Take a walk in Wild Beauty

 information on natural ingredients and their skin benefits
ideas about beauty lived from the inside out
musings on big questions and small ones
make it yourself skin care recipes
anything else that might support your life's safari
Free Lion Body Care
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Care for the Body >
      • Body Butters
      • Body Therapy
      • Body Lotions
      • Body Scrubs
      • Natural Deodorant
      • The Soap Bar
    • Radiance for the Face >
      • About Face Chai
      • Face Chai Face Care System
      • Beard Care
      • Shave Care
      • Lip Care
    • Scents for the Soul
    • Aroma Jewelry
    • Pet Care and Wellness
    • Gifts & Bundles
  • About
    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
    • Exchange and Refund Policies
  • Wild Beauty Blog
  • Contact
  • Category

Rosemary In Legend, Lore and Self Care

10/23/2020

0 Comments

 

Meet three Free Lion ways to get the benefits of Rosemary Essential Oil

Rosemary cuttings in a white ceramic dish
Rosemary’s medicinal history spans centuries and was probably first used for respiratory issues. From Ancient Egypt and during the era of the Black Plague in Europe, Rosemary, with it’s antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, was burned, as sage is in North America, to clear the air of toxins, bacterial or spiritual. In successive years, rosemary was used to treat the Plague, melancholy, gout, epilepsy, arthritis, memory issues, and many other ills. Today, the herb is still used by many as a tea to treat sore throats, head colds; to freshen bad breath; to decrease dandruff and as an astringent in skin care products. 

A little Rosemary Legend and Lore

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli
"The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli
“Where Rosemary flourishes, the goddess rules.”

Rosemary has played a role in our creative and cultural imagination for centuries. The genus name, Rosmarinus, comes from the Latin for “dew” (ros) and “of the sea” (marinus), reflecting the origin story of Venus, the Goddess of Love.  Legend has it that she was seeded from the stars when a phallic looking object (apparently from Uranus) fell into her mother’s womb, the Sea. Venus emerged fully formed from the waters, her neck draped with rosemary. It is a gorgeous image of feminine beauty, power and love, born of both the stars and  the earth.

The common name Rosemary is derived from the genus name with a twist. Legend has it that Mary, mother of Jesus, while fleeing from Egypt, sheltered one night next to a blossoming rosemary bush. When she threw her blue cape over the bush, its white flowers turned blue.

But Rosemary’s lore doesn’t end there. It is symbolic of enduring love. During the Middle Ages in Europe, a bride would wear rosemary in her headpiece and the groom and guests would wear a sprig as well. The newlyweds would plant rosemary on their wedding day to root their hopes for the future. It was said if a person tapped another with a sprig of rosemary with an open bloom, they would fall in love. Rosemary was also incorporated into love charms, placed under pillows to thwart evil spirits and between the sheets to repel moths. Ancient Greek students hung rosemary on their doors so that its scent wafted into the room, clarifying the mind and promoting better understanding. Legend has it that Rosemary oil was part of an immune system boosting blend that protected grave robbers from getting sick during the plague.

This legend and lore is not just a testimony to the Nature's wisdom and the power of the rosemary plant. Its also a testimony to human creative ingenuity. For this how we have passed on knowledge from generation to generation through myth and belief set in oral myth and beliefs. It's so much easier to remember a good story than dry facts. And really, that's pretty much how we  humans got these things done before the advent of the printing press!

Rosemary’s Aromatherapy Benefits

Woman smelling essential oils
Rosemary Essential Oil is derived from the aromatic herb Rosmarinus Officinalis, a plant belonging to the Mint family, which includes Basil, Lavender, Myrtle, and Sage. Its appearance, too, is similar to Lavender with flat pine needles that have a light trace of silver. Rosemary Rosemary Essential Oil is a heavy weight champ in the world of Aromatherapy, bringing physical benefits through topical application and to the body’s limbic system through inhalation.

Like many of its cousin plants named above, Rosemary Essential Oil helps reduce stress levels and nervous tension, boost mental activity, encourage clarity and insight, relieve fatigue, and support respiratory function. It is used to improve alertness, eliminate negative moods, and increase the retention of information by enhancing concentration. The scent of Rosemary Essential Oil is also known to reduce the level of harmful stress hormones released during tense experiences. Inhaling Rosemary Oil boosts the immune system by stimulating internal anti-oxidant activity, which in turn fights ailments caused by free radicals, and it relieves throat and nasal congestion by clearing the respiratory tract.

We’ve included Rosemary Essential oil in some of Body Therapy products because of the amazing job it does in relieving stress, inflammation and fatigue

Rosemary Goes Straight to Your Head

Woman giving herself a head massage
This is why we’ve included Rosemary Essential Oil as one of the Rock Star Essential Oils in our Head Balm. Half the magic of our Head Balm comes from the essential oils in it. The other half comes from the massage you give yourself when you apply it. Rub a little balm between your fingers and warm it up. Then, in a symmetrical fashion, massage it  into both your temples and across the top of your forehead. Take some more Balm between your fingers and warm it up. Now massage this round onto the bone behind each of your ears, starting from the top of the ear to the bottom. This area holds acupressure points that connect to your brain Next, massage the balm into the back of the neck, from just below the hairline to the shoulders. You've just surrounded your head with relieving goodness.

Rosemary Has A Thing for Feet
feet soaking in rosemary infused water
Rosemary has been proven to stimulate blood flow, which makes it a fabulous ingredient in a revitalizing foot soak. It's also one of the reasons we include it in our Foot Salve. Rosemary delivers the added benefit of helping to relieve soreness in your feet, while tackling bacteria and odor.

Our Foot Salve is a beautifully nourishing blend of Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil;  Neem Oil, which is fabulous for repairing heel cracks; Peppermint Essential Oil to stimulate circulation; Lavender for its antibacterial and relaxation properties; Tea Tree and Rosemary Oils to tackle bacteria and fungus; and Calendula oil to help skin soothe and repair itself. Apply before bed time and wear cotton socks for maximum impact.

Keeping the Pits Fresh with Rosemary
Woman massaging armpit
Rosemary oil may help to reduce tissue inflammation and is thought to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains. In addition, Rosemary Essential Oil has proven antioxidant properties. Since oxidative stress can play a role in underarm odor, Rosemary may help. You can find it in our Natural Deodorant. It works with Lavender to kill odor causing bacteria and take down stress levels. Our Natural Deodorant is formulated for application with your fingers. That way you can deodorize and give yourself lymphatics a draining massage at the same time for better health.

What are your favourite ways to use Rosemary Essential Oil?

Picture
Sherazad Jamal is founder, formulator and chief bottle washer at Free Lion Body Care. When she's not testing out a new formula, making batches of Body Care products or fulfilling orders, she can be found puttering about in the garden, hanging out with loved ones, working on an art project or staring into space, dreaming a new dream. 
0 Comments

November 12th, 2017

11/12/2017

3 Comments

 

WHY SHEA BUTTER IS SO GOOD FOR THE SKIN

Shea Butter in a bowl
Shea Butter
​Shea butter is a rock star as far as natural ingredients go. For millennia in the hot Sahara, people have used it to protect skin from drying winds and sun as well as heal skin issues, minor cuts and burns. The Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, who was magnificently beautiful, was said to owe her legendary beauty to the use of Shea butter. Can’t argue with perfection! 
Queen Nefertiti
Queen Nefertiti
​At Free Lion, We truly love including Shea Butter in our products, especially those formulated for dry skin. More on that later; first, more on the Shea Butter story.

WHERE SHEA BUTTER COMES FROM AND HOW IT IS MADE

Shea butter is extracted from the fruit of the Shea Tree that grows in the savannahs of West Africa and East Africa. The English name Shea comes from its Bambara name sii, which means sacred. Traditionally, the tree was an integral part of the lives of the people, belonging to the entire community--it could not be owned by individuals even when found on private property. Its nuts help sustain the communities that depended on it. There is a tradition in Ghana to say a prayer, before collecting Shea fruit, to thank Mother Earth for her gift. The Shea tree is still treated with particular respect because of its ability to sustain human life, from skin care, to healing and nutrition. 
The Karite Tree, whose fruits give us Shea Butter
The Karite Tree, whose fruits give us Shea Butter
​The Shea tree grows up to 60 feet tall, can live up to 200 years and does not flower before it is 20 years old. This is a wise old tree whose magic is not given up easily. Preparing unrefined shea butter is a labour intensive process with a series of steps, commonly undertaken by both young and old women in a community. 
Picking up fallen Shea fruit from the ground
Picking up fallen Shea fruit from the ground
​It takes up to 30 hours of labour to produce 1 kg / 2 lb of unrefined shea, when processing by hand. The fallen fruit is collected and its pulp removed. The nut is left to sun-dry and then separated from its shell, ground, and roasted. The roasting process requires constant babysitting and stirring to avoid burning.
Roasted nuts are ground into a paste, which is transferred to basins of water where it is kneaded by hand until the oils separate and float to the surface of the water. The oils are then skimmed off the top, melted, and boiled until the water is fully evaporated. Finally, the unrefined shea is allowed to harden, after which it is packaged and distributed. Phew! That’s a lotta work!
Shea butter productions in Burkina Faso
Shea Butter production in Burkina Faso
There are modern-day facilities that help ease the production process, but despite the help of machinery, there is no getting around the need of manual labour to produce shea butter. Shea fruit still needs to be gathered from the ground, washed, de-pulped and then sun-dried (sometimes in special solar tunnel dryers) before the oil is extracted by cold pressing. ​​
Compacting hardened Shea Butter for packaging
Compacting hardened Shea Butter for packaging

THE SKIN-LOVING NUTRIENTS IN SHEA BUTTER

Shea butter is rich in fatty acids as well as several other beneficial ingredients. The amounts of saturated fatty acids will vary depending on where the Shea is from, as both region and climate play a large part in the composition of the butter.

Palmitic Acid   2 - 9 %
One of the most prevalent saturated fatty acids in body lipids. In aging skin, levels of palmitic acid can decrease by as much as 56%. Applying Shea butter topically can help replenish skin.
 
Stearic Acid  20 - 50 %
A saturated fatty acid which acts as an emollient and emulsifier. It has been shown to protect skin's surface against water loss by enhancing skin's protective barrier And it helps cells regenerate, too.

Oleic Acid  40 - 60 %
A very moisturizing, softening and regenerating unsaturated fatty acid that also offers anti-inflammatory properties. The oleic acid in shea butter is easily absorbed by the skin 


Linoleic Acid  3 - 11 %
An Unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid shown to be effective as a skin restorative, an antioxidant and as a skin-soothing agent.
 
Phytoesterols  5 - 10 %
These gives Shea some UV-B absorbing power as well as reparative properties.

Vitamin A
A powerhouse ingredient that has value for skin on several fronts: It’s a skin-restoring, wrinkle-smoothing, firming ingredient and an antioxidant, allowing it to improve a variety of skin concerns, most related to visible signs of aging.

Vitamin E
One of the most well-known and researched antioxidants for the body and for skin. Vitamin E occurs naturally in human skin, but can become depleted due to constant environmental exposure in the absence of sun protection. Shea’s natural content of E-vitamin contributes to its relatively long shelf life – which can be up to 2 years.

Allantoin
Highly regarded for its skin soothing, healing and keratolytic (ability to remove excess skin) properties. It helps shed the outer layer of the epidermis, promotes healthy tissue formation, softens the skin and enables it to absorb more moisture. It’s particularly effective at treating wounds, burns, skin ulcers, eczema, and any other abrasion in the skin.

YAY SHEA! THE SKIN BENEFITS OF SHEA BUTTER

​Shea butter is a super star as far as natural ingredients go. Millennia of anecdotal evidence tells us it can protect your skin from UV sunlight, harsh climate, dehydration and pollution damage. As anti-aging agent, it strengthens your skin by stimulating the production of collagen, a protein essential to keeping your skin youthful, supple, alive, nourished and radiant. It can smooth wrinkles and fine lines or damage and revitalize very dry or damaged skin, bringing your skin back to beautiful life.
 
Shea butter does an awesome job of winter and after-sun skin care. It provides the extra moisture, vitamins, nutrients and protection your skin needs during the cold season and in the summertime. It is also the perfect ingredient to protect your lips from the cold and dry weather and keep them kissably soft. 
 
Here are some our Shea Butter hall of fame products. Check them out and give your skin the nurturing love it deserves!
Sherazad Jamal, Free Lion Team
3 Comments

    Archives

    February 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017

    Categories

    All
    About Body Care Products
    Aloe Vera
    Anti Aging
    Anti Oxidants
    Aroma Jewelry
    Aromatherapy
    Avocado
    Ayurveda
    Be The Change
    Biology
    Body Butter
    Body Lotion
    Body Scrubs
    Body Therapy
    Byron Katie
    Calendula
    Changing Limiting Beliefs
    Chia Seed Oil
    Coconut
    Cold Weather Skin Care
    Comedogenicity
    Covid19
    Crystal Healing
    Designer
    DIY
    DIY Cold Remedy
    DIY Hair Care
    DIY Skin Care
    Donations And Partnerships
    Dream Board
    Dreams
    Emotions
    Energy Healing
    Essential Oils
    Exfoliants
    Face Care Routine
    Facial Oils
    Flower Power
    Foot Salve
    Fragrance
    Galentine's Day
    Gardening
    Ginger
    Gratitude
    Hair Care
    Harvest
    Head Balm
    Healing Teas
    Health
    History
    History Of Perfume
    Homeschooling
    Honey
    Ho'oponopono
    Hydration
    Imbolc
    Ingredient Hot Lists
    Ingredients
    Inspiration
    Irritated Skin Balm
    Konmari
    Krista Tippett
    Leaky Gut
    Lemon
    Lifestyle
    Lip Balm
    Macadamia Oil
    Mango
    Manifestation
    Memory
    Mex Pup
    Mindfulness
    Moisturizing
    Natural Ingredients
    Natural Remedies
    Nutrition
    Oily Skin Care
    Paleo
    Parenting Styles
    Paw Wax
    Pay It Forward
    Plant Powders
    Recipes
    Relationship With Food
    Scent
    Science
    Self Care
    Shea Butter
    Skin
    Skin Function
    Smoothie
    Spring
    Stress Effects
    Sun Balm
    Sunflower
    Sun Protection
    Think Piece
    Thoughts On Beaurty
    Turmeric
    Valentine's Day
    Weight Watchers
    Wellness
    Women's Empowerment
    Yogurt

    RSS Feed

Home

About

Shop

​Wholesale

Contact Us

Copyright © 2015
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Care for the Body >
      • Body Butters
      • Body Therapy
      • Body Lotions
      • Body Scrubs
      • Natural Deodorant
      • The Soap Bar
    • Radiance for the Face >
      • About Face Chai
      • Face Chai Face Care System
      • Beard Care
      • Shave Care
      • Lip Care
    • Scents for the Soul
    • Aroma Jewelry
    • Pet Care and Wellness
    • Gifts & Bundles
  • About
    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
    • Exchange and Refund Policies
  • Wild Beauty Blog
  • Contact
  • Category