Skincare

Pamper your skin with facials, cleansers, and lotions made from essential oils. Incorporating essential oils into your daily skin care regime allows you to take advantage of natural alternatives to harsh chemicals with synthetic fragrances that often irritate the skin. And when people ask you about that wonderful scent you're wearing, you can tell them exactly what it is and how to make it!

Hand or Foot Baths

For a great foot or hand bath, add 8 to 10 drops of an essential oil (try cedarwood, clary, jasmine, geranium, lavender, or sandlewood for dry, chapped hands) into a foot bath or large bowl filled with warm water and stir well. Soak your hands or feet for 10 minutes and dry well. Peppermint or epsom salt added to warm water makes a nice foot bath for tired, aching feet.

Body Bath

If you enjoy a nice warm soak at the end of the day, treat yourself to a bath scented with essential oils; baths are great vaporizers and allow the oils to penetrate your skin. Just add 8-12 drops of your favorite essential oil to the tub when the water has finished running and stir the water around with your arm or leg to mix the oils. Sensitive skins should use chamomile, rose, rosewood, carrot, angelica, or jasmine; dry skins should try cedarwood, clary, jasmine, geranium, lavender, orange, rose, chamomile, sandalwood, ylang ylang, or lavender; and oily skins should try chamomile, cedarwood, geranium, lavender, ylang ylang, lemon, peppermint, calendula, sandalwood, grapefruit, thyme, or rose.

Lavender Liquid Soap

After you use this soap, your skin will smell like a field of flowers. Mix 4 to 6 oz. of unscented liquid castile soap with 20 drops of lavender essential oil, 8 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, and 4 drops of lemon essential oil. Mix well and store in a lidded container by the shower.

Lavender Lotion

Make your own naturally scented body lotion! Just add a few drops of lavender essential oil and a few drops of grapeseed oil to a scentless lotion and mix well.

Oatmeal Facial

Combine 3 tbsp. fine oatmeal, 2 tbsp. minced parsley, juice of 1/2 grapefruit, and mix well. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes, spread evenly over your face (avoid the area around your eyes), and let mask penetrate until it starts to flake. Rinse your face with warm water, then tone and moisturize as usual.

Acne Mask

Mix 1 oz. jojoba oil, 10 drops tea tree oil, 7 drops bergamot oil, 6 drops lavender oil, and 2 drops thyme essential oil in a lidded container. Massage oil into affected areas (work around scabs and areas affected by cystic acne) every morning and one hour before going to bed. Use this oil to maintain your skin even after the breakouts have cleared up.

Easy Toner

Boil 1/2 cup milk, pour into a bowl containing 3 tsp. fresh chopped herbs, then let the mixture cool. Dry skins should use elderflower or marigold, normal skins should use chamomile or lemon balm, and oily skins should use parsley or rosemary. Strain the herbed milk through cheesecloth into a clean bottle or jar with a lid and add 3 drops lavender essential oil. Store your toner in the refrigerator and discard unused portion after one week.