The Basics of Skin Care & Essential Oils

Why Your Skin Matters

The health of your skin is a vital component of your wellness.

In terms of physical wellness—your skin is your largest organ! It protects you from environmental toxins, regulates homeostasis for your body, has close ties to your immune system, and more!

And in terms of emotional wellness—the health of your skin can have a big impact on your self-image, social confidence, and overall sense of well-being.

Basically, your skin deserves to be taken care of.

And essential oils, if used properly, can help you maintain healthy, vibrant skin!

Firstly, are essential oils safe to use on my skin?

Let’s be clear about this—some essential oils can benefit your skin if they are used correctly.

If however, you use the wrong oils OR use the right oils in the wrong way, you can end up damaging your skin instead of nourishing it.

So, if you want to use essential oils in your skincare, it’s important that you know how to do so safely.

What are the rules for safely using essential oils in skincare?

When it comes to oils and skin, there are a number of rules that all essential oil users should know and follow:

Research to know which oils are safe for different purposes.

It’s important to do your research so that you know what the benefits and risks are for different oils.

For example, a little research will tell you that citrus oils can increase your skin’s vulnerability to sun damage, so they are best used in nighttime skincare.

(Mint oils and camphor oil should also be treated with great caution.)

Use only pure, high-quality oils.

An adulterated, low-quality oil can throw all of your safety research out the window! So make sure to check your oil quality!

And don’t use expired essential oils either. They may be oxidized and therefore unhealthy for your skin.

Dilute your oils properly.

The standard of dilution for essential-oil skincare is no more than 1% dilution for facial applications and no more than 2% dilution for solutions applied to your skin elsewhere.

Here’s a handy chart to help you out with your dilutions:

Avoid getting essential oils in your nose, eyes, mouth, ears, or in your intimate areas.

No matter how diluted your oils are, some areas are just too sensitive to be safely treated with essential oils.

Avoid negative skin reactions by doing patch tests.

A patch test should be considered a non-optional initiation rite for any essential oil entering your skincare routine.

According to the University of Minnesota, when doing a patch test you should dilute the oil in question at double the dilution rate you intend to use, apply it to your inner arm, cover it with a bandage, and monitor it for 48 hours to see if any adverse reaction appears.

How do I use oils in my skincare routine?

Incorporating essential oils into your skincare routine is usually done by diluting essential oils 1) into a pre-made skin solution or 2) diluting them into a homemade skin solution.

But no matter what kind of solution you’re dealing with

Remember to follow all the safety instructions above
Mix the oils into the solution thoroughly before applying
Make sure you know the rules for that specific solution—for example, there are slightly different safety rules for facial exfoliators than there are for moisturizers and body lotions.

If you want to learn about the use of essential oils in specific skin care solutions, check our upcoming blog posts:

Essential Oils & Facial Cleansers