Essential Oils for the Skin: Skin Care

Jul 20

Have you ever wondered how essential oils could benefit your skincare? If you should add them in? If they could help? Let’s dive into essential oils all about skincare, talking about the different skin types, oils and carrier oils best for those skin types and also talking about different skincare conditions and the essential oils that are good for those. Learn some skincare DIYs to up your skincare game, and also learn how to safely implement essential oils into your routine. Check out part 2 of essential oils for the skin coming later when we talk about different skin conditions and the essential oils that can help.

Skincare

Skin Types:

Oily Skin: If you have oily skin you want essential oils that will help combat that and break down the oils/prevent bacteria from growing. Oily skin can bring out a lot of breakouts as well, so choosing essential oils that will help fight acne while breaking down excess oils is key. Choosing carrier oils as well that don’t over saturate your face is a good idea. Essential oils good for oily skin are: Bergamot (Photo-toxic), Mandarin, Tea Tree, Grapefruit (Photo-toxic), Lemon (Photo-toxic), Nutmeg, Juniper, Lemongrass, Basil, Cypress, Geranium, Clary Sage, Cedarwood, Ylang ylang, Peppermint, Frankincense, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Melissa, Yarrow, Coriander, Petitgrain, Lime (Photo-toxic), Thyme, Rose, Roman Chamomile, German Chamomile. Carrier oils good for oily skin are: Grapeseed oil, Hazelnut oil, Tamanu oil, Witch Hazel.
Dry Skin: If you have dry skin you probably have less breakouts but more flaky skin. Maybe some dry patches, you will want to focus on the moisture side of things. While breakouts still happen with dry skin, it’s not as often and the focus tends to be on getting moisture to the skin. Picking essential oils that are hydrating is a good idea, and pairing them with carrier oils that hydrate is a good idea as well. Essential oils for dry skin: Carrot Seed, Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, Geranium, Rose, Myrrh, Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Lavender, Orange (sweet and wild aren’t photo-toxic but other types are), Palmarosa, Rosewood, Petitgrain, Ylang ylang, Sandalwood, Neroli, Mandarin, Jasmine, Spikenard, Patchouli, Helichrysum. Carrier oils for dry skin: Almond oil, apricot seed oil, Avocado oil, mango butter, mango seed oil, peach kernel oil.
Normal skin: Normal skin is when nothing really happens and you have balance. You might get some break outs, but you don’t really worry about excess oil or having to hydrate your skin. Neutral essential oils are best in this case, maybe something that will help with breakouts when needed, provides adequate hydration but not something where you have to focus solely on a singular issue. Essential oils for normal skin are: Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Calendula, Rosemary, Geranium, Rosewood, Cypress, Ylang ylang, Cedarwood, Jasmine, Neroli. Carrier oils for normal skin are: Grapeseed oil, Hazelnut oil, Rosehip oil, Palm Kernel oil.
Combination Skin: Combination skin can be a little tricky. Some areas are dry and some are super oily. Finding a balance with products that work for both issues is a good idea. You want something that will help with the oil but also provide hydration when needed as well. Essential oils for combination skin are: Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Calendula, Rosemary, Geranium, Rosewood, Cypress, Ylang ylang, Cedarwood, Jasmine, Neroli. Carrier oils for Combination skin are: Grapeseed oil, Hazelnut oil, Rosehip oil, Palm Kernel oil.
Aging/Mature Skin: You want to choose oils for this skin type that will help with aging/wrinkles and provide the best support for mature skin. This might be moisture or oiliness still, but as skin matures it is less prone to breakouts and there is more of a focus on helloing the skin look healthy. Essential oils for aging/mature skin are: Carrot seed, Roman Chamomile, Clary Sage, Geranium, Rose, Jasmine, Frankincense. Carrier oils for aging/mature skin are: Argan oil, Avocado oil, Borage oil, Calendual oil, Evening primrose oil, Macadamia oil, mango seed oil, Meadowfoam oil, Wheatgerm oil.

On-top of essential oils for a basic skin care routine, there are also several skin care conditions that would benefit from essential oils as well.

Skincare Special Conditions:

Puffiness: Oregano, Marjoram, Cypress, Peppermint, Rosemary, Fennel, Celery, Clary sage, Roman Chamomile.
Stretch marks: Frankincense, Lavender, Neroli, Patchouli, Mandarin, Rose Geranium, Vetiver, Jasmine, Helichrysum, Spikenard, Geranium, Myrrh.
Sagging skin: Lavender, Helichrysum, Patchouli, Cypress.
Cellulite: Juniper, Cypress, Rosemary, Geranium, Lemon(photo-toxic), Lavender, Grapefruit(Photo-toxic)
Itchy skin: Roman Chamomile, Lavender, Helichrysum, Peppermint, Jasmine, Oregano, Patchouli.
Acne: Tea Tree, Frankincense, Helichrysum, Lavender, Thyme, Rose Geranium, Petitgrain, Grapefruit(photo-toxic), Sandalwood, Vetiver, Peppermint, Basil, German Chamomile, Cedarwood, Rosewood, Palmarosa, Geranium, Myrrh, Ylang ylang, Carrot seed, Lemon(photo-toxic), Lemongrass, Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Spikenard, Clove

So, essential oils are incredibly beneficial for a skincare routine, but there are some things to remember when using essential oils in your skincare routine.

Respect topical maxes: a lot of essential oils have a topical max and we should be respecting that especially for skincare. Oils like Lemon (2%), Lime (.7%), Grapefruit (4%) have low topical maxes because they are photo-toxic. Which brings me to my next point.
Photo-toxic oils: Some oils are photo-toxic, meaning they will cause a reaction when exposed to sunlight if you use too much. Stay under the topical max and/or use these oils at night to avoid UV rays. Don’t use these oils ever right before tanning or long days in the sun. The rule of thumb is wait 12 hours after topical application of these oils. If you follow their maxes, you shouldn’t have to wait that long but I always recommend waiting anyways and using these oils for a night time routine.
1% for facial application: Use a max of 1% for facial applications. Anywhere between .5% and 1% is great. This helps to avoid reactions, as the face is very sensitive and if you are using a product daily with essential oil you do not want to over do it. You can use a stronger dilution as a spot treatment if you needed, but this should not be a daily occurrence or used all over the face.
Patch test: Test out an oil first before applying it to the face, even if you don’t have a reaction the face is sensitive so you might have one on the face. Test a small patch under the ear on the jaw bone just to see and be sure.
Use a proper carrier: You need to dilute the essential oils and use a proper carrier. While you can use things like Aloe vera and witch hazel those don’t properly emulsify and you will need something else. Plant Therapy has an aloe jelly that will work without anything added but anything else, and witch hazel, will need another carrier or an emulsifier.
Avoid oils around the eyes: It might seem like a great idea to add essential oils to a makeup remover or use them in things like under eye creams or lash growth serums but try to avoid doing this. Getting essential oils the eyes is not any fun and there isn’t a huge benefit to adding them into things like a lash growth serum or makeup remover anyways. Best to leave them out of those DIYs

Lastly I would like to share some super simple DIYs for an easy skin care routine. I use a lot of these myself and they work so well. They are super customizable as well and can fit any routine.

Oil cleanser:

Oil cleansing is one of the best ways to help your skin. It can help moisturize, battle oil and clear our your pores. Make this super simple cleanser to add into your routine.

-1oz carrier oil of choice (grapeseed for combo/normal/oily, almond for dry, Rosehip for aging)

-9 drops of essential oils of choice (I like to use use lavender and tea tree)

Combine the oil and essential oils really well. Use a small amount and massage into face for 1-3 minutes to cleanse. Gently wipe off with a damp rag.

Facial Cleanser:

-3oz Castile soap

-1oz distilled water

-foam pump

-30 drops essential oils of choice

-optional 1oz of carrier oil if you want extra moisture

Add the essential oils to carrier if using, and then add into the Castile soap. Mix well, avoiding bubbles. Add the water in and mix well. Add everything to a foam pump and use 1-2 pumps to cleanse face as normal.

This recipe really works well for oily skin types or to use before oil cleansing/moisturizing face masks.

Conclusion

To end this post, I will also touch on hydrosols briefly. While essential oils are a great addition to skin care, they are not for everyone or everything. Consider adding a hydrosol into your routine there are several that are great for hydration and aging skin and would be perfect to add into anyones routine. a popular choice is Rose hydrosol used as a face mist. If you want a more detailed post on hyrdosols and skincare let me know. As always, happy oiling and stay safe.