My Guide To Using Essential Oils : The lazy version

I'm Dianne and I discovered the power of essential oils on skin while I was pregnant. Like a lot of mums, I was applying Rosehip furiously on my tummy (and other enlarged body parts) to prevent stretch marks. It worked! Then I thought, what else can essential oils do for my skin. I researched more and discovered that with the right know-how you really didn't need to use any big-brand name skin care to achieve excellent skin. Honestly, its not hard. True, there are many many many essential oils. But you don't need to know about them all. Just a handful is really all you'll need to tackle the more common skin care challenges. I've chosen ROSEHIP, TEA TREE, EUCALYPTUS and ARGAN. These 4 are really the basics in skin care in my opinion. 

You can visit my website at www.thelittleessentials.com if you want to discover more about the science on why these oils work and how you can use them.

But in the meantime, I wanted to share with you how I personally use essential oils in my day. Hopefully it will give you some ideas on how to use it in yours.

Diffuser

In my car : I reuse Glade car fresheners (the kind that comes in a bottle and clips onto your air-con vent. I wash out the wick and bottle and add lemongrass. Its a fresh and uplifting scent. 0.5 pumps of lemongrass into a diffuser. It makes my bathroom smell like a spa.

Skin 

Day : Eucalyptus spray under my arms. It kills odour causing bacteria which deodorants do not do. However, I use an antiperspirant after it dries to reduce sweat as essential oils do not help with this.

Night : Replace moisturiser with Rosehip or Argan

Day: Use a lemongrass spray on my legs. I'm prone to insect bites. Eucalyptus works too but doesn't smell as great.

Hair 

Agan on my tips to prevents fly-away hairs and repair split ends.

I use a tea tree hair spray to give my hair a nice scent. 

In the Pool : I rub Rosehip onto my hair to seal the shaft. It prevents chlorine from entering into it and drying it out. Rosehip is a dry oil so it won't dissipate into the pool

Face 

Day - Tea tree spray as a face toner. I suffer from acne and tea tree is toxic to bacteria found in acne. 

Night - I use 1 pump of Argan under my eyes, my face and neck. I do not own night cream. Although I'm prone to acne. Argan oil has actually reduced my acne.   

HOW TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS ON THE SKIN

I'm personally a fan of utilising essential oils not just for aromatherapy but for skin care as well. I wanted to share with you some easy methods on how I use them. Essential oils, the right ones anyway are truly multi-functional serums. 

In future posts, I will go though how I use individual essential oils and what they're good for. In the meantime, I hope you will try these methods out with the essential oils you are already using.

Warning - Not all essential oils are appropriate for use in all of the following methods.  Click HERE to find out where Tea Tree, Rosehip, Argan, Lemongrass and Eucalyptus can be used safety.

In Face Cream

We like to keep it simple - Place the amount of face cream you would normally use in the palm of your clean hand. Add 1/2 pump or 1/4 pump (if your skin is sensitive) to your face cream. Rub your hands together, throughly mixing the essential oil to your face cream. Do not rub in, but pat formula gently onto face. Do this quickly to prevent the essential oil from evaporating.

In Body Moisturiser

Method 1:

Add 1/2 pump to oil-based body moisturiser (the amount you would use on your whole body) or 1 pump to water-based body moisturiser into a small mixing bowl and stir well. Smother generously onto the body. 

Water based body moisturisers are viscous and thin in texture. Oil based moisturisers are usually sold in tubs and are thick and creamy. Oil-based moisturisers make a better base when mixed with essential oils. So, less is required.

Method 2:

This method is appropriate for target treatment. For example, if you were treating cellulite on just your upper thigh : use 1/4 pump of lemongrass oil to the amount of moisturiser you would use on just your thighs. Mix in the palms of your hands by rubbing it together and applying quickly onto target area.

In a Hot Bath

Add 3-4 pumps into a fully drawn warm or hot bath with bath salts. The bath salts will break up the oils. If you are having a luxurious milk bath, bath salts are not necessary. The milk will break up the oils.

Alternatively, if you don't enjoy using bath salts, you can pre-mix the essential oils with 1/2 a glass of milk. This will also break-up the essential oils. Pour the milk-oil mixture into the bath.

Remember - Do not add the essential oils while the bath is being drawn as the essential oils will evaporate. Only add the oils just before you step into the bath.

As A Warm Compress

Add 1 pump of essential oil to a small bowl of warm water. Soak your hand towel into it and place onto forehead or infected cut.

Directly Onto Skin

Not all essential oils can be used directly onto skin as they can cause hypersensitivity. Carrier oils like Argan, Rosehip and Sweet Almond Oil are safe to use pure, directly onto skin or hair.

Lavender is the only essential oil that many essential oil encyclopaedias mention as safe to use directly onto skin. 

Rarely would we suggest using even small amounts dabbed directly onto skin. The exception would be Tea Tree onto acne and Lemongrass onto a cold-sore. Simply use a very small amount onto the tip of a cotton bud and dab (not rub) onto a stubborn pimple or cold-sore. It will kill the bacteria without drying out the surrounding skin like pharmacy bought pimple creams. Lemongrass oil is safe if accidentally ingested in small amounts. However, you need to be extra careful with Eucalyptus oil. It has been known to be toxic when ingested. This is one of the reasons we do not recommend its use on the face. Tea-tree is a better alternative.

In A Spritz Bottle

Add 2 pumps to 500ml of water in a spritz/spray bottle. Shake well before use. Use to scent your body or hair. Use Eucalyptus which is high in anti-bacterial qualities as a body spray to keep pimples, insects and other infections at bay.

Massage

There are so many recipes for great massage oils. But we try and keep it simple. Simply add 1/2 pump of essential oil (tea tree, lmongrass, eucalyptus) to 3 pumps of carrier oil (rosehip, argan). About the house - olive oil can also be used as a carrier base. Please do not use baby oil as a base. It will defeat the purpose of using our certified organic, chemical free oils.

Baby oils are mineral oils (petroleum products) usually containing aloe vera extract, Vit E, acetate and fragrance. Mineral oils clog pores causing pimples, and contain chemicals which may be harmful to your skin.