Essential Oils for Skin and Beauty

Essential oils have been used for thousands of years in health and beauty preparations for their varied and highly prized properties.

Let’s have a brief look at a few of them and the properties which may be beneficial for you in your beauty routine.

Lavender 

Lavender essential oil is absolutely one of my ‘must have’ oils.

Lavender is renowned for its properties promoting calm, relaxation, sleep and for helping to relieve tension and stress. Adding a few drops to a bath is a great way to relax, but it can also feel really luxurious too. It is important to take some time out at the end of a busy day to unwind and de-stress.

Alternatively try a few drops on your bedding or soles of feet at bedtime.

It can be used topically on skin imperfections or irritations to help reduce their appearance. And because it smells lovely too, it is used as a perfume.

For dry, cracked heels try adding 3 drops of lavender oil with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Apply the oil at night and cover with socks to keep the oil on your feet rather than your sheets!

A drop can be occasionally applied neat but for more regular use dilute with a carrier oil.

I love Fractionated Coconut Oil as a carrier oil.

Tea tree 

Tea tree essential oil has a multitude of beneficial properties when it comes to skin and beauty – antimicrobial, antibacterial and antiviral to name just a few. These properties make it helpful for skin irritations, minor skin infections and acne.

A gorgeous antibacterial face wash can be made by adding mixing a drop of tea tree oil with some raw honey. Apply, and wash off with water.

Peppermint 

Peppermint essential oil is one of doTERRA’s top selling oils. It can be used to freshen your breath. Just add a drop to water and rinse.

Rosemary 

Rosemary essential oil can be added to your shampoo to help thicken your hair and increase its volume.

Lemon

Lemon essential oil can be mixed with coconut oil, turmeric powder and strawberries!… to help to whiten your teeth. What a delicious way to do that!

Simply mix the ingredients together, apply to your teeth, and after two minutes, wash off.

Frankincense 

Frankincense essential oil is another true favourite of mine, and has famous properties for promoting feelings of wellness and calm (try a drop applied to the soles of feet at bedtime for this). But it also has a long tradition, dating back to the Egyptians, for its use in skin and beauty preparations, and as a perfume. It is used to improve the appearance of skin imperfections by topical application.

Essential oils are often used in combination with each other so let’s have a look at a couple of combinations:

Skin Toner

For a simple skin toner add:

2 drops of lavender, geranium and frankincense to 250ml water then add 2 tablespoons of witch hazel.

Geranium oil has a sweet fragrance, and promotes healthy skin and hair, was used by the Egyptians for beautifying, and so is an absolutely perfect ingredient for this toner.

Stretch Marks

And last but certainly not least, a mixture to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks:

Combine 5 drops of frankincense, myrrh (soothing to skin and promotes younger looking skin) and grapefruit (possesses skin purifying properties) with coconut oil. And apply to the affected area.

 

Let me know in the comments below what are your favorite essential oils for use on your skin and in your beauty routine, and your favourite combinations too!

 

If you would like to get started with essential oils but need more info on the best way to start, I can help. check out my getting started guide HERE