Using The Grace of Essential Oils in Skin Care
Using natural botanical skin care is a wonderful experience. With uplifting aromatic essential oils and other natural carrier ingredients, it is easy to nourish the skin in a very special way. While dramatic effects can sometimes be had using synthetically created products, natural botanical blends can bring about a lasting healthy glow free from the possibility of side-effects.
Simple-to-make essential oil mixtures will use some formula of aromatic oils from plants and flowers, based in a carrier oil, usually cold pressed from seeds or nuts. Balanced aromatherapy blends offer the therapeutic healing effects of essential oils and the nutritive essential fatty acids of the carriers. Creating your own mixtures is a fun, rewarding and money-saving endeavor; you need only a bottle or two for the mixing, and an eye-dropper to dispense the essential oils.
There are a few essential oils most often used in skin care recipes – you can pick and choose from among these depending on your desired results. Other essential oils may be added to enhance the aroma of your blend; many oils used to do so are also are know to relieve tension or bring about a healthy state of mind – and most natural clinicians will tell you that beauty starts from the inside-out. So make something you love the smell of that also helps your skin glow!
Some of the more important aromatherapy oils used in beauty and skin formulas for both men and women include: Helichrysum italicum – a potent skin metabolism stimulator and strong anti-inflammate (inflammation at a cellular level is associated with nearly all skin damage and premature aging). Rosemary essential oil of the Verbenone chemotype – this serves a similar function to the oil of the Helichrysum flowers, increasing skin metabolism and enhancing the removal of cellular waste material. True Lavender, or Lavendula angustifolia, is also a strong anti-inflammate and skin regenerator with a lovely relaxing aroma – it lowers tension in addition to directly treating the skin cells, furthering natural beauty. The oil distilled from the Wild Carrot seed (also known as Queen Anne’s Lace) is very regenerating, bringing life to tired, lifeless skin resulting from high-stress and toxic environments. Palmarosa is considered a ‘wonder oil’ because of it’s brilliant aroma and strong yet gentle antiseptic properties; Niaouli is another essential oil commonly recommended for the same reasons, in addition to it’s ability to tighten and firm the skin.
This includes only a few of the more commonly used essential oils in skin care formulations. Many oils not listed here have properties which can be highly effective for particular skin conditions – further investigation with the specifics of your skin type will likely uncover these for you. Of course, other oils can be added to your blends simply for their pleasing scent; Neroli and Petitgrain, distilled from the flowers and leaves of the bitter orange tree, are often included for this reason.
Essential oils, be they for direct effects on skin metabolism, or for the overall state of wellness of the user, will be diluted in a carrier oil, sometimes known as a base oil. It is important to note that diluting the oils will often actually enhance their effects; essential oils are often too strong to be used directly, and many studies have shown increased efficacy in dilutions down to 1% or less of the total formula. The carrier oils serve several other functions as well; they “carry” the essential oils into the skin, increasing their total absorption. They also nourish the middle and lower layers of the skin with essential fatty acids or EFA’s – compounds now considered critical to the health of all living tissues. Further, some carrier oils have vitamin analogs which assist in skin regeneration and repair.
Some of the carrier oils often found in skin formulations include Hazelnut, Rosehip seed, and Evening Primrose. Hazelnut is a very gentle oil with little aroma of it’s own, and being suitable for virtually all skin types, it use used in a vast number of blends as the primary carrier. To this, Rosehip seed oil is added for it’s concentration of triple-unsaturated fatty acids, and it’s natural trans-retinoic acid; a vitamin-A compound similar in effects to Retin-A without drying side effects. Evening Primrose is often also included in lower concentrations for it’s high levels of GLA or gamma-linolenic acid, and is considered important in cases of eczema and skin showing signs of premature aging.
Making your own blends with these ingredients is truly a fun and rewarding experience – you only need a bottle to mix them in, and some means of counting out drops of essential oil. An eye dropper works wonderfully, and graduated plastic pipettes are readily available. A basic blend to begin with, which is designed for overall health of the skin, is made thusly: to one ounce of Hazelnut Oil, add fifteen drops Thyme Linalool, fifteen drops Rosemary Verbenone, fifteen drops Neroli (or a high-quality Petitgrain if you prefer – it is much less expensive with many of the same properties), and fifteen drops Spike Lavender (a Lavender with strong antiseptic qualities – a little more ‘medicinal’ than the sweeter True lavender). This blend was originally formulated to clear up oily skin, but is now used to support normal skin in daily application.
For overly sensitive and damaged skin (from chemicals or other means) and for skin with weak capillaries (showing spider veins may be a symptom), start with a 5:1:1 ratio of Hazelnut, Rosehip Seed and Evening Primrose oils (3/5 ounce Hazelnut, and 1/5th each of the other oils). Add fifteen drops each of German Chamomile, Helichrysum italicum, true Lavender, and Roman Chamomile. This blend will enhance the regenerative capability of the skin through the action of the Helichrysum and Rosehip seed, provides nutrients through in the Rosehip seed and Evening Primrose, and reduces the inflammation which accompanies any type of damage and aging.
For clearing excessively oily and acne-prone skin, to one oz. of Hazelnut oil, add fifteen drops each of Myrtle essential oil (use the green, rather than red, variety), Eucalyptus Dives, Spike Lavender, and Rosemary verbenone. The Myrtle is special in that it dissolves the sebum clogging skin pores, and the Eucalyptus calms the output of the sebaceous (oil-producing) glands.
If your skin has no particular ‘condition’, but appears tired, lifeless, pallid, or ‘worn out’, try mixing one-fifth ounce of Rosehip Seed and four-fifths ounce Hazelnut oil. Then add 15 drops each of Carrot Seed essential oil (also known as Queen Anne’s Lace or Wild Carrot), Lemon verbena (which helps the skin detoxify), Niaouli (gently tightening the skin), and Rosemary verbenone – this creates an excellent restorative blend. For aging skin needing firming that can be used around the eyes – try this more gentle variety: Mix in five ounces of Hazelnut oil and one ounce of Rosehip seed oil, add fifteen drops of each of Myrtle essential oil (green), Cistus or Rock Rose and Rosemary.
These blends are tried and true combinations of essential oils (see Kurt Schnaubelt’s “Advanced Aromatherapy – the Science of Essential Oil Therapy”). They will help get you started into the wonderful world of natural health and beauty. There is a blend here that can suit the needs of nearly every individual; yet there are no hard and fast rules. You can blend oils to your own tastes and needs, just keep in mind that more is not usually better in natural medicine and therapeutics – a balance is important. Most essential oils work best at concentrations below 5% of the total blend in a carrier. For best results, once you begin to experiment, allow your intuition to lead you to the oils and combinations that work best for you.
