11 Of The Best Essential Oils For Your Skin
The material in this post is for informational/educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Essential oils are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
One of the ways I most love to use essential oils is for my skin.
Certain essential oils are very skin-supportive and can help to nourish, cleanse, and smooth out your skin. You can also feel confident knowing that you are using something all-natural and non-toxic.
There are really a lot of essential oils to choose from when it comes to your skin, but I’m listing my top 11 in this post. All of these oils have multiple skin benefits, but I’ve divided them into categories: nourishing & moisturizing oils, cleansing oils, and oils for blemish prone skin.
I use 9 of these essential oils in my daily and weekly routines, so they are truly tried and tested!
Essential Oils That Nourish & Moisturize
Frankincense: Frankincense is one of the best all-around essential oils for skin. It can help promote healthy and radiant-looking skin and adds extra moisturizing power to your skincare routine.
Frankincense is good for all skin types, but it can be especially helpful for those with mature skin because of its ability to help smooth out skin. Along with nourishing your skin, Frankincense essential oil can also help to cleanse and reduce the appearance of an uneven skin tone.
How to use: My favorite way of using it is adding a drop or two to my moisturizer in the morning. You can also massage it directly into your face, hands, or feet. Or add a few drops to your body lotion after a shower or bath.
Cedarwood: Cedarwood is another one of my favorites for its sweet, calming fragrance as well as its skin benefits. Cedarwood essential oil is very nourishing to the skin and can help promote healthy and youthful-looking skin. (Sign me up!)
This is a good essential oil to use for all skin types and can help to smooth skin out. Cedarwood is also very nourishing and good for your scalp. It can help give you healthy-looking hair when you apply it to your scalp regularly.
How to use: Cedarwood is another gentle oil. You can massage a few drops into your face or body or mix it with one of your lotions. Or rub a few drops of Cedarwood into your scalp before or after showering. For deeper benefits, mix a few drops with a carrier oil, massage into scalp, and wait 30-60 minutes before washing hair.
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Myrrh: Myrrh is an essential oil with rich moisturizing properties and doubles as a skin cleanser. It’s so good for the skin that myrrh oil is used in some of the most high-end beauty products.
Myrrh will add extra moisture to any skin type, which makes is especially good for cold, winter months when skin becomes drier. It cleanses skin while it nourishes and is also beneficial for your scalp.
How to use: Myrrh essential oil is one of my favorites to add to my bath so that my skin can soak it in. You can also add a drop or two to body or facial lotion. Massage a few drops of Myrrh into your scalp before showering or add a drop when shampooing for healthier looking hair.
Copaiba: Copaiba is one of my favorite essential oils to use when I need to relax and de-stress, but it also has many beneficial skin properties. Copaiba is very nourishing and moisturizing for the skin and can help your skin to have a natural, radiant glow.
It can also be used to reduce the appearance of blemishes and to promote a youthful-looking complexion. I’ve found Copaiba to be one of the most nourishing for my skin, and its mild fragrance blends with any lotion.
How to use: Copaiba can be applied directly to skin with a carrier oil or mixed in with your body lotion or facial moisturizer. You can also mix it with a few drops of carrier oil and apply to your face after washing (if your skin likes oil). I mix Copaiba with Cedarwood and add a drop into my shampoo when I wash my hair. Copaiba only needs to be diluted if you have sensitive skin.
Cleansing Essential Oils
Geranium: Apparently, Geranium was used a long time ago by the Egyptians to promote radiant looking skin. It’s still used in high-end skincare products today and has a sweet, floral scent. Geranium essential oil can help to cleanse, smooth, and tone skin.
It’s good for all skin types and can help to balance out both oily and dry skin. Use Geranium for healthy, youthful, and radiant-looking skin! It can also help promote healthy-looking hair when applied to the scalp.
How to use: Like many of the other essential oils, Geranium can be added to skincare products like lotion, face or body wash, and shampoo. You can also try a honey mask: Mix 1-2 drops of Geranium essential oil with enough honey to cover your face. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then rinse off.
Grapefruit: Grapefruit is an essential oil that’s cold-pressed from the peels of the fruit. It has an invigorating, citrusy fragrance and adds extra cleansing power to your skincare routine.
Grapefruit essential oil can help to tone and smooth out skin and give it a soft and healthy appearance.
How to use: Add a drop or two of Grapefruit into your facial cleanser or toner to brighten and tone skin. Or mix a drop or two in with your nightly moisturizer and let it soften and smooth your skin overnight. Grapefruit can also be diluted at a 1:1 ratio with a carrier oil and applied to skin. *Citrus oils may cause skin to become photosensitive. It’s best to apply Grapefruit at night, and avoid direct UV exposure for up to 12 hours.*
Orange & Lemon: Orange and Lemon are two other citrus oils with skin cleansing properties. I love using both of these in my nightly routine to brighten my skin tone.
Both have similar properties but are slightly different. Lemon is an essential oil with some of the strongest skin cleansing properties. It can also help to reduce signs of aging. Orange is cleansing as well, but it’s especially good for those with oily skin and can also give you softer skin. Use Orange on facial areas that get excess oil.
How to use: It’s best to use both of these essential oils at night, as they can cause your skin to become photosensitive. I alternate using 1-2 drops of Lemon or 1-2 drops of Orange each night in my moisturizer. You can also add a few drops to a cleanser, shampoo, or conditioner. Or try using a drop of each in a honey mask to brighten and soften skin. To use with a carrier oil, dilute at a 1:1 ratio.
Essential Oils For Blemish Prone Skin
Tea Tree: Tea Tree essential oil is one of the best oils to use for breakout prone skin. I’m still dealing with acne in my late 20’s, and Tea Tree is an oil I use everyday in my skincare routine for my face.
Tea Tree is a powerful essential oil. It can reduce the appearance of blemishes, cleanse and purify skin, moisturize, and help with oily skin. Tea Tree can also help to keep your scalp healthy.
How to use: I like to add one drop of Tea Tree essential oil into my facial cleanser in the morning. It can be added to lotion and soap as well. You can also add a drop of Tea Tree into your shampoo when washing your hair to help your scalp. To spot treat blemishes, put a drop of Tea Tree onto a cotton swap and apply to breakouts. *Tea Tree has a strong cooling effect, so go slow with it.*
Lavender: Lavender is one of the best all-around essential oils for skin. I included it in this section because its calming and cleansing properties make it ideal for skin that tends to break out.
Lavender will moisturize and nourish your skin as it cleanses. It can help to reduce the appearance of blemishes and is a great oil to use for aging skin. Lavender can also soothe skin after too much time out in the sun.
How to use: My favorite way to use Lavender is to put a few drops into my face and/or body lotion. You can also add a drop to your facial cleanser, shampoo, conditioner, and any other skincare products. Lavender oil can also be mixed with a carrier oil if you prefer. Try mixing 8-10 drops of Lavender with 1 cup of Epsom salts and adding to bath water for a calming and skin-nourishing bath.
Manuka: Manuka essential oil is another one that I use often. It’s a good alternative to Tea Tree oil for those who are sensitive to Tea Tree. Manuka is a gentle and warm essential oil. It is cleansing, just like Tea Tree, but not as intense on the skin.
Manuka can be used to reduce the appearance of breakouts, soothe skin, and keep skin looking healthy. It also supports a healthy scalp.
How to use: The easiest way to use Manuka is to put a drop or two in with your daily moisturizer. You can mix it in with a face or body wash, but I prefer to add it to lotion so that it stays on my skin. Or mix it in with shampoo when washing your hair.
Get The Best Essential Oils For Your Skin
No matter what skin type you have, there’s an essential oil out there that can help your skin look and feel healthy. I really like using several different oils in rotation so that I can get the benefits of all of them.
If you aren’t sure where to start, I recommend Lavender as an all-around great essential oil for your skin and any of the citrus oils (Grapefruit, Lemon, or Orange). Frankincense would be my top pick, but it is one of the more expensive oils, so it depends on your budget.
The most important thing when it comes to using essential oils on your skin is to buy a quality brand. The skin is our largest organ, and whatever we put on it gets absorbed into our bodies.
Your skin will thank you for making essential oils a part of your regular skincare routine!
This is such a thorough list! I’ve been using Frank and Copaiba for a while, and I’ve been happy with the improvements to my *wrinkles*. I’m going to have to look into Geranium too for a wash as you mentioned. Great information!
Glad you liked it! Frankincense and Copaiba are definitely two of my favorites.
Thank you for an exhaustive review. My favorite ones are lavender, tea tree, lemongrass and rose essential oil. I use them very often.