The Divine Immortelle Oil for Beautiful, Healthy Skin (plus how its healing powers go beyond just physical)
IMMORTELLE FOR YOUTHFUL, VIBRANT SKIN
Before we delve into one of our favourite oils, let's touch on what an essential oil actually is, because our focus on immortelle in this article refers to it in essential oil form.
In simple terms, an essential oil is a super-concentrated liquid extracted from the leaves, herbs, barks, and even rinds of individual plants. Civilisations such as ancient Cyprus, Egypt and Pompeii were making extensive use of herbs to treat certain health conditions as far back 3,500 B.C. High-quality essential oils offer so many benefits for your general health. From skin to hair and even mental wellbeing, there is one available to help support just about any condition!
One of our favourites for mental wellbeing and skin health is the beautiful Helichrysum. You may know it as ‘immortelle’ or perhaps the plant itself as the 'everlasting' flower — because it retains its vibrant yellow colour even after being dried. At Indagare Natural Beauty, we’re super passionate about this incredible healing and regenerating plant, so want to introduce you to some key details. Chances are, when you learn how powerful immortelle is, you'll be equally enchanted!
What is Helichrysum?
The full name of this special plant is [Helichrysum Italicum] which derives from the Greek words helios (sun) and chrysos (gold), apparently a nod to how the flower blooms. Immortelle is part of the sunflower family (which has more than 600 different species). This small aromatic shrub grows up to 40-50cm high, with yellow flowers, and tends to favour dry cliffs and sandy soil.
Although the modern world is embracing its powerful healing properties, some cultures have revered this potent botanical for thousands of years. The Greeks were using Helichrysum in herbal medicine since ancient times, and it even features in Ayurvedic texts.
Growing primarily in the Mediterranean as well as India and Africa, today Helichrysum is mostly commercially harvested in Italy, France, Southern Spain and the Balkans. The aroma can be quite medicinal, with the scent a combination of earthy and hints of fruit and straw undertones. The colour of the oil can range from red to yellow and is known to have a watery viscosity.
Immortelle for vibrant, plump and supple skin
Few essential oils rival Helichrysum for skin benefits! It has anti-microbial and anti-biotic compounds that help promote skin cell regeneration. These elements also make the essential oil useful for those suffering from oily skin or acne and helpful in healing rashes, wounds, scarring and burns.
Immortelle is one of the only essential oils that contains ‘diketones’, which help reduce the appearance of age spots. When used regularly, you'll see skin take on a brighter and more youthful appearance. Amazingly for something so potent, it’s also incredibly gentle and excellent for sensitive skin.
Like many essential oils, immortelle has superb moisturising abilities, perfect for dry skin and a must-have ingredient in winter to promote moisture retention.
Immortelle for the heart, soul and mind
Helichrysum doesn't just help physical scarring; it can help emotional scars too. It’s believed immortelle opens the heart to healing and encourages one to move forward, while inspiring an overall sense of peace. A beautiful oil to have on hand to combat anxiety and ease daily tensions.
This is no ordinary essential oil (and it comes with a luxury price tag) so we wanted to source the best possible quality. At Indagare Natural Beauty, we love working with artisanal farms producing pure, fresh, unadulterated oils. We're always looking for the highest quality raw ingredients and love it when we can work directly with the producers.
Our partner for the certified organic immortelle in our Signature Night Recovery Oil has a gorgeous organic farm in Bosnia, on the Herzegovinian rocky terrain. The Herzegovina is a Mediterranean region where fruits and vegetables flourish — sometimes called the ‘California of Bosnia’. When we discovered the quality of the oil this family farm produces, we knew we had to work with them.
Immortelle has an incredible ability to restore damaged tissue, and as such, it’s a star component of our Signature Night Recovery Oil. Read more about this stunning face oil and the other 17 amazing ingredients here.