Month: January 2025

It’s a cutthroat business, or is it?

In the delicate dance of maintaining a robust skin barrier and microbial balance, the power of aromatherapy blends and essential oils wield profound influence. Oils such as tea tree, lavender, and geranium are renowned for their antimicrobial and healing properties.

These oils fortify the skin’s natural defenses against environmental aggressors and pathogens while promoting a harmonious microbial ecosystem. This ancient practice, when harnessed with intention and knowledge, holds the promise of timeless beauty and well-being.

Understanding the Skin Barrier and Microbial Balance

Our skin barrier is the first line of defense against external threats, including pollution, UV radiation, and harmful microbes. It acts as a shield, keeping moisture in and pathogens out. However, modern lifestyles, age and environmental factors can compromise this barrier, leading to issues such as dryness, irritation, and infections.

Equally important is the skin’s microbial balance. Our skin hosts a diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, collectively known as the skin microbiome. A balanced microbiome is crucial for healthy skin on the face and body, as it helps to fend off harmful pathogens and supports the skin’s natural functions. Disruptions to this balance can result in skin conditions like acne, eczema, and dermatitis.

The Role of Aromatherapy in Skin Health

Aromatherapy, the use of essential oils extracted from plants for therapeutic purposes, has been practiced for centuries. Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts that capture the essence of the plant’s fragrance and beneficial properties. When used in skincare, these oils can provide a myriad of benefits, from enhancing the skin barrier to maintaining microbial balance.

Key Essential Oils for Skin Barrier Protection and Microbe Balance

Tea Tree Oil Blend

Known for its potent antimicrobial properties, tea tree oil is effective against a wide range of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. It helps to keep the skin clear of harmful microbes, reducing the risk of infections and breakouts. Additionally, tea tree oil’s anti-inflammatory properties soothe irritated skin, promoting faster healing.

Lavender Oil Blend

Renowned for its calming and healing properties, lavender oil is a versatile essential oil that supports overall skin health. It helps to reduce inflammation, heal wounds, and balance the skin’s natural oils. Lavender oil also has mild antimicrobial effects, making it suitable for maintaining a balanced skin microbiome.

Geranium Oil Blend

Geranium oil is known for its ability to balance the skin’s natural oils, making it beneficial for both dry and oily skin types. It has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that help to protect the skin barrier and promote healing. Geranium oil also tightens and firms the skin, enhancing its resilience.

How to Use Essential Oils for Skin Health

To harness the benefits of essential oils, it is crucial to use them correctly. Here are some tips for incorporating these oils into your skincare routine:

Topical Application

Essential oils should be diluted with a carrier oil (such as jojoba, almond, or coconut oil) before being applied to the skin. A common ratio is 1-2 drops of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil. This mixture can be used as a serum or added to your moisturizer.

Diffusion

Aromatherapy can also be practiced by diffusing essential oils in the air. This method allows you to inhale the therapeutic benefits of the oils, promoting relaxation and overall well-being. It can also create a protective environment, reducing the presence of harmful microbes in your surroundings.

Consistency

For best results, consistency is key. Incorporate essential oils into your daily skincare routine, applying them after cleansing and before moisturizing. Regular use will help to maintain a healthy skin barrier and balanced microbiome.

The Promise of Aromatherapy

The power of aromatherapy, when combined with intention and knowledge, holds the promise of beauty and well-being. By incorporating essential oils like tea tree, lavender, and geranium into your skincare routine, you can fortify your skin’s natural defenses and promote a radiant, resilient complexion.

In conclusion, the healing properties of aromatherapy blends and essential oils offer a natural and effective approach to skin barrier protection and microbial balance. This practice not only safeguards the skin but also enhances its overall health, ensuring that you can enjoy a healthy, glowing complexion at any age.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you use essential oils to take care of your skin health? Which oils do you use daily? What effect have you noticed on your skin?

The Buckeyes will battle it out for redemption against the Ducks.

As we move into a new year, it’s time for a fresh approach. In 2024, you may have given energy and time to keep pushing through to get better, achieve something, or change something. Don’t get me wrong, this is how many goals are accomplished. Yet gaining clarity about areas in your life that are draining you, causing frustration or not serving your goal can help you eliminate old patterns that are on repeat.

What’s Not Working?

Just this once, challenge yourself to take a good look at your year with this unique angle, and see if it produces fresh change: What’s not working?

I read a comment in a news column recently that tweaked my interest. A person had responded to this question, “What’s the best thing a psychiatrist has ever said to you?” The answer was, “You’ve struggled with this way too long. Tell me what’s not working.” He was then able to tell his painful story while the psychiatrist sat and listened. This guided their work together for better results. In this case, the angle of what’s not working was actually life changing.

“If your best isn’t working it’s not because you’re a screw up, it’s because you need something different. You need to apply that effort toward something that’s working instead.” —Alexandra Elle

Journaling About Your Experience

Kristin Renee illustrates in her column, Journaling Saves, how making a journal of what’s working/what’s not working, can clarify your focus for life. She encourages you to make a list under each heading, and then brainstorm each item without any judgement.

Just begin to write out what’s working/not working, knowing that you’re the only one seeing the list. Allow your answers to come out in all sorts of ways, without thinking of perfection in spelling or grammar. Through this list, you may be able to identify some areas (where you have expended energy unnecessarily) that you need to eliminate, tweak, or attack from a different angle.

For example, if you are getting up at 5 a.m. daily to exercise, kudos to you! But if you are constantly tired and unable to concentrate during your day due to lost sleep, can you reevaluate? Maybe you’re trying to stick with a relationship or a job that causes intense frustration and stress. Is it time for a change in some way? Do you need to find a different path for growth and happiness? What are other ways to help the relationship or the daily fatigue? Writing this down is a simple way to begin.

Start from a New Perspective

Helen Sanderson Associates, a group that helps organizations and businesses evolve, encourages us to look at things with new perspectives. This list is not a failure list, but a focus on where some minor (or major) changes could be made. Working out where you have been expending energy without results will help change your focus for the year 2025.

Once you list what’s not working, be truthful with yourself about each item. Could it be that you’ve told yourself you aren’t good enough, smart enough, energetic enough? Is there a limiting story that loops continuously in your head like that you’re too old, too lazy, or too dumb to accomplish this thing?

Maybe bossy limiting thoughts are what’s not working. To change this, write out those nagging thoughts in the not working column. Then begin to take each one and work on the internal dialogue surrounding those limiting thoughts. Changing negative, worn out, internal self-talk to a lighter, positive approach could be the change you are looking for. There are many articles and books to help you accomplish this.

A Path Leads to a Path

Tracy Kennedy wrote an article for LifeHack, called Ten Strategies to Keep Moving Forward When Feeling Stuck. She shares her grandfather’s quote has helped me immensely: “ …he always told us: a path leads to a path.”

Think of times in your life where this has played out. You may not have been clear on what to do, but as you took baby steps toward something, the next step seemed to be there. When starting my own business after retirement, it felt like a stretch for me. I found I was comfortably stuck where I didn’t want to be! Yet, one baby step led to the next. This is still how my business is moving forward! Baby steps lead to the next baby step.

Finding out what’s not working can effectively point you in a direction of realistic intentional goals. With our example of the 5 a.m. workouts above, adding a realistic modified goal of getting to bed earlier and to intentionally adjust your amount of quality sleep, can help your workouts be productive and sustainable.

Know What You Can Control

Remember, when you find the things that aren’t working, you do have the power to change them. This brings a sense of control to your actions and fresh motivation for the year ahead. One powerful way to give a visual to a future you want is to create a vision board.

Just spend some time looking for pictures that represent your hopes and goals or dreams of the future year. Put them on tag board and prop it up where you see it everyday. It’s a positive encouraging way to envision what you are going toward in life, plus take a step away from what’s not working. Margaret is holding a live Vision Board Workshop for 2025, so join her for a fun take on creating a satisfying new year ahead.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you looked for things that aren’t working in your life? What have you identified? What can you do to turn your thinking into something more productive?

The Buckeyes will battle it out for redemption against the Ducks.