Want to learn more about our favorite natural skin care best products to use in your own at-home blends and combinations?

Then this is the article for you!

In this post, we’ll tell you all about the best natural skincare products to use as part of your new DIY natural skin care routine. We’ll start with our 4 best carrier oils for skin care and then move over to some of our favorite essential oils to use on your skin.

What is Natural Skincare?

In our last article, Natural Skin Care Defined, we discussed what natural skin care is, what it means to us, and the two easiest ways to make the switch from synthetic or chemical-based cosmetics products to a natural skin care routine.

To us, natural skin care means using products on your skin that are unprocessed and made from raw, natural ingredients. As we say here at Utama Spice, If you wouldn’t cook with it, you shouldn’t put it on your body.

The main reason for this philosophy is because our body absorbs and excretes a variety of compounds through the skin. By sweating every day, our body’s largest organ, the skin, is able to remove tons of unwanted toxins. But many store-bought or mass-produced beauty, skincare and cosmetics products actually clog the pores. So not only could you be potentially absorbing a wide range of chemicals and synthetic compounds through the skin every day because of these products, but they also could inhibit the body’s ability to remove these chemicals.

(For more information about the different kinds of chemicals to watch out for in these products, check out our posts about Quitting Chemicals and Toxins in Your Makeup.)

Quitting Chemical Beauty Products

Lessening the amount of chemicals, toxins and synthetic compounds absorbed by your body is one of the main reasons to consider switching to natural skin care alternatives. Another reason is the environment. While the plastic wrapping and plastic packaging that most of the common skincare products come in is already pretty bad for the environment, the process to make them is unfortunately even worse. Since many of these products are mass-produced and made from synthetic, chemical and unnatural compounds, the byproduct usually winds up in the air or the ocean. This can then harm sea life and have other negative effects throughout the ecosystem. Sadly, most of these cosmetics products also end up back in the water after we rinse them off in the shower.

But it’s not all bad news! Natural skin care products are a safe, affordable, proven alternative.

And there are plenty of benefits too!

As we mentioned in our previous articles about Natural Skin Care Defined and Best Argan Oil for Your Skin, just using argan oil for your skin care can have these 10 benefits!

Top 10 Argan Oil Benefits for Your Face & Skin

Excellent Face & Skin Moisturizer
Surprisingly Great for Acne Treatment
Excellent Source of Hydration for the Face & Skin
Works Great for Exfoliation
Has Anti-Aging & Wrinkle Preventing Properties
Reduces and Prevents Stretch Marks
Protection from Sun Damage & Free Radicals
Aids with Wound Healing
Treats a Variety of Skin Conditions
Naturally Reduces Oiliness of the Skin

That’s just one oil! And if those are the benefits you can get from just one oil, imagine what you could get from the right combination. Later in this article, we’ll show you our Top 7 Best Benefits of Castor Oil and the Top 7 Best Benefits of using Lavender Essential Oil for Your Skin, so you can get a good idea of some of the ways you can start switching out your current skin care products for natural alternatives!

Natural Skin Care: Carrier Oils

In this article, we’ll go into detail about more of the oils, like argan oil, that are great to use in your DIY natural skin care recipes, blends and combinations. Argan oil is what we call a carrier oil. That means that it can’t be used in a diffuser, but it is perfect to use as a diluent for essential oils.

Why would you want to dilute an essential oil?

That’s a great question!

Some essential oils, like certain citrus essential oils, can be a little harsh on the skin when directly applied. But they still have some great benefits for the skin when used in lesser, or softened amounts. These carrier oils, like argan oil, can work with these less gentle essential oils to make them much better for application on the skin. In addition, many of these carrier oils, like you’ve seen with argan oil, also have a whole list of their own benefits. Most of these oils are filled with vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and more that make them extremely beneficial for your skin.

Some of these oils are even great for more than just your skin! For example, argan oil and coconut oil are great oils to add to your diet too. As we mentioned in our article Argan Oil vs Coconut Oil, argan oil contains about 30% linoleic acid, which is the omega-6 essential fatty acid. This is one of the two fatty acids that humans have to get from their diet, and argan oil is a great source. Meanwhile, coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides which are also rare in our daily diet and help to boost fat burning and brain function.

Besides eating, many of these carrier oils are great for your hair and scalp too! We’ll talk more about which are our favorites for what, but if you’d like some more information on two great carrier oils to start using on your hair, check out our posts on Castor Oil for Hair, Argan Oil for Hair Growth and Argan Oil Top Benefits for Hair.

Next, we’ll share our 4 Best Carrier Oils to start using for your natural skin care routine and discuss some of the benefits and best uses for each of them.

Top 4 Best Natural Skin Care Carrier Oils

Argan Oil
Castor Oil
Coconut Oil
Tamanu Oil

Argan Oil: Natural Skin and Hair Care

We’ve used argan oil a few times as an example over the last two articles because it can be used in so many ways. For more detailed information, we have posts on using Argan Oil for Skin Care, Argan Oil for Hair Growth and our Top 7 Argan Oil Benefits for Hair.

Argan oil contains an abundance of Vitamin E, linoleic acid and oleic acid. Vitamin E is particularly beneficial for the hair, scalp and skin and has antioxidant properties that help to fight off free radicals, reducing wrinkles and signs of aging and a variety of other benefits for the skin. It’s also a non comedogenic oil, which means that it can be applied without making the skin greasy. This property, combined with its fatty acids and vitamins, makes it especially great for your pores. It doesn’t clog them and it leaves the skin feeling smooth, hydrated and moisturized.

Argan oil is also one of our favorite oils to promote because it has wonderful socioeconomic benefits. The oil comes from the seeds of the fruit of the argan tree and is hand-pressed by rural moroccan farmers into pure argan oil. Since the process is done through women’s cooperatives organized by a Moroccan professor, activist and researcher, the production of authentic argan oil “supports 2.2 million people living a subsistence existence in rural regions. It is vital both economically and culturally.”1

So argan oil can be used on the hair and skin, it can be eaten to include essential and non-essential fatty acids in your diet, and it has amazing socioeconomic effects. And those are just some of the reasons it’s one of our favorite carrier oils. Like we said before, check out our posts on Argan Oil for Skin Care, Argan Oil for Hair Growth and our Top 7 Argan Oil Benefits for Hair for even more information.

Castor Oil: Skincare, Weight Loss, Lashes and More

The reason castor oil is next on the list of our favorite carrier oils is not just because it’s in alphabetical order, but also because castor oil is just as versatile as argan oil. We’ve written articles about Castor Oil Therapy, Castor Oil for Weight Loss and Castor Oil for Eyelashes and Eyebrows.

Like argan oil, castor oil is a multi-purpose vegetable oil that has been used in alternative medicine for thousands of years. The oil is derived from the beans of the castor plant (Ricinus communis) and was used by the ancient Egyptians to treat a variety of issues such as constipation, eye irritation and even to induce labor. The seeds actually contain a toxic enzyme called ricin that is not safe for ingestion, even in the smallest doses. Luckily, the heating process required to make the castor oil renders the ricin harmless, making castor oil therapy completely safe.

Another major component of castor oil, Ricinoleic acid, is a fatty acid that has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. The ricinoleic acid, combined with the Vitamin E in castor oil and it’s antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties make it a great treatment for a wide range of conditions.

In our first article about Castor Oil Therapy, we discussed using heat and castor oil to help treat a variety of abdominal area-issues. From constipation to menstrual cramps, castor oil packs can be a natural alternative that can also have great benefits for you skin in the meantime.

When it comes to our favorite uses and benefits of castor oil, here’s our Top 7.

Top 7 Castor Oil Benefits

Lose Weight
Improve Eyes
Boost Digestion and Fight Constipation
Detoxify Liver and Improve Lymphatic System
Treat Arthritis; Relieve Pain and Inflammation
Fight Colds
Great for Hair & Skin

When it comes to your natural skin care routine, castor oil can help fight against acne, moisturize your skin and assist with healing wounds. Because of its antibacterial and antimicrobial attributes, castor oil will also help fight off many of the common skin bacteria and infections you encounter on a day-to-day basis.

For other uses and benefits of castor oil, check out our posts on Castor Oil Therapy, Castor Oil for Weight Loss and Castor Oil for Eyelashes and Eyebrows.

Coconut Oil: For Hair, Skin and Cooking!

As we’ve mentioned before and in our article about Argan Oil vs Coconut Oil, both argan oil and coconut oil are great for the hair, skin and adding to your diet. We’ve touted the importance of coconut oil’s medium chain triglycerides for your diet, but when it comes to skin care, Healthline writes that coconut oil has plenty of uses too. Coconut oil can be helpful at “reducing inflammation, keeping skin moisturized and helping heal wounds. The medium-chain fatty acids found in coconut oil also possess antimicrobial properties that can help treat acne and protect the skin from harmful bacteria.”2

The reason coconut oil is so beneficial for a wide range of applications is because of the variety of its fatty acids. As reported by Healthline, coconut oils is comprised of:

“Lauric acid: 49%
Myristic acid: 18%
Caprylic acid: 8%
Palmitic acid: 8%
Capric acid: 7%
Oleic acid: 6%
Linoleic acid: 2%
Stearic acid: 2%”2

In a study of the antimicrobial qualities of 30 different types of fatty acids against “20 different strains of bacteria. Lauric acid was found to be the most effective at blocking the growth of bacteria.”2

So coconut oil’s power for skin and hair care comes from its extremely potent antimicrobial components. Coconut oil’s antimicrobial properties allow it to help the body remove bacteria and fungus from the hair and skin, which improves the overall health of the hair follicles and skin pores, allowing them to function more effectively. When these foundational parts begin to work more effectively, the overall health of the skin improves; and when applied to the head, it improves the overall health of the hair and scalp.

Tamanu Oil: Natural Skincare’s Lost Secret

Tamanu Oil is one of our favorite carrier oils to start your natural skin care collection with for a variety of reasons. One reason is because it’s still mostly a secret! As we’ve said in our article about Tamanu Oil for Skincare, despite being used by those living in the Southern Pacific for hundreds of years, Tamanu oil is something of a forgotten secret for most.

Tamanu oil is derived from the tamanu nut, which comes from the Ati tree and has been used by various cultures as a treatment for almost every skin condition imaginable. In 1918, the oil was sought out by French scientists interested in its potential to treat leprosy.

The power of tamanu oil is multi-faceted. The oil is comprised of 3 basic types of lipids: glycolipids, neutral lipids, and phospholipids. These lipids help to protect and fortify the skin’s barrier, helping it to recover from any imbalances and improving elasticity. Tamanu oil also contains the uncommon fatty acid calophyllic acid, an antibiotic called lactone, and an anti-inflammatory compound called calophyllolide. The oil also encourages and improves the skin’s natural healing process called cicatrization, which encourages the skin to generate new tissue.

By encouraging new skin tissue growth, the oil is also able to speed up the wound healing process. For those with scarring or stretch marks, Tamanu oil’s ability to encourage skin regeneration makes it a must-have. Tamanu Oil can also be used to fight acne, by restoring balance to the skin’s natural lipid barrier, ease itchiness, dryness or redness and reduce inflammation.

Essential Oils

The second half of the foundation for your new natural skin care routine is essential oils. Essential oils have been used for their therapeutic and medicinal properties for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Ancient civilizations used essential oils for a wide variety of uses, ranging from aphrodisiacs, to baking, to bathing and even to fight off colds and infections.

In our article, How to Use Essential Oils Without a Diffuser, we discuss our favorite ways to use essential oils without a diffuser, like inhaling from the bottle, in a bath or in a face mask. We also mention some of the general benefits you can expect from using essential oils.

utama spice top natural organic skincare product essential oil diy recipes

Utama Spice Essential Oils

Common Essential Oil Benefits

Improve Sleep
Stress Relief
Relieve Headaches & Migraines
Boost the Immune System and Fight off Colds & The Flu
Create a Healthy Environment by killing Bacteria & Mold
Improve Lung & Respiratory Health
Support Digestion & Control Appetite
Improve Cognitive Function, Memory & Concentration
Balance Emotional Health & Hormone Levels
Repel Insects & Eliminate Odor

And that’s just from inhaling essential oils! They have more benefits when it comes to the skin.

One of our favorite essential oils for the skin is Lavender Essential Oil. It’s one of the most gentle essential oils for the skin, so it doesn’t have to be mixed with a carrier oil, but it still can be to great effect.

In our post about How to Use Lavender Essential Oil for the Skin, we gave our Top 7 Best Benefits of Lavender for Skin and we’d like to share them with you here too so you can get an idea of some of the benefits you can expect from starting to use essential oils in your natural skin care routine. And remember, if you mix an essential oil with a carrier oil that’s also good for your skin, the two will work in tandem to improve the health and longevity of your skin.

Top 7 Uses and Benefits of Lavender Essential Oil for Skin

Treat Acne & Pimples
Treat Eczema, Dermatitis or Psoriasis
Heal Dry, Chapped or Sunburned Skin or Lips
Detoxify & Promote Healthy Skin
Slow down Aging & Prevent Wrinkles
Improve Blood Circulation
Treat Irritated Skin

So now, you’re probably starting to see the potential for your own natural skin care combinations, blends and recipes. If one essential oil has all these different benefits for your skin, and one carrier oil, like argan oil, has even more, then you can really start to make some powerful, natural, healthy mixtures for you skin.

If you’d like more information on essential oils for the skin, check out our essential oil skin care posts! We have ones on Lavender Essential Oil, Turmeric Essential Oil, and Our Top 3 Best Anti-Aging Oils.

Do you have any more secret skin care oils we should know about? Please let us know! Comment, Like, Share and Follow Us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

Sources

Natural Skin Care: Best Products for DIY Recipes