Can you put essential oils directly on your skin?
While essential oils are best known for their aromatherapy properties such as inhaling the aroma, they can also be used on the skin as well. However, you’ll want to make sure they are diluted, as pure essential oils can be too powerful to use on certain areas of the body in their natural form. The most common type of allergic reaction to essential oils is skin rash. If a rash occurs, wash off the remaining oil with soap and water. If the rash persists, applying a topical corticosteroid product like hydrocortisone might help.Because essential oils contain many plant products and chemicals, their application can lead to an irritant contact dermatitis, defined by a direct physical or chemical injury to the epidermis. This reaction typically occurs more quickly after application, as opposed to the delayed reaction associated with an allergy.Certain essential oils can irritate the skin or mucous membranes if used at too high a concentration. Always dilute essential oils appropriately in a carrier oil before topical application.Fragrant essential oils to avoid All the citrus oils, including lemon, lime, tangerine, grapefruit, mandarin, and bergamot, are a big problem for all skin types. Mint oils, such as peppermint, wintergreen, pennyroyal, and balm mint, although cooling, irritate the skin and result in damage.
Which essential oils should not be used on skin?
Fragrant essential oils to avoid As we mentioned above, using essential oils for skin care is a bad idea because so many of them hurt skin more than they help. All the citrus oils, including lemon, lime, tangerine, grapefruit, mandarin, and bergamot, are a big problem for all skin types. Citrus oils such as grapefruit, tangerine, bergamot, grapefruit, lemon or lime have been proven to be quite problematic when applied directly to the skin. Not only have these been known to cause problems, but mint oils such as wintergreen, balm mint, or peppermint are not recommended to be used on the face either.
How to mix essential oil for skin?
If you plan on using your essential oil blend as part of a skin or body treatment, it must first be diluted (pure essential oils should not be used directly on the skin). Do this easily by adding 1 drop of your essential oil blend to 1 teaspoon of your favourite carrier oil. While essential oils are best known for their aromatherapy properties such as inhaling the aroma, they can also be used on the skin as well. However, you’ll want to make sure they are diluted, as pure essential oils can be too powerful to use on certain areas of the body in their natural form.The other way volatile essential oils enter the bloodstream is through the respiratory tract and this is where some of the dermal absorption research goes wrong.Summary. As you can see, there are safety concerns associated with improper use of essential oils. In general, however, essential oils are safe when used externally (not ingested) in low concentrations. For skin applications, that usually means concentrations no higher than 5%.
What are common essential oil mistakes?
DON’T Overdo It. More of a good thing is not always good. Even when diluted, an essential oil can cause a bad reaction if you use too much or use it too often. That’s true even if you’re not allergic or unusually sensitive to them. The Easiest Way to Make a 2% Dilution ounce (30 ml) of cold pressed carrier oil, lotion, vegetable butter or other natural lipid/moisturizer. On average, based on my testing with different orifice reducers, pipettes, droppers and oils of varying thicknesses, 600 drops of essential oil equals 30ml or 1 fl.Another one of the ways in which you can dilute your essential oils is to add them to your favorite lotion or body butter. If there is a certain essential oil you’re really keen on, you love the smell and you love the way it makes you feel, you might find yourself wanting to add a few drops to an existing product.
What oils should not be mixed together?
You do not want to mix together oils that have the opposite effect. For example, lavender is encouraged for relaxation. You would not want to mix this with peppermint, which is often used to boost your energy. As long as you’re adding a minor amount, this shouldn’t be enough to minimize the effects of your blend. In fact, we’re personal fans of adding a few drops of Clary Sage to Good Night, Tea Tree oil to Skin Love and Cinnamon Bark to Cocoa Vanilla. It’s also still possible to benefit from two essential oils at once.