The myth tells that Daphne, a young nymph daughter of Gaia, the Earth, spent happy days in the shade of the woods, singing and dancing among the streams of fresh water. Apollo fell madly in love with her. But, for a cruel joke of Eros, god of love, the feeling that Apollo felt for Daphne was destined not to be reciprocated. Daphne, as soon as she saw Apollo, ran away, frightened, and Apollo's pleas were useless. When Daphne realized that she had no escape and that Apollo would soon reach her, she prayed to her mother Gaia who turned her into a tree. Daphne's hands became branches, the skin became a bark and the feet roots, Daphne had become a laurel plant. From that day, Apollo, in order to have Daphne always with him, decided that his hair, his zither and his quiver would be adorned with laurel branches. So let's revive the beauty of the nymph in the cosmetics that we are going to make today, prepared precisely with laurel which, thanks to its essential oils, is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant (Caputo et al, Molecules, 2017 ).
Bay leaf oil, the remedy for acne, psoriasis and dermatitis
Both bay leaves and berries are rich in precious active ingredients. Now let's see how to prepare and use the infused oil obtained from its leaves. Take two large handfuls of fresh bay leaves, clean them with a cloth and rub them. Put them in a glass jar and cover with a vegetable oil, for example jojoba or sunflower oil. Cover with a gauze and cook in a double boiler on a low heat for 4-5 hours. Then remove from the double boiler, let it sit overnight and finally filter. Laurel oil is ready, perfect to be applied on moistened skin or scalp to fight boils, acne, irritations, dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis (Fidan et al, Molecules, 2019).
Aleppo soap
Aleppo soap is prepared with olive oil and laurel oil. You can easily find it in specialized and natural cosmetics stores and you can use it to clean your face in the morning in case of acne-prone skin or, in general, for sensitive skin.
Laurel berry oil, remedy for pain
But laurel berries are also very interesting for their anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant properties. When they can be harvested, in October or November, you can prepare an infused oil with a handful of crushed berries. Put the berries in a jar with sweet almond oil. Follow the same procedure seen for the laurel leaves infused oil prepared and, at the end, you will get an ointment to be applied with a slow massage in case of pain, muscle strain or sciatica (Kaurinovic et al, Molecules, 2020).
