Cinnamon is a spice used in many cuisines. This healing spice comes from Ceylon, or more precisely Sri Lanka. On a tropical island there grows a shrub from the genus of evergreens called Ceylon cinnamon or Cinnamon.
Its stems, shoots, and bark contain the cinnamon oil we know, but in very small quantities (no more than one percent). Large plantations are required for industrial production.
Cinnamon essential oil is obtained from crushed bark by soaking in sea water and then quickly distilling the infusion.
Cinnamon oil is quite popular due to its various health and beauty benefits. Yes, it is a very beneficial essential oil due to its various properties and that is why it is used in cosmetology in many beauty treatments. The oil has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and hair structure, and effectively fights cellulite.
Today I will tell you some of the most popular and unique ways to use this oil for beauty.
To understand all the benefits, let's look at its cosmetic properties.
Properties of cinnamon oil
Cinnamon oil has a number of beneficial properties:
- Accelerates cellular regeneration.
- Fights aging facial skin, acne and oiliness.
- Actively nourishes and moisturizes.
- Improves complexion.
- Heals the epidermis, eliminating dandruff and microdamage to the scalp.
- Stimulates hair growth and helps strengthen it.
- Blocks hair loss.
- Has anti-cellulite effect.
Use of cinnamon oil in folk medicine
Cinnamon oil is good for health. Its healing properties are used in numerous traditional medicine recipes.
To strengthen the immune system and against colds
To stimulate the immune system, you need to mix essential oil solutions of cinnamon, ginseng root (20 and 60 drops, respectively), and pure water (120 g). The resulting composition is poured into a spray bottle and sprayed indoors during the cold season.
The composition allows you to normalize the functioning of the immune system
For joint pain
The product helps reduce the severity of pain by increasing blood circulation and irritating properties. A few drops of the oil solution are added to painkillers.
Cinnamon is used for joint pain
Cinnamon oil for herpes
Elimination of signs of herpes virus infection occurs due to antibacterial properties. The product is added to antiviral gels and applied to a vial with liquid contents.
Cinnamon helps get rid of herpes symptoms
For bad breath
To eliminate the phenomenon, mix 10 drops of essential oil solutions of cinnamon and orange. Honey (half a teaspoon) and clean water (120 g) are added to the resulting mixture. The product is used to irrigate the oral cavity twice a day.
The composition eliminates bad breath
For the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases
Cinnamon has the following positive properties:
- increase in general tone;
- decreased stomach acidity;
- relief of diarrhea;
- normalization of stool;
- reducing the risk of tumor formation;
- acceleration of metabolic processes.
Important. The use of an essential oil solution helps improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Useful properties are due to the presence of:
- vitamins B, C, A;
- magnesium;
- phosphorus;
- calcium.
To normalize the state of the digestive system, experts recommend the use of cinnamon in combination with honey or kefir
To normalize the menstrual cycle
The product stabilizes the cycle due to its hemostatic properties. For irregular cycles, the product stimulates the onset of menstrual periods. Gynecologists recommend the use of a traditional treatment component for scanty menstruation in the form of foot baths and warm compresses performed every other day.
The product is an aphrodisiac
Cinnamon oil for nail fungus
The unique composition and beneficial properties of cinnamon oil solution can eliminate itching and burning characteristic of fungal infections. Dermatologists advise adding a few drops to medicated creams.
Cinnamon helps get rid of fungus
Applying cinnamon oil to the face
Cinnamon essential oil is suitable for any skin type, but it has the greatest effect when caring for combination and oily skin with inflammation and acne.
For dry skin
Cinnamon oil is effective in soothing dry skin. Just mix a couple of drops of this oil with your face cream. Apply it to the skin for 10-15 minutes. Then remove the excess using a cotton swab. The next morning, wash your face and apply your day cream.
Repeat this daily to soothe dry skin. It will also reduce the signs of aging with daily use.
To eliminate pimples and acne
Mix 2 drops of cinnamon oil with two tablespoons of kefir. Apply the mixture with a cotton pad to areas with pimples and blackheads, leave for 15 minutes. If during this time the mixture begins to dry out, apply a new portion. Rinse off with cool water.
Repeat as needed. This mixture is a good therapeutic and prophylactic remedy for combating skin inflammation.
How to enlarge lips using folk methods: personal experience
From the creator of “trying Chinese trash from TV stores” and “checking beauty life hacks from Instagram”: Olya Tretyakova tests folk methods of lip augmentation.
My lips suit me. No, really! But what do they say there? Best the enemy of the good? In general, when we came up with a topic, it immediately became clear who would test pepper, lemon and a million French kisses on themselves. Okay, I got carried away with the last promise. Although…
In short, I scoured the Internet, chose the most popular life hacks, bought everything I needed – and off to lips like Angelina Jolie’s.
Life hack 1: massage with a toothbrush
What to do: massage your lips with it until you feel a slight pulsation and warmth.
What's the trick: the massage causes blood to flow to the lips, and they become visually fuller and brighter.
First and foremost, take a soft brush. The tougher it is, the greater the chance of scratching your lips - and there will be no respect for their shape and size: these small scratches are very painful! You need to massage for two to three minutes. Some experienced life hackers advise combining the process with scrubbing with salt/sugar/coffee grounds, but I am for the purity of experiments.
The main thing is not to accidentally rub off the skin!
It works? Yes, of course, no matter what. The effect lasts, however, for 10-15 minutes. Enough to take a selfie, but not enough to bother with, in my opinion. As an amateur boxer, I know another life hack - to get hit in the lips with a glove during sparring. In this case, the lips retain, as they say on the Internet, “seductive swelling” for another couple of days. But I won’t recommend it – not everyone here is an extreme sports enthusiast.
Sparring is not only a good mood, but also a sudden correction of appearance
Life hack 2: ice cube massage
What to do: massage your lips with ice until slightly numb. Then apply a napkin soaked in hot water to them. Repeat several times. To enhance the effect, bite your lips with your teeth.
What's the trick: the vessels narrow and then expand, and blood rushes to the lips.
To be honest, you don’t have to bother with “hot-cold”, but just bite your lips a little, as Scarlett O’Hara advised. The result is exactly the same.
Life hack within a life hack: if you massage not with ice, but with frozen cherries, you will also get a bright color
It works? Quite. It is not clear, however, why this is necessary if after a few minutes the effect disappears along with the lips.
Life hack 3: massage with lemon, cinnamon and ginger
What to do: Massage with zest, cinnamon/ginger powder mixed with olive oil for 3-5 minutes (or until numbness and tingling sensation).
What's the trick: local irritation with citric acid, cinnamaldehyde and essential oils.
All three options work approximately the same, so just choose from the three products the one that seems less disgusting. The main thing is to try not to rub the mucous membrane. Lemon makes her especially disgusted.
It works, but you can’t hide the sour expression on your face later
In general, it’s a good option if you forget later and don’t rub your eyelids with the hands you used to touch your lips. Because this life hack also makes your eyes look great.
Maybe you should have massaged it not with powder, but with a cinnamon stick?
It works? It works, it works. The lips pout for an hour or two. Enough to hold a photo shoot or...why else do they do that? Ah, here, to “prepare for the arrival of someone.” Well, some people will be impressed. The main thing is that he doesn’t have heartburn later.
Life hack 4: chili pepper
What to do: you can freeze the water in which the pepper powder is diluted, you can mix it with honey and massage your lips with a toothbrush lubricated with this mixture.
What's the trick: it's all about the same local irritation. Very irritated! Almost furious!
I put it in a separate paragraph, because this is really for extreme sports enthusiasts. I didn’t mix it with ice – I tried it mixed with honey. Unpleasantly terrible. The lips, mucous membranes, and tongue burn. And if you’re unlucky, both the nose and the eyes. It is difficult to get rid of the burning sensation: pepper particles remain firmly on the skin. But if you want to never be kissed again, this is an excellent option: your lips will burn even after a day. And not only for you!
Works. But not for anything else!
Does it work: yes. Lips are swollen even after 6 hours. So be careful with the dose!
Lifehack 5: vacuum massage with a lid
What to do: take any cap, suck it to your lips, creating a vacuum, hold it there for a few seconds (but no more than a minute, otherwise you may get a bruise).
What's the trick: when entering a vacuum, the vessels and capillaries expand and stretch.
The main thing is to choose the right size lid. If it's too big, you'll get a round bruise around your mouth.
Lifehack bonus: circular bruise around the mouth
It works? Yes, quite - it’s not for nothing that the entire Aliexpress is full of vacuum lip enlargers. But the effect lasts only 10-15 minutes.
Life hack 6: gymnastics
What to do: special exercises daily for 4-6 weeks. Preferably twice a day. To avoid accidentally tearing the skin from overzealousness, you can lubricate your lips with something nourishing. Lovers of all things natural recommend honey.
- stick your tongue out as far as possible for 10 seconds;
- puff out your cheeks and move your lips left and right for 2 minutes;
- Take air into your mouth, purse your lips and exhale slowly. Repeat 10 times;
- Curl your lips like a fish and try to smile. Repeat 10-15 times;
- If you know how, then whistle. Just not at home, otherwise, they say, there will be no money.
How it works: training and strengthening muscles (they are also found in the lips!) works for their growth. And local irritation provides a rush of blood.
I didn’t try to do this for a month and a half - maybe in vain: look, during this time I pumped up lips the size of Vin Diesel’s biceps. But a couple of minutes of gymnastics - and yes, swelling appears. However, it lasts for the same two minutes.
I don’t know what actually worked better: gymnastics or honey?
It works? As a “quick life hack” - definitely yes.
General conclusions: as a person spoiled by beauty opportunities, I don’t understand these folk recipes. If you want to enlarge your lips, why not inject filler into them? If you are afraid of injections, why not use makeup? If you don’t like makeup... although, perhaps, I’ve already run out of arguments.
But if you choose from folk life hacks, the most effective (but also the most unpleasant) is chili pepper. A little less disgusting, but also working - lemon, cinnamon and ginger. Ice and a toothbrush work moderately. But the vacuum enlarger, as for me, is just a waste of time. Useless.
Have you tried any of these methods? Does it help? Or maybe we missed some others that were more effective?
Cinnamon oil for lips
Cinnamon oil is a natural product and quite popular among women who want plump lips. They use it to give their lips a seductive volume.
By stimulating blood flow, warming and nourishing the skin, this oil gives lips swelling, softness, and rich color.
In its pure form, cinnamon oil is not applied to the lips, but mixed with petroleum jelly or oils. For example, with shea or sea buckthorn.
Now mix 2 drops of cinnamon oil with 1 tablespoon of Vaseline. Apply a small amount to your lip and rub for 1-2 minutes. Leave for 15 minutes. Then remove the excess with a napkin.
This is the easiest and most inexpensive way to get fuller lips without any surgery.
What is herpes
Herpes simplex is a rash or fluid-filled blister that forms near the mouth or other areas of the face. Sometimes manifestations can occur on other parts of the body, but less frequently. This disease appears if the body has the herpes simplex virus.
There are two common types of herpes simplex virus:
- HSV type 1 (HSV-1) is more often associated with facial manifestations.
- HSV type 2 (HSV-2) most often appears in the genital area.
Both viruses are ubiquitous in the human population, with about 90% of the population having antibodies by age 20. The herpes virus, once it enters the body, remains in it forever, remaining in the nerve cells and without causing any symptoms. When the immune system is weakened, for example, during hypothermia, ARVI, emotional stress, the virus can become active again and cause disease.
The herpes simplex virus is transmitted through close contact with an infected person. You can become infected through a kiss, through saliva, or even through contaminated common household items: lip balm, towel, dishes, and more. Even if the infected person has no visible symptoms. Most often, people become infected during childhood or adolescence.
Some people have no symptoms of the virus throughout their lives, but others experience occasional flare-ups - during periods of weakened immune defenses, after extreme stress or due to illness.
Usually, the manifestations of herpes are unpleasant, but not dangerous. But sometimes the virus can lead to complications:
- when a newborn is infected passing through an infected birth canal,
- decreased immunity, for example in cases of cancer and HIV infection in the later stages,
- first contact in children and adults.
Applying cinnamon oil to the body
For massage
You need to dilute cinnamon oil (4 drops) with a tablespoon of almond oil and five drops of orange oil. Massage the skin with the resulting mixture for 10 minutes.
Cinnamon massage oil improves blood circulation, the nutrients in the skin are enhanced and this improves skin tone.
Cinnamon oil for cellulite
You need to mix 1 tbsp. a spoonful of olive oil with three drops of cinnamon oil and five drops of orange oil.
The resulting mixture must be rubbed into problem areas in a circular motion. This procedure should last from 10 to 15 minutes.
For stretch marks
We take baby cream, you can use lotion or any other cream. Add to it 5 drops of cinnamon and orange oil, 10 drops of juniper oil, 2 mummy tablets. After mixing, apply to the problem area with massage movements.
Apply this homemade cream daily after evening water procedures. For a noticeable effect, use for at least three months.
Body Scrub
Mix 3 drops of each oil: cinnamon, lemongrass and dill. Mix them with two tablespoons of sea salt.
Use as a body scrub during bath procedures once every two weeks. More often in summer.
Ingredients for the composition
Lip plumping balm consists of available components. They can be easily purchased at any pharmacy or cosmetic store. To prepare this effective remedy, you will need:
- Vitamin E (1 capsule).
- Coconut oil (spoon).
- Beeswax (teaspoon).
- Cinnamon oil (3-5 drops).
- Acacia honey (teaspoon).
Also, if desired, you can add a vitamin A capsule to the mixture. If you are unable to purchase acacia honey, you can replace it with another variety. The main condition is that it be completely natural.
How to make cinnamon oil at home
The above recipes use cinnamon essential oil. But you don’t have to buy it at the pharmacy, because you can make it yourself at home. You can prepare two types of oil.
- Can be added to cosmetics.
- Can be used on hair.
For the first oil (cosmetic) you will need:
- Peach or apricot base oil or olive oil – 250 ml.
- Ground cinnamon powder – 50 gr.
How to cook:
- Pour the cinnamon powder into the base oil.
- Seal the container tightly and place it in a dark place.
- Shake the mixture daily.
- After 7–10 days, heat the mixture for an hour in a water bath.
- Cool and strain the product through cheesecloth twice.
- Store in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container (preferably dark glass).
For the second oil (for hair) you will need:
- Cinnamon sticks.
- Castor oil.
How to cook:
- Take a dark jar and pour a couple of centimeters of castor oil into it.
- Chop the cinnamon sticks into a jar.
- Next, add oil so that the cinnamon is completely covered with oil and rises a few centimeters above it.
- Place the container in a dark place.
- It is necessary to shake 2 times a day.
- After two weeks, the oil should be poured into a separate jar and can be used by applying it to the hair for no more than 1-2 hours.
The same method can be used to make burdock oil with cinnamon.
Contraindications for using cinnamon oil
This oil should not be used without a preliminary test for skin sensitivity.
- Cinnamon oil is prohibited for people with individual intolerance or allergies to it.
- Before making a mask, you must conduct an allergy test, for which it is enough to apply a small amount of the finished composition to your wrist or elbow. If you experience unpleasant sensations in the form of a strong and unbearable burning sensation, wash off the mask and do not use it again.
- Use during pregnancy is contraindicated.
An effective nourishing lip treatment with cinnamon and vitamin E
Regular use of the composition restores youth and natural color to the lips, saturates the skin with nutritional compounds, gives natural swelling and seductive brightness. An ideal product for home lip care.
Ingredients:
- coconut oil (natural) – 1 tbsp. spoon;
- beeswax (natural, can be purchased in stores selling beekeeping products or from beekeepers) - 1 teaspoon;
- pure tocopherol (vitamin E, sold in pharmacies) or in combination with retinol (vitamin A, drug Aevit) - 1 capsule;
- liquid honey, acacia honey is best - 1 coffee spoon;
- cinnamon ether – 3 drops.
Preparation:
- Melt the wax and coconut oil in a water bath until smooth.
- Cool the composition for 3 minutes.
- Squeeze fatty vitamins from the capsule, add cinnamon oil, honey and mix thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into a suitable container. It is most convenient to use an empty, cleanly washed and disinfected lip gloss or balm container.
- The nourishing product hardens in 20 minutes, resembling the consistency of homemade butter.
Use homemade balm daily 2-4 times a day, depending on the condition of the skin and the desired increase in volume. When applied, a slight tingling sensation may occur, accompanied by warming.
Before use, make sure that you are not allergic to the components of the composition by applying a drop of the product to the delicate skin of the elbow or behind the ear for a day.
Contraindications
Cinnamon is considered a strong allergen and has toxic properties. Application requires compliance with the following precautions:
- application to the skin in diluted form;
- careful use for sensitive face types;
- compliance with the recommended dosage.
Important! The drug is not used for hypertension, epilepsy, pregnancy. The duration of use is no more than 2 hours. Otherwise, symptoms appear that indicate overexcitation.
Before using the oil solution for the first time, a sensitivity test should be performed. This is due to the basic properties of the product. Application is possible in the absence of severe burning and irritation.
Composition and healing properties of cinnamon oil
Cinnamon oil, classified as essential, is obtained in two ways: from the bark and leaves of the cinnamon tree, which grows, of course, not in the home of the legendary bird, but in India, Madagascar and the Seychelles. Depending on the source material, the appearance and composition of the final product will differ slightly.
Thus, the liquid extracted from the bark is dark in color and consists of almost 70% cinnamaldehyde, which is responsible for the bright smell and burning taste of the oil (in case you suddenly decide to try it). In addition, aldehyde has an irritating effect on the skin and mucous membranes. The remaining 30% consists of alcohols, resins, acids, minerals and organic substances, the main of which is eugenol - a kind of natural antiseptic and analgesic, reminiscent of cloves and ginger in smell.
The oil obtained from the bark of the tree is different from that obtained from the leaves.
With oil synthesized from leaves and young shoots, the opposite is true: it consists of almost 90% eugenol and only 5–6% cinnamaldehyde, therefore it has a less aggressive effect on the skin and is considered more suitable for use for cosmetic purposes. You can recognize this oil by its golden hue and the corresponding inscription on the label. If the required inscription is not found, either refuse to purchase, or be extremely careful with it: cinnamon oil is a strong allergen, and extracted from the bark also has increased toxic properties.
However, if you follow basic precautions, communication with the fragrant gift of the cinnamon tree will only benefit both you and your skin. Used wisely, it activates blood flow (thanks to the aldehyde), ensures an intensive supply of nutrients and oxygen to tissues, helps normalize intercellular metabolism, helps eliminate fine wrinkles and improve skin tone. And at this time, eugenol will dry out pimples, eliminate oily shine and extinguish inflammatory processes. Well, while the oil is working for the benefit of your skin, the pleasant cinnamon spirit will drive away the blues, relieve anxiety, increase stress resistance, give strength and inspire you to new achievements.
