Aromatherapy oils have become very fashionable in recent years, as the art of aromatherapy becomes more mainstream. You can pick up essential aromatherapy oils to use at home very easily on the high street, and they can be made into some inexpensive yet surprisingly effective beauty treatments with a little knowledge and creativity.
Aromatherapy oils As a Beauty Treatment for Spots
There are plenty of aromatherapy oils that you can use if you are prone to oily skin, spots or acne. Many of them are good for balancing hormones, stress reduction and generally improving the condition of your skin.
An Aromatherapy Compress to Make at Home
Try making a soothing salt and aromatherapy oil compress as a regular beauty treatment you can easily carry out home. Add some essential oil of cedarwood, geranium and lavender to a bowl of warm water, and soak a flannel or a muslin cloth in the solution. Wring the cloth out, and then place it over your face until it cools. Repeat morning and evening.
If you have oily skin, you can use choose from any essential oils with antiseptic qualities, mix them with witch hazel and aloe vera gel which should both dry and heal your skin.
How to Treat Dry Skin With Aromatherapy
All dry skin beauty treatments need to moisturise skin that feels tight and parched, so you need to use oils which will help to balance the production of oil. If you have dry skin, the best way to use aromatherapy oils as a beauty treatment is to add your choice of essential oil to a lotion or cream base. The water in the cream and lotion will be absorbed by the skin to rehydrate it, the oils act as a barrier to keep moisture in.
If your dry skin is also older, you’ll find that the lavender, geranium, neroli, rosemary, and rose all have anti-ageing qualities as well as soothing the skin.
Peppermint oil is also said to increase oil production but you need to use it sparingly. Chamomile helps to calm inflammation.
When You Need to Relax
To use aromatherapy when you need to relax, don’t think of it as a beauty treatment that you have to do, but as me-time! Choose a favourite relaxing blend and burn it or use a diffuser, fill the room with the scent of your chosen oils and breathe slowly and deeply, imagining your muscles starting to relax and all the tension being released from your body.
Good oils to use when you’re having your ‘you time’ are Lavender, bergamot, sandalwood, and chamomile. Inhaling all of these aromatherapy oils has been shown to actually slow down brain waves and induce relaxation.
Beat a Headache with Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy isn’t just for beauty treatments – it’s also great for your health and this is never more the case than when you’re battling with a thumping headache.
If you’re suffering with an energy-sapping headache, you could find that it will respond to a cold aromatherapy oil compress, although hot or warm versions can also work. It depends on what feels good to you and your sore head!
Put a compress over your forehead, and if you like you can also add one to the back of your neck. All you need is half a dozen drops of either lavender or eucalyptus oil in a cup of cold or warm water.
If you’re not at home and haven’t got time to sit and wait for the compress to take effect, try a small drop of lavender, eucalyptus, or peppermint oil on your temples instead.
Migraines are hard to shift but you could try a blend of ginger and lavender, either in a compress, or interestingly, it’s been found that soaking hands in warm water with a solution of the two oils in it can stop a migraine in its tracks by raising the temperature – it’s worth a try before you reach for the medicine cupboard!