Essential oils can be great for the skin, leaving you feeling energized and fresh. They can also help you look younger, longer. You can use them to cleanse, tone, relax and they may even help prevent skin disorders such as acne, rosacea and psoriasis. The best carriers oils for gentle skin blends that will not cause and allergic reaction and will not leave a greasy film on your skin are apricot and jojoba. Here are some simple but effective aromatherapy blends to help your skin.
Essential cleansing lotion
Take 200ml of a natural, hypoallergenic lotion and add the following essential oils.
10 drops chamomile
5 drops calendula
5 drops geranium
5 drops lavender
Skin loving bath oil
Add 8 drops of neroli or petit grain essential oils to three tablespoons of honey and let this melt in your bath to soften your skin, sooth away tension and help you have a restful sleep.
Foot freshener
After a hard day at work, add 1-2 drops if peppermint oil to 1 tablespoon of carrier oil and rub onto each foot. It will soothe away aches, revitalize tendons and help prevent blisters and calluses.
Essential Acne Treatment
This gentle treatment can be used to treat mild or severe acne and will show results in 1-2 weeks. For the carrier use 1 ounce of jojoba oil. Add to it;
8 drops chamomile
6 drops bergamot
4 drops tea tree
4 drops lavender
Essential lotion for dry, mature skin
Use 2 tablespoons of jojoba oil as the carrier and the add;
6 drops of myrrh
4 drops of neroli
2 drops geranium
Dab on a drop to the effected dry areas as needed.
Essential after sun soothing gel
Use aloe vera gel as the carrier. You will need 1oz. Add the following essential oils and mix together well:
10 drops of lavender oil
5 drops of chamomile oil
3 drops peppermint oil
Essential toning face masks
Moisture mask
Use 1oz of apricot oil for the carrier. Add:
2 drops of geranium
2 drops of neroli
2 drops of rose
To make a soft paste mix with fines ground oatmeal or almond.
Cleansing clay mask
Use 1oz of apricot oil for the carrier. Add:
2 drops peppermint
2 drops lavender
2 drops lemon oil
Mix with 0.75 kaolin to make a smooth paste.
Essential Oils and Skin Types
Depending on whether you have dry, oily, natural or combination skin, you might want to switch the oils in the above recipes to suit your skin type. Here are some essential oils that will match your personal needs:
Oily Skin
Geranium, peppermint, cypress, grapefruit, juniper, yarrow Melissa, ylang-ylang, coriander, lavender, rose.
Dry Skin
Geranium, , petit grain, sandalwood, rose, neroli, lavender, carrot seed, clary and cedar.
Normal skin
Geranium, cedar, lavender, angelica, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, neroli, petit grain, and roman chamomile.