When it comes to natural skin care, essential oils are an invaluable tool. These natural, non-greasy oils from plants and herbs are used for toning, spot treatment of acne, scars and blemishes, smoothing wrinkles and age marks, creating a healthy glow and bringing skin back to life. Most beauty regimens involve essential oils in tiny amounts, usually diluted in a vegetable oil or cream with other natural and synthetic ingredients. In these forms, essential oils are being used more for fragrance and marketing than for their therapeutic properties.
In fact, most of the oils in commercial health and beauty products hardly have medicinal or therapeutic properties - they are grown and processed in such a rapid way that the healing potential of the plants is lost.
Pure, properly-derived essential oils require a slower, more arduous process and yield a smaller volume of product - but quality essential oils are able to provide concentrated oxygen and nutrients to the skin that is almost impossible to get from other sources.
If you’re using therapeutic-grade, organic essential oils, you can put the oils directly onto your skin, or dilute them with a carrier oil for easier application.
Some of the most popular essential oils to restore skin’s health and beauty include:
Clary Sage
Clary sage contains plant chemicals which are very similar to human hormones and act as “hormone precursors” - the human body can convert them to whatever it needs at the time. Clary sage is helpful to skin where there is a hormonal imbalance acting in concert with a skin issue.
Eucalyptus
Similar to tea tree oil (below), eucalyptus is well known for its ability to clear blackheads and blemishes and create smooth skin.
Lavender
Lavender is often called the “universal oil,” good for everything and harmful to none - unless you’re using hybrid lavender or an artificial substitute. Real lavender is very difficult to find and labels can be misleading Lavender is good for the skin, soothing and calming, and extraordinarily healing for burns and blemishes, but is very drying.
Lemon
Citrus oils are healing and restorative to the skin. A dab of lemon oil, in particular, is one of the fastest ways to clear up acne. But beware: citrus oils may discolour (like a sunburn) if exposed to direct sunlight within 72 hours of application.
Myrrh
The lesser-known partner to Frankincense, Myrrh was well-known in the ancient world as a balm and was used to treat almost everything. This thick, resinous essential oil is often considered invaluable for treating rashes and blemishes caused by warts, eczema, and bacteria. (But be careful of your source - inferior quality myrrh, processed from the resin, can contain solvents and chemicals that make it unsafe to use directly on the skin.)
Patchouly
Patchouly is often recommended for all kinds of skin conditions. It is excellent for treating rashes and scarring, and may be used as a moisturizer or as deodorant because of its powerful fragrance.
Sandalwood
Sandalwood oil has a mild fragrance and is extremely moisturizing. One of the ancient healing oils used for the skin in Biblical times, it is helpful for removing wrinkles and scars and renewing tired skin.
Tea Tree (Melaleuca)
Tea tree or melaleuca is useful for cleaning and soothing blotchy skin or acne. It helps heal blemishes and relieves congestion in the skin.
For more information on natural skin care, read:
Victoria Anisman-Reiner - Victoria Anisman-Reiner is a freelance writer with extensive experience in holistic health care and animal training.
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