Spotlight: Delightful Benefits of Essential Oils
Understanding the Benefits of Essential Oils
If you’ve shopped for all natural skincare products lately, you’ve probably come across essential oils. Increasingly, these concentrates are making their way into beauty products and health supplements. And there’s a good reason for that. Whether you’re using them for aromatherapy or as part of a skincare routine, the benefits of essential oils are many.
As with any ingredient in your skincare products, you may have some questions about benefits of essential oils along with uses and risks. Since they’re being increasingly used thanks to their positive effects on health, it’s a good idea to consider introducing essential oils into your routine, but it’s also important to understand where these oils come from and how to use them safely.
What Are Essential Oils?
To put it simply, essential oils are extracts derived from plants. Various parts of plants, from leaves and flowers to roots, can be distilled into essential oils and then used for a variety of applications. Essential oil diffusers are gaining popularity, for example, because they let you fill your home with healthy, naturally-derived aromas that can boost your mood and provide a number of benefits.
You can buy and use essential oils from an incredible variety of plants. There’s a good chance you’ve already benefited from using essential oils, maybe even without knowing it! If you’ve ever used an all-natural skincare product that smells like lemon, rose, mint, or jasmine, you’ve already taken your first steps into using essential oils!
The most important thing to consider is which essential oils will work best with your skin.
Why Should I Use Essential Oils?
For skincare and beauty products, essential oils are a very effective way to clean and nourish your skin. Whether you’re using lavender oil in your favorite lotion or washing your face with peppermint oil soap, these essential oils can provide a wide variety of health and beauty benefits. In fact, products with essential oils can help relieve skin irritation and provide lasting relief for dry or oily skin.
Of course, because there are so many essential oils that go into skincare and beauty products, it’s important to note that they each have their particular benefit. You might seek out a product with chamomile oil to treat eczema, for example. A lotion that uses geranium essential oil, on the other hand, can balance your skin’s oil production and help with moisturizing.
Do Essential Oils Have Risks?
With essential oils, it’s definitely possible to have too much of a good thing. Because they’re so potent, essential oils can have some negative impacts if they’re applied directly. They can actually make skin problems worse if used improperly, or can cause allergic reactions if overused. Because of these risks, it’s generally a good idea to use products that pair essential oils with a gentler “carrier” oil. These oils, which can include coconut oil or cocoa butter, allow you to get the benefits of essential oils without overdoing it.
Most natural skincare products will use a combination of carrier oils and essential oils to provide a number of health benefits without causing irritation or other negative reactions. This allows your skin to absorb and benefit from essential oils while leaving your body nourished and your skin softer. This also tends to completely negate any potential risks with essential oils, so you can use them daily.
Carrier oils allow you to get the benefits of essential oils without overdoing it.
The Natural Benefits of Essential Oils
Essential oils play a big role in all-natural beauty care, and there’s a good chance that they can benefit your skin’s health. The most important thing to consider is which essential oils will work best with your skin. All-natural skincare products are a great start, since you’ll know that you’re using real, high-quality essential oils without clouding their effects with harmful chemicals.
