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mote feelings of satisfaction, wellness and peacefulness.
“It was one of the gifts to Baby Jesus,” she explains. “It was
traditionally used instead of gold for trade and barter because
of the properties that it offered.”
She credits it for benefiting the nervous system, and also
benefiting the skin, making it useful and healing for topical
applications such as lotions, salves, and some say even skin
cancer remedies.
“It is anti-aging,” Vanderfleet says. “For me it is a regenerative
oil, for healthy skin cell regeneration, it can rebuild.”
Cardamom is another oil with its roots in the Middle East. It’s
a favorite of Corinne Lefebvre and her husband, Fabien, who
founded River Organics by making products in small batches
using organic plant oils and butters. Lefebvre says the scent can
encourage energy and also help with nausea.
While it’s Wilmington-based, the couple’s company really
began in Europe. Canadian-born Lefebvre moved to France
where she met her husband, who worked as a natural product
chemist for Chanel perfume. She discovered that essential oils
could be used in skin care when she went looking for refills on
her usual creams and face cleanser.
“In France, I couldn’t find cream anywhere, so I looked at
what they were using and it was oils,” Lefebvre says.
Lefebvre was shocked when she learned the seemingly con-tradictory
use of oil as a cleanser, but it worked.
“You can physically see the makeup coming out of your pores
and you don’t feel that tight, pulling sensation,” she says.
Their approach to using essential oils is all about simplicity
and being able to connect with the product’s origins.
“As much as it seems overwhelming to learn about essential
oils, it’s actually so much simpler than using products with
chemicals,” she says. “If you use essential oils on your skin to
wash your face, you’ll realize you don’t need as many products.”
The FDA doesn’t yet regulate essential oils, but Wilkins says
there are still ways to know you’re getting the good stuff.
“When buying essential oils, do your research,” Wilkins says.
“Be sure to purchase from a reputable company, and look for 100
percent pure essential oils over dilutions and synthetic identicals.”
The rise in popularity of essential oils seems to correlate with
a larger demand by consumers for transparency in ingredients
and sources.
“People are beginning to be more educated on the risks to
their health and starting to question the necessity of ingredi-ents,”
Jones says.
Special Advertising SectionMustHaves
Besides its calming and sleep-promoting benefits, lavender
oil is considered the most versatile of the essential oils. It
is antioxidant and antimicrobial, and can relieve aches and
pains, improve memory, and disinfect the scalp.
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