So back in August I had the opportunity to attend the 2015 Young Living Convention in Dallas. What an amazing experience! I learned so much more about this company, which I already loved, but now love even more! Gary and Mary Young are two of the most sincere and passionate people I have ever had the privilege of hearing speak. Seriously, Gary’s love of these oils is HUGE! They described building their farms, coming up with blends, searching the world over for the perfect places to grow the plants needed for these gems. Gary cried talking about the struggles and triumphs while building the Northern Lights Farm so they could distill the most amazing oil I have ever experienced, the Northern Lights Black Spruce. What a powerful oil. I will definitely be blogging about the properties of that one soon.
Today’s post is about a blend based on Mary’s miracle serum for our faces. Gary described how she uses these oils every single day and seeing her in person, I can tell you that she doesn’t look even close to her actual age. This woman has the most gorgeous skin I have ever seen. The face serum I made, thanks to the recipe from my friend Bethany, utilizes some of these oils. I am hoping to turn back time, or at least make it stand still for awhile! The testimonies from fellow oil enthusiasts regarding this “blend” are well worth trying, and fortunately I had all the oils to do this. Plus I could put to use an empty Lavender 15ml bottle! Reduce, reuse, recycle!
The first oil in this blend is Royal Hawaiian Sandlewood. It is from the botanical family, Santalaceae – or Sandlewood, and is steam distilled from heartwood from Hawaii. The S. paniculatum tree is native to and found only on the island of Hawaii, where Young Living has a partner farm that practices sustainable reforestation farming management principles. Hawaiian Sandlewood has been historically used to aide in skin issues, support reproductive health, may support the cardiovascular system, among many other things. The body systems associated with this oil are emotional balance, muscles and bones, nervous system and skin. Aromatically it can be helpful in calming, harmonizing and balancing of emotions. It may also enhance meditation and was used as an incense for this purpose in religious rituals. This specific sandlewood has many similar properties to most other sandlewoods. The ORAC value of sandlewood is 160 µTE/100g. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It tells you the antioxidant capacity of a food item. This was developed by the USDA researchers. For instance: Blueberries = 2,400; Clove = 1,078,700. Wow! The number for clove is NOT a typo! Good stuff!
The next oil is Myrrh. It is from the botanical family Burseraceae (resinous trees and shrubs), the genus species being Commiphora myrrh. It is steam distilled from gum, or resin, from Somalia. Before the biblical stories of Myrrh, well over 2,000 years before these accounts actually, it was one of the most desired and most expensive items in the world. This resin goes all the way back to Greek mythology from the goddess Myrrha who was forced into a relationship with her father, Cinyras. He avenged this by turning her into a tree and when it sprouted its blooms, Adonis was born. The resinous drops that come from cuts in the tree bark were said to be Myrrha’s tears. Myrrh is very spiritual oil and has been used in religious ceremonies and rituals for over 5000 years! Myrrh releases fears, difficult experiences as it relates to us or the world. It asks us to be more accepting, trusting and non-judgmental of ourselves. The benefits of myrrh include skin care. Since the Egyptians it has been used to maintain healthy skin and sooth chapped or cracked skin. Contains a high content of sesquiterpenes, a class of compounds that have a direct effect on the pituitary, hypothalamus, and amygdala, the seat of our emotions. It is purifying, restorative, revitalizing, and uplifting. A powerful antioxidant with an ORAC value of 379,800 µTE/100g!
Next we have Lavender. That beautiful oil. Lavender is one of the most versatile oils in nature. The fragrance is very relaxing and calming to the body and mind. It is from the botanical family Labiatae, which is actually a mint believe it or not. The genus species used by Young Living is Lavandula angustifolia. It is steam distilled from the flowers. While Lavender has been used for centuries, especially during the medieval times, it was the French scientist René Gattefossé was among the first to re-discover lavender in the early 1900’s. Since that time is has been widely used for it’s calming properties, and is believed to support healthy skin. The ORAC value is 360 µTE/100g.
Finally we have Frankincense. Oh what an oil! The botanical family is Burseraceae, resinous trees and shrubs. The genus species is Boswellia carterii. It is steam distilled from the gum/resin of the Frankincense tree in Somalia, Oman and Yemen. It is considered a holy oil in the Middle East and used as an ingredient in incense for religious ceremonies. In ancient history it was said to improve communication with the gods. The uses and benefits of Frankincense date way back to the Egyptians and Sumerians. This ancient essential oil has been used for spiritual connection and to support a healthy immune system. It is also a valuable ingredient in skin care products for healthy looking skin. Frankincense contains 8% sesquiterpenes and is 78% monoterpenes. Monoterpenes are known to be calming. The ORAC value is 630 µTE/100g. Seriously Google Frankincense…..you will be amazed!
The recipe I used is as follows:
*An empty 15ml Lavender bottle (about a half an ounce – 1 ounce equals 29.57353 ML)
*10 drops of each oil
*Fill the rest of the bottle with 4 drops Vitamin E and the rest with Grapeseed Oil, you can alo use jojoba oil.
I have been using this serum for a few weeks now and have noticed a huge difference. People tell me I have a glow! At 50, to be told I didn’t look close to my age is a huge compliment. Plus I know I am putting good things on my skin without a bunch of nasty chemicals! I count this a success! Here’s to turning back time, or at least helping it stand still!
