Hi, my name is Amy! I’m a wife, mom and also work full-time. No day is the same for me, and I’m sure you working moms out there can agree that our schedules can get pretty crazy. I was beginning to feel unbalanced, unhealthy and yearning for a healthier routine. This is part of the reason I have become more interested and educated about natural products for my own personal use and throughout my home. So I want to share some information about an area of natural beauty and skincare that I recently discovered –– and you guessed it, it’s essential oils! Honestly, I never thought I would become one of those “essential oil ladies”, but I am so pleased with the results and benefits that I truly believe you’ll love them too (if you don’t already).
So here’s how this whole journey started… I was seeing essential oils everywhere. They were all over my Instagram feed. I was seeing ads for them on Amazon. I even started seeing them at my grocery store. But I really didn’t know what the big deal was. I was definitely new to the “oil game” and I had no idea how any of them work, so I started with a bit of research. Okay, a lot of research. After learning about so many of the benefits I figured the best way to really get started was to just take a step of faith and get the Pure Body Natural’s Essential Oils Starter Set.
I initially figured I would use my new essential oils in a diffuser, but as I did more digging, I knew I wanted to try incorporating them into my skincare routine. I have been striving for great skin pretty much my whole life. And the hormonal ups and downs before, during and after pregnancy sent my skin through a rollercoaster of conditions. Once my Starter Set arrived, I was off to the races and began trying each one with my carrier oils for different topical uses.
Here’s a rundown of what each essential oil in the set can address for your skin woes.
Lavender Oil
This oil has major antibacterial properties that penetrate your pores and kills bacteria. With the carrier oil and diluted lavender, you’ll have nice moisturized skin, with fewer breakouts. Start out with putting a small amount directly on the breakouts and as your skin improves, you can apply it to the rest of your skin.
It’s also an anti-inflammatory so it can help reduce redness and blotchiness of the skin and restore that bright, natural skin tone we all crave!
Tea Tree Oil
Finding a good makeup remover is hard, but look no further my friends, Tea Tree oil has got you covered. Add 1-2 drops of Tea Tree oil with 4-5 drops of your favorite carrier oil (I personally use Rosehip Seed Oil) and your face will rejoice. Follow up with a moisturizer on top and you will experience a new level of hydration.
Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus is a super commonly used oil. It’s commonly used in natural remedies and medicines, toothpaste, perfumes, shampoo and more. Here are some of the incredible benefits
- Antibacterial properties
- Pain relief
- Relaxes sore muscles
- Stimulates the immune system
It’s kind of the jack-of-all-trades oil and it’s always great to have in your back pocket!
Lemongrass Oil
As a natural antiseptic and astringent, lemongrass is a go-to oil for cleansing and toning your skin. First, the oil clears and disinfects, then it replenishes your skin like a natural toner, which you won’t get with most alcohol-based toners. It even strengthens your skin tissue to prevent sagging (new moms, celebrate with me)!
Sweet Orange Oil
No need to spend a fortune on anti-aging masks if you can get your hands on some sweet orange essential oil. It increases the absorption of Vitamin C, collagen production, and even increases blood flow, which all are essential for the anti-aging process. Grab some coffee grinds, a teaspoon of honest and a few drops of your orange oil and use it to exfoliate once a week.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil can help do it all. It can make your skin brighter, prevent acne, and exfoliate. When you combine it with the right ingredients, it can pretty much do anything. The sweet aroma is also extremely relaxing. Fill up a bath with your favorite salts and make a nice peppermint sugar scrub and just scrub the day away.
Now, before you immediately follow in my footsteps, I do urge you to do a little of your own research to truly wrap your head around the endless benefits and unique properties different oils provide. Especially if you have specific areas you’re hoping to address with them. You will definitely want to make sure you have a basic understanding of how to use them safely. Believe it or not, these puppies are quite potent and can have serious side effects if used incorrectly or haphazardly.
Be aware of your surroundings and who you are in contact with often. For example, I have a one-year-old so my research included how I can use the oils in a safe way around my son. Secondly, everyone will respond to essential oils differently. No two people have the same exact skin and the oils will react to your body chemistry. So any reaction you have won’t necessarily be the same as mine or someone else’s, therefore it’s smart to stick to a few best practices:
Dilute: To avoid causing any adverse reaction, you’ll want to dilute the oil you’re about to use with some sort of carrier oil like coconut oil or olive oil.
Patch Test: Test the oil you want to use on a small portion of your skin before you use it on your face or any sensitive section of skin.
I hope this helps encourage you to take a leap of faith like I did and start trying essential oils! I promise you the journey is so worth it.
Happy oiling!
-Amy
