Camphor oil is well known to everyone - it is universally used in cosmetology as an effective facial care product. It is included in a variety of masks, creams, as well as lotions and compresses for aging and irritated skin. The active components of camphor stimulate cell healing and trigger self-regeneration processes.
Features
Most of us are familiar with the peculiar smell of camphor from early childhood - the substance is often introduced into the composition of rasters, which are prescribed for cough and chest pain. But if everyone knows about the use of the product in therapy, few have heard about the useful qualities of oil as the main element of cosmetic care products.
Camphor ether is obtained from Japanese laurel, a tree that grows in Russia in the Far East, as well as in Japan and China, and some time ago they began to cultivate in the USA. The healing properties of this tree have been known since ancient times - it is no coincidence that our ancestors called its resin “the brain of a dragon” and used it for medical, as well as cosmetic and all kinds of ritual purposes.
It was believed that this plant gives others beauty, strength and fills them with energy, so necessary for maintaining health.
Before you dwell in more detail on the effect of oil on the skin, we will understand the basic concepts. There are several options for the drug - basic and essential. In addition, camphor alcohol can often be found on sale, the beneficial properties of which are widely used in aromatherapy and aromatherapy.And it is very important to distinguish the features of the use of all types of camphor, since improper use entails quite serious consequences.
The oil, which is sold in pharmacies, is a 10% solution of the active ingredient in vegetable or mineral oil, usually in sunflower. This is the basic type of fat used in medicine as an integral component of rubbing, massage creams and body wraps, it is measured in spoons.
In cosmetology, the drug is counted in drops, while only the essential oil is taken, which is obtained from the rhizome and bark of the laurel of the Japanese distillation method. It is this oil that we will consider in the framework of this article as the basic component of anti-aging compounds.
Ethers are of two types: black and white camphor. White is considered more healing, which is an oily sharply smelling liquid of a rather light yellowish tint.
Keep in mind that true camphor oil is priced expensive., if you see a cheap preparation in front of you, most likely, this indicates that synthetic camphor crystals were used for its production. Such a composition will not cause harm, but you will not notice the benefit either. That is why it is not worth saving, in addition, all costs are completely leveled by a low consumption of ether - for a single procedure only a few drops of the composition are required, so you can use the oil for quite some time.
Benefit
In cosmetology, camphor oil began to be used relatively recently, but judging by the reviews, it has already established itself as an excellent care product. He owes this to a set of components that have a powerful antiseptic effect, helping to effectively combat acne, acne, inflammation and irritation on the skin, and, of course, with the production of excess sebum.
The main active ingredient of the drug is camphor - an organic oxygen-containing substance, which has a positive effect on the skin:
- stimulates enhanced regenerative processes;
- effectively tones;
- quickly calms;
- reduces the severity of inflammatory manifestations;
- reduces sebum secretion;
- smoothes the structure of the skin;
- evens out the tone of the face;
- dries.
It was noted that camphor ether is extremely effective in combating skin changes that begin with age and stops the onset of aging.
The structure of the product includes other nutrients:
- Fellandren - stimulates the enhanced production of substances important for maintaining a youthful appearance, such as collagen and elastin;
- pinen - helps to quickly soften and smooth the most uneven skin with enlarged pores;
- limonene - characterized by pronounced antiseptic properties;
- safrol - promotes the healing of cells and tissues;
- cineole - manifests itself as an antioxidant, reduces fine wrinkles, increases turgor;
- Camphene - normalizes blood circulation, enhances the regenerative function of the skin;
- bisabolol - whitens freckles and age spots and refreshes the skin tone.
Experts recommend including camphor oil in various anti-pigmentation masks, as well as introducing it into lotions and gels for cleansing and washing.
Oil can be applied undiluted in a pure form, but pointwise, so when combating inflamed acne, a cotton swab should be applied pointwise to the problem area and left for 5-8 hours, preferably overnight.
The main indications for taking cosmetic procedures based on camphor oil are:
- The begun processes of withering on the face;
- pronounced facial wrinkles;
- fatigue of the skin and a decrease in their overall tone;
- acute and chronic inflammatory processes;
- excess grease;
- enlarged pores.
Contraindications
It should be noted that camphor is used both for the care of mature age skin, and for young skin. At the same time, keep in mind that the degree of activity of camphor ether is quite high, in this regard, use homemade masks and creams with it should be moderate: for the prevention of one use of 7-10 days. If the skin is too flabby or inflamed, then you can apply the care products a little more often - 2-3 times a week, but the treatment should be carried out in a course of no more than 10 procedures, after which you need to take a short break for a couple of weeks and switch to the preventive mode use.
Camphor oil has a number of serious contraindications, these include:
- predisposition to allergic diseases;
- asthma;
- individual intolerance to camphor ether components.
There are no other contraindications for external use, but with internal use the most serious complications are possible, which is why when using the drug, all the rules for its use should be strictly observed.
Mask recipes
Most often, camphor oil is used as a basic component of cosmetic masks. Such compounds give the skin a healthy fresh look and contribute to the fight against age wrinkles.
Whitening mask
To draw up such a mask, you need to cook 2 tbsp. tablespoons 10% sour cream and mix with finely chopped parsley. Pour 1/2 tsp into the mixture. lemon juice and a couple of drops of camphor.
The composition is thoroughly mixed and applied to pre-cleansed face skin for 15-25 minutes, then rinsed with cool water.
The effect will not be noticeable immediately, but after 5-7 applications, the complexion will become more even, and freckles and age spots will not be so pronounced.
Wrinkle
To prepare an anti-aging agent, you need to mix 10 g of oatmeal, add 20 ml of yogurt or kefir, 1 chicken yolk and 2 drops of camphor oil. It is advisable to beat the whole mixture with a whisk until the maximum homogeneous substance is achieved.
The mask is applied to a clean face for 10-15 minutes, after which it is washed off and a regular cream is applied. This mask is recommended to be applied every other day with a course of 4 weeks.
The result of such procedures will be a reduction in the number and depth of wrinkles, the skin will become more elastic. At the same time, during the procedure, all contaminants are pulled out of the pores, so the pores themselves are significantly narrowed, and the sebaceous glands are reduced.
From sagging eyelids
From age-related wrinkles under the eyes, a mask from a mixture of several oils is effective. You will need 6 drops of camphor and 8 drops of grape and apricot oils.
All the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and warmed up a little in a water bath, then the composition is applied to the eyelids around the eyes with patting light movements. The mask should be left on the face for a quarter of an hour, and then washed off. The procedures are carried out twice a week in a course of one and a half months.
At the end of treatment, you will feel that the number of fine wrinkles has decreased significantly, and the depth of large ones has decreased.
From age spots
Pigmentation gives women a lot of emotions, but camphor oil successfully copes with this problem. To prepare an effective composition, it is necessary to mix 3 drops of camphor, 1 liter. sea buckthorn oil, 1 l. white clay, 1 liter lemon juice and 1 liter. heated water. Stir all components until a creamy consistency is formed and apply to previously cleaned and steamed skin. The composition is kept for 25 minutes, then washed off. The course of procedures is 1 month with a frequency of 3 times a week.
Such a mask has a pronounced whitening effect, so after a while the complexion will become much more even and fresh.
For acne
With inflamed and irritated facial skin, an acne mask is effective. To compile it is necessary to take 3 tablespoons of blue clay, dilute in 2 liters. water and 1 liter yogurt. 6 drops of camphor are introduced into the resulting mixture and mixed.
The composition is applied to clean skin in an even layer and left until the final drying, then rinse. The procedure is carried out 2-3 times in 7 days for a month and a half. As a result of this treatment, the activity of the sebaceous glands is normalized, the skin becomes much softer, and the inflammation is dried.
From inflammation
Another composition helps against inflammation: 20 g of steamed oatmeal is mixed with 1 liter. flower honey, 3 drops of grapefruit oil and 3 drops of camphor. All components are combined and slightly heated in a water bath - otherwise the honey will not dissolve completely, and the effect of the procedure will be much lower.
The composition is superimposed for 20-30 minutes, then washed off. The procedures are carried out twice a week for one month.
For oily skin
With increased activity of the sebaceous glands, this composition will help: 20 g of corn flour should be mixed with the pulp of 1 tomato and pour in 5-8 drops of almond and camphor oil.
The mask is recommended to be applied 2 times a week, the duration of treatment is 2 months.
After the entire course, the skin will be much less greasy, in addition, the procedures will help to get rid of such unpleasant problems as scars, acne, and acne for a long time.
Recommendations for use
It should be noted that masks are far from the only way to use camphor oil to get rid of cosmetic problems.
The simplest method of application is the application of the product in a purified form. For this purpose, a cotton pad is moistened in the infusion of pharmacy chamomile, squeezed a little, then 2-3 drops of oil are applied to the disk and the skin is thoroughly wiped. Keep in mind that such procedures can only be performed on inflamed and oily skin, if it is combined, then only problem areas can be treated. But with dry skin, it is better to refrain from this option, giving preference to masks.
Enrichment of creams has good results - for this, before each application they make up a single portion, take a standard volume of cream and mix 1-2 drops of camphor in it. The finished composition is imposed as usual.
If you often use lotions, you can add ether to it, or make it yourself. The recipe is quite simple - you need to take a teaspoon of borax, glycerin and oil, mix and pour a glass of filtered water. The composition is stored in a bottle with a screw cap and shaken vigorously before use.
Compresses with camphor give a good effect. To carry out such a procedure, you need to prepare a fabric cotton base, which is cut to the shape of the face, leaving slots for the eyes, nose and lips and soak the canvas with a mixture of 5 drops of camphor, 1 l. milk thistle oil and 1 liter. grape seed oil. This compress is left for 30-40 minutes, after which it is blotted with a paper towel.
Important: when using cosmetics based on camphor oil, try to avoid contact with eyes. If this happens, immediately rinse them with running water, and if it was not possible to remove the irritation, immediately consult an ophthalmologist.
When conducting a course of procedures based on camphor oil in parallel, use strong moisturizers, otherwise a high feeling of tightness and peeling on the skin is highly likely. You can do without such hydration only if you are dealing with very oily skin.
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