Helichrysum originally comes from the Mediterranean. This plant used for its medicinal properties for thousands of years, especially in countries like Italy, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This beautiful plant brings with it some very active antioxidant properties. Why is this so important? I’m glad you asked.
Every day we are exposed to a tremendous amount of free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules that create oxidative stress and damage cells, proteins, and DNA). The amount of damage caused by the environment, EMF’s and blue light-emitting from computers and electronic devices is enough to stress anybody out, and finding ways to minimize the impact and subsequent damage is super important.
Since collagen is the main protein component of our skin, antioxidants are vital to prevent free radicals from breaking collagen fibers in our skin, leading to sagging, wrinkles, and premature aging. But as we all know, our skin’s components degrade as we age, and the more we get exposed to sunlight and harsh elements. To be more specific, there are enzymes called collagenase and elastase that degrade our skin’s needed proteins. These enzymes activated by factors like UV rays and free radicals in the environment.
This process of breaking down our skin proteins is called oxidative stress or oxidation, and our skin becomes more prone to wrinkles, sagging, stretch marks, and scars.