Some time ago I wrote an article about artemisia on my blog. I also promised to come back to artemisia and present a few recipes to try. Artemisia is a plant that can be used in many products. However, you should be careful if you have allergies. Artemisia, or Mugwort, is one of the most common allergenic plants. If you are not allergic you have no reason to fear the use of Mugwort in cosmetics.

Artemisia is used around the world

Artemisias are a broad genus of plants. You can read more about them here. Now we use artemisia vulgaris, the mugwort. I also tried a variety of cultivated mugwort in Asia. They are used in many countries like vegetables. Indeed, Asian mugwort is much milder than the one we have here in Europe. I do not recommend using artemisia vulgaris as an edible vegetable.

Artemisias are antimicrobial and cleansing  

In home-made cosmetics, artemisias are popular because of their antimicrobial and cleansing effects. Artemisia can affect even blackheads deeper in pores. Because of this feature, artemisia is used in products designed for impure skin.

The cleansing effect on the skin will become visible if you use products containing artemisia for a longer period of time. in a few weeks your skin should be much cleaner. As the skin is cleansed, the enlarged pores on the skin also shrink. Enlarged pores are, of course, a skin type issue. However, they can be greatly influenced by taking special care of skin cleansing.

Artemisia soothes the skin

If your skin is irritated for any reason, products containing artemisia will clearly calm your skin. After Artemisia cleansing, the redness disappears and the skin is clear. This is, in my opinion, the clearest advantage of artemisia products. That’s why this time I want to share instructions how to make an effective cleansing oil containing artemisia. Cleansing oils are the products where we most likely meet artemisia.

However, there is one important thing to bear in mind when trying mugwort. Keep artemisia levels low if you are preparing products for daily use. Even small amounts of artemisia extract in the product do give the desired effect. Excessive concentrations of this powerful herb may unnecessarily sensitize your skin. And in any case, it’s good that you change the herbs in your products. The same herb should not be used for too long. For example, you can try artemisia in a product you will use for a couple of weeks, on daily basis.

The cleansing oil containing Mugwort is suitable for impure skin

This cleaning oil is mild. Artemisia is a powerful herb but I only used it moderately for this cleansing oil.

The light scent of artemisia fits my world of scents. However, if you want more freshness in your cleansing oil, you can try adding a couple of drops of citrus scent. Light citrus suits well as a partner for heavy, herb scented artemisia.

You need following ingredients to make Artemisia cleansing oil:

Artemisia oil extraction

Artemisia oil extract is an essential ingredient in this cleansing oil. Instructions for preparing the oil extract can be found here. I recommend the quick method and dried artemisia.

Base oil

You should choose a good base oil according to your skin type. Personally, I always prefer linoleic acid oils because they don’t clog pores:

• Sunflower oil (check linoleic acid content)
• Safflower (thistle) oil
• Hemp oil, cold pressed organic quality (make sure the freshness of the hemp oil)
• rice bran oil
• Soybean oil, organic quality is a must (best for aged skin)

Castor oil is an important ingredient in cleansing oil

Cleansing oils should always also contain some castor oil. Castor oil dries the skin, so the amount of it should be kept reasonable. I have written previously about castor oil here.

Jojoba oil is a transporter

Artemisia cleanses skin impurities by penetrating deep into the skin pores. This is the reason why I have chosen jojoba oil to my cleansing oil. The molecular size of jojoba oil is very small. It is able to penetrate very deep into the skin. Jojoba oil has even been used in medicated creams to transport drugs through the skin. In this cleansing oil, jojoba oil helps to transport artemisia deep into the skin pores.

Artemisia cleansing oil

• 40 ml of the base oil of your choice
• 20 ml of artemisia oil extract
• 10 ml of castor oil
• 10 ml of jojoba oil
• A couple drops of some citrus essential oil (optional)

Supplies

• 100 ml glass bottle
• Small funnel
• A set of measuring spoons to measure millilitres
• If necessary, alcohol to disinfect the bottle and cap (you can also disinfect the bottle by boiling or in the oven)

Do like this

• Clean the funnel, glass bottle and cap with alcohol
• Measure all ingredients in a glass bottle. Use a funnel.
• Mix by shaking the bottle.
• Do not overfill the bottle. Otherwise, you cannot mix the oil properly. If necessary, pour the remaining oil into another bottle.

How do I use Artemis cleansing oil?

I always use artemisia cleansing oil in the evening when performing the double cleaning. Sometimes I just do the oil cleansing only.

• Apply a teaspoon of oil to dry skin. You can also treat the neck and cleavage area. The skin must not be pre-cleansed because the oil also effectively removes mascara and lipstick among other make-ups.
• Let the oil act for a while and brush your teeth in the meantime.
• Place a muslin cloth or towel dipped in hot water on your face and steam your face. This opens the pores to allow the oil to penetrate deeper.
• When the cloth has cooled, wipe your face with it. Makeup should now come off lightly.
• Re-wet the cloth in hot water and place it to your face again. Allow the cloth to cool properly and wipe your face thoroughly again.
• If you want to make a double cleansing, you can still wash your face using salt soap. For example, activated carbon salt soap is deep cleanser. I own that soap myself and I have a really good experience with it.

I often do just the oil cleansing. Especially if I haven’t used any makeup, the oil gives good enough result.

Artemisia cleansing oil is one of my favourite products

I rarely make new recipes. This is because I want to test all the products myself before publishing the recipe. I have tested this cleaning oil in a couple of weeks now. Now is the time to take a little break from using Artemisia.

I think my skin has brightened considerably thanks to artemisia cleansing oil. Admittedly, I don’t have an acne problem or even impure skin. However, I enjoy that my skin colour is now more even and my skin looks clearer. Skin pores are also smaller now.

In the future, I will make more artemisia products and share recipes here for you to try. My next thought would be to develop some skin brightening toner.

Please share your own experience with this oil. It would also be nice to hear comments from people with impure skin. Did Artemis help cleanse the skin?

Now it is time to have an introduction to Castor oil. Castor oil is a very well-known oil in cosmetics. Castor oil cannot be used in the same way as other vegetable oils. Castor oil is a well-known natural medicine. It is also an essential part of Indian beauty care. How is castor oil different from other oils and how is it used in cosmetics? That’s what I’ll tell you next.

Castor oil is produced from the seeds of the castor plant (Ricinus communis). Castor oil is from East Africa. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. The seeds of castor plant are very rich in oil, about 40-60%. The seed contains a triglyceride called ricinoleates. In addition, castor plant seeds contain small amounts of a very potent poison, also called ricin. The ricin poison is water soluble so it is not present at all in castor oil. So, you don’t have to worry about using castor oil.

Castor oil is a very special kind of oil

Castor oil is a kind of oil that cannot be compared to other cosmetic oils. The reason is the fatty acid composition of castor oil. As I told you earlier, fatty acid compositions of vegetable oils do follow the same pattern mostly; they contain mostly linoleic acid and oleic acid and just few percent of palmitic acid and stearic acid. Other fatty acids vary in very small quantities. These four fatty acids are present in varying concentrations in almost all oils.

The composition of castor oil differs significantly from other oils

Castor oil does not follow the traditional vegetable oil formula at all. Castor oil consists almost exclusively of risinoleic acid. This type of fatty acid found only in castor oil and some rare mushrooms and a few other rare plants. Risinoleic acid is an omega-9 fatty acid. There are only a few percent of the four conventional fatty acids in castor oil. That’s why castor oil is in a class of its own.

Properties of castor oil in cosmetics

1. Castor oil inhibits bacterial activity. One of the uses of castor oil is for preventing spoilage during grain storage. Castor oil is used in India to prevent the mould and rot of grains, lentils and dried beans in hot and humid climate.
2. Castor oil prevents fungal infections of the skin. This is good to know if you are making for example foot cream. A small amount of castor oil in the foot cream will drive away the infection.
3. Castor oil reduces acne on the skin. This is based on the moisturizing and cleansing effect of castor oil. Castor oil also fights harmful bacteria on the skin. This will soothe and brighten your skin.
4. Castor oil is particularly cleansing oil. Indeed, castor oil is widely used in soaps, shampoos and detergents. Oils used in oil baths also often contain some castor oil. Because castor oil effectively cleanses, it also dries the skin, even if it is oil.
5. Castor oil is very useful in hair care. Indians believe in the castor oil. That is why they are very happy to use castor oil in their hair masks. Castor oil binds moisture to the hair and reduces dandruff.
6. Castor oil improves blood circulation in skin’s surface layers and stimulates skin functions. Therefore, castor oil is recommended for skin problems.

What castor oil is used for

Castor oil has a wide variety of uses. It is used in the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry and even in the manufacture of lubricants. Castor oil is a well-known laxative. Therefore, castor oil is not suitable for food. An important use of castor oil is, of course, cosmetics.

Castor oil promotes wound healing

Castor oil helps the skin to regenerate by increasing moisture and blood circulation and stimulating skin functions.

Castor oil is a very good raw material for washing products.

Castor oil is added to detergent cosmetics such as shower soaps and shampoos. The purifying effect of castor oil is very useful especially in washing products. In addition, castor oil also suppresses skin infections and yeast growth. Therefore, castor oil in shampoo suppresses yeast dandruff. If the dandruff is caused by dry skin only, castor oil may have opposite, a dandruff enhancing effect. Castor oil dries the scalp.

Castor oil is said to increase hair growth

Castor oil is often used as an ingredient in hair masks. Along with all the other benefits, castor oil increases hair growth by activating hair follicles. Castor oil increases the circulation of the scalp. The hair grows out of the hair follicles on the scalp. Therefore, the scalp should be especially well taken care of. A healthy scalp is rich in healthy hair. So why not try castor oil in hair care.

There is a fine article in the Hairbudda blog about the use of castor oil in hair care. In that article, Minaz from Hairbudda blog gives many great hair mask instructions using castor oil. https://www.hairbuddha.net/castor-oil-for-hair-growth/

Castor oil helps to increase lashes

This is said to be an urban legend. Believe it or not but this statement is quite true. I actually tried it for 6 months castor oil to my lashes. My eyelashes became denser and more increased in length quite clearly. Eyelashes do renew faster than hair. That’s why castor oil has a very quick effect on the lashes.

Eyelash treatment with castor oil is done as follows:

• Put castor oil in an empty mascara package
• Apply castor oil to cleansed eyelashes every evening and let it stay overnight
• Repeat the treatment in the morning
• Continue for at least 2 months. You will notice the growth of your eyelashes

You can purchase empty mascara packages at one of the stores selling home cosmetics. If you do not have one right now, you can simply apply castor oil to the lashes with a cotton swab.

Castor oil is an important ingredient in face cleansing

There is no effective oil spray cleanser existing without castor oil. The purifying effect of ricin is very clear. Some time ago, it was recommended to always use 50/50 castor oil and regular carrier oil for oil purification. However, such a mix is unnecessarily drying. Personally, I mix 1 tablespoon of castor oil and 1 cup of carrier oil in a facial oil cleanser. Find the right dosage for yourself just by trying.

Watch out for these mistakes when using castor oil

• Castor oil is a laxative. Never use castor oil for food. It is not suitable for internal use.
• Castor oil must always be diluted. Castor oil is extremely drying oil. Never use castor oil as the only oil in the product. Also, do not add castor oil as such to the skin. It’s too strong. Castor oil is a very thick, gel-like substance. That’s why castor oil should always be diluted.  20% is the maximum percentage of the castor oil in your oil mix for cleansing your skin. In shampoos and hair masks, you can use castor oil alone as they also include other ingredients.
• Castor oil is not toxic unless laxative is taken into account. However, keep castor oil out of the reach of small children.

I’m really happy telling you about the oils. I hope you will become familiar with all the most common cosmetic oils. There are enough stories about castor oil in cosmetics, however. However, I just wanted to tell you the most important facts about castor oil.

We hope you are excited to try castor oil.

You might also be interested:

• Natural oils in cosmetics – how important fatty acids are for the skin
• Sunflower oil in cosmetics,7 good reasons to use it as a basic ingredient

Tell me what you did and what the impact was! Particularly, growing hair with castor oil would be of great interest.