Generality
What are packs and how are they prepared?
Aromatic packs are beauty treatments used since time immemorial to improve the appearance of the skin, possibly correcting some surface imperfections.
The choice of water temperature and essence depend exclusively on the purpose for which the pack is made.
A particular variant of a compress - known more precisely as mask or mud - it is prepared by mixing clay, water and essential oils.
The packs can also be applied to the scalp to improve the appearance of a rebellious and brittle hair or to rebalance the production of sebum in the presence of oily seborrhea (oily hair).
Let's see, therefore, what are the most popular types of packs, how they are prepared and for what purpose they are made.
Non-aromatic compresses
Non-aromatic packs - which we can also define "neutral packs" - are packs made simply with water, without the addition of essential oils.
These types of compresses can be cold or hot. Therefore, the only factor that differentiates them from each other is the temperature of the water with which the gauze or compress is soaked.
Cold water compresses are indicated in the treatment of headaches, fever and other types of ailments characterized by inflammation and heat.
Warm water compresses, on the other hand, are useful in treating ailments such as rheumatism and back pain.
Please Note
Aromatic compresses can also be hot or cold. The temperature chosen, of course, varies according to the type of disorder or imperfection that needs to be treated.
Generally speaking, it can be said that cold packs exert astringent and vasoconstrictive activities, while hot packs exert a "vasodilatory action and" relax "the tissues.
However, regardless of the types of packs used - as a general rule - the tablet should be left on the body until its temperature reaches that of the body.
Impure skins
Pack for Impure Skin
To improve the appearance of impure and acne-prone skin, a sebum-normalizing and purifying pack is undoubtedly the most suitable. Although it cannot remove the root problem, the regular application of specific packs against oily skin can significantly improve the disorder in the short term. , giving the skin a pleasant sensation of freshness already after the first treatment.
To make the appearance of impure skin pleasant, it is necessary to choose the most suitable essences to normalize the production of sebum, purify the skin and give a pleasant sensation of well-being and cleanliness to the application area. A pack for impure skin will therefore be formulated with plant extracts with sebum-normalizing, astringent and purifying properties. For this purpose, the most suitable active ingredients are:
- Lavender essential oil: the antimicrobial, balsamic and anti-inflammatory properties are ideal for preparing a pack against blackheads and oily skin. A pack made with lavender essential oil also gives a pleasant feeling of well-being and relaxation thanks to the anxiolytic and sedative properties of the plant.
- Lemon essential oil: it has excellent astringent, flavoring and antiseptic (disinfectant) properties, therefore suitable for oily skin.
- Birch essential oil: its active ingredients (flavonoids, caffeic acid, ascorbic acid, tannins, vitamin C etc.), acting in synergy, give the pack extraordinary skin-purifying, anti-inflammatory, astringent and antioxidant virtues. birch is ideal for preparing compresses, masks or creams against acne.
- Green tea extract: once cooled, the infusion prepared with green tea is excellent as a base for a purifying pack against acne and blackheads. Let's briefly remember that green tea is rich in tannins with astringent, antioxidant, sebum-normalizing properties and skin purifiers.
Despite the beneficial action carried out by sebum-normalizing, astringent and antiseptic packs, it is good not to overdo their use.In fact, excessive use of these products could lead to a paradoxical reaction, due to which the skin is pushed to produce greater quantities of sebum (for more information: Oily Skin - Oily Skin Remedies).
Cellulite blemishes
Anti-cellulite pack
Cellulite is a very common ailment, especially in the female world by which it is felt as much as it is despised. However, some types of compresses can help alleviate the problem.
How to make a pack to fight cellulite blemishes?
The goal is to stimulate the microcirculation, act on localized adiposity, protect the blood vessel walls and smooth the orange peel skin.
The ideal would be to prepare two types of packs: the first with hot water and the second with cold water. As we know, the alternation of jets of cold and hot water improves local microcirculation, inducing vasoconstriction and vasodilation respectively. Starting from this assumption, even compresses can be used to obtain the same effect: by doing so, the capillary wall becomes more toned and resistant. Therefore, the advice is to alternate cold and warm compresses to improve the appearance of the orange peel skin.
- Cold pack with menthol and ginseng: as we have seen, cold water promotes the contraction of the capillary wall (vasoconstriction). Ginseng (similar to horsetail, rusco, centella and other saponin drugs) stimulates the microcirculation by counteracting the retention of liquids Menthol induces vasoconstriction giving the skin a pleasant refreshing sensation.
- Warm blueberry compress: hot water induces vasodilation, so the capillaries tend to "relax". Bilberry is a panacea in all respects for the microcirculation: blueberry extract tends to reduce capillary fragility, significantly improving the orange peel appearance of the skin.
Please Note
Anti-cellulite wraps can be useful, but used alone they certainly cannot eliminate this imperfection. Indeed, they are able to bring many benefits, but only if combined with constant and regular physical exercise. Nutrition also plays a leading role in the fight against cellulite: following a diet rich in fruit and vegetables but low in fat can only facilitate the "action of" anti-cellulite "cosmetic treatments, such as compresses, anti-cellulite muds. , "clay or quant" masks other.
Clay pack
For more information: Clay Mask - Mud
What is commonly called "clay pack", is nothing more than a mask or a mud prepared with clay powder and water (preferably thermal), enriched with plant extracts functional to the disorder to be treated. To enhance the "effect of" clay - already surprising in its own right - the treated part (face, thighs, legs, buttocks, whole body) is generally covered with a cotton cloth or a specific gauze to encourage sweating and water exchange.
Clay packs are indicated as a support for the treatment of acne, blackheads, red skin, sensitive skin and cellulite.
Hair Pack
The packs are not only indicated for the treatment related to various skin problems. In fact, even the hair can benefit from the regular application of some packs, which must clearly be chosen carefully according to the disorder to be healed / improved and the type of hair.
So let's see how a pack for oily and dry hair is prepared.
Pack for greasy hair
Oily hair likes products with an astringent and deeply purifying action. For this purpose, to create a pack against the accumulation of sebum on the scalp, it is necessary to use active ingredients capable of rebalancing the bacterial population normally present in this area. Bioaromas with disinfectant and astringent properties are certainly the most suitable: thyme, lemon, bergamot, sage, anise, ivy, burdock, green tea, etc.
A pack for oily hair must be prepared with cold water: as we know, the cold acts as a vasoconstrictor, thus limiting the production of sebum.
Dry Hair Pack
More than wraps, dry hair would need real masks to give body, nutrition and vitality to dry and dull hair. Wraps with essential oils are in fact more suitable for oily hair, while dry hair benefits the most. from shock treatments with a strengthening action.
In any case, dry and unruly hair can benefit from nourishing packs, made with liquid oils / waxes / vegetable butters: for this purpose, sweet almond oil, liquid jojoba wax, shea butter, extracted oil from Argania seeds, etc., applied directly to the scalp and hair in the form of a hot pack, they are absolutely suitable for restoring vigor and softness to dry and rebellious hair.
Example of a homemade mask-pack
The most appropriate ingredients for a DIY mask pack against dry hair are undoubtedly yogurt, egg, olive oil and honey. Mixing these ingredients (1 egg, 2 tablespoons of yogurt, one of olive oil and one of honey) a soft and creamy mixture is obtained to be distributed on the hair.After an exposure time of 5-10 minutes, proceed as usual with the washing.
Rheumatic pains
Compress Against Rheumatism
Some compresses, properly prepared with specific essences, can be used to relieve rheumatic pains or significantly improve the symptoms of painful affections affecting muscles, bones and joints.
For this purpose, the water of the pack must be warm and the essences must be selected with a view to counteracting rheumatic pain.
The most suitable plants to prepare a pack against rheumatism are:
- Burdock: for external use, burdock extract is indicated to soothe inflammation. For this purpose, burdock is used in the formulation of an anti-arthritic pack
- Laurel: the essence of laurel is also used in the preparation of antirheumatic packs
- Arnica: the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, microcirculation stimulating and anti-neuralgic properties of the plant are indicated in traumatology in the treatment of traumatic joint disorders.
- Coriander: Coriander essential oil is often used as a component of compresses or other treatments to relieve rheumatic pain. The properties of the plant are often exploited in folk medicine.
Please Note
The "pack" must be considered only as a support to the treatment, not as an alternative. However, it is recommended to always seek the advice of the doctor before using compresses to relieve rheumatic pain, in order to ascertain the absence of any drug interactions or contraindications.
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