Anointing Oils!

[Redfaery]

Hey all! I have come to enjoy making simple anointing oils for my own use, and I thought I'd share some recipes here for anyone who is interested. I've found them very useful not only for ritual, but also for practical purposes, as I am troubled with dry skin, and my allergy to mineral oil limits my options. (Besides, I find that all lotions - mineral oil free or not - simply feel too greasy and heavy)

So here are my recipes thus far. As essential oils are expensive, I only have cedar, cypress, pine, cinnamon, and clove. I'm planning to buy juniper some time this week, and have fun with that. Still, my ingredients have limited my options, especially since both cinnamon and clove are not skin friendly. Thus, I must warn you that a couple of these recipes are NOT FOR USE ON YOUR BARE SKIN.

Here they are.

RECIPE FOR A SIMPLE OIL
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) neutral oil*
Essential oil, amount to your preference

Put the oil in a saucer or other small dish and add the oil drop by drop. Swirl and smell after each addition until the odor becomes pleasing to you. If you add too much, dilute with more oil (try adding 2 tablespoons at a time, so figuring out how much oil you used per "batch" isn't so difficult)

The amount of essential oil in these will vary by the oil and your taste. I use as much as 14 drops of cedar, and less than a single drop of cloves per batch (1 drop in 1/4 cup).

* Please don't bother buying expensive, cold pressed or unrefined oils! These will have strong scents of their own, and are also very perishable. A cheap, refined oil like grapeseed, soybean, corn, or even canola, all work better. Jojoba "oil" is not an oil, but I haven't found any to try, so can't speak from experience on its qualities. Still, the highly refined oils that are so cheap at any grocery store keep forever and have very little smell of their own.

BLENDS

Fragrant Grove Oil
1/8 cup neutral oil
5 drops cedar essential oil
2 drops pine essential oil
1 drop cypress essential oil

Trade Winds Oil I*
1/4 cup neutral oil
2 drops cinnamon essential oil
1 drop clove essential oil

Trade Winds Oil II*
1/4 cup neutral oil
14 drops cedar essential oil
2 drops cinnamon essential oil
1 drop clove essential oil

* DO NOT PUT THESE ON YOUR BARE SKIN

I'm going to keep adding to this thread as I make new recipes, and I'd love to see others post their own. Enjoy!

[Allaya]

* Please don't bother buying expensive, cold pressed or unrefined oils! These will have strong scents of their own, and are also very perishable. A cheap, refined oil like grapeseed, soybean, corn, or even canola, all work better. Jojoba "oil" is not an oil, but I haven't found any to try, so can't speak from experience on its qualities. Still, the highly refined oils that are so cheap at any grocery store keep forever and have very little smell of their own.

 
About this...

Soy is an estrogen mimic and it's probably not a good idea to use it as a carrier oil. Corn and Canola aren't really all that good as carriers either. They are reeeeeally greasy.

Unrefined oils are generally better as the refining process destroys a lot of the fatty acid chains that make our skin so happy. Refined oil is pretty much just grease. That's why you fry stuff in refined oil.

Your best bet for grocery store oils is extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, and almond oil. Jojoba oil is actually a liquid wax and makes for a decent, if slightly weird feeling, skin pleaser. The reason these oils are so useful is that they readily soak into the skin. This is especially true with cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil...it mimics human sebum very well.

[Redfaery]

About this...

Soy is an estrogen mimic and it's probably not a good idea to use it as a carrier oil. Corn and Canola aren't really all that good as carriers either. They are reeeeeally greasy.

Unrefined oils are generally better as the refining process destroys a lot of the fatty acid chains that make our skin so happy. Refined oil is pretty much just grease. That's why you fry stuff in refined oil.

Your best bet for grocery store oils is extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, and almond oil. Jojoba oil is actually a liquid wax and makes for a decent, if slightly weird feeling, skin pleaser. The reason these oils are so useful is that they readily soak into the skin. This is especially true with cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil...it mimics human sebum very well.

Wow, thanks for pointing that out! I'll go looking for some almond oil ASAP. And thanks for pointing out that soybean oil messes with hormones. I'd feel awful if I messed someone up like that...

Like I said, I'm pretty new at this, and I was only speaking from experience. The only unrefined oil I've ever come across is extra-virgin olive oil, which I don't think would work for me, since it's got such a distinctive smell to my nose. I knew that refined oils were cheaper, had little smell, and kept well, and I thought that made them a good choice.

In my defense, the book I've been reading recommends grapeseed oil as a base, along with jojoba. I've never even seen unrefined grapeseed oil, though I'm sure it exists. Ah....Scott Cunningham. I love you so much, yet you have led me astray!:eek:

[Allaya]

Wow, thanks for pointing that out! I'll go looking for some almond oil ASAP. And thanks for pointing out that soybean oil messes with hormones. I'd feel awful if I messed someone up like that...

Like I said, I'm pretty new at this, and I was only speaking from experience. The only unrefined oil I've ever come across is extra-virgin olive oil, which I don't think would work for me, since it's got such a distinctive smell to my nose. I knew that refined oils were cheaper, had little smell, and kept well, and I thought that made them a good choice.

In my defense, the book I've been reading recommends grapeseed oil as a base, along with jojoba. I've never even seen unrefined grapeseed oil, though I'm sure it exists. Ah....Scott Cunningham. I love you so much, yet you have led me astray!:eek:

I'm not living in the US anymore so I can't personally vouch, but I've been told that extra virgin coconut oil is catching on and as such is being sold in way more place than it used to. You might try a health food store or even somewhere like Walgreens, Walmart, etc. It's bright white and is solid at room temperature, so it won't look like a standard oil. You might want to look in the Superfoods or Nutritional Supplement sections.

I buy the big jars because it's good for so much. It's a healthy high-temperature frying oil (steak done with coconut oil is freaking amazing and so is popcorn popped in it), it's excellent on the skin, and I use it as a hair treatment to cut down on frizz and tangles. I make lotions with it (it's good for stretching a small shea butter supply) and I'm going to start tinkering with making solid perfume with it soon too.

The best part is that coconut oil (but only the unrefined extra virgin) is pretty much bulletproof as far as going rancid is concerned. Good value for money in my book (unless, of course, you can't stand the smell of coconut).

[stephyjh]

I'm not living in the US anymore so I can't personally vouch, but I've been told that extra virgin coconut oil is catching on and as such is being sold in way more place than it used to. You might try a health food store or even somewhere like Walgreens, Walmart, etc. It's bright white and is solid at room temperature, so it won't look like a standard oil. You might want to look in the Superfoods or Nutritional Supplement sections.

I buy the big jars because it's good for so much. It's a healthy high-temperature frying oil (steak done with coconut oil is freaking amazing and so is popcorn popped in it), it's excellent on the skin, and I use it as a hair treatment to cut down on frizz and tangles. I make lotions with it (it's good for stretching a small shea butter supply) and I'm going to start tinkering with making solid perfume with it soon too.

The best part is that coconut oil (but only the unrefined extra virgin) is pretty much bulletproof as far as going rancid is concerned. Good value for money in my book (unless, of course, you can't stand the smell of coconut).

Coconut oil is also an allergen. Please don't use it in anything you're going to give to others, unless you check with them first. Anaphylaxis isn't fun.

[Allaya]

Coconut oil is also an allergen. Please don't use it in anything you're going to give to others, unless you check with them first. Anaphylaxis isn't fun.

 
Pretty much anything is an allergen. I make stuff for myself and my husband. Those few occasions when I produce something for another person, I make it a point to slap a very thorough ingredient list on the jar or box or tin so that they can make an informed decision.

[Redfaery]

Pretty much anything is an allergen.

 
I'm really sorry, but I take issue with this. Some things aren't considered allergens by the companies that make lotions and beauty products, etc. Thus they will make wonderful products and label them "allergen free" but they contain stuff that can trigger a reaction in people like Stephy. Some allergies are much more common than others, yet products such as mineral oil (which I have an allergy to) and coconut oil are still commonly used, even though they are indeed allergens. I've never seen a common lotion with a warning label that says it contains mineral oil. I had to find out the hard way.

[Allaya]

I'm really sorry, but I take issue with this. Some things aren't considered allergens by the companies that make lotions and beauty products, etc. Thus they will make wonderful products and label them "allergen free" but they contain stuff that can trigger a reaction in people like Stephy. Some allergies are much more common than others, yet products such as mineral oil (which I have an allergy to) and coconut oil are still commonly used, even though they are indeed allergens. I've never seen a common lotion with a warning label that says it contains mineral oil. I had to find out the hard way.

Which is why I supply a complete account of ingredients on those occasions when I make something for someone else. Anything can be an allergen* (which is why the term is fairly useless as a generalization) and there is no way for me to know what might set someone off with a reaction unless they tell me ahead of time. Hell, some people are legitimately allergic to water.

*defined as a substance that causes an allergic reaction.

[Redfaery]

Which is why I supply a complete account of ingredients on those occasions when I make something for someone else. Anything can be an allergen* (which is why the term is fairly useless as a generalization) and there is no way for me to know what might set someone off with a reaction unless they tell me ahead of time. Hell, some people are legitimately allergic to water.

*defined as a substance that causes an allergic reaction.

That's true, but some things cause reactions more often than others, and yet are still used fairly frequently in commercial products. That's what I'm getting at. I'm aware that some people have allergic reactions to water, for instance. But how common is that? An allergy to coconut or mineral oil is much more common, but coconut and mineral oils are still often used in beauty products without any kind of extra warning labels. Did you know that mineral oil is pretty much THE moisturizing ingredient in any beauty product you'll pick up? I've learned that from a check of labels. I have very few choices of soap, and even fewer for lotion. That's why I got into this whole deal of making scented oils. It gave me a chance to moisturize with something other than Jergen's aloe lotion.

[RandallS]

I'm really sorry, but I take issue with this. Some things aren't considered allergens by the companies that make lotions and beauty products, etc. Thus they will make wonderful products and label them "allergen free" but they contain stuff that can trigger a reaction in people like Stephy. Some allergies are much more common than others, yet products such as mineral oil (which I have an allergy to) and coconut oil are still commonly used, even though they are indeed allergens. I've never seen a common lotion with a warning label that says it contains mineral oil. I had to find out the hard way.

That's why the person you quoted said pretty much anything can be an allergen as someone, somewhere is going to be allergic to it. All "allergen free" labels really mean is that the product is free of ingredients that commonly cause allergic reactions in the population it is aimed at. The only way a product could truly have zero risk for causing an allergic reaction in anyone is if it had no ingredients at all (that is, if it did not exist :ange: ).

Quite frankly, all people making stuff for friends or companies making products for milluion can do is put a complete and easily readable list of ingredients on the product label so people with allergic reactions can read the list and see if their are any ingredients that will give them problems. I don't like the "allergen free" label as it is misleading. At best, a product can be "hypoallergenic" which means it was made without any of the ingredients that commonly cause allergic reactions in the target population.

[Redfaery]

That's why the person you quoted said pretty much anything can be an allergen as someone, somewhere is going to be allergic to it. All "allergen free" labels really mean is that the product is free of ingredients that commonly cause allergic reactions in the population it is aimed at. The only way a product could truly have zero risk for causing an allergic reaction in anyone is if it had no ingredients at all (that is, if it did not exist :ange: ).

Quite frankly, all people making stuff for friends or companies making products for milluion can do is put a complete and easily readable list of ingredients on the product label so people with allergic reactions can read the list and see if their are any ingredients that will give them problems. I don't like the "allergen free" label as it is misleading. At best, a product can be "hypoallergenic" which means it was made without any of the ingredients that commonly cause allergic reactions in the target population.

I apologize if I came across as abrupt or rude; that was far from my intention. My point was merely that some allergies are much more common than people realize, and that it is difficult to find many choices if you have an allergy to a commonly-used ingredient such as mineral oil or coconut, that is commonly held to be safe (in the case of mineral oil) or beneficial (in the case of coconut)

I agree, as Allaya said, that telling people what's in things is all you can do. And I also agree that there is no such thing as allergen free, since as Allaya said, anything can be an allergen.

More to the original point of this thread:ange: I bought some unrefined rice bran oil. As I am good friends with Stephy and want to share my creations with her, coconut oil is out of the question. They had no unrefined almond oil, and as I stated earlier, olive oil has a strong and unwelcome smell to my tastes. Good Italian restaurants smell so nice, but I don't want that olive oil fragrance on me!

They had unrefined sesame oil, but I knew nothing about it, so I skipped it. (I have learned that allergic reactions to sesame are rare but not unheard of, but it would be just my luck....I'm likely not allergic given the amount of Asian and Indian food I've consumed. But I bet I'd give some to someone who doesn't even know they're allergic)

So I ended up with unrefined rice bran oil. I can't stand the taste of most grains, so brown rice is pretty much what I eat for fiber. (I'm not gluten-sensitive. I just don't like the taste of wheat. Not big on millet or oatmeal, either.) It's pretty much a neutral oil, even though it's unrefined, and while as Allaya said, anything can be an allergen, an allergy to rice would be very rare indeed.

[Allaya]

I apologize if I came across as abrupt or rude; that was far from my intention. My point was merely that some allergies are much more common than people realize, and that it is difficult to find many choices if you have an allergy to a commonly-used ingredient such as mineral oil or coconut, that is commonly held to be safe (in the case of mineral oil) or beneficial (in the case of coconut)

I agree, as Allaya said, that telling people what's in things is all you can do. And I also agree that there is no such thing as allergen free, since as Allaya said, anything can be an allergen.

More to the original point of this thread:ange: I bought some unrefined rice bran oil. As I am good friends with Stephy and want to share my creations with her, coconut oil is out of the question. They had no unrefined almond oil, and as I stated earlier, olive oil has a strong and unwelcome smell to my tastes. Good Italian restaurants smell so nice, but I don't want that olive oil fragrance on me!

They had unrefined sesame oil, but I knew nothing about it, so I skipped it. (I have learned that allergic reactions to sesame are rare but not unheard of, but it would be just my luck....I'm likely not allergic given the amount of Asian and Indian food I've consumed. But I bet I'd give some to someone who doesn't even know they're allergic)

So I ended up with unrefined rice bran oil. I can't stand the taste of most grains, so brown rice is pretty much what I eat for fiber. (I'm not gluten-sensitive. I just don't like the taste of wheat. Not big on millet or oatmeal, either.) It's pretty much a neutral oil, even though it's unrefined, and while as Allaya said, anything can be an allergen, an allergy to rice would be very rare indeed.

 
I would just like to say that the extensive use of my name and the word Allergen, plus my not having had enough coffee, plus my eyes jumping around led me to go NOOOOOOO I IZ NOT A RICE HATER Y U SAY THAT?

I think I shall go make some coffee. Right. Now.

[stephyjh]

Pretty much anything is an allergen. I make stuff for myself and my husband. Those few occasions when I produce something for another person, I make it a point to slap a very thorough ingredient list on the jar or box or tin so that they can make an informed decision.

There are common and uncommon ones. Among my friends and immediate family, there are 5 of us allergic to coconut to varying degrees.

[Redfaery]

I would just like to say that the extensive use of my name and the word Allergen, plus my not having had enough coffee, plus my eyes jumping around led me to go NOOOOOOO I IZ NOT A RICE HATER Y U SAY THAT?

I think I shall go make some coffee. Right. Now.

Coffee is an allergen too! :

Seriously, it's really irritating to have an allergy to something as common as coconut or mineral oil. When Stephy came to visit, I really wanted to take her to my favorite restaurant, but she couldn't because of the coconut allergy. I'm sure I could've asked the lovely folk at India Palace to leave out any coconut, and they would've obliged (they kind of love my family and think I'm absolutely adorable...they make a huge fuss over us, and we're regular customers, too) but the risk of cross-contamination was too high. In any case, a lot of their sauces are premixed, so it wouldn't really have been that easy.

Like I said, too, my allergy to mineral oil really limits my options when I'm shopping for lotions and soaps. The skin on my back, shoulders, and decolletage dries out terribly. It's gotten to the point where I just have to avoid soaping those areas. But pretty much all the options for moisturizing contain...mineral oil. Baby oil and other bath oils are PURE mineral oil, sometimes with fragrance (this is how I found out I was allergic. I kept slathering it on, and my skin KEPT GETTING MORE IRRITATED...and on the back it said "if rash develops, discontinue use." So I finally realized, "oh...":eek:)

Johnson's & Johnson's, I seem to recall, makes a big deal on the bottles of pure mineral oil they sell as baby oil, hyping how gentle it is to skin and I do believe they also say it's non-allergenic. What I think they mean is that it has no chemical perfumes. Personally, I kind of think buying a fancy bottle of that stuff, or of the expensive baby powder they sell is pretty silly. The former is pure mineral oil; the latter is merely scented cornstarch. Both are available much more cheaply when they're labeled as what they really are!

But there's mineral oil in SO MANY THINGS. It's in just about every lotion, unless you get an aloe lotion. Jergen's makes nice aloe lotion, but it doesn't come in any other varieties. Just plain. It smelled really nice, actually. Kind of like cucumber!

Except, lotion always felt so greasy and heavy on my skin. I developed a routine of wiping down with the aloe lotion and then powdering with aloe-enriched baby powder, but that was a very involved process, and I always ended up with white powder on my clothes...

[Allaya]

Coffee is an allergen too! :

Seriously, it's really irritating to have an allergy to something as common as coconut or mineral oil. When Stephy came to visit, I really wanted to take her to my favorite restaurant, but she couldn't because of the coconut allergy. I'm sure I could've asked the lovely folk at India Palace to leave out any coconut, and they would've obliged (they kind of love my family and think I'm absolutely adorable...they make a huge fuss over us, and we're regular customers, too) but the risk of cross-contamination was too high. In any case, a lot of their sauces are premixed, so it wouldn't really have been that easy.

Like I said, too, my allergy to mineral oil really limits my options when I'm shopping for lotions and soaps. The skin on my back, shoulders, and decolletage dries out terribly. It's gotten to the point where I just have to avoid soaping those areas. But pretty much all the options for moisturizing contain...mineral oil. Baby oil and other bath oils are PURE mineral oil, sometimes with fragrance (this is how I found out I was allergic. I kept slathering it on, and my skin KEPT GETTING MORE IRRITATED...and on the back it said "if rash develops, discontinue use." So I finally realized, "oh...":eek:)

Johnson's & Johnson's, I seem to recall, makes a big deal on the bottles of pure mineral oil they sell as baby oil, hyping how gentle it is to skin and I do believe they also say it's non-allergenic. What I think they mean is that it has no chemical perfumes. Personally, I kind of think buying a fancy bottle of that stuff, or of the expensive baby powder they sell is pretty silly. The former is pure mineral oil; the latter is merely scented cornstarch. Both are available much more cheaply when they're labeled as what they really are!

But there's mineral oil in SO MANY THINGS. It's in just about every lotion, unless you get an aloe lotion. Jergen's makes nice aloe lotion, but it doesn't come in any other varieties. Just plain. It smelled really nice, actually. Kind of like cucumber!

Except, lotion always felt so greasy and heavy on my skin. I developed a routine of wiping down with the aloe lotion and then powdering with aloe-enriched baby powder, but that was a very involved process, and I always ended up with white powder on my clothes...

 
I am sensitive to something in toothpaste. Then I tried some 'hippie all natural' toothpaste...still reacted. I've only just now found a toothpaste (go go Weleda!) I can use that doesn't make me look like I've let a toddler apply some lipstick.

I import soaps and whatnot from a lovely guy named Mike (Mike's Natural Soaps) in Michigan and they have done wonders for my dry skin. My current favorite is a tie between the Lavender Shea Butter and the Lemongrass & Eucalyptus Kokum Butter soaps. I've had a skin condition on my arms resolve itself completely after I switched to Mike's soaps. He's refreshingly thorough in listing all the ingredients he uses.

Lotions can be tough to find without mineral oil, yes. Short of making your own (it's easy to do, but requires a willingness to experiment), I don't have any useful suggestions. Depending on how bad your dry skin is, you might consider buying a block of shea butter. It also mimics human sebum. I've also had wonderful results with Red Palm Oil, but it's not something I put on before going outside since has an orange tinge to it from all the wonderful carotenoids and the tint doesn't fade after applying it (but it does wash off).