Gemstones: new boost for skin care
Marilyn Monroe said it best when she uttered the now famous words, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Fabulous, sparkling, pretty gems do more than fill the jewelry box, however.
Throughout the ages, gemstones have been used for their mystical and healing properties: rose quartz for heartache; garnet to energize; amethyst to bring courage, strength and peace. Many people hang stones around their neck as part of a spiritual practice. Gems are thought to create a protective field around the body and promote change to both mental and physical conditions. Over the past few years, these precious minerals have also been incorporated into luxe, indulgent skin care rituals.
Every crystal is said by those who believe in their therapeutic properties to possess a different vibration and healing energy, working with each individual’s body chemistry. Aquamarine is said to assist with digestive, eye and teeth problems; citrine with hearing difficulties, digestive ailments, sleep problems and pain and inflammation management. Amber is touted for treating stress and headaches and promoting self-expression. Moonstone is believed to help the user achieve balance; alleviate anxiety, depression and insomnia; and promote creativity.
The luminous pearl is said to balance the entire body, create positive, happy feelings within the wearer, treat ailing digestive systems and skin disorders such as rosacea, and achieve a glowing complexion.
Lionesse is one of the best-known producers of gemstone skin care, with five luxurious lines of extravagant serums, creams and masks that are touted to deliver transformational results. The Diamond Collection rings up at $4,000 for three fabulous products. As diamonds are the hardest gems, they’re used in skincare to exfoliate and strengthen. Infused with real diamond powder, this line promises to calm skin, diminish the look of wrinkles and restore luster to achieve young, fresh-looking skin. The Amber Collection promises to preserve your natural beauty, address skincare concerns around the eye and remove impurities from the face. The Black Onyx Collection promises to reduce the signs of aging while nourishing the skin. Other collections variously promise to illuminate tired, fatigued skin, calm and smooth the skin, or bring harmony and restores balance to skin that seeks rejuvenation.
While the most expensive gemstone skin care products are the most exclusive, there are a variety of additional products to experiment with. Knesko markets a Diamond Radiance Eye Mask. La Mer has a face and body exfoliator infused with diamond dust. The Body Shop makes a garnet exfoliator. Sjal Skincare incorporates precious minerals and gemstones such as blue sapphire, ruby, tourmaline and citrine to boost cellular energy, microcirculation and clarity. Gemstone Organic offers a line of hydrating mists that claim to boost the medicinal properties of each plant and increase the healing potential of your skin. These gem juices contain small crystals inside every bottle. Other lines include the Artemis Woman’s
Healing Gems line, which includes creams, scrubs and polishes and comes in gemstone crystal varieties including amethyst, tourmaline, rose quartz, topaz and clear quartz.
How are gemstones infused into skincare creams and elixers? Sara Clement, one of the founders of Gemstone Organic, describes their process as soaking the gemstones in water for a period of time, using crystal grids to transfer the properties into the water. Wild Medicine encapsulates cleansing crystals and gemstones in their soaps along with organic ingredients, beneficial essential oils and exfoliants. Crystals such as fluorite, calcite and quartz are embedded in a vegan glycerin soap base with essential oils such as tea tree, eucalyptus, orange, pine and even coffee; the various combinations impart the healing properties of both the crystals and the oils to the skin.
Users heap praise on many gemstone skincare products, and manufacturers and reviewers say that using products containing gemstones gives you both the remineralization benefits and also the energetic benefit. All matter on the planet has an energy. Gemstones vibrate at a higher frequency, which means when we apply those high frequency vibrations to our skin, we absorb some of that positive energy. Skin care experts and manufacturers say because the gemstones help to work on microcirculation and clarity, they naturally give the skin a glow or luminosity.
If you can afford to splurge, you will enjoy an indulgent skincare experience with high-quality infusions of skin pampering ingredients. If not, opt for one of the less expensive lines, realizing they may not be as pure and will most likely contain a different concentration of gemstone dust but should still have some of the benefits.
In addition to gemstones, many products contain organic extracts, glycerin, hyaluronic acid and additional compounds commonly included in skincare products. Always check the list of ingredients to determine if the product could cause an allergic reaction when applied to your skin.
For those who are willing to try a new trend that’s been used in folk medicine for ages, gemstone skin care just might be a way to restore the mystical fountain of youth we all so desperately seek. HLM
Sources: beautynewsnyc.com, birdie.com, elle.com, healtharticle.info, gemsociety.org, justluxe.com, lionessegem.com; gemstoneorganic.com and wildmedicine.us.
