Peat is usually associated with something but skincare. Peat is, however, one of the oldest and most efficient skincare products. It cures not only the skin but also other issues we may have in our bodies. The use of peat is unbelievable limited comparing how it could benefit our health. We have to change this and that is why I decided to tell you about the peat.
What is the organic peat we use in healthcare?
When we use peat for skincare or other use in healthcare, we talk about organic peat.
- Organic peat is always dug out from the deepest layers of a swamp, not from the surface like peat used for fuel or gardening.
- Organic peat is well processed, liquid, gel-like, dark brown humus.
- Organic peat is compressed plants in the swamp that has been processed during thousands of years. It contains countless numbers of phytochemicals.
- Organic peat contains healing features of swamp’s herbs compressed and fermented during thousands of years.
- All healing features of organic peat are not yet known.
Swamps have born after the last ice age, approximately 10 000 years ago when melting water has withdrawn from deeper areas. Former lake transformed to a wetland that is called a swamp. Bryophytes, twigs and many other herbal plants growing on the swamp have faded and new plants have grown annually on top. Older generations have been buried deeper and deeper. There are thousands of layers in the swamp.
Close to the surface decomposing is quicker but deeper the bacterial activity is slower.
Layers close to surface contain clearly mass from plants.
In deeper layers the mass is gel-like and decomposed plants are not visible anymore.
This process takes thousands of years, especially in cold climate. Wooden objects can last forever in a swamp. Because of this process, the peat has become unique product containing enzymes and phytochemicals. The texture of peat is still partly a mystery to scientists. There is no way to manufacture similar product like organic peat.
Where to get organic peat
There are only few swamps in Finland from where organic peat can be lifted up. The swamp should be located in an area where is no danger to get any agricultural waters into the swamp. Also, there is always a possibility to get industrial waters into the swamp. That is why the swamp used for collecting organic peat should be located at highlands.
Organic peat can be found in only deep enough swamps. The average dept of a swamp in Finland is 2 meters. There are even 12 meters deep existing. Organic peat is pumped up from deep enough in order to avoid any particles of plants. There is no layer of this gel-like peat in shallow swamps.
There is plenty of organic peat available in Finland. Finland is very swampy country. The value of swamps is not understood. In reality the swamps are our riches, who could believe that! So let’s stop underestimating of swamps and start to appreciate them.
Swamps are treated really badly
Nowadays the surface layers of swamps are used as fuel and gardening materials. These ways represent not sustainable development and they will spoil swamps in time. Swamps are considered as wastelands. No trees are growing and practicing agriculture is impossible. Using heavy machinery for lifting up outer layers is spoiling the swamps.
Organic peat requires an untouchable swamp
A swamp already in use for fuel other source is not suitable for collecting organic peat. Heavy machinery will destroy the structure of swamp and there are always leaks of fuel and oil. It is popular now to talk about returning swamps back to their natural form but it takes time. It will require hundreds or thousands of years to get a swamp back the way it was originally. Swamp will look like an untouchable one with all the plants in few decades but deep layers may never be the same again.
Organic peat should be lifted by respecting nature’s own ecosystem
Organic peat must be lifted always and only by hands. By “hands” means in this case a pump. Finnish organic peat entrepreneurs have specialized pumping equipment for lifting up the peat. Pumping equipment do not require large space on swamp; a hole is drilled and a pipe is laid in the swamp. Liquid peat, the mass, is pumped up. There is no need to dig or destroy the surface of the swamp. No bulldozers or any other heavy equipment is used.
Texture of organic peat is carefully inspected
Organic peat is safe to use because it is carefully inspected before packaging. There are pleanty of information available about organic peat quality control process on a Finnish peat producer’s, Polar True Oy, web page.
- It is not allowed to have any pathogenic bacteria in organic peat
- The maximum number of good bacteria is 1000 pcs/ 1 ml
- There is a specified level of decomposition in peat which should be between 6/10 – 8/10
- Acidity of organic peat should be approx. pH 4
- Level of heavy metals and radioactivity are also measured
How you can use organic peat in skincare
There are several ways of using organic peat. It is difficult to imagine any other product that can use as diverse as organic peat. Just try different peat treatments and you can find more ways to use it by yourself. Organic peat acts like cosmetic clay products. I told about kaolin clay in my recent post. Peat absorbs impurities from skin like clay. That is why there is no need to mix any other ingredients to peat. They will just disturb peat’s process.
You can use peat in the Sauna
The new success of organic peat has started in Sauna. The heat of sauna will boost peat’s activity. Spread the peat all over to your body or just on any area you want to treat. Maximum heat in sauna should not be over 60 degrees Celsius. Relax in mild temperature about 20 minutes. Moisture the peat once in a while. Do not let the peat layer to dry on your skin. After the sauna use lukewarm water for washing.
Organic peat has been used for
- detox, absorbing impurities from the skin
- brightening the skin
- slimming treatment
- removing cellulite
- as relaxant for muscles
- treating muscular- and joint pains
You can use organic peat in a bath
Add some peat to the water. Relax in sour water and enjoy the skin treatment. Having a bath in peat water treats the skin as swimming in a lake. Lake water is naturally sour and probiotic.
Having a peat bath gets the metabolic waste in your body move. Your skin will brighten and cool down as well. Proper time for a bath is about 20 minutes. Maximum temperature should not exceed 40n degrees Celsius. By controlling the water temperature, you can be sure that no important ingredient will be destroyed because of heat.
You can use organic peat for your haircare
- Organic peat is naturally sour and that is why it is very gentle to your hair and scalp.
- A hair mask made of organic peat is good for
- seborrheic eczema
- dandruff
- loss of hair
You can use organic peat to facial mask
Sour peat mask cleans well and makes your skin relax. Peat does the deep cleansing and simultaneously makes skin pores smaller. The mask will brighten your skin and makes blood circulate better.
You can use organic peat for whitening of your skin
It is extremely popular in Asia to do skin whitening. There is a huge variety more or less harmful chemicals available for this purpose. Peat is safe product that gives a soft whitening. Finnish peat is exported to Japan for natural, skin whitening material.
You can treat acne by peat
Organic peat mask will balance your skin’s pH and bacteria activity. It will clean impurities from the skin as well. It is absolutely worth of trying peat mask in case you suffer from acne.
You can do deep cleansing using peat to get rid of air pollution particles and chemicals on your skin
Air contains plenty of microparticles that may penetrate to the skin. You cannot wash these particles away by just having a shower, they have already penetrated to the skin. A peat mask will absorb these particles from your skin.
You can use organic peat for relieving pain in muscles and joints
If you have occasional pain in muscles or joints, you can try organic pet bandage. Spread the peat on an area you want to treat and use plastic wrap to cover the peat. The peat should be warm, keep it some 15-30 minutes. There are many researches about the influence of peat in muscular pains. However, it is recommendable to consult your own doctor before starting the peat treatments.
If you are an allergic person…
Avoid the peat in case you suffer from nickel allergy. There may be some ingredients in the peat that may cause allergic reaction, and not only because of nickel allergy. Before using the peat, try first it on a small area of your skin for 20 minutes. Wash away and wait 48 hours. In case there will be an allergic reaction, it should arise during 48 hours.
Why organic peat is not widely used in skincare?
Good question! There are gorgeous and luxury skincare cosmetics available in some countries. For example, there are beauty salons specialized in peat treatments in Ireland and Germany. Organic peat is respected so much in these countries that they are even recycling the peat. Used organic peat is laid down back to swamp.
Organic peat is 100 % Finnish product. It has been in use for hundreds and thousands of years for curing various illnesses and pains. There is no need to airfreight it from the other side of the globe, you can get easily from Finland and it is chemical free.
Benefit from peat’s powerful phytochemicals
There are different kind of peat around the world. Swamps in Northern countries are full of high-quality peat. In cold areas the peat is composed very slowly. Every producer of organic peat wants to highlight his own product’s superiority. Well, Finnish organic peat is about the same quality in the whole county.
There is no research about organic peat going on at the moment in Finland. This is a pity because we can not get more information about peat’s healthy effects.
Organic peat contains several different organic compounds which are impossible to copy.
There are plenty of healthy flavonoids in the peat. There are also
- Humus acids
- Fulva acids that stimulates strongly the cells and converts heavy metals to liquid form. When liquid, metals can exit from the body.
- Bacteria that benefit the skin
- Composed healing components from swamp’s herbs and plants
Humus acids, fulva acids and other soil’s components are playing important role in the well-being of our body. In addition, the useful bacteria in organic peat is invaluable. In Helsinki University a research was made between children getting used to natural bacteria and children without exposing bacteria. Children exposed to natural bacteria were much healthier than children without any contacts to nature. It is said that we need the bacteria of earth – without them, we are less happy and get sick easier.
Organic peat is like natural soil’s own beauty serum – all nature’s own treating ingredients are composed in it.
Where to get organic peat
It is easy to find organic peat from a shop selling natural products. In case shop near to you do not have it you can ask the shopkeeper to order it for you. And naturally online shops are also selling it.
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