Juniper: The Ancient Protector
The Juniper plant has been used in many different ways for centuries by many different cultures around the globe. At first glance, Juniper looks like a common evergreen shrub that you’d see on any other Tuesday talking your dog for a lunchtime walk. But this plant is anything but ordinary.
In Ancient Egypt, Juniper was used in the embalming process for bodies to be placed in the tombs. In other European cultures, Juniper was hung over doorways to protect the home form evil spirits. Juniper even made its way into the bible multiple times. This unassuming has long been used in medicine, shelter making, rituals / spiritual offerings, and more.
Today, Juniper is used in skincare products as it’s incredible benefits to aiding in skin equilibrium are more commonly known. All those reasons (which we’ll get into shortly) are why we chose to include Juniper in our Ma’at Balancing Serum.
What is Juniper Berry?
Juniper, also known as Juniperus communis is an evergreen, coniferous plant. Depending on the kind of Juniper plant, it can be a tree or a shorter shrub. Since Juniper looks like a common evergreen, you’ve probably seen it without even realizing it. But the thing that usually gives it away is the little round blue-black berries that it produces.
These plants are h-e-a-r-t-y. Not only are they drought resistant, but some plants can live up to 1,000 years. They are native to North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. Now let’s get into why so many cultures have so intentionally used this plant for so long.
Juniper is a natural antiseptic, antibacterial, and antimicrobial agent. That makes it perfect for topical wound care, minor skin infections, and (why you might be here) acne.
Benefits of Juniper for Your Skin
Juniper brings so many good benefits to your skin, and it all comes back to the incredible healing properties of the plant.
As mentioned above, Juniper is an astringent which is what helps it reduce the visibility and size of pores, providing a tightening look and feel to the skin overtime.
Now, it’s important to note that because Juniper is an astringent, it can be quite drying or to the skin when use in high concentrations. That is why we use low concentrations and always make sure to use cold, slow infusions when working with Juniper.
Juniper’s antibacterial and antimicrobial qualities are put to work on skin, cleaning up the surface of your face to act as a natural acne solution.
Is Juniper Oil Safe for Acne-Prone Skin?
That depends. We use cold, slow infusions when we work with Juniper because the berries contain volatile compounds that can be quite irritating to the skin. So, in short: not all juniper skincare products are created equally.
What to look for:
- Slow, long infusions
- Cold infusions
- Juniper-infused, not essential oil
The Ma’at Philosophy: Why Balance is Key
We created this balancing serum for several reasons. Obviously, we all want to have blemish-free, even skin-tone. But that is really just the byproduct of having a healthy skin barrier.
When we have oily skin, it’s usually because the skin is actually dehydrated. Now, if you’re thinking “make that make sense, please,” here you go. Dehydrated skin has to overcompensate by producing extra oils for your skin barrier.
When our skin is properly hydrated, your body can take a break from having to produce so many oils. It is being signaled to that your skin barrier is strong, you are protected, all is well.
Juniper is an important part of this process. Now, Juniper won’t on it’s own “shut off” your skins receptors that tell it to make oils, but what it does do is bring your skins natural oils into balance so that your subcutaneous glands can stop overworking.
The benefits of Ma'at Balancing Serum for skin congestion are superior to similar products. Juniper is aided by frankincense (nature’s botox) and jojoba to rebalance, moisturize, and tone all at the same time.
Integrating Ma’at into your daily routine
As with any of our products, we always recommend doing a patch test first, before diving into using a product full-time. That way, you can see for yourself how your particular skin reacts to the botanical oils in your product.
For the Ma’at Balancing Serum, we love to apply at nighttime to a damp face. My personal favorite is to apply after doing a face mask with Manuka honey. The combination of the Manuka honey and juniper in the Ma’at is so cleansing and purifying. This combination can be particularly helpful at certain times in your cycle when acne is more common.
After a full day of living, the Ma’at is the perfect thing to restore balance and get you ready for some beauty sleep. It’s a sure way to wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
The best part: this doesn’t involve a 10-step routine. No aggressive exfoliating or cleansing. Simply the use of botanical oils the way that nature intended. Let Juniper shine and help to balance your skin without stripping it of its natural oils.
Can juniper berry oil irritate sensitive skin?
When properly diluted in a carrier oil like in Ma'at, it is generally soothing, but a patch test is always recommended. We infuse juniper berries into our carrier oil using slow, cold infusions to prevent any irritating volatile terpenes from being released.
Is Ma'at Balancing Serum good for cystic acne?
While not a medical treatment, its antibacterial properties help reduce the inflammation and bacteria associated with deep clogs. It also helps to prevent the spread of bacteria from acne hotspots to the rest of the skin.
What does "Ma'at" mean?
Ma’at is the ancient Egyptian Goddess of balance, truth, justice, and cosmic order. How fitting for a serum that works to bring your skin into true harmony.