There are many different ways to use essential oils for skin care. Each oil has its own specific properties, even though some essential oils of the same ‘family’ can have a similar composition and working.
One or more of these essences will definitely match your skin type. And your taste in scent as well – because why would we settle for anything less than skin care with a lovely fragrance?
Essential oil benefits skin with acne, wrinkles, dry skin, oily skin and couperosis. The way we use the healing properties of essential oils in skin care (and general well-being) is called aromatherapy.
Since essential oils are both incredibly concentrated and volatile, they can be applied locally, included in natural skin care recipes, but also evaporated in a room or added to hot water for a bath or facial steam. As you can tell, this leaves us with a myriad of choices to include essential oils in our skin care rituals, keeping in mind the general guidelines & precautions for the use of essential oils.
Facial ‘Spa’ with Essential Oils
A home-spa session using one or more of the essential oils for skin care of your choice, can be created with a bowl of hot water and a towel. Drip a few drops of essential oil on the surface of the hot water, just before covering your head with the towel and leaning over the bowl. This treatment opens the pores. After a facial steam is also a good moment to (carefully) remove blackheads. Essential oils are volatile. The heat makes them evaporate and through the steam they reach you skin. If you are subject to couperosis, avoid this method or let the water cool down a little first.
A facial spa with essential oils can relaxe the mind. Why not turn it into an improvised meditation – doing nothing but breathing and watching the water for fifteen minutes or so…
Essential Oils Diluted in a Carrier Oil
By adding some essential oils to a carrier oil, you can make you own, personalised oil with a very specific scent and oils carefully picked for their properties. This can be a facial oil, to use morning and/or evening, a body oil or a massage oil. Depending on the selection of essential oils and carrier oils, your creation can give special care to dry skin, oily skin or acne, but also tired, aching muscles and sunburn.
All you need is an empty bottle, a carrier oil suitable for your skin type and one or more good quality essential oils for skin care. The bottles can be cleaned thouroughly by boiling them or with alcohol. A dropper bottle (like these 1oz Cobalt Blue Glass Bottles
The ratio for essential oils in the carrier oil should be around 2% when used on the face and 3 – 4% when used on the body. Less is more. Essential oils are so concentrated that you only need a very small amount to benefit from the healing properties of the essence.
If you’re making just a little bit of facial oil for a try-out, counting drops works fine. When making a full bottle, you might want a more effective way to measure out the oils. For the larger quantities: 1 ml is said to be 25 to 30 drops or ¼ teaspoon or 1/24 oz, however, depending on the different bottles and manufacturers, the size of a drop can vary in my experience, so this system might not be exactly accurate. For a facial oil, filling a 1 oz bottle with carrier oil, leaving a little room and then adding 10 to 12 drops of essential oil, should come out just under or around 2%.
Bathing Time with Essential Oils
Running a warm bath is usually meant for relaxation. One specific essential oil or a selection of a few can be added to the bath water. Are you tense or stressed? Having trouble sleeping? This is a good way to immerge in the fragrance of essential oils and enjoy the gentle effect they can have on your mood and general well-being.
Make sure to really disperse the drops of oil in the bath, so they don’t come in contact with the skin undiluted. Around 8 to 10 drops should be largely enough for a filled bathtub.
Take a Whiff…
Undeniably the quickest way to interact with essential oils is to smell them. What does that do, you might ask… Obviously, to the skin – not so much. It’s more of a pick-me-up thing. I can’t tell you if one of my grandmothers had a hankerchief with some cologne on it in her purse, but it seems like something grandmothers would do. The old trick of a scent on a piece of cloth (or a tissue) can offer relief in case of headache or nausea.
- Spearmint or peppermint essential oil is the classic remedy to soothe these ailments.
- For good sleep and relaxation, put a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow and drift off.
- By the way, have you ever tried smelling a bottle of eucalyptus essential oil when your nose is a bit stuffed? Instant clearing-up!
Spread Essential Oils by Air in a Burner/Diffuser
Essential oils can replace scented candles in the home. The perfect way to create your own blends and fragrances, depending on the occasion, the hour of the day or the way your feel at the moment. Candles and other room scents often contain synthetic fragrances. These substances are suspected to be toxic and have been linked to cancer and other health issues.
There’s no need to fill the burner up with pure essential oil. A few drops in water will do just fine. As the bruner heats up, the water will start to evaporate and the essential oils as well. The more sophisticated diffusers come with a notice explaining how to use them.
- The essential oil burner works with tea-lights or small candles. They exist in all sorts of colors and designs. You most likely can easily find one in a local store. Because there are so many different ones on the market, it’s okay to be picky, right? Choose one that you really like, one that perfectly fits your style! I think both the one here in the picture and the Aromatherapy Soapstone Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser by Windrose in Flower and Vine Design
on amazon are very pretty.
- AuraCacia, the brand known for their amazing line of organic essential oils, makes a small diffuser to plug in the wall. Perhaps the AuraCacia Aromatherapy Room Diffuser
is a good option when you don’t want an open flame.
- A real essential oil diffuser would be a beautiful addition to your own home or an awesome and most original gift. The diffuser gives more control over the evaporation of essential oils when it comes to duration and intensity. Some look like they belong in a dentist’s office, but the doTERRA Lotus Essential Oil Aroma Diffuser
is as elegant as a piece of art.
And last but not least: Apply locally
Even though you read many warnings not to apply essential oils directly to the skin, there are a few exceptions. Small wounds, blemishes, cuts and minor infections being some of them.
Please be warned that the majority of aromatherapy books will see the application to the skin of undiluted essential oils as something close to blasphemy. In my opinion, it is good to be careful, but there are a few essential oils for skin care that can be applied pure. On certain occasions and in small quantity. Higher quality books and guides on essential oils do state this fact. The more simple and general aromatherapy books make it sound like a total no-go, probably because essential oils are very powerful and they don’t want people to go overboard. As long as you’re well informed, there shouldn’t be any issues.
Using some of the essential oils for acne for example, to touch lightly on blemishes, is a most effective way to heal them fast and without a scar. It’s all natural and organic (if you use organic essential oils) and truly beats the working of any anti-blemish stick on the market!
- Tea tree essential oil or a little bit of lime essential oil, applied to a blemish will fight the infection and accelerate the healing of it. Tea tree oil is simply brilliant, but if the strong, characteristic scent puts you off, a tiny dab of lime oil should help very well too.
- Lavender essential oil can also be used to apply locally, undiluted, to blemishes, small wounds and burns.
- Myrrh essential oil is absolutely great on wounds and anything infected. Try a tiny dab of myrrh essential oil on a pimple or blemish. The use of myrrh essential oil on wounds goes way back… Read more.
The Best Books Ever (!) on Aromatherapy & the Use of Essential Oils for Skin Care
These two gems are the most fascinating, complete and profound books on the subject I have been able to find until now. The writer gives so much great background information about essential oils and a very refreshing outlook on how aromatherapy relates to modern medicine. There are many good books about essential oils, and these are not the most simple or basic ones. However, if you’re looking for something more thorough than the mass-market material, I recommend Kurt Schnaubelt.
The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils: The Science of Advanced Aromatherapy
Medical Aromatherapy: Healing with Essential Oils
Both books are written by Kurt Schnaubelt.
Read More:
- Astringent, balsamic, cicatrisant… ? Check out the Glossary, where properties and essential oil benefits are explained.
- Best Natural Face Cleansers with Essential Oils for Acne
- Aromatherapy: Essential Oil Benefits in Natural Organic Skin Care
- Why buy organic skin care products, if you can make your own?
*Image credit: freedigitalphotos.net
All statements on this website express a personal opinion. I have no background in science or medicine. None of my musings can or should replace consulting your health care professional.