How to use essential oils for your skin

Essential oils have been around for thousands of years and are derived from plants. The oils are extracted from the seeds, roots, leaves, and even the skins of the plants. In fact, the oils are what gives plants and flowers its fragrances.

What are found inside these essential oils? Hormones, vitamins, and other natural elements are found within essential oils. The oils vary in concentration when in their natural form. Synthetic oils, by contrast, are man-made but have a more consistent composition. We hear from the experts that synthetic and natural essential oils work equally well.

Nobody knows exactly how essential oils work, but we do know that they are absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream. The best access on the skin to administer essential oils is the eyelids, inside the wrist, and behind the ears. These areas on the skin are thin, which allows for easier absorption.

The best essential oils for your skin 

1. If you have Hormonally or Stress Reactive skin: lavender, geranium, ylang-ylang, and jasmine.

2. If you are interested in using Environmentally Sensitive oils: chamomile, rose.

3. For Overexposed or Hearty: geranium, neroli, frankincense.

Joni Loughran, in “Aromatherapy for Skin and Hair Care,” recommends these simple strategies for essential skin care:

1. Drop eight to ten drops of essential oil for your skin profile in the bath. Use warm water to relax or cool water to invigorate or calm inflammation.

2. Massage your body with essential oil. Add twenty to twenty-five drops of essential oil to two ounces of canola or other vegetable. If your skin tends to break out, rinse with a mild soap-and-water shower after the massage.

3. Make a facial compress: Add two to five drops of essential oil to a basin filled with water, stir, then immerse a clean washcloth. Squeeze out excess water and apply cloth to face.

4. Add essential oil to simple moisturizing products, ten to twenty drops for every two ounces.