Cleansing oil containing Artemisia aka Mugwort

Some time ago I wrote an article about artemisia on my blog. I also promised to come back to artemisia and present a few recipes to try. Artemisia is a plant that can be used in many products. However, you should be careful if you have allergies. Artemisia, or Mugwort, is one of the most common allergenic plants. If you are not allergic you have no reason to fear the use of Mugwort in cosmetics.

Artemisia is used around the world

Artemisias are a broad genus of plants. You can read more about them here. Now we use artemisia vulgaris, the mugwort. I also tried a variety of cultivated mugwort in Asia. They are used in many countries like vegetables. Indeed, Asian mugwort is much milder than the one we have here in Europe. I do not recommend using artemisia vulgaris as an edible vegetable.

Artemisias are antimicrobial and cleansing  

In home-made cosmetics, artemisias are popular because of their antimicrobial and cleansing effects. Artemisia can affect even blackheads deeper in pores. Because of this feature, artemisia is used in products designed for impure skin.

The cleansing effect on the skin will become visible if you use products containing artemisia for a longer period of time. in a few weeks your skin should be much cleaner. As the skin is cleansed, the enlarged pores on the skin also shrink. Enlarged pores are, of course, a skin type issue. However, they can be greatly influenced by taking special care of skin cleansing.

Artemisia soothes the skin

If your skin is irritated for any reason, products containing artemisia will clearly calm your skin. After Artemisia cleansing, the redness disappears and the skin is clear. This is, in my opinion, the clearest advantage of artemisia products. That’s why this time I want to share instructions how to make an effective cleansing oil containing artemisia. Cleansing oils are the products where we most likely meet artemisia.

However, there is one important thing to bear in mind when trying mugwort. Keep artemisia levels low if you are preparing products for daily use. Even small amounts of artemisia extract in the product do give the desired effect. Excessive concentrations of this powerful herb may unnecessarily sensitize your skin. And in any case, it’s good that you change the herbs in your products. The same herb should not be used for too long. For example, you can try artemisia in a product you will use for a couple of weeks, on daily basis.

The cleansing oil containing Mugwort is suitable for impure skin

This cleaning oil is mild. Artemisia is a powerful herb but I only used it moderately for this cleansing oil.

The light scent of artemisia fits my world of scents. However, if you want more freshness in your cleansing oil, you can try adding a couple of drops of citrus scent. Light citrus suits well as a partner for heavy, herb scented artemisia.

You need following ingredients to make Artemisia cleansing oil:

Artemisia oil extraction

Artemisia oil extract is an essential ingredient in this cleansing oil. Instructions for preparing the oil extract can be found here. I recommend the quick method and dried artemisia.

Base oil

You should choose a good base oil according to your skin type. Personally, I always prefer linoleic acid oils because they don’t clog pores:

• Sunflower oil (check linoleic acid content)
• Safflower (thistle) oil
• Hemp oil, cold pressed organic quality (make sure the freshness of the hemp oil)
• rice bran oil
• Soybean oil, organic quality is a must (best for aged skin)

Castor oil is an important ingredient in cleansing oil

Cleansing oils should always also contain some castor oil. Castor oil dries the skin, so the amount of it should be kept reasonable. I have written previously about castor oil here.

Jojoba oil is a transporter

Artemisia cleanses skin impurities by penetrating deep into the skin pores. This is the reason why I have chosen jojoba oil to my cleansing oil. The molecular size of jojoba oil is very small. It is able to penetrate very deep into the skin. Jojoba oil has even been used in medicated creams to transport drugs through the skin. In this cleansing oil, jojoba oil helps to transport artemisia deep into the skin pores.

Artemisia cleansing oil

• 40 ml of the base oil of your choice
• 20 ml of artemisia oil extract
• 10 ml of castor oil
• 10 ml of jojoba oil
• A couple drops of some citrus essential oil (optional)

Supplies

• 100 ml glass bottle
• Small funnel
• A set of measuring spoons to measure millilitres
• If necessary, alcohol to disinfect the bottle and cap (you can also disinfect the bottle by boiling or in the oven)

Do like this

• Clean the funnel, glass bottle and cap with alcohol
• Measure all ingredients in a glass bottle. Use a funnel.
• Mix by shaking the bottle.
• Do not overfill the bottle. Otherwise, you cannot mix the oil properly. If necessary, pour the remaining oil into another bottle.

How do I use Artemis cleansing oil?

I always use artemisia cleansing oil in the evening when performing the double cleaning. Sometimes I just do the oil cleansing only.

• Apply a teaspoon of oil to dry skin. You can also treat the neck and cleavage area. The skin must not be pre-cleansed because the oil also effectively removes mascara and lipstick among other make-ups.
• Let the oil act for a while and brush your teeth in the meantime.
• Place a muslin cloth or towel dipped in hot water on your face and steam your face. This opens the pores to allow the oil to penetrate deeper.
• When the cloth has cooled, wipe your face with it. Makeup should now come off lightly.
• Re-wet the cloth in hot water and place it to your face again. Allow the cloth to cool properly and wipe your face thoroughly again.
• If you want to make a double cleansing, you can still wash your face using salt soap. For example, activated carbon salt soap is deep cleanser. I own that soap myself and I have a really good experience with it.

I often do just the oil cleansing. Especially if I haven’t used any makeup, the oil gives good enough result.

Artemisia cleansing oil is one of my favourite products

I rarely make new recipes. This is because I want to test all the products myself before publishing the recipe. I have tested this cleaning oil in a couple of weeks now. Now is the time to take a little break from using Artemisia.

I think my skin has brightened considerably thanks to artemisia cleansing oil. Admittedly, I don’t have an acne problem or even impure skin. However, I enjoy that my skin colour is now more even and my skin looks clearer. Skin pores are also smaller now.

In the future, I will make more artemisia products and share recipes here for you to try. My next thought would be to develop some skin brightening toner.

Please share your own experience with this oil. It would also be nice to hear comments from people with impure skin. Did Artemis help cleanse the skin?