Many people have not associated thuja as a raw material for cosmetics. This article is about thuja and its use in cosmetics. Thuja can be found in almost every yard. It can be collected at any time of the year as it is an evergreen conifer plant. Now I am going to tell you how to use thuja in cosmetics.
Why thuja is used in cosmetics
Thuja has rarely been added to conventional natural cosmetics. Thuja lotions are also rare in the world. This is unfortunate because thuja is a very useful herb. However, you need to know the features of thuja to make the most of it.
Thuja suits best for foot and hand care products. Thuja’s antiseptic properties are at their best in these products. Thuja is used everywhere to evict warts from the skin. The essential oil of thuja is used for this. Essential thuja oil is stronger than herb infused oil made out of thuja and it is suitable for herbal medicine. For cosmetics I would use only herb infused oil made from thuja.
What is thujone?
Thuja contains a large amount of a compound called thujone. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and sage contain also thujone. A strong alcohol drink called Absinthe, originally Swiss, that is made from wormwood, made thujone famous. Thujone was previously believed to cause hallucinations. However, this is not the case. On the other hand, thujone is highly antiseptic and is capable of killing dangerous microbes from the skin. The European Union has set maximum levels of thujone for both ointments and beverages.
The thujone is not water soluble. It is worth making herb infused oil from thuja. Homemade herb infused oil does not contain too much thujone. In addition to thujone, thuja also contains many other essential oils that are soluble in herbal oil.
Thuja is rich in plant chemicals
In addition to thujone, thuja oil also contains camphor, pinene, myrcene, fennel, borneol and limonene. All these essential oils are anti-inflammatory which means they inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses and fungi.
Thuja also contains a large variety of flavonoids, glycosides and tannins. All of these herbal chemicals make this herb an incredibly effective for safe skin disinfection. But how to use thuja in cosmetics even tough it so rich in plant chemicals?
The safety when using thuja
Thuja is not actually classified as a toxic plant. In North America, thuja is also used as a tea to cure bronchitis. So thuja is an old medicinal plant. Medicinal plants should always be treated with respect. They are very powerful herbs and not suitable for everyday use. I myself would not use it at all internally. I think it’s too powerful herb even for tea.
Everything that is applied to the skin also goes in to our body. Some of the cosmetic chemicals are absorbed through our skin. Therefore, it is worth considering carefully how strong products you want to use and what kind of herbs you want to use.
Avoid products containing thuja with young children. Thuja contains so many herbal chemicals that a young child’s liver may not be able to handle them. Thuja should not be used at all during pregnancy, not even externally.
I use thuja products mainly for hands and feet products. Hands and feet do not similarly absorb plant chemicals into the body than the rest of the skin. Thuja has also been commonly used to treat rashes. However, I do not recommend trying it yourself. You need to know exactly the type of rash. Thuja is only suitable for treating certain types of rash. On the contrary, many skin rashes worsen with the use of thuja ointments.
We can be allergic to thuja. Thuja may also cause allergic reactions or we can become sensitized to thuja in prolonged regular use. I always recommend testing small quantities of cosmetic ingredients to the skin before use.
How to Use Thuja in Cosmetics? |
It is worth making herbal oil from thuja. Use as fresh thuja as you can. The best way to make a herb infused oil from fresh plants is by heating them up. I have done much more effective herb infused oil from fresh Thuja comparing to older, dried thuja.
Make cosmetics using herb infused oil
Thuja oil is a very suitable cosmetic ingredient for all hand and foot care products. For body and face, I would not recommend it because of its strength. You can use thuja oil as it is or mix it with other oils. Thuja oil suits particularly well for blending with marigold oil and chamomile oil. Both marigold and chamomile are anti-inflammatory and skin soothing herbs.
Thuja is suitable for hand care
Make thuja a wonderful, disinfectant hand wash. Please find the recipe here. Thuja hand wash refreshes your hands. The scent of thuja is a fresh scent of conifer which is generally pleasant. Thuja disinfects your hands before you start cooking. And it is wonderful to wash hands after cutting onions and cleaning fish using hand wash smelling fresh herbs and conifer. So, you should always keep a can of thuja wash in the kitchen. There are plenty of hand soaps and disinfectants on the market. However, their ingredients are not safe and contain plastic particles etc that you do not want to spread around.
The flu season is soon here. According to medical experts, you can effectively prevent the flu by washing your hands regularly and often. A hand wash containing Thuja kills bacteria and viruses. That’s why a disinfectant hand wash is really needed.
Thuja is suitable for hand creams
You can use thuja oil as a base for hand cream. Again, I recommend that you dilute thuja oil with other herb oils or base oil. For hand lotions it is advisable to choose highly absorbent oil. Such oils are Sunflower oil, hemp oil or safflower oil.
Thuja oil in hand cream disinfects the skin. Thuja also brightens the skin. It soothes the skin’s surface blood circulation and makes the skin look brighter. Thuja oil in hand cream provides long-term protection against harmful germs.
Gardening will expose your hands to microorganisms of the soil. The thuja hand cream protects the skin from inflammation and irritation.
Thuja in pedicure
Ringworm or athlete’s foot has been traditionally treated by thuja cream. Ringworm occurs mainly in the elderly people. Young people and people of working age can become infected by the foot in places like public washing rooms in swimming pools or in the army. It’s difficult to handle. The ringworm is also rapidly renewed. The use of thuja cream suppresses the ringworm and prevents it from renewing. Your doctor and pharmacist will certainly find effective medicines for your foot.
Thuja cream should be as strong as possible to prevent ringworm. Therefore, it is advisable to make the traditional cream using only Thuja oil. You can find the instruction here. Please notify the difference between ringworm cream and daily use- cream when preparing them.
A foot cream containing thuja can also act as a refreshing and anti-perspirant cream for the feet. Then you should not use the thuja alone. Mix the thuja oil with some base oil. This way you can use the thuja daily to refresh your feet.
In case you prepared the disinfectant hand wash you can also use it for washing your feet. It gently exfoliates the feet and softens the skin. The feet are really fresh after thuja detergent. After this wash, you will not need any foot cream. The thuja wash does not dry your feet but treats them.
For what else can I use for thuja in cosmetics?
Thuja is not a very usual herb. Therefore, it has special uses. Thuja should be used for all purposes meant to control the growth of bacteria.
Thuja deodorant
It is worth trying thuja oil as deodorant. Do not mix any soda with thuja oil as some do recommend. Deodorant containing baking soda causes biting. The skin may become red and even crack. It is really difficult to wash the mixture of fat and baking soda off your armpits.
Thuja oil effectively prevents bacterial overgrowth in the armpits. It does not prevent sweating. Overgrowth of bacteria causes the smell of sweat. Sprinkle a drop of thuja oil on your armpits and allow to soak for a moment. The armpits remain really fresh all day. In the evening, wash your armpits clean with, for example, salt soap. All cosmetics should be cleansed daily.
As a deodorant, thuja may cause allergies when used regularly. So do not use Thuja deodorant every day.
Thuja in hair care
Many scalp problems are caused by bacterial overgrowth. Dandruff can be caused by many things. One cause of dandruff is yeast. Thuja destroys yeasts and inhibits their growth. You can try thuja oil for dandruff.
You can mix thuja oil with, for example, natural yogurt. This way you can easily apply it to the scalp. Leave the thuja oil on for at least 30 minutes. Wash the oil thoroughly with a mild shampoo or scrub with egg yolks.
You can also try thuja oil on seborrhoea. I have no experience with the effectiveness of thuja oil, but it is worth trying first. There are also medicines and treatment shampoo in the pharmacy for sebum. You don’t have to suffer unnecessarily. Thuja oil is a good after-treatment for scalp problems. It controls effectively the microbes on the scalp.
Essential Thuja Oil
For scalp problems, essential thuja oil could be a better option than herbal oil. Oil should never be left on the scalp because many skin microbes use oil as nourishment. It is therefore worth considering the acquisition of essential thuja oil. Essential thuja oil can be mixed with water. It does not dissolve or mix with water, but remains floating on the water. So shake the mixture vigorously before applying it to the scalp.
Mixing ratio:
- 1 ½ cups water
- 10 drops of essential thuja oil.
- Repeat rinsing after washing up to 3 times.
If the treatment does not seem to be helpful, do not continue it and seek medical attention.
This is my article on thuja this time. Thank you for reading this story and hope you got some new ideas for your skin treatment and preparing natural cosmetics. Now you know how to use thuja in cosmetics. I hope you try it some day. Thuja is a fairly unknown cosmetic ingredient yet. However, I hope its features will spread out more. Then it will be used more.
How do you use sprigs in cosmetics? I would be very grateful if you could share your experience of the use of conifers.