Rose Hip Oil: The Fountain of Youth

In search of living an organic and preservative-free lifestyle, coconut oil became the magic product to buy. It seems there are over 1001 uses for this tropical plant, including  wrinkle fighter, nutrient dense protein, and excellent source of healthy fat. In terms of a beauty product, it might have to let the crown go for ‘best natural beauty moisturizer’ found in nature to rosehip seed oil. Kate Middleton is a fan of the dry oil. She used it during her pregnancy, as part of her daily skincare regiment . Like most of us, Middleton is concerned with where products come from, and how these treatment ingredients are absorbed into our bodies.

What makes this oil from the Chilean Andes so wonderful? So many reasons, first off it’s a natural, vegan, single ingredient beauty option. It’s relatively inexpensive when you compare it to a lifetime of spending hundreds, probably thousands of dollars on expensive moisturizers. Thanks to this extract oil, you can now have a wrinkle free complexion with it’s concentrated Vitamin A and C properties. You’ll see a rejuvenation of your skin, as your wrinkles and sun spots fade away.

“Rosehip seed oil contains a blend of bioactive ingredients that can potentially be beneficial to the skin, for example vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and essential fatty acids,” says Dr. Julia Tzu, a dermatologist who is also an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at New York University. “It may be potentially beneficial as an anti-aging product because of the antioxidant ingredients it contains. Its high vitamin C content suggests that it may also be useful for treating dark spots, since vitamin C decreases the pigment-producing ability of the skin.” 

The benefits of this natural oil make it a favorite among pregnant women and people suffering from skin conditions like eczema and rosea rash. When your hormone levels are changing or skin has bouts of flare up, rose hips can balance and calm your skin. Remember back to when you were a teenager, and the advice everyone would give you was to keep it simple and natural with your changing skin. The philosophy still holds true, even if we have all these scientifically formulated beauty products available. RHSO is nature’s simple and pure moisturizer.

Even if you aren’t suffering from problem skin, rosehip seed oil is the serum to use. The oil can penetrate deep into your skin due to the vitamin A properties. Its molecules are small enough to be deeply absorbed by the skin, and improve the skin’s moisture levels.  Having well hydrated skin means you’ll be reducing wrinkles and fine lines. With its anti-aging, antioxidants benefits penetrating deep into the layers of skin you’ll see a more refreshed and glowing you in no time. In addition to vitamin A, its vitamin C antioxidant properties stimulate collagen production. RHSO is like having your own dermatologist in a bottle morning, noon, and night.

Not only does roseship seed oil fight wrinkles, but it also helps even out your skin tone and erase any facial scarring you might have. It contains essential fatty acids, which  regenerate your skin cells and repair damaged skin tissue. Regenerating skin means the appearance of burns, scars, wrinkles and stretch marks will fade with continued RHSO use. This is an amazing product for everyone to have in their beauty arsenal or first aid kit. 

As the name implies, rosehip seed oil comes from fruit oil extracted from the hip of the rose. The hip is the fruit that is left after a rose has bloomed and the petals have fallen. It has been used by indigenous population of Chile for hundreds of years, and not just on their faces. Other uses of rosehip seed oil is nail care and hair care treatments.  

Are all RHSOs the same? No. Just like our fresh juices, you want to buy organic, cold pressed oils when possible. There are tons on the market right now, so read those ingredient lists and processing details throughly. If want to feel like a royal, at a fraction at the price, try Trilogy’s Certified Organic Rosehip Oil. It’s Duchess Kate’s favorite, and luckily, not on back order anymore. After her beauty secret got out, this product become hard to find.

If you want the same power of Trilogy’s RHSO, but not sure if want to put down $45 for an experiment, try Mountain Rose Herbs offering. It’s only $16 for a 4 oz. vial, and when you see the magic of this natural moisturizer, you can move up to the larger sizes. Not sure if we’ll order the gallon size, but if you’re a esthetician, this is probably good news.

Not completely sold on this oil as the fountain of youth. Supermodel Miranda Kerr swears by RHSO. She’s developed her own skincare line, KORA Organics. Several of her products contain rosehip seed oil as a main ingredient. Her Luxurious Rosehip Oil contains noni extract, organic rosehip oil, jasmine, sea buckthorn, rose and pomegranate oils for multi purpose use.

Inspired to try something new? We've turned a couple of our friends onto RHSO, and we’ll always get a text the next morning saying, “OMG, it looks like I woke up and spent the night at the spa!” When your friends send you those messages, you know you have a beauty winner product on your hands.

Edible Beauty: From the kitchen to your vanity

Spirulina, Coconut Oil, Agave Nectar, Olive Oil, and Apple Cider Vinegar. Sounds like a grocery list, along with apples and pears to make a salad. Actually, we’re making a list for five natural ingredients you would find in your kitchen, but should also have a place in your beauty routine. Eating natural, organic, and whole foods have been proven to be the best for our bodies internally, why not the same philosophy for taking care of the outside of our bodies? 

Dr. Alkaitis, of Dr. Alkaitis’ holistic organic skin food, spoke with The Chalkboard Mag about his ‘edible’ beauty products. His answer made sense to us.

“The simple answer is that whatever is put on your skin is absorbed into your body, it is ‘eaten’. So if one is interested in maintaining a healthy skin and health, then they should follow this simple guideline: ‘If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin.”

It got us thinking, what steps can we take to bring this way of ‘living’ into our lives, in a simple manner. If we should be able to eat it, let’s find out what we should have in our cupboards, and buy extra for our ‘natural beauty’ regimen. No special equipment, beakers or AP Chemistry classes needed.

First up, spirulina, your new favorite Super Food. It is highly digestible, but it also helps the body absorb minerals, lowers cholesterol, and protects the immune system as well. Have a half teaspoon in your breakfast smoothie. You’ll notice a healthier skin tone, dark circles fading away, and your hair looking glossy. Or make a paste by mixing some spirulina with water, and apply it on your face. Keep on for 20 minutes and wash off. This will make your skin amazingly soft, smooth, and you’ll also be preventing signs of aging by eliminating free radicals. Yes, spirulina prevents ’wrinkles.’

Another amazing anti aging natural beauty ingredient, coconut oil. It’s used from baking, cooking and dessert making, but as wrinkle fighter? It sure is. Use a lil coconut oil underneath the delicate area of your eyes to keep them line free or use it for preventing dark spots or stretch marks. You can also take coconut oil and blend it with several edible ingredients to create power punch beauty products. 

Use coconut oil with agave nectar, aloe vera, and vegetable glycerin to make a curl conditioning and defining serum. All edible ingredients. Or you can also use it with olive oil to create a moisturizer. Don’t worry your skin will love it instead of breaking out. Just start off a few times a week. Your skin will let you know you’re doing right when you see a glowing and dewy complexion. 

From making your all-natural defining hair serum or vegan facial moisturizer, what to do with your agave nectar or olive oil beauty wise? You can make an oatmeal and agave facial mask to combat irritated skin. Mexicans have been using it for hundreds of years to relieve skin infections and kill bacteria. If a oatmeal and agave mask is the secret to a beach kissed look, we’re in! Use the rest of your olive oil to soften your hands, remove your makeup at night or moisturize your skin after a hot shower.

Last, but definitely not least, on our list we have apple cider vinegar with the mother. From some our visits to the grocery store, seems this item is hard to keep in stock. It’s always a toss up whether or not you’ll find it. There is an overabundance of goodness in this vinegar. You most likely have heard about it when you’re suffering from allergies, and everyone will suggest you use it to kill bacteria in your throat. 

When you use it as a beauty product you can use it as a skin toner, spot treatment for acne, residue remover for hair, and even a natural deodorant. Just like coconut oil, ACV has a mile long list of beauty solution to try. This blog lists just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of what edible beauty can do you for you.

Hope we inspired you to restock your kitchen pantry and bathroom cabinets with these multi purpose natural ingredients. Buy organic, all natural, cold pressed, or extra virgin when it’s an option. If we’re feeding our bodies the best we can, let’s do the same for our skin. A fresher, healthier, glowing outside you will match how amazing you feel in the inside as well.