Essential oils are often used to fight acne and other skin problems. Although it might seem counterproductive to put oil on blemishes, here’s why it’s not. Essential oils really aren’t oily. Instead, they are volatile plant extracts that quickly evaporate. They also contain natural infection-fighting compounds, as well as substances that can potentially soothe inflammation.
Some essential oils are also known for their astringent-like properties. These are usually the aromatics recommended for acne.
Essential Oils for Skin Conditions
(This post contains affiliate links, and if you purchase a product I receive a commission, at no extra cost to you.)
So, if you want to use essential oils on problem skin, there are a variety of ready-to-use formulas designed for acne and other conditions. If you already own essential oils, it’s also easy to make your own recipes. (Actually, DIY cosmetics with essential oils are fun and easy to make. This is something I find myself doing more and more.)
Using Essential Oils on Your Skin
There are a number of advantages to using natural botanic remedies on your skin, as opposed to commercial acne-fighters. These products can contain harsh chemicals that can irritate your skin.
Also, many women’s beauty products contain parabens. These estrogen-like compounds disrupt the hormones. Once they’re applied to the skin, they’re readily absorbed into the bloodstream. Parabens are one of the reasons I spend so much time telling my readers about plant-based cosmetics. For every potentially toxic product on the market, a safer option exists.
Essential Oils for Problem Skin
Essential oils contain nutrients, so they have the potential to nourish your skin. The very small molecular structure of these oils allows them to reach areas that are needed.
So, if you are troubled by acne or other types of skin eruptions, essential oils can potentially come to the rescue. A number of aromatics, such as lavender oil, are known for their ability to speed healing.
Please understand that I’m not a dermatologist or a professional skincare expert. So I can’t give medical advice or make any claims that a particular product or remedy will solve your skin problems. All I can do is share my own experience of using essential oils on my skin.
For the last several years, I’ve been using on natural plant-based products on my face. My skin tone has improved so much that I no longer feel the need to wear foundation. Never again will I put anything that’s toxic on my face.
Essential Oil Healing Secrets
If you’d like to learn more about using aromatics on your skin, Essential Oils for Beginners is a useful book for people just starting to learn about the wonders of aromatherapy. The book explains that aromatherapy is a healing technique that uses distilled plant essences as natural medicines.
These scented oils can either be distilled in the air (one of my favorite ways to use them), inhaled (this works well if you put a couple of drops of oil on a cloth) or massaged directly into the skin. However, if you choose the latter method, you must always use what’s known as a carrier oil because the uncut essential oils are so strong. Common carrier oils are almond and jojoba oil, which has a chemical composition that resembles human skin oil. This book contains a lot of information on carrier oils, a very important component of aromatherapy.
Essential Oils for Beginners Book
Healing Acne with Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is often recommended for acne. Tea tree oil comes from the Australian melaleuca tree. It’s considered good for acne-prone skin, since it contains infection-fighting compounds. However, because tea tree oil applied straight to your skin would be too strong, one way to harness its acne-fighting benefits is to use it diluted with other oils and herbs.
Desert Essence Anti-Bacterial Blemish Touch Stick contain tea tree, plus a number of other herbs and oils, which work together to clear your face. This natural acne remedy is made by Desert Essence, a company committed to using desert plants for natural healthcare solutions.
Desert Essence Blemish Touch Stick
Rosehip Oil for Problem Skin
Rosehip seed oil is not technically an essential oil. It’s made from cold pressed rose hips, which are the bulbs of the flowering plant. This oil has a reputation of being able to smooth fine wrinkles and reverse sun damage. It’s often used in products and DIY skincare recipes designed to soothe chronic skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
I use pure rosehip seed oil on its own. Also, I mix it with soothing aromatics, such as lavender or palmarosa essential oil, both known for their soothing skin qualities.
Essential Oils for Skin Problems
Using plant-based emollients, such as rosehip seed oil, has solved my long-standing problem of dry skin. The areas near my mouth used to redden and flake. No amount of chemical moisturizer helped. Now, I realize that the creams I put on my skin, in an attempt to heal it, probably caused the problem in the first place. Here is a really easy skin-soothing recipe using rosehip oil and essential oils. If you want to use this for acne, substitute tea tree essential oil for the palmarosa oil.
2 teaspoons rosehip seed oil (It’s available here)
2 drops lavender essential oil (It’s available here)
2 drops palmarosa essential oil (It’s available here)
Mix these ingredients together and store in a clean glass jar with a lid. Keep them away from light and heat. You can also refrigerate this mixture.
Essential Oils that Help Eczema
If you have your own essential oils, you can easily make your own DIY essential oil eczema blend with soothing oils, such as lavender, geranium and Roman chamomile. Just make sure to dilute them in a carrier oil, such as rosehip seed oil, before putting them on your skin.
Aromatic oils are so strong that you just need a little, which goes a very long way. A recommended adult dilution for the face is 1 percent. This means you only need 3 or 4 drops of essential oil for every 2 teaspoons of carrier.
If you don’t have your own essential oil collection, here are some premixed blends designed for problem skin. They are made by Plant Therapy, which doesn’t use a multilevel marketing sales model. This is one of my favorite essential oil companies, because of its commitment to quality.
The Plant Therapy KidSafe designation means it is safe to use on children between the ages of 2 and 10, and contains oils that are safe for all age groups, adults included.
Plant Therapy Soothe BlendKidSafe Skin Blend
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.