If you have dry or sensitive skin, you may have a hard time finding a skin care product that won’t cause irritation. There may be something growing right in your backyard garden that can help you out. The calendula flower.
What Is Calendula?
Otherwise called pot marigold, calendula is a variety of flower that includes 12 to 20 different kinds of perennial or annual plants. These flowers can vary in color, anywhere from a bright yellow color to an orange hue.
How Is Calendula Oil Extracted?
From this flower, an oil is extracted by steam distillation. In order to get the oil from the flower, the petals of the calendula are steeped in oil, preferably olive oil. The calendula flower petals are infused with the olive oil. The oil that is left over when the distillation process is complete is calendula oil. This oil should be a golden orange color.
What Is Calendula Oil Used For?
This oil is used for many purposes, specifically for treating sensitive skin. Calendula oil is wonderful for people who have sensitive skin, because it is very mild and soothing. The soothing and mild aspects of calendula oil make it a preferable option for people who have dry or chapped skin. The mildness of the oil allows it to be a good treatment for burns, skin rashes, inflammation, and wounds. Calendula oil also has antiseptic, anti fungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties, making it a great option for treating skin infections.
Calendula oil is also used in a variety of products. Oftentimes, this oils makes a great base for lotions, salves, creams, several natural cosmetic products, and herbal ointments. Calendula oil is also a very common base oil used in aromatherapy.
Calendula Oil Benefits
We’ve taken a look at what this oil is used for, now let’s take a look at the benefits of using it.
Dry or chapped skin: Everyone has different skin. Some people have oily skin, some have dry skin, and others may have a combination of both. Maybe you normally have oily skin during the warmer months, but dry skin in the winter months. Calendula oil is a great moisturizer for skin that is dry. Even if you don’t normally have dry skin, it still makes an excellent option for a natural moisturizer. Skin that is severely dry may be chapped, or worse yet, the skin may crack and split. It can be very painful when the skin gets this dry, and if the skin does split, it’s not only painful, but it doesn’t look very nice either. Calendula oil is wonderful for skin that is severely chapped or split. The oil soothes the cracked area and makes it less painful.
Inflammation: Calendula oil works well on the swelling of sprained muscles or bruises. The oil contains anti-inflammatory properties and will lessen the swelling effects of injuries.
Beneficial in baby care: Babies have very soft skin, and sometimes their skin is very sensitive at this early stage of life. Calendula oil is wonderful to use on diaper rash. Diaper rash can be extremely irritating for a baby or an infant to deal with, and the oil can provide a huge relief.
Minor cuts and wounds: Calendula oil has anti septic properties, as well as antimicrobial properties, which can speed up the healing of wounds and minor cuts. These properties can also help to speed healing for insect bites, acne, and bed sores.
Skin disorders: Skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis can be soothed by using calandula oil as a topical treatment. The anti-inflammatory properties of the oil can reduce the inflammation that can accompany these skin disorders.
Fungal Issues: Calendula oil has anti-fungal properties and is great for treating athlete’s foot, ringworm, and jock itch.
Veins and inflammation problems: Because of the anti-inflammatory properties, calendula oil is helpful for treating spider veins, varicose veins, leg ulcers, and chilblains. Chilblains occurs when the hands and feet are exposed to extreme moisture and cold. The hands and feet can swell up with this condition and can be quite painful.
Scars: Calendula oil can prevent the formation of scar tissue. This oil increases collagen levels, thus making it more difficult for scar tissue to form.
Calendula oil can be easily incorporated into your daily skin care routine to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy. Plus, if you ever have any of the problems listed above, this oil makes a great natural treatment option.
Photo by H G M
