The Ultimate Guide to Essential Oils for Skin Care
Essential oils Face Oils Natural Beauty Natural Skincare
Looking to add essential oils to your skincare routine? Wondering which ones and how!? Let’s take a closer look at the best essential oils for skin by skin type, how to use essential oils on skin safely, and some fun, simple ways to start adding them to your natural beauty routine!
Are essential oils part of your natural beauty routine yet?
By the end of this guide, they will be!
Essential oils can help keep skin clear, fight the signs of aging, increase skin elasticity, and so much more.
I’ve already blabbed on and on to you about my obsession with face oils and how they have helped me attain and maintain a clear, (as-close-to-)flawless(-as-I’ve-come-since-infancy) complexion. Well consider this part 2…
IN THIS BLOG POST, YOU’LL FIND:
P.S. I recently took my obsession for face oils and bottled it up! The Body Unburdened Beauty Blends are made with the highest quality organic ingredients… and so much love by yours truly just for you.
First things first, what are essential oils?
Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts.
They capture the plant’s scent and flavor, or “essence,” plus its unique chemical properties.
Because of these unique chemical properties and their benefits, essential oils have long been used in herbal and natural medicine, as well as aromatherapy.
The BIG difference between essential oils and carrier oils you must know
If you want to learn about essential oils, you’ll also need to learn about carrier oils. This is especially true if you plan to use essential oils for skin application and health!
There is a big difference between the two, though they’re most typically used hand-in-hand, blended together.
Carrier oils are vegetable oils that are derived from the fatty portion of plants, usually from the seeds, kernels or the nuts.
Examples of carrier oils: coconut oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, sunflower seed oil, rosehip seed oil, evening primrose oil, and many more.
Can essential oils be used on skin?
The answer: yes and no.
Only some essential oils are safe to use on your skin, and even those essential oils must be properly diluted in a carrier oil. You can also dilute them in butters (like shea, cocoa, or mango) or aloe vera.
Remember: essential oils are very concentrated herbal extracts and very strong!
So if applied undiluted, essential oils can cause skin irritation and burning, which we of course don’t want.
How to use essential oils on your skin: 3 must-know rules
Rule #1: Essential oils should’t be applied to the skin “neat” or undiluted
They should always be diluted in a carrier oil like argan oil, jojoba oil, pumpkin seed oil, grapeseed oil, etc.
You can find the best carrier option for your skin type here: The Best Face Oils By Skin Type
Opinions on proper dilution ratios vary, though most recommendations are between 1% and 2% of the final product.
Since there are 20 drops in 1 ml and 29 mL in 1 oz, for every 1 oz of carrier oil:
- 2% dillution = no more than 12 drops of essential oils
- 1% dillution = no more than 6 drops of essential oils
Rule #2: Be sure to do a patch test
This is to make sure your skin does not have an adverse reaction to the essential oils.
The inner forearm is a great place to do a test since the skin is delicate, similar to facial skin.
Rule #3: Some essential oils cause photosensitivity and so should not be used on the skin
In other words, these essential oils make your skin more vulnerable to UV rays. This in turn makes skin more vulnerable to uncomfortable sunburn as well as premature aging.
Essential oils that are known to cause photosensitivity:
- Angelica root Angelica archangelica
- Bergamot peel Citrus aurantium
- Bitter orange peel Citrus sinensis
- Cumin seed Cuminum cyminum
- Grapefruit peel Citrus paradisi
- Lemon peel Citrus limonum
- Lime peel Citrus aurantifolia
- Mandarin leaf Citrus reticulata
- Rue leaf Ruta graveolens
You may see varying safe dilution amounts for these essential oils. But my thought process is is: why take the risk when there are SO many other essential oils with wonderful skin benefits and no risk of photosensitivity? It’s just not worth it.
The 10 best essential oils for skin
The following ten essential oils help remedy a number of skin conditions — from acne to aging, dryness to oiliness.
And when combined with the right carrier oils — see the best face oils by skin type — you’ll see absolutely amazing results!
Carrot Seed Essential Oil — aging skin, reducing scarring
Carrot seed essential oil is rich in antioxidants, helping to neutralize inflammation and wrinkle-causing free radicals (source).
It has a rejuvenating effect on the skin, helping to keep skin smooth skin and aid cell regeneration. For this reason, it’s prized as one of the best essential oils for aging skin.
Frankincense Essential Oil— acne and blemish-prone skin, aging skin, reducing scarring, dry skin
Ah, the go-to essential oil for all skin needs!
Frankincense essential oil works wonders for all skin types. It has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits to the skin, making it great for acne-prone skin. It is also a natural toner, decreasing the appearance of pores and evening skin-tone. It encourages new cell growth, helping to tighten skin and reduce wrinkles and the appearance of scars. It also helps soothe chapped, dry skin. (source)
Geranium Essential Oil — acne and blemish-prone skin, aging skin, reducing scarring, dry skin, dermatitis, eczema
This sweet-smelling essential oil also does it all.
Geranium essential oil is a powerful anti-inflammatory (source). It helps improve skin elasticity and smooth the skin. It also promotes blood circulation to the skin, helping to heal bruises, broken capillaries, burns, cuts, dermatitis, eczema, ringworm, and other skin conditions.
Lavender Essential Oil — acne and blemish-prone skin, aging skin, reducing scarring, dry skin
Lavender essential oil is one I suggest no one goes without! It smells amazing, helps you relax and your body adapt to stress, and (of course!) has great benefits for the skin.
Lavender essential oil is a powerful anti-inflammatory (source), helps speed the healing of wounds, and increase collagen production (source). This is why it’s so is great for aging, mature skin, as well as blemish-prone skin.
Myrrh Essential Oil — acne and blemish-prone skin, aging skin, reducing scarring, dry skin
Myrrh essential oil is especially great for aging and chapped, irritated skin.
It has strong antioxidant properties (source) that help improve skin tone, firmness, and skin elasticity, helping to reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Myrrh is also one of the best essential oils for healing skin irritations and chapped skin (source).
Neroli Essential Oil — acne and blemish-prone skin, aging skin, reducing scarring, dry skin
Neroli essential oil is wonderful for oily, sensitive, and mature skin. Yes, another great essential oil for all skin types!
This antioxidant, anti-inflammatory essential oil contains a natural chemical called citral, which helps regenerate cells. For this reason, it’s said to be very good at preventing and healing stretch marks, as well as smoothing fine lines. Its antibacterial properties also aid blemish-prone skin. (source)
Patchouli Essential Oil — aging skin, reducing scarring, dermatitis, eczema
Patchouli essential oil promotes new cell growth and smooths the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Because it also has antiseptic, anti-fungal, and antibacterial properties, patchouli EO is also great for skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, and acne.
Rose Essential Oil — aging skin, reducing scarring, dermatitis, dry skin
Rose EO is one of the best essential oils for dry skin as well as aging, mature skin.
Researchers have found that it contains several therapeutic compounds known to promote healing, especially antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory compounds. As a result, rose essential oil helps refine skin texture and tone, and can be helpful with managing skin conditions such as psoriasis and dermatitis. Interestingly, one study even found that just inhaling rose essential oil inhibits water loss in the skin!
Studies also indicate that rose essential oil also helps alleviate stress and anxiety, which raise cortisol levels and so accelerate skin aging and can trigger breakouts! In this more holistic way, rose essential oil also benefits the skin.
Tea Tree Essential Oil — acne and blemish-prone skin
Tea tree essential oil is one of the more well-known essential oils for acne and blemish-prone skin.
Its antibacterial properties help ward off acne-causing bacteria and assist wound healing. It also helps to regulate oil production, helping fight breakouts before they even start. (source)
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil — acne and blemish-prone skin, aging skin, reducing scarring
Ylang ylang essential oil is one of my favorite essential oils because of its rich, floral fragrance. It smells amazing!
But ylang ylang is so much more than its scent: this essential oil helps control oil production and minimize breakouts. It also helps regenerate skin cells, smoothing fine lines and improving skin elasticity. (source) Another great essential oil for every skin type!
How to use essential oils in your skincare routine: 2 fun ways to get started
Essential oils play a big role in many natural skincare DIYs, to add both a natural scent and their beneficial properties.
Here are 2 fun ways to get get started:
1. Customized face oil blend
Read through How to Make A Custom Face Oil Blend (Perfect for YOUR Skin) to learn everything you need to know about selecting the right carrier and essential oils to make a face oil bend that’s perfectly suited to your skin.
And if you have blemish-prone skin, check out my DIY All-Natural Face Oil for Acne-Prone & Oily Skin.
2. Body scrub
An all-natural body scrub that exfoliates, moisturizes, and provides the aromatherapeutic and skin-loving benefits of essential oils? Yes, please! Plus, they’re SO simple to make.
- Luxurious Tangerine & Rose DIY Sugar Scrub Recipe
- Moisturizing Mojito DIY Sugar Scrub Recipe
- DIY All-Natural Vanilla Latte Body Scrub
Do you use essential oils in your skincare routine?
I’ve had amazing results with essential oils and carrier oils — my skin is clearer and brighter than it has ever been, and my acne scars and sun spots are slowly but surely fading.
Do you already incorporate essential oils in your skincare routine?
Which ones?
If not and you decide to try one or two (or more!), please give us an update on how they are working for you!
Can you tell me or explain a little more what the carrier oil is?
AWESOME!!! Another oily face success story 🙂
Love this! I’ve been using grapeseed oil for more than a year, and recently started adding rosehip to it. Improved my skin more than anything else, plus I saved a ton of money!
Thanks for sharing! Yes, I’ve heard of them before and need to investigate more!
Native American Nutritionals (NAN) are great quality oils and good alternative if you don’t want to get involved with a multi-level marketing company. I researched for months and they came out as top pick by about 90% of the sites I looked at.
How can you tell if essential oils are good to buy? I found some that say 100% pure is that good? Or should I look deeper to make sure they are telling the truth? 🙂 thanks!
I am new to this too so I would like to ask, what is a carrier oil? And how do I join you in being a distributor?
Hey, I am new to this and want to first try out with the oils that I have at hand.. I have oily and sensitive skin. I don’t have a serious acne issue, have few breakouts here and there, but have developed some reaction to color that I had put on face (a rugby team supportive stamp!), thus have sort of rough acne (if you can call it that!) on my face that does not go away..
I was wondering if I could mix use lavender oil and Olive oil as carrier oil and apply on face? If that is even a good combination.. could you please let me know about the ratio and application method, if this combination is good?
Thanks!
Sure you can mix the two! Theoretically, you can apply these two EOs neat to the skin, but I like to play it safe and suggest a carrier oil in case. It’s up to you.
can we mix tea tre oil with lavender oil and put it on the acne, or there has to be another carrier oil ?
if yes, then what ratio ?
I’m new to the oils. I have been reading a lot and experimenting w the oils for relief of primarily for aches and pains. What I would like to do is begin using more oils as moisturizers for my body ( the whole family). I know you need a carrier oil to mix with the EO, but sm not sure which EO blend well with different carriers. I have coconut oil at home what could I do w that and combine an Ezi for a skin moisturizer?
That’s really up to you!
Hi Nadia, I want to do a mixture of avocado oil, patchouli and neroli essential oils for a moisturizer. I’m wondering if its a good mixture and is it best to mix jojoba oil to neroli and patchouli oil to make more than make my moisturizer using the avocado oil?
hi nadia I wash my face with bicarbonate soda ,honey and a few drops of lavender oil am and pm, followed with witch hazel toner and for a moisturiser I use a mixture of jojoba oil. and aloe vera gel with no alcohol. for my scrub I use sugar and lemon juice and for a mask iuse gram flour and milk and add turmeric to lighten my scar from where I have had acne pimples and as I have always had pimples and acne, as I have skin damage from the sun over the years I have botox for my wrinkles but I cannot afford it. I have done some research for diminishing wrinkles and have found that flaxseed liquid oil liquid repairs and diminishes wrinkles and also read that olive oil, ylang ylang oil mixed with lavender oil diminishes wrinkle, but as I have oily combination skin and with my skin regimine I now have clear skin and am really happy to share my skin regimine that it has worked, I was told that olive oil causes black heads can you please advice what oils I can use am and pm for diminishing wrinkles please as I have been only doing my skin regimine and I have no more spots and my scars have improved and lightened and when can we use an spf after moisturising of before. I hope if anyone has acne problems please try this regimine it really work. good luck! many thanks
Hi Nadia, I am 61 with extremely dry skin, I use YL and want to make all my own face products any oil suggestions, was thinking of using avocado butter and or avocado oil and rosehip oil as a carrier oils. I did read that patchouli is good thank you
I like to make this DIY foaming hand soap! https://bodyunburdened.com/diy-antibacterial-moisturizing-all-natural-foaming-handsoap/
Ohh some people say carrot seed oils had SPF properties but I’m not sure any studies have been done or whatnot. So I can’t really say… your best bet for true SPF protection is to make a DIY sunscreen https://bodyunburdened.com/diy-all-natural-sunscreen-lotion/ You can tailor this recipe with the oils and EOs of your choice (except lemon EO should NEVER be used in the sun!).
Has anyone tried out a skin saggin oil yet
Hi Nadia, thanks for your user-friendly info regarding skin friendly EO’s. My question is what EO has a sunscreen? I know different carrier oils do but for day moisturizing I need to make sure I am protected so I would like to make sure the EOs I choose for morning have an SPF. Thanks so much!!
Hi Nadia, I read your post and the links as well as all the questions and replies and I think they are a little over my head for my question. I don’t want to make a DIY hand soap and I’m hoping I don’t need to create an extensive blend as the better versions of these are all so expensive. I use a regular drug store liquid hand soap that is made from white tea and vitamin E. It’s antibacterial and says it has moisturizers, however my skin gets so dry between the winter weather and certain medications, that it will actually crack and bleed. I was hoping there is one essential oil that is best for extremely dry skin that I could perhaps just add into my liquid hand soap. I have several that I use in my humidifier that help keep the dryness away from my skin overall, but the hands are still a problem. Any suggestion? Thanks for your help!