Wonder Ingredient for My Dry Skin: Clary Sage Oil

I have always had very dry skin both on my face and body. Not just a little flaky patch here and there or skin that is prone to just feeling itchy in the winter months when dressed in wool sweaters and when the heat gets turned on. No, this dryness is constant and chronic. Several things in my biological composition have combined to cause this, not the least of which being that I was born prematurely and my oil glands never developed properly to begin with. Also, like many people who are born prematurely, my skin is quite thin, which makes retaining water within it more difficult. But premature or not, many people have chronically dry skin, so most of us spend a lot of our lives trying to sort out the best of the best of butters, lotions, moisturizers, you name it in an attempt to fix our lizard skin. But rather than put my faith in one, single product, what I’ve learned even more so is that there is definitely a “hit list” of ingredients to look for in any product that my skin seems to respond well to and that I enjoy using. And, though I am not exclusively a natural products-only user, I definitely lean more that way, especially for skincare and, thereby, have found several natural ingredients that have really helped to comfort and replenish my skin.

One standout ingredient recently for me has become clary sage oil. I’ve used this ingredient as a part of the Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Cleanser and corresponding day cream (which I have bought multiple times and would highly recommend, especially as a nice somewhat lower-cost skincare option). And currently, clary sage is in the oil that I use on both my face and occasionally my hair from Fur Skincare.

Clary sage, or Salvia scalrea, is a purple-flowered shrub that originates from the Mediterranean sea basin. And as you might imagine for the plant to thrive on the sunny Mediterranean shores, it is quite good at efficiently capturing and retaining water, and this is precisely what effect the oil from this plant has on the skin. The oil itself is mostly distilled from the buds of its flowers or its leaves and has a very nice and middleweight texture that is thick enough for the skin to feel nourished once it seeps in but not so much that it feels greasy. And despite this texture, clary sage oil is also often recommended for people who may have oilier or more acne-prone skin, due to its antibacterial effects. Clary sage and products with it in them, to me, seems to have a kind of "best of both worlds" effect —being something nourishing, whilst doing its part in helping keep my skin clear and alleviating some hormonal breakouts. This is a balance those of us with dry, sensitive skin that is also blemish-prone can really appreciate because many other commonly recommended blemish-fighting ingredients (such as salicylic acid, alcohols, too much tea tree oil, peppermint oil and many forms of Vitamins A and C) can be too harsh .

But not only is clary sage oil a great clarifier for the skin and wonderful at nourishing, as we typically feel is an oil's job in our skincare routines, it is also a wonderful humectant. Humectants are substances that attract water to a surface and help keep it there. Many oils can actually repel water away from and out of a surface, but clary sage oil is one that will effectively trap it. So it isn't just fortifying the lipid barrier with fatty acids to help moisturize. and help it give the skin a comfortable feel, it is also assisting water back into the deeper layers of the skin. So this is an excellent solution for people who have skin that is dry (lacking in oil) or dehydrated (lacking in water), or, as is often the case, if you have both concerns.

Perhaps the oldest- known benefit of clary sage oil, though, is its calming properties. In ancient and naturalistic medicine, this effect has been utilized to aid the mind and body in a variety of ways from relieving stomach cramps, muscle spasms, and seizures to facilitating clearer thinking and better sleep with its unique aroma, which smells a bit like a floral, herbacious bubblegum. In the world of topical skincare, however, all of these de-stressing effects translate into one thing-- a reduction in inflammation, redness, and visible irritation. which especially for those with a dry and fair complexion, like myself, our skin is very likely to show these things but particularly when under strain from stress, sickness, a new environment, trying a new product, etc. But if any or all of these things appeal to you, you could try going straight to the source and buying the essential oil to create your own custom blend. Remember, like all essential oils, clary sage oil should be added judiciously into your own concoctions and always be diluted with water or carrier oil, as when used on their own, essential oils are too potent and can often burn or overstimulate the skin if too much is applied. An average rule of thumb I've heard for making custom oil blends is to add only 12 single drops of essential oil per 1 oz of carrier oil. Argan oil, rosehip seed oil, and jojoba oil are among my favorite carrier oils overall, and these also seem to have positive effects on my dry, dehydrated skin.

Whether you try your own hand at making a custom composition with clary sage oil or find a new product that contains it, I hope you will find it helpful for its clarifying, moisturizing , hydrating, and calming benefits in treating your dry, dehydrated, or stressed skin, as I have. And for more information, check out this article, from OrganicFacts.com, one of many that I found helpful in learning more about clary sage.