blog post
Golden liquid elixir
It’s funny to think back at a time in my life when the beauty elixir was in a dark glass bottle with empty promises and fragrant , hypnotic aromas to falsely seduce the senses – to now…
In my twenties I used to work part time for Estée Lauder, one of the biggest cosmetic beauty and make-up companies in the world. I have fond memories and smile when I think back at my joy in receiving product samples throughout the year, and getting to experiment, for free. I never questioned what exactly is in those elegant bottles, sprays and jars. It never occurred to me to that it was important enough to research. Needless to say at twenty-something, one is not yet experiencing maturing skin – and I was blessed with clear skin.
Side note: Ageing seems to be a loaded word nowadays filled with negativity and fear, rather than reverence, respect and wisdom. Therefore, a subtle reframing with the M word fits nicely here.
What’s there to think about anyway? I got to work in a beauty company, wear pretty colours on my face, whilst painting customers’s faces too, and then sell the products!
Since then, decades later, I’ve done a deeper dive – forgiven my young ignorance – and discovered how damaging most commercial products for the skin and face are. Products that sell you absorbable collagen cream in a bottle are misleading you. Actually, that’s being kind – no, they are outright unashamedly deceiving you. Products that sell you natural anti-ageing benefits with their long list of chemical ingredients, are lying to you.
Many products are severely, dangerously hormone-disrupting. Yet, clever, seductive marketing hypnotises us. Beauty “programming” starts young, selling harmful products to niche age groups such as impressionable and vulnerable teenagers who are going through their natural hormonal changes, only to make things worse. The physical and psychological damage perpetrated by the Big Beauty industry is undeniable and I hope, will implode on itself.
I could say “I’ve been there”, but I was lucky. Aside from the sample beauty products I tried out, I mostly lathered on the occasional cheap vitamin E cream or similar. Certainly not ideal, but I used these sparingly. The toxic foundation creams never made it into my handbag.
Products that sell you absorbable collagen cream in a bottle are misleading you.
My mother had beautiful skin. She rarely put any creams on her face. She never stripped natural oils from her face with soap either, nor put any make-up except some lipstick on occasion. And yet, she had glorious skin that was the envy of her friends who filled their cabinets with famous beauty brands. I attribute it to her good start in life, when junk food was not available to her, let alone expensive beauty products.Â
Living in tune with nature coloured her first 2 decades of life in her village in Northern Greece. My mother lived on mostly single ingredient whole foods, such as raw goats milk, fresh produce, home-laid eggs, and I’m told, bread and red wine during times of famine simply to fill their bellies. Life was mostly outdoors in nature, a daily 4 km walk to school, plenty of sunshine, and obviously the absence of daily artificial blue light penetrating the eyes.
Nowadays, I cannot even enter a shopping centre (aka mall in the USA) and walk through the beauty counters without feeling physically nauseous, from the perfumes and the flood of bright Led lighting.
I recall learning about the skin healing properties of a golden elixir, by Dr. Jennifer Daniels. (Dr Daniels was a practising family physician and had her license threatened by the medical establishment for healing patients with Type 2 Diabetes through nutrition, rather than recommending drugs.)
She is the true, natural golden elixir gifted by Mother Earth.
This golden elixir is Castor oil!
Castor oil is the one faithful, constant, natural, hydrating and healing beauty elixir that always delivers and keeps her promise for great skin. She is the true, natural, golden elixir gifted by Mother Earth.
Castor oil comes from the seeds of the castor plant, Ricinus communis, which is native to northeastern tropical Africa. It is the only natural oil or beauty substance that actually penetrates through the 3 layers of the skin matrix. It is for this reason that it is also used as a compress applied to the body surface to heal pain and dysfunctions deep into the viscera and soft tissues. It was also traditionally (and continues to be) ingested to rid of worms back in the days when nature was our primary care, rather than the white coats.
Just be sure to choose an organic and hexane-free Castor oil. I’ve enjoyed other natural oils, though I feel Castor oil trumps all – especially for mature or damaged skin. My personal beauty recipe is to combine castor oil with homemade tallow, add a few essential oils and blend into a luxurious face and body balm.Â
My routine.
My routine has been as follows: Each morning after a soap-free, shampoo-less shower and vigorous towel-dry, I massage my creamy tallow-Castor oil balm onto my face, neck and chest. I pay extra attention to key lymph drainage areas around the collarbone, near armpits, and along the sternocleidomastoid muscle at the mastoid process attachment. I use certain techniques and strokes that have shown great results both in skin and my wellbeing.  Â
In the evenings my hands receive the same attention and care, followed by a repeat of the face routine.
A vegan alternative to tallow could be shea butter and several others you might prefer. As long as Castor oil is in there, you’ll reap enormous benefits.
I’ve used this combination of tallow and Castor oil to heal extremely dry, paper-like rough skin on the elderly. The therapeutic benefits of touch alone together with the cream provides much relief and comfort, in addition to restoring mobility and improving fine motor control and sensitivity in their hands. Â
I encourage you to rethink your beauty cabinet if you have commercial products laden with foreign ingredients, and cleverly disguised as anti-ageing or “skin food”. Read the ingredients and decide if your skin and body deserve this chemical assault. Opt for nature’s golden elixir. She’s been here all along for us to use her for our beauty and wellness care, together with the healing power of Touch. 