calendula in skincare
Calendula has always been a stable in the natural skincare industry for its ability to heal and soothe the skin, even the most sensitive of skin. While it can be applied as a poultice for its quick skin healing properties, it’s great in tea for building immunity against winter sniffles. The way we like to use calendula though, is in our herbal body oil formulas.
Calendula was used in Ancient Greeks flower crowns, although it’s unknown if they knew about the healing capabilities. However, calendula was discovered for its wound healing abilities when in the 1800s, when it was used to stop bleeding. During the Civil War, it was common for Doctors to carry calendula to stop bleeding on the battlefield. While before it was a common flower seen in European gardens, it became well-known for it’s healing abilities in the 19th century. It has also been said that merely by looking at the flower, eyesight will improve.
Today, calendula is a popular ingredient in herbal body oils. The flowers are harvested in an ethical manner, paying homage to the plant, then dried, and packed in a jar with a high quality oil and exposed to the warm of either sunlight for a few weeks or placed in a warm water on extremely low heat for a long enough time (at least 2 days). The idea behind applying heat is that there needs to be a third element to activate the plant material and the oil so they combine. If there isn’t a third element, no interaction happens.
Calendula herbal body oil is a beautiful way of getting all the benefits of calendula and moisturizing the skin without using harsh chemicals to “heal” the skin. There isn’t really a need for lotion because the same benefits can be had from infused healing herbs with high quality oil. Lotion can never be naturally occurring because oil and water don’t mix. An emulsifier is needed to combine the oil and water together which is typically made in a lab.
Calendula herbal infused oil has numerous benefits for the skin:
soothing for sensitive or blemish prone skin
compatible with oily and dry skin
helps with psoriasis and eczema
aids in minor cuts and burns
soothes sunburns
gentle anti-inflammatory
