Using Essential Oils For Your Skin

As I've been reading the #CollegeCurlies entries, a lot of you ladies wanted to see more things pertaining to beauty & skin, as well as personal health & fitness. Well, I've been wanting to expand in those areas so I figure this is a great place to start. In upcoming weeks I will begin posting more & more natural skincare recipes, along with the regular natural hair recipes. A few of you told me how much you enjoyed the Eucalyptus Foot Bath, so I also will have more DIY like that as well being that I like to explore with all these regular household ingredients I have laying around my kitchen.

Nonetheless, I figured I'd start off with some tips when it comes to using essential & carrier oils for your skin, which can be a tad different than using it for your hair. This post will be explaining how to use essential oils for your skin; I will be making a similar post for carrier oils as well. 

When it comes to using essential oils in homemade natural bath and body products there's one saying that means a lot... Less is best. Just because these little miracle oils are loaded with health benefits doesn't mean the more the better. These are highly concentrated formulas that must be used with care and with plenty of knowledge. Some shouldn't be used on pregnant women. Some need to be avoided if you have certain health concerns. You must always do your research on a particular oil you wish to use to find out if there are any precautions or advisories.

How much essential oil should you use in homemade skin products?
When using EOs in skin care blends, less is best! Normal dilution is 2.5%, or 15 drops essential oil to one ounce (2 tablespoons) of carrier oil.

• Normal dilution is 2.5%, or 15 drops essential oil to one ounce (2 tablespoons) of carrier oil. For spot treatments, intensive skin treatments.
• Low Dilution by 1%-1.5% or 6-9 drops per 1 tablespoon oil. Everyday usages like facial cleansers, serums moisturizers, most skin care blends should stick to this ration. 
• Extremely Low Dilution by 0.5% or 3 drops in 1 tablespoon of carrier oil. Sensitive skins, eye treatments

NOTE: The above is a general guideline. Some EOs must be used in lesser amounts. Some you can use in generous amount. But no more then 15 drops per 2 tablespoons in a guideline that is widely used. Always read the bottle for suggested use.

General Conversations using Essential Oils Size Conversions 

• 3 teaspoons (tsp) = 1 tablespoon (tbsp) 
• 2 tablespoons (tbsp) = 1 ounce (oz) 
• 6 teaspoons (tsp) = 1 ounce (oz) 
• 5 milliliter (ml) = 1/16 oz 
• 10 milliliter (ml) = 1/3 oz. 
• 15 milliliter (ml) = 1/2 oz. 
• 30 milliliter (ml) = 1 oz. 
• 10 milliliter (ml) = approximately 300 drops 

Approximately 1ml is about 25 to 30 drops of Essential Oil; therefore, a 5mL bottle should contain about 125-150 drops and a 10mL bottle should contain about 250-300 drops.

General Precautions when using Essential Oils:

• Remember that almost no essential oil should be applied undiluted to the skin. They should be diluted with a carrier oil, cream or water depending on your skin care recipe or product.
• Always do a patch test before trying your homemade recipe on your skin. Test for skin sensitivity by doing a patch test. Put a little bit of diluted oil in the bend of your elbow and wait 24 hours to see if itching or redness develop. 
• Be cautious about putting essential oils on your skin, particularly citrus oils. They are highly concentrated and can cause serious reactions. 
• Store your essential oils away from heat and light. Refrigerate all vegetable oils. Essential oils don't last forever - a maximum of two years usually. Keep your oils in bottles with tightly closed lids and out of direct light. 
• Particular care must be taken when using essential oils on the young, especially babies, pregnant women and the elderly. The very young and the elderly are probably more likely to be sensitive to essential oils.

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