There is you. On the surface. That everyone sees every day. Then there is another you. The real you. The you that is waiting just under your skin’s surface to come out and shine. That “you” is more beautiful than the one currently seen on the surface. All it takes to bring out the beauty is a bit of a very special oil. In fact, just a few drops of an oil that originates from a conifer, presented by SciaEssentials® as Delta-5®.
What Are Conifers?
Conifers are the group of plants (most people think of trees) that are cone and seed bearing. They are not, contrary to popular ‘knowledge’ always evergreen, but are distinct from deciduous trees which drop their leaves in the fall, going dormant in the winter and producing new leaves when it gets warm. Some deciduous trees have needles that drop. Coniferous trees can be deciduous, dropping their needles in the fall. Some trees, mountain laurels and rhododendrons, for example, maintain broad flat green leaves all year and are neither coniferous or deciduous. (Source).
Conifers are very special and ancient trees that have long been used by human populations in herbal and traditional medicine. The Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism describes them as:
An important factor regarding Conifer medicine is that these persistent little creatures store medicine in their bark and leaves evenly throughout the year. This means that Pine bark and needles are just as ready to harvest for food and tea in winter as in summer. Now, this doesn’t mean that there’s no difference in when you harvest. In the warmer, wetter, lighter seasons, the medicine tends to be a bit sweeter. Both needles and bark are storing up sugars and water for all their worth during this time. For most species one of the best times to harvest bark is late winter / early spring, when you get concentrated medicine with just a bit of sweetness.
The price for this year-round harvest is that the medicine from Conifers is generally a bit rough around the edges. They are often more resinous, and therefore harsher on some of our filter organs (kidneys being the biggie). Not the end of the world, but we mitigate this by either keeping our doses lower, or formulating with more gentle herbs.
It is important to note that the medicinal substances in conifers are derived from the bark, leaves and seeds. Of these, the seeds are the richest sources of oil, storing oils as triglycerides in special structures known as oil bodies. Delta-5 oil is pressed out from these oil bodies.
Conifer Oil and Your Skin
So what do conifers have to do with plant oils and your beautiful skin? The answer lies in sciadonic acid.
Sciadonic acid (SCI) is a unique, anti-inflammatory, eco-friendly, fatty acid derived from conifer species of plants, consumed by indigenous populations and in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It was removed from Western diets during industrialization.
Extracted from the mountain cypress tree in the form of an oil, Delta-5 goes to work immediately upon application to the skin. Applying just 1 to 3 drops of this oil several times a day will fight inflammation. On skin that is not visibly inflamed this plant oil should decrease signs of aging and increase the natural color, glow, and smoothness of your skin. It softens the skin and wrinkle lines and increases the functionality of the skin’s lipid layer. The oil is highly refined, but essentially pure, gliding easily over skin and readily absorbing into it.
Beauty Benefits of Plant Oils
There is a very good reason for pure plant oils becoming the latest trend in beauty and skincare. Part of this is a cultural return to the basics and a resurgence of interest in all things natural. Their cosmetic functions are well recognized for enhancing beauty and providing relief from common skin conditions. According to the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, certain plant oils have “therapeutic benefits… [including] anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on the skin, promotion of wound healing and repair of skin barrier.” These are benefits that the skincare industry is paying close attention to as they add more compounds extracted and synthesized from plants into their products to produce better results for skin. This is driving expansion in the international market for plant oils, according to NBC.
When oils and compounds are diluted and added to creams, lotions, and serums, the level of active compound becomes less than when pure oil is applied to the skin. This becomes apparent any time you read the label of a skin care product that is blended. Each ingredient is listed in descending order from highest concentration to lowest. Thus, generally speaking the amount of plant oils and extracts that end up in cosmetics and other skin care products is miniscule especially when compared to pure oil being directly applied. Direct application also assures that when you use the oil you get all of the benefits it can provide without other compounds interfering. This is why Skin Inc refers to plant oils as “liquid gold’ and touts the benefits that our ancestors understood before the advent of modern science.
That is not to say that modern science should be dismissed. In fact, in many ways modern science is making these plant oils even more effective by making sure that the product you get is the most pure, refined, and concentrated it can be – so that as in the case of Delta-5 by SciaEssentials, 2-3 drops on your entire face can make you more beautiful overnight. Emma, who commented about how quickly she had a pimple dry up following application of the oil, agrees: “ My pimple inflammation was reduced the next morning.”
