One of the most expensive oils in the range, and not without reason: it takes an enormous quantity of flowers to fill a bottle. It has acquired an almost legendary standing in skincare.
Where it comes from
Plant part used: flower. Extraction method: steam distillation. Typical origin: Corsica, the Balkans.
Steam distillation means that hot steam passing through the plant carries the volatile compounds with it. The steam is cooled, and the water and the oil separate on their own — the oil floats on top.
What it smells like
Aroma notes: honeyed, herbaceous, faintly curry-like.
If you are meeting it for the first time, do not sniff straight into the bottle. Hold it a few centimetres from your nose and waft the aroma towards you — that way the stronger oils will not hit you, and you will pick up the finer notes too.
How people use it
- One drop in a facial oil in the evening.
- Diluted and dabbed onto the skin.
- Stirred into massage oil, in small amounts.
- One drop in an eye-area oil, heavily diluted.
Recipes
The ratios are worked out, and one drop is roughly five hundredths of a millilitre. Where a companion oil is listed, feel free to swap it for whatever you have at home — the drop counts stay the same.
Massage oil after movement
What you get: 30 ml, several sessions.
- Measure sweet almond or grapeseed oil into a 30 ml bottle.
- Add 15 drops of Helichrysum and 8 drops of Copaiba — that is roughly a four per cent blend.
- Close it and turn it over a few times.
- Warm it in your palms and massage into shoulders, back or calves.
Four per cent is for adults and for a specific area. For whole-body use, mix it at half the strength.
Bath salts
What you get: one bath.
- Put a handful of Epsom salt into a small bowl.
- Drop 5 drops of Helichrysum onto it and stir it through the salt.
- Scatter the salt into the already-filled bath and stir the water.
- Soak for at least twenty minutes.
Never put essential oil straight into the water: it does not dissolve, and it can reach your skin undiluted. The salt holds it.
Evening face oil
What you get: 30 ml, one to two months.
- Measure jojoba or sweet almond oil into a 30 ml dark glass bottle.
- Add 6 drops of Helichrysum — one per cent, which is the sensible amount for a face.
- After cleansing in the evening, put 3–4 drops in your palm.
- Press it onto slightly damp skin rather than rubbing it in.
Patch test a new blend behind your ear or on your inner arm first, and wait a day.
What to pair it with
These suit the same situations, so they sit well together in a blend:
- Copaiba — shared topic: Skin and face care
- Turmeric — shared topic: Skin and face care
- Blue Tansy — shared topic: Skin and face care
Safety and storage
Always patch test a new oil on a small area of skin, diluted, and wait a day. Keep it away from eyes and mucous membranes. In pregnancy, while breastfeeding, with a chronic condition or while taking regular medication, seek professional advice first.
In dark glass, somewhere cool, tightly closed. Heat, light and air all age it: citrus oils keep for roughly one to two years, woods and resins for years. It does not need to go in the fridge, but the bathroom windowsill is the worst place for it.
Questions
How much should I use?
For adults, daily whole-body use usually works out at around two per cent: that is roughly twelve drops in thirty millilitres of carrier oil. For sensitive skin and for children, considerably less. The dilution helper on the home page works out the number of drops for your bottle.
What should I dilute it with?
Fractionated coconut oil is the easiest, because it stays liquid, has no scent of its own and does not go rancid. Sweet almond, jojoba and grapeseed oil are good choices too. Essential oil does not mix with water, so for a bath always disperse it in something fatty or in salt first.
What should I watch out for?
Always patch test a new oil on a small area of skin, diluted, and wait a day. Keep it away from eyes and mucous membranes. In pregnancy, while breastfeeding, with a chronic condition or while taking regular medication, seek professional advice first.
How long does it keep?
In dark glass, somewhere cool, tightly closed. Heat, light and air all age it: citrus oils keep for roughly one to two years, woods and resins for years. It does not need to go in the fridge, but the bathroom windowsill is the worst place for it.
