Health Series: Essential Oils Head to Toe - FACE

This is the second in a special health series I'm doing on essential oils and my experiences with them. For those of you interested in a short crash course on essential oils; what they are, why they are useful, how dōTERRA produces them, how they've been used in history and so forth, click here. 

But you can read more about all of that as your interest is piqued. For now, let's get started with how they've worked for me so far, starting with THE FACE!

So far, I have used frankincense, lemon and melaleuca on my face, along with dōTERRA fractionated coconut oil as a carrier oil (which is simply coconut oil that is liquid at room temperature, instead of the solid it normally is).

You might recognize frankincense from the Christmas story of the three wise men (Magi) bringing it to the Christ child. I'll admit, I thought it was something that didn't exist today (don't ask me why!) and was surprised to find it in the modern market! It is definitely precious...one of the more expensive oils...but has been used in a variety of ways in the ancient world that are now backed by modern medical research.

Anyway, back to the face! I put a few drops of frankincense in some coconut oil the night I had just gotten my oils in the mail. I have oily, acne-prone skin that has been giving me problems consistently for the past twenty years, and I am vigilant about the things I put on my face. So you might be surprised when I say that without any compunction, I slathered that oily, sweet-and-smoky-smelling stuff all over my face and neck right before I went to bed! It immediately melted into my skin and gave me a nice sheen. I felt like friggin' Cleopatra because I'm sure a couple drops of this oil are probably like a dollar or two in price! I might as well be slathering myself in unicorn sweat! (I digress.) But the next morning when I woke up, I still felt like a queen because my skin had that same glow and looked decidedly clearer than it had the day before. I was pumped. 

That same morning, I decided to try lemon. I'd heard that it can reduce oiliness in the skin, and I'm all about that for my face!! Instead of putting it in the fractionated coconut oil, I decided to go crazy and mix it with the BB Cream I use. Yep, I mixed it right into my makeup and slathered it all over my face and neck. I paid close attention to my oiliness that day, and noticed that instead of starting to blot my face around noon-time, like normal, I didn't even start to look slick until 6pm...and this is after just one use! I now use it every day in my makeup, just a drop. (This actually helps me be more careful about sun exposure because lemon makes skin photosensitive and might not be right for everyone in every season). However lemon, like most citrus, has mood-lifting properties, so there's another bonus!

On to melaleuca...this one I had never heard of before. The word sort of reminded me of the word "eucalyptus", and then when I smelled it for the first time, I knew what it was: tea tree oil! It is indeed in the same family with eucalyptus trees, as well as myrtle, allspice, clove and others! If you've had acne problems and searched for solutions, I'm sure you're at least passing familiar with tea tree oil. So far, I've used it as a spot treatment for any acne that has cropped up since I've received my essential oils. I can happily say that I've barely had to use it for this purpose! My skin...which started hating me and misbehaving when I was ten years old, has finally met it's match in these essential oils. Hey, I'm just a shade under 30, so it's been twenty years of that horridness and I couldn't be happier. 

Come back soon for a post about essential oils and headaches, breath, teeth and tongue!

Also, I'll be submitting, for your consideration, a hard-to-believe story involving essential oils on each blog post. You can decide what you think for each one. This one is called "Frankincense vs Skin Cancer" and was featured on a blog called Radiant Living. Opinions?

PS If you have more specific questions about these oils or their uses, please be sure to leave a message in the comments. You can also visit my site to purchase and try for yourself! =)

This information is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to prescribe, treat, prevent, or diagnose any disease or condition. This information is simply the personal experience and opinion of one very satisfied small-time blogger!