Self care is more than doing things to look after yourself.  It is also frequently not doing thing TO yourself.  Sounds circular?  Not really.  Think of things that you may do that instead of giving your mental or spiritual self care actually do it harm.  Think introverts getting to much "people-ing" (its a word now lol!). This is harmful to that person in the same way that isolation would be harmful to an extrovert.  There are other things we may do such as over work, emotional overloading, sensory overloading and and and.... 

Sometimes fatigue catches up with you and you give yourself additional stress because you have this seven part self care routine for getting ready in the morning or before sleep.  Sometimes you have to make the decision between is it better for MY WELLBEING to do two parts so that I can get the rest I need and NOT castigate myself for being a slacker!  The last bit is uber important.

Well, duh!  Trigger Warning: Science coming up!  I will follow KISS rules *wink*.

So what is a botanical active and what type of education do you need to understand it?  A botanical active is any substance coming from a plant that has a stimulant or depressive effect on living organisms.  Whew... science done...ish!

I hear you yelling into the void... The most common botanical actives are Sugar and Caffeine. OMG! Those are the big bads that everyone has been told to avoid!  Neither of these these compound are inherently bad.  Both are fantastic when used therapeutically.  Think when your gran gave you that syrup sweet cuppa when you had a bit of an upset.  Why?  Sugar can be quickly converted by our bodies to help combat the effects of shock. AND wait for it caffeine isn't just for cramming students or crazy project deadlines.  Caffeine is also pretty effective when used for pain treatment. 

How about caffeine on the skin? Yes, in a few applications it is used by major cosmetic houses for eye creams and more.  Why, because it is a diuretic (it takes water out of a system - sort of).  So while botanical actives are like the plant version of exercise there are other botanical compounds that are the plant version of sleep.  Both necessary for a healthy body and both having a very different effect.

(https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/does-caffeine-treat-or-trigger-headaches#:~:text=Caffeine%20can%20provide%20relief%20for%20a%20headache.&text=Caffeine%20has%20vasoconstrictive%20properties%2C%20meaning,flow%2C%20thereby%20alleviating%20the%20pain.)

So we were talking oil and I was saying....OIL good! 

Yes and no.  First figure out the right oil and then the correct amount to use as well as best way to apply but but.... so much information.

Lets break it down and use my favorite; food analogies (again). Why food analogies?  I'm the "Chief" Cook and I suck at sports.

So some foods are good to eat at breakfast...  cos they're good at increasing the blood sugar levels after "fasting" otherwise known as sleeping. Other foods we will eat at lunch/snack time to help stablise blood sugar levels (ask any diabetic). There is a reason we don't eat snacks at breakfast and breakfast at snack time - unless you're a Hobbit and eating second breakfast is your normal lol!

So different oils have different components.  They cause different responses from the skin more is not always good.  Think of botanical actives like salt.   A little salt in your food is good too much doesn't make the food better.  

I would like to give you the option to ask what oils do what...let me know your burning OIL questions in the comments and I will sass up the science! Cheers until next week.