Essential Oils for Skin

Don't get distracted by the term 'essential oil', it's not just another kind of oil, but extracts of various plant parts. Essential oils are usually made by distilling the roots, barks, flowers, stems or leaves of plants. Most oils are clear, but some of them may be yellow or amber in color. They are highly concentrated liquid and so are diluted using carrier oils while using. Carrier oils are nothing but oil extracted from the fatty portions of plants like seeds. These oils help in carrying the essential oil into the skin.

Essential oils are different from fragrance oil or perfumes. The main difference is that fragrance oil and perfumes are produced artificially and do not have any therapeutic benefits. On the other hand essential oils are made from natural substances and offer excellent physical and psychological benefits.

Essential oils for skin can help nourish, rejuvenate and heal skin ailments. The best thing about these oils is that they, with the help of carrier oils, have the capacity to penetrate the skin and reach the subcutaneous layer or the inner layer of the skin.

Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil is one of the best for skin care. It is one of the few essential oils which can be directly applied without diluting it. Its powerful but gentle antiseptic properties make it one of the most popular essential oil to treat skin injuries. Lavender essential oil is safe for everyone and as such pregnant women and children can also use this oil.

Lavender oil has the capacity to balance the natural production of skin oil. Moreover it also helps in clearing blemishes on the skin. Whether you have dry aging skin, oily skin, or sensitive skin, lavender oil can be used and is especially useful for hydrating dry skin. In short whatever your skin care regimen is, you can still use lavender oil.

Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree essential oil, extracted from the leaves of tea tree, is pale yellow in color. Its powerful antiseptic and antibacterial properties make it a popular ingredient in numerous skin care products. If you have spots on your face, instead of using artificial and synthetic products try out tea tree essential oil, it is known to reduce pimples within a couple of days besides reducing their recurrence. Instead of pinching them and attempting to remove the puss, use this oil directly on the pimples in diluted form.

Geranium Essential Oil
Oil extracted from geranium works wonders on wrinkled and sensitive skin. Moreover, it can also be used on dry or oily skin due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Use of geranium oil gives a radiant glow to the skin and helps in promoting blood circulation.

Clary Sage Essential Oil
The oil extracted from Clary sage flower by the process of steam distillation can be used if you suffer from asthma, stress, sore throat, labor pains, gas, exhaustion, dysmenorrhea, coughing and amenorrhea. The constituents of this oil include pinene, phellandrene, myrcena, sclareol and linalol, natural products produced by plants which help improve respiration, immunity and circulation besides lowering stress levels. Moreover, Clary sage oil also helps in healing inflammation of the skin besides helping in curing ulcers, boils and acne.

Sandalwood Essential Oil
An excellent oil for skin infection and acne, sandalwood essential oil is a powerful antifungal and antibacterial agent. It can be used in case stretch and stress marks appear on your skin. Moreover it helps in relieving stress and depression. Due to its antifungal and antibacterial properties sandalwood oil can be used to cure bronchitis and leucorrhea. The next time you get a neck sprain, apply a mixture of cocoa butter and sandalwood oil, it's sure to relieve pain within a day or two. Moreover, application of diluted sandalwood oil provides a softening effect on the skin.

Lemongrass Essential Oil
With its refreshing aroma and yellowish-brown color, lemongrass essential oil is an excellent moisturizer and skin cleanser. This oil also helps in eliminating toxins and wastes and as such it helps people with sallow and sagging skin. For improving skin condition, you just need to add 10 drops to your bath water and enjoy a refreshing sensation.

Safety Tips While Using Essential Oils for Skin Care
Essential oils are highly concentrated liquids, and hence must be used in diluted form or else they may be harmful. Following are some safety tips to be followed while using essential oil.

• While using an essential oil for skin care for the first time, check to see if the oil suits your skin. Apply a small amount of undiluted oil on the inner side of the elbow. Wait for a day and see if there is any reaction. If there is no irritation, it is safe to use; but if there is a feeling of irritation, make sure that you don't use it.
• If you are pregnant or you suffer from epilepsy or asthma or any other ailments, ensure that you consult a qualified professional before using essential oils.
• Essential oil should be used in very small quantities. If a drop does the trick, don't use two drops of oil.
• There are some essential oils like sassafras, bitter almond, rue, wintergreen, horseradish, camphor, onion, pennyroyal and wormwood which are not suitable, so consult a professional before using them.
• They should be stored in a safe place out of the reach of children.
• It is only if an aromatherapy practitioner prescribes that you should take essential oils internally.
• Make sure that you keep the oils away from fire as they are inflammable.

Buying and Storage Tips for Essential Oils
There are numerous artificial products available in the market in the name of essential oils. So you need to make sure that you buy authentic products. But how to decide that? Here are a few tips which you can follow and ensure that the essential oil you buy is made from natural products.

• As production of essential oils is an arduous and time-taking process, the cost of producing these oils is high and as such the price is high. There are low-quality essential oils available at a lower cost, so make sure that you take a close look at the price tag, before buying.
• Since essential oils do not contain fatty acids, they are not slippery or greasy like other vegetable oil. They are more like water. Take some oil in your hand and if it feels oily, it means that the oil is impure.
• While buying essential oil look for the terms 'organic', 'g&a' or 'vintage' on the cover.
• To increase the shelf life of these oils, make sure that you use a plastic cap instead of a rubber one. Rubber has a tendency to react with essential oil vapors which may result in air entering the bottle. Air oxidizes the oil thus reducing its healing properties.

Thus, essential oils have a variety of uses and are known to heal numerous skin problems. However, while using the oil for your skin care make sure that you dilute them or else they may be harmful. If you have any doubts about the usefulness of a particular essential oil, it is best to consult a professional in the field of aromatherapy.