Turning to Essential Oils for Beauty: My 5 Favorite Tried and True Picks

If you, like myself, are very much into all things skincare, chances are you’ve heard of using essential oils for beauty.

Now you may have tried them yourself-and if you have, let me know how they worked out for you!

Or you may think using essential oils for beauty improvements is nonsense. In which case I would strongly recommend doing your own research based on reputable sources.

Picking the matter up with a trusted dermatologist or beauty therapist would also be a great idea. The point is, you need to be well informed before adding anything to your skincare regimen-and then testing it out for yourself!

Which is where I hope my article can also help out 🙂

Since last autumn, I have started regularly incorporating different essential oils in my diet and in my skincare routine. And after testing them, I wanted to share my top 5 in terms of using essential oils for beauty!

Some I apply topically and some I ingest- after having patch tested all of them for allergies, of course. My top 5 picks all work wonderfully individually, but can also be combined, as you’ll see below:

Lavender

For me, lavender has a strong connection with childhood memories. When I used to sleep at my grandma’s place, she would always make sure that I had a little bag of dried lavender either hanging above my head or under my pillow, for restful sleep.

And indeed, lavender has strong calming properties, which promote quality sleep (the first step in any beauty regime). It’s also ideal for protecting your clothes while they’re in storage!

But lavender is also great when incorporated into skincare:

More precisely, thanks to the active components linalyl acetate and linalool, essential Lavender oil helps kill bacteria and reduce inflammation. Which makes it a brilliant bet if you’re looking to fight blemishes, and even some scarring! (think acne marks)

And the antioxidants it boasts help your skin fight pollutants and oxidants- something your complexion is exposed to daily.

So you can always use essential Lavender oil for your face topically, by diluting it in a carrier oil. Or even in a neutral, natural face cream, like I did here!

Melaleuca

This is one oil you’ve probably bumped into before, if you’ve ever suffered through spots or eczema. Because it’s one that many anti-acne treatments rely on: namely tea-tree oil!

For those of you who are not familiar with it, it’s absolutely fantastic at purifying skin, leaving behind a clean, cool and soothed sensation. So you can add it to your favorite face cream to disinfect pores and help fight blackheads and pimples.

Or, if you’ve been experiencing recurring scalp issues, you can apply it topically there too! ***Important: NEVER ingest Tea Tree oil, it’s dangerous.

Here I diluted 10 drops of Melaleuca and 10 drops of Peppermint oil in my favorite Castor oil (a ratio of 10-12 drops per fl. oz or 30 ml).

I particularly like this blend, since it is amazing for stronger, thicker hair:

*Castor oil makes it grow crazy fast, and much stronger.

*Peppermint oil encourages a higher blood flow to your scalp capillaries. Which in turn delivers more nutrients to the roots of your hair.

*And Melaleuca clears the hair follicles, allowing them to absorb those nutrients. So it encourages those hairs to stay where they belong: on your scalp!

Pro tip:

If you want to further encourage your scalp’s health and proper functioning, you can try gently dry brushing/massaging it. I use the same round brush I use daily on my body for this, just with less pressure, and only twice a week.

It gives me the most A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, light feeling afterwards!

Melaleuca can also alleviate dandruff, eczema and sebhorreic dermatitis. Notice how I didn’t say it heals them, because some of these have causes that run more than skin deep (stress, hormones etc.)

But for the purpose of symptom relief, it’s absolutely worth a shot! I’ve seen it work wonders after only one use on my husband’s scalp, who has been fighting with dermatitis for quite some years now.

Geranium

Revered for its anti-aging properties, Geranium is one of those all-rounders that can really transform your skin for the better.

Geranium is absolutely great for healing the skin, speeding up the process of getting rid of marks, blemishes and cuts. It promotes cellular regeneration, and aids your complexion in looking tighter and more rested.

Not to mention, the smell is also very pleasant- slightly sweet and comforting. It’s definitely one of my favorite beauty routine additions.

The way that I personally chose to incorporate it into my beauty regimen was by adding 5 drops to my face cream, and adding the same quantity of the above mentioned Lavender and Melaleuca to it for an all-round complexion boosting concoction!

Another way to mix and match oils is by diluting Geranium in Castor oil. Which you can then apply to your eyelashes and/or eyebrows, depending on which you want to thicken. And while the little hairs get nourished, so does the thin, sensitive skin around the eyes!

Frankincense

One of the most precious essential oils out there, Frankincense has a multitude of beauty-related uses.

Its main attributes are astringency and decreasing inflammation- two very important properties for our skin.

It’s enough to dilute this oil in your favorite night cream or oil (at the ratio described above) to reap its benefits.

I for one, have noticed that whenever I apply my Frankincense infused night cream to my smile lines, the skin looks much plumper in the morning.

And if you’re looking to tone your skin and balance out your sebum, you can always mix a few drops in your  toner.

It will help with the appearance of enlarged pores, not to mention encourage the protection of new, healthy skin cells.

Tangerine (Mandarin)

Tangerine oil is an extremely potent one, which imparts a vibrant, energizing smell, and an equally refreshing taste. So adding it to your water on a daily basis, for example, can encourage you to drink more of it, thanks to its flavor.

This already makes it a great ally in terms of your wellness, but another one of its best beauty-related functions is its ability to mobilize fluid.

Which makes it great for… you guessed it: anti-cellulite massage!

So, if this is something you’re interested in, this is what I coupled:

*10 drops of my Tangerine oil with

*10 drops of Geranium (also great for this purpose) &

*10 more drops of Grapefruit, all mixed with the carrier oil in the pic here.

After massaging the mixture into my skin for a week, there were visible improvements in its ummm… lumpiness?

Now, of course, I’m sure the massage itself also played a role.

As did the dry brushing I did beforehand- with the same round brush I showed you for my hair, btw.

But compared to many other anti-cellulite “remedies” that I’ve tried over time, and which didn’t really do much, I found essential oils to actually work.

So, you tell me now!

Are you guys also fans of using essential oils for beauty purposes? Do you rely more on their aromatherapy benefits than their beautifying purposes?

Or maybe you’re not using them at all, and are just curious to know what they can deliver for you. 

In any case, I hope that my article helped shed a bit of light on the matter!

If you do try any of my picks, let me know if you also love them. You may have noticed that they are all from DoTerra, as they are a trusty supplier offering Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® oils. But you can go with other companies too.

Either way, do make sure you buy pure, cold-pressed oils from a reputable seller. They may be more expensive, but you actually need very little of them at a time. And in the end, you can’t put a price on quality when relying on your essential oils for beauty!

Oh, and if you’re interested in learning more about enhancing your natural beauty and flattering you skin, eyes and hair, make sure not to miss out on You and Your Personal Style! A MUST for you beauty & fashion lovers out here 😉