Try These Two Exotic Oils for Overall Beauty and Hair

It seems like we find a new product or ingredient to love weekly and while that is only partially true, what is true is that nature has been supplying us with amazing gifts for thousands of years.

It seems that lately we have tripped and fell upon our ancestors ways of doing things and realized that technology is great but it cannot give us everything. Some things are just here for the taking supplied by good old mother nature.

She’s a gem and so are her treats and as we become more reacquainted with the power of her offerings. She is bountiful in her assets and it is just up to us to use them.

Two very special treasures both come from flowers and bring more than visual and fragrance beauty. They give healing and health to our skin and hair. The Cherry Blossom and the tea plant where Camellia oil comes from.

Cherry Blossom Oil

The Cherry Blossom is Japan’s unofficial national flower and while there are several varieties of the cherry blossom tree, some produce flowering branches of small pinkish-hued flowers, while others produce actual cherries.

The cherry blossom is part of the Rosaceae family, and considered one of the most beautiful flowers in the world. The bloom is bright colors, and they are in full bloom during the arrival of spring; a beautiful sight to behold.

There are thousands upon thousands of Cherry blossom trees in Japan and their significance is entwined with Japanese culture and goes back hundreds of years. They represent fragility and the beauty of life.

Through research it has been found that Cherry blossom extract can alleviate the inflammation of the skin and reduce the risk of long-term damage.

“Cherry blossom extract shows good anti-inflammatory effect in vitro and in vivo and represents a promising functional ingredient in soothing skincare product by reducing skin inflammation.”

Great for our skin but what about our strands? Sakura extract has been found to suppress the increase of the roughness of hair usually found after being washed several times.

The production of Sakura-cha includes the immersion of cherry blossom flowers in Japanese plum vinegar, and through this process, the byproduct (plum vinegar extract of cherry blossom) is obtained.

In this study, the antioxidant activity of the plum vinegar extract of cherry blossom was examined. The plum vinegar had a greater superoxide anion scavenging activity compared with red wine, which is a well-known strong antioxidant.

A 2008 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that the plum vinegar extract of cherry blossom is a rich source of caffeic acid and other phenolic antioxidant. Caffeic acid is a potent antioxidant wit anti-carcinogenic (inhibits the development of cancer) properties.

Rich in antioxidants makes for a great asset to hair and here’s why: “Antioxidants are extremely beneficial in the prevention of hair loss as well as stimulating new, healthy hair growth,” says Sheri Román of Román Salon in Los Angeles.

The sun, smoke and pollution cause oxidation or changes to cell makeup that causes cell death. The antioxidant neutralize free radicals and end up keeping our strands healthier and strong. In a nutshell, the cherry blossom extract along with the plum vinegar extract of cherry blossoms have much to offer our tresses and the smell of it ain’t bad either!

The Camellia Oil

Not to be confused with Tea tree oil*, this tea seed oil is extracted from the seeds of the tea plant.  This oil sometimes also gets confused with the Camellia Japonica oil or Tsubaki oil but the chemical composition and nutritional value is very different between those two oils*.

Camellia oil is a treasured beauty secret of the geisha and comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis and grown in the mountains of South East Asia.  This oil has been revered for being highly restorative and rejuvenating for skin and hair.  It is very similar to olive* and grapeseed* oils* because of its unsaturated fats and therapeutic healing properties.

The power of this oil lies in its makeup, with Linoleic acid or Omega-6 that will condition your hair while unblocking pores to your scalp.  It will stimulate hair growth and controls water loss in your strands.  It is swarming with Omega-9 or Oleic acid which also controls water loss and makes your hair more pliable or softer.

With Stearic acid for protecting and conditioning the hair, and Palmitoleic acid for combating dryness, this oil is a great moisturizer for your tresses.  This oil has anti-inflammatory properties (reduces inflammation in the scalp); anti-microbial properties (aids in fighting fungal scalp issues); an antioxidant (prevents hair loss and boosting hair growth); an emulsifier, and a great hair conditioner.

This oil is magnificent as a hot oil conditioning treatment and has been used as such since ancient times in China.  Pairing it with an essential oil and some distilled water and you can create a quite effective and scalp soothing hair mist that would be great for after work-outs or just to refresh your coils and curls.