Essential oils are some of the best ways to enjoy the beautiful scent of lavender or the more natural and earthy tones of frankincense. Not only are essential oils great for changing the aroma and mood of your home, but they can also help you relax, reduce anxiety, and much more.
While essential oils are great for aromatherapy, you may be wondering if those benefits can help your skin or even other parts of your body. So, can you put essential oils on your skin? Read on to learn the answer to that question and much more in this article.
What Is Essential Oil?
First and foremost, it’s important to understand what essential oils are. In short, essential oils are highly concentrated oils that come from plants. For example, essential oil from the lavender plant is made by distilling a large quantity of lavender leaves. Therefore, you can’t get essential oils by breaking a leaf and rubbing it on your skin or putting it in a jar.
Typically, essential oils tend to be aromatic. This means that they smell good, and you can run them through an aroma diffuser to improve the way your home smells. In fact, many essential oils have been used in aromatherapy to help with anxiety, depression, and even focus.
You’ll also come across essential oils that are mixed with carrier oils, like coconut oil, because in their concentrated state, they may not be safe for topical application. When it comes to essential oils for the skin, you may have to find a carrier oil or look for essential oils that come with one already.
Can You Put Essential Oils on Your Skin?
Yes, you can absolutely put essential oils on your skin. In fact, putting essential oils on your skin can help with inflammation, acne, wrinkles, and much more. While you can put essential oil on your skin, that doesn’t mean you should grab your favorite essential oil and start dropping it all over your face.
Instead, you need to be careful when applying essential oils topically.
What Are the Best Essential Oils for Skin?
The best essential oils for skin vary based on your needs. For example, witch hazel and frankincense are known for their anti-inflammatory properties and ability to help with acne and other blemishes.
Some other great essential oils for your skin include:
- Lavender: Soothes the skin, reduces redness, and promotes healing.
- Tea Tree: Helps with fungal infections, acne, and other skin conditions.
- Sandalwood: Hydrates your skin and can help with eczema and other skin conditions.
- Rose: Reduces redness and the intensity of wrinkle lines thanks to its hydrating properties.
- Ylang Ylang: Helps with skin texture, growth, and regeneration.
There are tons of essential oil options for your skin, but these are some good choices to start with; you can find all of these as well as additional options in this curated skin oil collection.
How to Put Essential Oils on Your Skin
If you want to put essential oils on your skin, it’s important to choose your essential oil wisely. While some essential oils will come with carrier oils infused already, if the one you’re looking at doesn’t, you’ll need to combine it with a carrier oil.
Also, make sure you’re choosing an essential oil that’s good for your specific application. For example, if you want to close your pores and tighten your skin, witch hazel essential oils are a good choice.
Once you have everything you need, you can follow the steps below to apply essential oil to your skin.
- Choose a carrier oil like jojoba oil, coconut oil, or almond oil.
- Add two drops of essential oil for every tablespoon of carrier oil (as a rough estimate).
- Test the essential oil and carrier oil combination on a small area of your skin to see if it causes irritation, known as a patch test.
- Apply the essential oil to the area where your skin needs assistance.
Following these basic steps will help you apply essential oils to your skin without causing too many problems. It’s also important to note that you should avoid open wounds or sensitive skin. Also, try and keep it out of your eyes, ears, and mouth.
Can You Put Essential Oils on Your Skin? Our Final Thoughts
So, can you put essential oils on your skin? In summary, yes, you can put essential oils on your skin. Putting essential oils on your skin can reduce inflammation, help with acne, and even help with wrinkles and other blemishes.
While you can put essential oils on your skin, make sure you go about it properly. Always start with a patch test and make sure you source the best essential oils for skin from reliable sources. And most importantly, always consult with your doctor before applying essential oils topically.