Welcome to week 7 of A Mom’s Guide to Getting Started with Essential Oils. So far in this series, we have covered Where to Begin with Essential Oils, How to Safely Use Essential Oils, Inhaling Essential oils, How to Choose an Aromatherapy Diffuser, How to Use Essential Oils Topically, and last week, we made some DIY Natural Household Cleaners.

This is one of my favorite parts of the course because the information here can be life-changing. When I first started using essential oils, primarily for joint pain, then to help with my son’s ADHD, I had no intention of becoming the “crazy essential oils lady.” But as I endeavored to improve my health from autoimmune disease, I discovered that there were so many poisons in my home likely contributing to the inflammation going on inside my body. That’s when I decided that I would attempt to replace most, if not all, of my cleaning solutions and cosmetics with more natural homemade products.

Last week, I shared some great cleaning tips I hope you are beginning to try. It’s pretty easy to give up most cleaning chemicals in favor of essential oil-based products. For some reason, it seems much harder to give up our favorite hair and skin care products, deodorant, and toothpaste.

DIY Health and Beauty Recipes

It is said that by the time most of us leave the house in the morning, we have used more than 200 chemicals on our bodies that are banned in most other countries. From soaps and shampoos to facial cleansers and moisturizers, make-up, body lotion, and perfumes, we are saturating our bodies with unhealthy chemicals that most of us cannot even pronounce. It takes a little effort to replace most of those beauty products with formulations of our own making, but I hope you will consider giving it a try.

I want to share with you the top essential oils for skin care because I think most of us want to do really well with caring for our skin as we age. Let’s begin with carrier oils because I personally don’t care for Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO) in my skin care products. I don’t believe using it will harm anything, I just believe there are other carrier oils that are more nurturing to the skin, so why not choose those instead?

Best Carrier Oils for Skin Care

Argan Oil – great for dry, aging, oily, normal, or acne-prone skin
Jojoba Oil – great for dry, aging, oily, normal, or acne-prone skin
Sweet Almond Oil – great for all skin types
Rosehip Seed Oil — great for oily, aging, and normal skin
Tamanu Oil – great for oily and acne-prone skin
Emu Oil — great for dry and aging skin
Neem Oil — great for oily and acne-prone skin

Top 10 Essential Oils for Skin and Hair Care

Frankincense – anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, natural toner, minimizes pores, protective, encourages new cell growth, reduces the appearance of wrinkles and scars, and soothes dry, chapped skin

Carrot Seed – rejuvenates and smooths skin, assists with cell regeneration, helps fade scars and improves tone of aging skin

Myrrh – great for aging skin, strong anti-inflammatory properties, improves skin tone, firmness, and elasticity, reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

Lavender – helps regenerate skin cells, reduces sun spots and scarring, great for all skins types

Tea Tree– antiseptic properties makes it perfect for treating skin conditions and minor cuts, scrapes, and burns.

Rose – anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory, great for dry and aging skin and skin conditions such as psoriasis and dermatitis

Peppermint– kills bacteria, making it helpful for treating acne, dermatitis and other skin conditions

Roman Chamomile – promotes smooth, healthy skin and relieves irritations due to anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties

Lemongrass – antiseptic and astringent properties, perfect for getting even and glowing skin, sterilizes pores, natural toner, and strengthens skin tissues.

Rosemary – helps stimulate hair growth, prevents baldness, slows graying, and treats dandruff.

Below, you’ll find links to some of the DIY beauty products I make for my family, using essential oils.

Acne Treatment Serum
Coconut-Lime Salt Scrub
Herbal-Mint Shampoo
Herbal-Citrus Hair Conditioner
Anti-Aging Face Moisturizer
Hand Lotion
Lavender-Mint Lip Balm
Peppermint Sugar Scrub
Citrus Shower Bombs

Plus 4 more new recipes:

DIY Honey Lip Scrub

4 tsp brown sugar
3 tsp honey
3 tsp virgin coconut oil
2 drops Peppermint EO
2 drops Orange EO

Mix all ingredients until well combined. Store in airtight container. Once or twice a week, rub the scrub onto your lips. Let sit for 1 minute, and then wipe off with a damp washcloth. Apply lip balm after use.

 

Relaxing Bath Salts

1 cup Epsom salts or Magnesium flakes
1 cup sea salt
½ cup baking soda
20 drops essential oils

Here are some suggestions for essential oils to use:
lavender + peppermint
lemon + rosemary
geranium + rose
frankincense + myrrh
lemongrass + red mandarin
chamomile + lavender

Combine salts and soda in a bowl. Stir in desired essential oils until well mixed. Store in an airtight glass jar, in cool, dark place. Use ¼ cup per bath.

Natural Homemade Deodorant

1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
Essential oils — tea tree oil, lavender, grapefruit, rosemary, lemon, orange, patchouli (feel free to use just one or any combination you like)

Mix baking soda and arrowroot powder in a bowl. Add coconut oil. Add 5-10 drops of your chosen essential oil (I use lavender, grapefruit, and rosemary). Stir together and spoon into a small glass jar to store.

To use, dip your fingers gently into the mixture and rub on your underarms. Wait two minutes before dressing to avoid getting on your clothes. Coconut oil will melt at temperature above 76* but you can still use it melted. If that bothers you, store it in the fridge during warm weather.

DIY Carrot Seed Make-up Remover

2 oz. jojoba oil
1/4 tsp vitamin E oil
3 drops carrot seed essential oil)

Mix and store in a dark amber glass dropper bottle. Apply 1/2-1 tsp to face and massage to remove make-up, including mascara. Gently wipe with a warm washcloth.

Be sure to compare the ingredients with the information I gave you earlier in the course for using essential oils safely if you will be diffusing around your children. You can make substitutions as needed. All essential oils are compatible, but you’ll want to find a blend that pleases your senses and works for its intended purpose.

For more tips and recipes be sure to enter your email below to download my Essential Oils Starter Kit!

 

 

Action Step

Choose one or two of these recipes this week and begin transitioning from store-bought beauty products to healthier, homemade ones. Be careful . . . you may become the next “crazy essential oils lady!”

Up Next: Essential Oils First Aid Kit

Precautions

Never use essential oils undiluted, in the eyes or mucus membranes. Do not ingest unless working with a qualified practitioner. Keep essential oils away from children. If applying an essential oil to your skin always perform a small patch test to an insensitive part of the body (after you have properly diluted the oil in an appropriate carrier oil).

For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.