Essential Oils in skin care

[KirstinBeans20]

So I've been hearing a lot lately how essential oils can be detrimental to our skin from prolonged use... I have sensitive skin and feel that this may be the case for me.
Does anyone have input on this? How can we pick out essential oils in the ingredients? Or what are some brands KNOWN to use and brands that DONT USE essential oils?

[DobieLover32800]

Watch Dr. Dray on Youtube. She’s a board certified dermatologist and will teach you all about the dangers of essential oils and fragrance.

[EveMangle]

I love Rose essential oil. It is the best for my dry skin. The other great is tea tree organic essential oil.  Tea tree is known for healing acnes and irritating skin. The only advice i can give you - don't buy essential oils in a drug stores but find i good reliable brand with the good reviews like --- . For the last couple of years i order my diffusers and oils there and was never disappointed.

[lackielove]

I am making a face oil to use instead of lotion because I don't want the emulsifiers or the preservatives (allergic to all the preservatives I have tried).

[CoffeeWuff]

@KirstinBeans20 

essential oils can be irritating or sensitizing - a lot of things really depend on your skin. I am honestly on the fence - I would assume they should be fine when formulated in skincare but I am not too sure. There is a lot of conflicting information for & against essential oils out there, so it is hard to know what is true or not - or what will still be true or not in the future. I am okay with some essential oils when they are formulated low but I try to avoid them more than that. I am not a fan of heavily scented skincare anyway & a lot comes down to your preferences &, most of all, your skin & how it reacts to ingredients.

If your skin is already sensitive, I guess it is best to stay away from ingredients that are potential irritating or bad for your skin such as essential oils. Also, keep an eye out for alcohols that are bad for your skin & fragrances in your skin care. 😉

It is easy to spot them in ingredient lists since they are typically disclosed but also keep an eye on natural fragrances & fragrance ingredients like limonene, citronellol, eugenol, geraniol or linalool etc.

A brand that uses a lot of essential oils is Origins, for example. 

I guess looking at skincare for sensitive skin & looking at the ingredients might be your best bet. Hope that helps a bit. 😉

[lnum]

@CoffeeWuff Thanks for this response. I could never figure out why almost all Origins products break me out terribly! 

[CoffeeWuff]

@lnum Aww, that must have been frustrating. I hope you didn't spend too much money on their products at least. 

[lnum]

Luckily I caught on pretty quickly that Origins was breaking me out as I tend to add new products to my routine in two week rotations to be able to spot any funny business! @CoffeeWuff 

[dani0608]

I am fair, have crazy allergies and I add Eucalyptus and Tea Tree oil into my facial lotions, body and face wash too, they do not trigger any reactions. I also put it in a mix of Jojoba, Almond, Apricot and Grapeseed oil which I use on my body and run through my hair when if feels dry. I have never had an adverse reaction.My advice would be, think what you are already allergic to,about what benefits you want the oils to help your skin obtain, what ones can be used and not used together. When you can go to a Health Food Store and they should carry a variety, smell the ones you would like to try. Some will have a dropper and you may be able to do a patch test. tape or note which oil and where you put it. Depending on the salesclerk they may let you take a drop or two home because it would be a better test. There are tons of websites and ebooks that can help you decide. I love Eucalyptus and Tea Tree they help open me up when I am stuffy, they help with minor aches, have antibacterial and viral properties.They make me feel better all around. If you still don’t feel comfortable using Essential Oils, it is not a big deal. It is your skin you wear, it no one else.

[dani0608]

I apologize for the previous post. I got a head of myself. You need to look up their scientific names to really know what products use and do not Essential oils, Skincare and detergents will use those more times than not, sometimes they have known name in parenthesis. I think I read somewhere Drunk Elephant doesn’t use them. I have never tried the brand. Most nights I use Aveeno Fragrance free body wash even on my face and it has Myrrh and Coriander oils in it. Facial Oils are a thing now and if you want to stay away from Essential oils, you can use a mix of those. Jojoba is the closest natural oil to our own. Grapeseed is great for anti oxidants and Almond is also very nourishing, Castor while some might frown upon really can help combat dryness but use it sparingly. What products are you using or have you used that make you think Essential Oils are irritating your skin?

[KirstinBeans20]

No this is useful information! I usually try to stay away from using new products since my face breaks out so easily, but since I haven’t been leaving home lately, I’ve been letting myself experiment a lot more with skin care! In the past when my face breaks out, I would just throw the product away and not look back, but this meant i also wasn’t looking at specific ingredients 😞 

recently I used biossance‘s tea tree cleanser and that was a big no for my skin!