Another new addition to my handmade soap is this skin nourishing facial soap. It’s made with skin detoxing French Green clay and healing carrot seed essential oil. Both ingredients are beneficial to skincare.

According to Mountain Rose Herbs, french green clay is super absorbent due to the constitution of its micro molecules.

It’s used to remove impurities from your skin. The toning action from the clay is also stimulating to the skin. Thus helping to revitalize the complexion and tighten the pores.

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I finally made my own face cream using carrot seed oil. As carrot seed oil helps tones the skin, reduces the formation of wrinkles, assist with cell growth and skin rejuvenation and help diminish scars.

The first batch I made did not turn out so good.  So I remixed it with more oils and it’s much better now!  It’s a small amount, but it should last me a couple of months. I put them in my old but clean beauty product jars and refrigerate.

The selection of oils I used are all good for the skin.

Apricot kernal oil is high in linoleic and oleic fatty acids.  These are good for those with sensitive, dry, or mature skin.  They absorb easily by the skin and doesn’t leave the skin feeling oily.

Avocado oil is also great for the skin, helps make the skin smooth and moisturized.  It has vitamin E, A, D and E.  It can also be used as a natural sunscreen.

And sunflower oil is rich in essential fatty acids. It is also easily absorbed by the skin with a light texture.  Great for all skin types.

And of course the Gotu Kola and Carrot seed essential oil I’ve been raving about at Cambree Notes for some time too.  Another great natural product your skin will love.

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The oil is mainly obtained from wild carrot seed.  Oils are usually “steam” distilled in France, Hungary and India.  The plant has hairy leaves and little white lacy flowers with purple centers.

Carrot seed oil is one of the premier ingredients in natural skincare due to it’s healing properties.  Carrot seed oil helps tones the skin, reduces the formation of wrinkles, assist with cell growth and skin rejuvenation and help diminish scars.

These properties make it a great addition to face creams for women over 30.  Small amounts could be used alone in a neutral base cream.  It can also help balance both dry and oily complexions.  It is also helpful in removing liver spots on aging skin.

From my Aura Cacia Carrot seed oil bottle:

Skin Nourishing:  1 tsp jojoba oil and 5 drops of carrot seed oil.

Restoring Mist: 1 oz distilled water and 9 drops of carrot seed oil.  Add to mister and spray on face.

Ananda Aromatherapy also suggested the following health uses of Carrot Seed oil:

Recommended by some natural health professionals taken internally, one drop per day during liver cleansing.  Traditionally has been used as a skin rejuvenator, liver and kidney detoxify, and digestive tonic.  Carrot seed oil may help with conditions of dry and mature skin, jaundice, hepatitis and other symptoms of a toxic liver.

Retails for about 12 ml for $12 or more, even $17.50 for 12 ml at Esoteric Oil.  This price is quite expensive for a small bottle of oil.  But the benefits of this skincare oil is worth it.  If only there were some wild carrot plants growing in my part of the world, I would love to make my own oils.

I had initially wanted to include this in my handmade “carrot seed” facial soap.  But I think I rather make it into a skin nourishing oil and apply directly on skin.

Photo from Ananda Aromatherapy.

Updated 8/21/09:  This oil smell so strong!  Enough to give me a slight headache.  It smells like strong pine or cedar.  It is recommended that this oil blends well with wood (e.g. Cedarwood, Sandalwood), citrus (e.g. Bergamot) and spice (e.g. Cardamom) oils.  I did try adding lemon e.o. to my mix, but still could not compete with it.

Eye cream recipe from Snowdrift Farms.  Now that I have smell the carrot seed oil, I’m not sure I want to try this cream.  Unless I add Bergamot.

Eye Potion No. 17

Medium weight undereye cream

Oil Phase

1 oz. aloe butter
1 oz. wheat germ oil
1/2 oz. rose hip seed oil
1 oz. evening primrose oil
2 1/2 oz. avocado oil
35 drops Phenonip

Water Phase

8 oz. (by weight) distilled water or rooibos tea
35 drops wheat protein
2 oz. emulsifying wax

Nutrients Phase

10 drops carrot seed oil
5 drops sea buckthorn
15 drops Vitamin E natural

Melt oils and stir until they are just liquid; add Phenonip. Combine e-wax with water and melt slowly in microwave (or in a double boiler over very low heat).
Do not allow water to boil. Add wheat protein.