. Average price – 160 rub. (15 ml).
Advantages:
- several scents to choose from - peach, pineapple, coconut, vanilla, almond, freesia, tea tree;
- excellent absorption.
Flaws:
- too liquid composition.
Monami
Another Russian-made product contains sunflower oil, almond oil, safflower oil, jojoba oil, lemon oil, and vitamin E. Immediately after application, it is recommended to massage the cuticle for one minute. This leaves a feeling of moisturized, soft skin. With daily use, the cuticle will not dry out and become rough even in winter. The average price of the product is 280 rubles. (30 ml).
Advantages:
- pleasant sweetish smell;
- absorbs quickly;
- no greasy residue remains after absorption.
Flaws:
- the pipette does not hold oil well;
- contains fragrance.
MAVALA
Translucent liquid in a bottle with a brush eliminates dryness and maintains the beauty of nails. It is recommended to apply this oil daily not only to the cuticles, but also to the nails. The mixture is absorbed in 2 minutes and immediately begins to act. The effect is visible after the first use. On the road, you can buy a product from the same brand, but in a mini package. Average price – 1 thousand rubles. (10 ml).
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Advantages:
- Swiss quality;
- nice smell;
- convenient bottle with a soft brush;
- no greasy film after use.
Flaws:
- unnatural composition;
- high price.
Masura
The liquid contains all the ingredients necessary for beautiful hands - grape seed oil, vitamin E, carotene, chamomile extract. The Japanese Masura Basic product is absorbed in about 5 minutes and is used economically. In winter, use it daily (up to 3 times a day), in summer – as needed, if your skin feels dry and tight. Average price – 200 rub. (10 ml).
Advantages:
- smells nice of vanilla;
- accelerates nail growth;
- slows down cuticle growth;
- speed of absorption;
- moisturizes the skin;
- does not leave a greasy film;
- The bottle is compact, closes well and does not leak.
- The brush reaches to the bottom - helps to use the liquid completely.
Flaws:
- No.
