Anti Aging Skin Care » Skin Care Tips » Essential Oils for Skin

Essential Oils for Skin

Essential oils of plants have been used from ancient times, much earlier than chemical drugs; in fact, a lot of western medicine comes from the plant medicine history.

Essential oils are restrained, aromatic and volatile liquids extracted from the flowers, seeds, leaves, stems, bark and roots of herbs, bushes, shrubs and trees through distillation.

The essential oils are never applied directly to the skin, except Lavender. As an alternative, they are added to what are known as 'carrier' or 'base' oils. Diluting the essential oil in carrier is not only expensive but using the oils in this manner is more effective. Studies have shown that most essential oils have the most remarkable therapeutic effects at concentration of less than 5% of the total blend.

Carrier oils are plant based oils that have been extracted from various parts of plants such as nuts or seeds and sometimes from the flesh of plants. A significant property of carrier oils is that these neither contain any type of aroma nor do they evaporate like some other essential oils. Moreover, the carriers have their own positive effects; besides helping your skin to absorb the essential oils, they provide nutrients such as essential fatty acids and vitamin compounds, which improve the skin's health.

Carrier oil offers diverse properties and the choice depends on the therapeutic benefit being required. Unlike essential oils, carrier oils do not evaporate directly on the skin, the essential oils can cause severe irritation. There are various types of carrier oils, each having different kind of therapeutic properties in them.

Some of the more frequently used carrier oils in skin care are as follows:

• Hazelnut oil : This oil is extracted from hazelnuts. This is considered the mildest of the carrier oils suitable for all types of skin. It often acts as the primary base oil in blends, making up a majority of the mixture.

• Rosehip seed oil : Rosehip seeds grow in the mountains of South America. This well researched oil has a wealth of essential fatty acids and contains trans-retinoic acid, a compound similar to the active ingredient of Retin-A (a well known wrinkle cream) but without the drying side effects.

• Evening Primrose oil : It is often included in blends for aging skin and for eczema. It has one of the maximum known concentrations of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid that may be essential to optimal health.

• Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca Oil) : It is extracted from the Melaleuca tree, which is found mainly in Australia. This explains why many skincare brands that contain Tea Tree Oil are Australian based. Tea tree oil is known to possess some medicinal properties when applied on the skin and it is supposed to be anti-bacterial and disinfectant. Thus, it is well known as an acne buster.

Thus, these are the primary ingredients and the reasons behind them. Along with these and a few of your own personal choices, you can create a great variety of blends.