Summer Days

With the beautiful days of summer blazing down hot upon us, people are always looking for great ways to sooth the burn, cool down the skin but at the same time moisturize and feed it.

A quiet essential oil that doesn't get much recognition is Ylang-ylang oil. This beautiful oil is native to the Philippines and comes from a tree that can reach heights of over 60 feet. The blossoms from the Ylang-ylang tree are harvested before sunrise to retain the highest amounts of oil and then are extracted through steam distillation. The exotic smelling oil is valuable for softening the skin and helping to balance natural production of moisture.

A wonderful recipe for easing the pain of sunburned skin, while supporting the formation of new skin tissue is as follows: add 7 drops of Ylang-ylang oil, to 5 drops of English Lavender oil, and 3 drops of Frankincense oil, and 1 drop of Peppermint oil to 3 Tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar in 1 quart of cool water. Soak a clean cloth in the solution and apply to the affected areas by gently blotting.

Ylang-ylang has many other uses such as headaches, high blood pressure, anger, fear and mild depression.

NOTE: try to make sure your Ylang-ylang oil is hexane or solvent free other wise you might find the smell mildly nauseating or causing mild headache reactions.