Essential oils aren’t just for scenting up the home. They have other purposes such as cleaning, pest control, candle-making and even enhancing your beauty routine. Essential oils can be added as a secret recipe to your makeup products, skin care and even hair care. They not only resolve your beauty related problems like acne and dry skin, they can also fight bacteria and infections that causes these problems.
While there are plenty of essential oils in the market, how do we know which oils are beneficial for our skin and which ones are not? For starters, we have a list of essential oil facesheet for your reading which talks about the therapeutic effects as well as benefits of each essential oil. Not only are they useful in determining what oils are good your your body, they also provide useful information on how to apply these essential oils in your day-to-day beauty routine.
For now, let’s take a look at what are some of the common essential oils people use in their beauty routine.
Top Essential oils for skincare and beauty
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Lavender Calming, hydrating and healing properties. Suitable for sensitive skin and soothes skin inflammations like acne and eczema. Lavender also has moisturizing and antibacterial properties which kills bacteria and heals breakouts. |
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Geranium Tightens sagging skin, great for matured skin that has wrinkles and fine lines. Smoothens skin layers and provide natural radiant glow by encouraging cell regeneration. Antioxidant effects slow down skin ageing while protecting skin from harmful irritants. |
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Frankincense Fades scars, reduces sunspots, blemishes, wrinkles and act as a natural healer for the skin. Useful in lifting the skin while maintaining skin elasticity. Also used for contracting large pores by tightening the skin. |
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Tea Tree A natural astringent with powerful sebum controlling abilities that fights against bacteria that causes acne and breakouts. Balances oil and sebum production levels, therefore is effective against oily and acne-prone skin. |
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Rose Excellent emollient properties for moisturizing dry skin. Offers antiseptic properties to treat inflammation and redness. High levels of vitamin A increases skin-cell turnover and reduces wrinkles. Also effective again pimples caused by hormonal imbalance. |
Adding essential oils into body and skin care
- Face toner
To use essential oils in a toner, add up to 5 drops of your desired essential oil into 50ml of distilled or rose water. Shake well to blend before use and store in a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic spray bottle and in a cool dry place. Mist over your face after cleansing.
- Body mist
Besides the face, essential oils can also be used on body. Add 10 drops of your desired essential oils into 50ml of distilled water, you can also mix a few essential oils to create your personalised blend of body mist depending on your skin’s needs.
- Body wash
Mix 2/4 cup castile soap, ¼ cup honey, 10ml of carrier oil of your choice, 10ml of vegetable glycerin and 40 to 50 drops of your desired essential oils into a pump bottle. Use as a regular body wash during your shower. For an extra kick, add citrus essential oils to have an invigorating wash.
- Sugar scrub
In a mixing bowl, pour 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/6 cup coconut oil and up to 10 drops of your favourite essential oil. Mix all of them together and store in an airtight container. If you like a little colour, add in a drop or 2 of food colouring while mixing. Use once a week, followed by your D-I-Y body wash.
- Hand sanitizer
Add 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel and 30ml of water and shake to mix well. Add in up to 10 drops of any antibacterial essential oil such as Lavender or Tea Tree into the concoction and shake again. Store in a squeeze tube and use as a hand sanitizer when outdoors.