Written by: Martin Hansen
The natural world provides a cornucopia of products to benefit every part of our lives. One of the ways that this world does touch us is in regard to the use of essential oils for skin care. Essential oils are the heart of the plant, and have been used for thousands of years not only to simply help beautify the skin, but also to help heal it.
Essential oils are found in the bark, flowers, leaves, stems, and fruit of hundreds of different plants, and are extracted from them by distillation, expression, and also by means of solvents. Essential oils are what give the rose its lovely fragrance, the pine its clean scent, and sandalwood its woodsy aroma.
What Is Your Skin Type?
Because different essential oils have different properties, it’s important to understand how these oils will affect your skin type. Always remember that essential oils should not be applied to the skin unless they have been mixed with a carrier oil – these are powerful substances that work best when they have been diluted.
- Dry skin can be problematic because it will tend to be damaged more easily than other skin types. Dry skin produces a feeling of tightness over the face, flaking can result, and it can make it more likely that you will develop wrinkles. Because your skin is so dry, it might become itchy, especially if you are exposed to the cold. Some essential oils are perfect for nurturing and protecting dry skin.
- Normal skin is what every woman would love to have – it is neither too dry nor too oily. However, even normal skin needs help to keep it that way. Environmental conditions can wreak havoc on even the best skin, so using an essential oil is, actually, essential.
- Oily skin will make it more likely that you will develop blemishes or even acne. Oily skin often leads to inflamed sebaceous glands. Before applying any kind of essential oil to this kind of complexion, you should use the best cleanser for oily, acne prone skin. Because of its nature, oily skin will always require a bit of extra care to prevent or treat acne. While it might seem contradictory to use an essential oil on oily skin, these oils act upon the skin to help fight bacteria that cause acne.
Of course, some women have a combination of skin types, too, and while your forehead might be dry, your cheeks could be oily. In many cases, essential oils will prove ‘flexible’ enough to use on even the fussiest combination skin.
Essential Oils for Every Skin Type
Always remember that you must mix your essential oil with a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil, argan oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil. As with your essential oil choice, you should buy the best quality of carrier oil, and look for oil that has been cold pressed, it will be more likely to be pure. It is usual to use about 10 to 15 drops of the essential oil to a tablespoon of the carrier oil. Some of these basic essential oils for the different skin types will help you get started on a fresher, lovelier skin.
- Rose essential oil can really help with keeping your dry skin looking smoother and feeling better. Like most essential oils, rose oil has antibacterial qualities that can help to heal chapped, dry skin.
- Geranium essential oil is another perfect choice for those with dry skin. Not only does it provide oils that will help to alleviate the symptoms of dry skin, but it also helps to increase circulation to your face to promote healing. You can even add a couple of drops of geranium oil to your favorite moisturizer for a moisturizing boost.
- Ylang ylang essential oil is one of the best for treating oily skin, especially if you are troubled with pimples or acne. This essential oil is an anti-inflammatory, which means that it helps to ‘calm down’ inflamed, irritated skin. Ylang ylang oil is also a strong antibacterial, which means that it actively fights against the bacteria that are causing an acne outbreak.
- Lavender essential oil is not only an all-around ‘work horse’ oil, but it is also great for helping with oily skin that is experiencing acne. The antiseptic qualities of lavender essential oil will help to attack bacteria that are causing pimples and acne. Another benefit of using lavender essential oil is that the fragrance is a great reducer of stress, and it’s no secret that stress can cause an outbreak of acne.
- Cedarwood essential oil is wonderful at keeping normal skin looking good. While normal skin might not present obvious problems like dry or oily skin, it’s important to keep it nourished properly to keep it that way. Nourishing, and with a lovely, woodsy fragrance, cedarwood essential oil can be used with a carrier oil or added to your usual moisturizer.
Using nature’s bounty, along with products such as washes, treatments, and soaps designed to help with various skin problems can help to keep your skin looking and feeling its best.
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