There's a fantastic old pop song* with lyrics I can really relate to:
Love grows where my rosemary goes
And nobody knows like me.
Seriously. Love goes everywhere we put rosemary. And nobody loves rosemary quite like me. Let me tell you why.
PREVENT ACNE
If you know me, you know I've struggled with my skin, especially acne. Rosemary— and its antibacterial qualities—to the rescue! Those antibacterial qualities help stop acne bacteria before it infiltrates your pores. Pair that with rosemary’s non-comedogenic (aka: non-clogging) qualities and rosemary cleans out pores while also forming a preventative, protective barrier against future breakouts. "Nobody knows like me."
REDUCE REDNESS & INFLAMMATION
If you know me, you also know I've struggled with eczema. Where "my rosemary goes" in this case is anywhere it can help soothe eczema's (or rosacea's) cruel redness. Rosemary's anti-inflammatory properties in tandem with its antioxidants and antibacterial compounds make it a near Swiss Army knife for skin irritation. (Who doesn't love a Swiss army knife, real or metaphorical?)
REDUCE THOSE ANNOYING EYE BAGS
As I get older (and especially my kids get older), like many of you, I have to worry more about bags under my eyes. Luckily, rosemary has diuretic properties. "Diuretic properties, Catherine?" Yeah, sorry, I just mean that rosemary helps rid your body of excess sodium and water. That means less swollen and puffy eyes via less fluid retention and less congestion. Are you starting to see why love grows wherever rosemary goes?
TIGHTEN YOUR SKIN TONE
Rosemary is a natural astringent, which means it helps with those mega-pores we all hate. "Astringent" means it can literally shrink those pores and tighten up your skin. "I know what an astringent is, Cath!" you say. Sorry, just wanted to make sure.
REDUCE FINE LINES
Rosemary contains natural antioxidants that protect your skin against harmful elements in the environment (pollution, UV rays, other terrible crud) called free radicals that are bad for your skin cells’ DNA. And by "bad" I mean "can result in fine lines and saggy, crepey skin. Rosemary is your friend when it comes to preventing some signs of premature aging.
STINK LESS
Nobody wants to smell bad, right? Thank goodness rosemary is a natural odor-fighter with its antibacterial properties valiantly duking it out with the bacteria living on your skin consuming the nutrients you sweat out and that are found in sebum.And it does its job well, working against these bacteria and their odor-spreading ways.
As for the "Love Grows" song, I guess I can't say that "nobody knows like me" anymore. Because now you do too. (Isn't rosemary awesome?)
* My brother-in-law tells me the best version of "Love Grows" is a 2001 cover by singer/songwriter Freedy Johnston.
