Using essential oils for your body will help you maintain that glowing look and radiant skin for summer, spring, winter, and fall! Keep your body buffed all year round with home-made aromatherapy products that will leave your skin feeling soft and supple from head to toe.
It’s important not to forget your body in your skincare routine. For those of us who don’t live in all-year sunshine, our bodies stay covered up for many months. But when the sun does come out, or when it’s time to choose a strappy dress for Christmas parties, we want to be ready to go for a little skin showing. If you neglect the skin on your body it may become dull, grey and dry. This will make it more difficult to wear shorts or that fancy dress for a special party.
Where do you put essential oils on your body?
Aromatherapy products are simple and relatively inexpensive to make at home. What’s more, is that you can tailor them to suit the particular needs of your skin. Aromatherapy shower gels, body scrubs, and moisturizing creams can work to tackle most skin problems from spots to dry patches. Below you’ll find a list of aromatherapy body washes, and moisturizers to help you put essential oils on your body for maximum skin health.
Aromatherapy Body Washes
Essential oils can be added to base products (available from health stores or aromatherapy suppliers) or unscented products such as shower gels or creams. For a basic recipe, pour 100ml unscented shower gel or cream into a bowl. Add 60 drops in total of essential oils (chosen to suit your skin’s needs). Stir well and then pour into a dark glass jar or wide-necked dark glass bottle to store. Your blend will last for three months (depending on the frequency of use, of course) if stored out of direct sunlight in a cool dark place.
For oily or problem skin, prone to spots on your back or chest, use the following essential oil blend in your shower gel:
20 drops tea tree
20 drops niaouli
20 drops palmarosa.For dry or sensitive skin types, prone to peeling or scaly skin, add the following essential oils to a shower cream:
20 drops geranium
20 drops lavender
20 drops roman chamomile.Aromatherapy Body Scrubs
Exfoliating the skin on your body has the same benefits of exfoliating your face. It removes dead, dull and dry skin cells from the surface to reveal brighter and smoother skin beneath. It deep cleanses and helps to keep your skin clear of blemishes and looking renewed.
To make a body scrub suitable and beneficial for all skin types, blend:
5 heaped desert spoons soft brown sugar
5 desert spoons of olive oil (make sure it is pressed extra virgin)
10 drops myrtle oil
10 drops lavender oil
10 drops geranium oil.The above blend will help to cleanse and brighten (myrtle), balance and prevent dry or oily conditions (lavender and geranium), prevent blemishes (lavender) and help with cellulite or fluid retention (geranium).
To apply, mix the ingredients together in a bowl then pat all over your body, avoiding delicate and sensitive areas such as around genitals, breasts or armpits. Slowly and firmly massage in using wide circular strokes, moving up your body. Concentrate particularly on thighs, buttocks and upper arms, where you may be prone to bumpy or sagging skin. After five minutes of massage, rinse off in the shower. Pat your skin dry with a towel and apply an aromatherapy moisturizer. Your skin will feel as soft as a baby’s.
Aromatherapy Body Moisturizers
Aromatherapy moisturizers are similar to make to shower gels or creams. Use 100ml unscented body cream as your base, to add to 60 drops of essential oils. If you are prone to dry skin it makes sense to use a richer cream as your base. If you have oily skin use a lotion as your base.
For oily or problem skin, blend:
20 drops palmarosa
20 drops petitgrain
10 drops lavender
10 drops geranium.For dry or sensitive skin, blend:
20 drops roman chamomile
20 drops rose
10 drops lavender
10 drops geranium.Lavender and geranium are used in both blends above because combined, they work to balance sebum levels in your skin and prevent it from becoming too dry or too oily.
Warning: if you are pregnant, the above blends may be unsuitable for use. Consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before adding essential oils to your daily skincare routine.