SolveYourProblem Article Series: Aromatherapy
Teach Me Some Aromatherapy Benefits

Using Essential Oils for Skin Care
   

Do you look at your skin and see it as a vital organ? It is. Your skin needs to be cleansed and nourished regularly to keep it beautiful and healthy. Your skin acts as a buffer to protect you from shock and damage as well as from infection and pollution. Skin also plays a part in your body’s waste removal system. You think for being so important people would treat it as such. But many people don’t give their skin the attention that it deserves.

There are many skincare products on the market that can have harmful effects on your skin and your health. The chemicals may be too harsh for your skin or you may have an allergic reaction to them. You may not feel comfortable with the fact that you are breathing in the chemicals from your skincare products. Essential oils are great for skincare because they are gentle on your skin and they don’t contain such harsh chemicals. They’ll be gentle on your skin and provide you with a number of benefits.

Besides their cleansing properties, essential oils also have natural healing properties that make them great for skin care. They absorb easily into your skin and are known to be useful for a wide variety of skin treatments. Remember you don’t have to stick with just one kind. Many people like to mix and match their essential oils. Be creative and see what you come up with.

To use essential oils as a part of your skin care regimen, first remember that skin needs care in three ways; it needs to be cleansed, toned and moisturized. You may not think that each of these steps is necessary in skin care but they are. Cleansing your skin removes dead skin cells and any dirt or pollutants. Toning your skin helps close your pores and keep skin tight. If your pores are left open then they are susceptible to letting in dirt and pollution, which causes breakouts and blemishes. Moisturizing helps to replenish the skin’s protective oils; moisturized skin tends to wrinkle less and later in life than dry skin. By taking care of your skin, you will look better and feel better about yourself.

What is your skin type? Is it oily, dry, acne prone? Just like with any other skin care treatment you need to find what will work best for your skin. There are so many essential oils for you to choose from; basically if you have skin, there’s one that will work for you.

After you’ve figured out what skin type you have, you can choose which oil would work best. Chamomile is a great essential oil to use for cleansing. If your skin tends to get oily tea tree, geranium, and lemon essential oils work to dissolve oil on the skin. For aging or dry skin an essential oil that soothes and lubricates the skin is what you should use. Ylang ylang and sandalwood are among the most popular. For acne prone skin lavender, tea tree, and lemon will help with breakouts.

Although essential oils are extremely useful for cleansing, toning and moisturizing purposes this is not the only type of skin care you can get from them. Adding essential oils to your bath is also a great way for your skin to benefit. Fill up your bath and add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice, depending on what is best for your skin, and soak for about fifteen minutes. Because essential oils are so concentrated, you only need to add a few drops to your bath.

Essential oils should not be used without being diluted; this can be harmful to your skin. There are several ways that you can dilute the essential oils before using them. If you’ll be massaging the oil into your skin use natural carrier oils. Among the most popular are sesame, jojoba, olive, peanut, grape seed, sweet almond and apricot.

Combining essential oils with a carrier lotion or skin cream is also a great way to dilute them. If you use a lotion or skin cream, make sure that it’s unscented and lanolin free. You can add a few drops of essential oils to create the perfect skin cream for yourself. Or if you’d like a personalized body scrub, mix Epsom salt with a little vegetable oil and a few drops of your favorite essential oil; voila you’re one step closer to smooth, silky skin. When using a salt scrub, remember never to use it on your face, it’s too harsh.

If you’re a spritzer kind of person, there’s something here for you too. Using a spritzer bottle you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil or a blend of oils along with some water. If you’d rather use floral water go ahead; it’s purely personal preference. Mix together your concoction and you’ll have a nice fresh spritzer not only to cool you off but it will improve your skin and help with your emotional well-being.

Other skin care benefits of essential oils include uses such as an antifungal, antiseptic and antibacterial. Essential oils can be used for eczema, lice, dandruff, athlete’s foot, and ringworm. If you have a cut, scrape or burn, an essential oils soothing and healing properties are a safe alternative to other harsh medicines.

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