Intro to Essential Oils
Imagine taking roots, seeds, flowers, and bark and cold pressing them or distilling them to extract the highly concentrated oils hidden within. The potent chemical compound that is released is known as an essential oil.
When applied topically, through skincare or in baths, these essences of a plant can provide many benefits. Each essential oil has unique properties that help to detoxify cells, thus promoting healthy skin and strong immune systems.
Choosing Your Oil
These are some of the most popular essential oils for topical use and their benefits:
Frankincense: Removes dead skin cells, promotes healthy-looking skin and even skin tones.
Lavender: Antifungal properties help soothe skin irritations such as eczema and dry skin.
Copaiba: Promotes clear, smooth skin and reduces the appearance of blemishes.
Lemon: Antiseptic and detoxifying properties help to treat and clear skin. It also assists in excessive oil production.
Wild Orange: Maintain healthy skin texture, clarity, radiance, smoothness, reduce acne and increase blood flow.
Peppermint: Encourages tissue repair and alleviates muscle soreness. Also eases oil secretion to assist in the fight against acne.
Tea Tree: Anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties treat pimples, calm redness, and reduce swelling. It can even reduce facial scarring.
Ginger: Antioxidant properties help slow down wrinkle production, fine lines, and signs of skin damage.
Eucalyptus: Known for healing colds, aches, infections, and wounds.
How to Use
Once you have selected your oil of choice for your target area, there are a few different ways to incorporate it into your skincare and bath routines. The most obvious way is to apply directly to the skin, or dropping a few drops into your moisturizer, cleanser, lotion, or bath. However, you can also find creative ways to incorporate these essential oils into your morning or evening bath routine in the form of bath soaks.
Although direct application is a great way to hit target areas such as acne or scarring, essential oils are also commonly mixed with carrier oils. Carrier oils are unscented oils that do not interfere with the therapeutic properties of the essential oils. Their main job is to help dilute the potency of the essential oil for use on sensitive skin, increase skin absorption, and essentially "carry" the oils into the skin.
Some examples of carrier oils are coconut oil, jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil, sweet almond oil, olive oil, argan oil, rosehip oil, black seed oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, and sunflower oil. Mixing a carrier oil with an essential oil of your choice, apply the combination to your targeted areas, massaging in for full effect.
It is not scientifically proven that essential oils will cure, treat, or prevent any ailments. However, with countless testimonies standing behind the power of such powerful, natural oils, it is almost impossible to deny the benefits that these oils can provide.