I thought these “Flower Bombs”, as the lady whose Pinterest page I “lifted” these awesome photos from called them, is the perfect batch of photos for how wanted to present this post…..
….that being, a “Soulful, Earthy” kinda vibe, to break up the “egghead”, health science text, in this post on fighting acne with essential oils.
People are always asking me why I’m so meticulous with my blog photography, all I can do is quote that line from the Pirate Jack Rackham (he designed the “Skull and Crossbones” flag in real life)….
……in the very last episode of that Starz, Pirate series “Black Sails”, where Rackham says….
“….beause what’s it all for … if it goes unremembered?… It’s the Art, that leaves the Mark. And to leave it, it must transcend, it must speak for itself” !!!
Sorry, that’s probably “Guy Talk” and not “Girl Talk”, and totally irrelevant to the subject at hand, but I love that quote, had to put it somewhere in my Blog. 🙂 Anyhooz, let’s get down to business……
The following text was written by Sally, from the ThinkOily.com website…..
……..I wish I had known about the power of essential oils and how they can help with acne breakouts years ago.
I cringe when I think back to my journey with acne. I suffered from all types…..
….dozens and dozens of blackheads on my nose and cheeks. A forehead that was laced with white heads.
And those massive, red and inflamed cystic knots that always lingered below the surface of my skin.
Those things cursed my neck and back. And they hurt!
If you can relate, I’m sorry. I know how painful acne can be. Both physically and emotionally. I also know how desperate you can become in an effort to rid yourself of such a burden.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably tried everything.
I spent so much money on cosmetic products that ‘guaranteed’ results. Time and time again.
The only thing those products ever did was to excessively dry out my skin. And that only made the problem worse.
Essential oils have a unique way of working with our body to treat and heal a multitude of underlying conditions……
………even acne.
After applying a blend of several essential oils to my face (I’ll talk about which ones in a moment), I felt an immediate relief. The aroma of the oil blend relaxed my nerves.
My skin, which usually felt dry, irritated and painful was quickly calmed and soothed.
A few days later, I noticed that my blackheads were shrinking in size. And my whiteheads were beginning to dry up too.
A couple of weeks later, those painful, cystic acne knots were becoming smaller and less painful. Eventually they disappeared altogether.
The causes and effects of Acne: How Does Acne Work?
Acne can show up anywhere on the skin, mostly shoulders, face, neck, chest or back in the form of blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and greasy skin.
It is normally caused by sebum; the natural oil produced by our skin, and is usually excessive during adolescence. This oil prevents our skin from drying out.
Normally, the hair follicles on our skin are supposed to stay clean and free……
…….The problem is that the excess oil blocks these follicles, causing dead skin cells and acne.
The blocked follicles become swollen from four abnormal processes: excess production of sebum (influenced by androgens), causing excessive deposits of the protein keratin.
Whatever the underlying cause…..
……..acne sometimes leaves people with anxiety, low self-esteem and other psychological disorders like depression and sleeping disorders.
The scars make us uncomfortable with our skin and make us look unattractive.
The Best Oils for Acne
Here are a list of the best oils for acne. And why they work so well.
Geranium Oil
Even when acne has cleared up, it is notorious for leaving scars on the surface of your skin. Geranium oil is derived from the pelargonium genus flower.
This is an extremely powerful oil that has a multitude of purposes. When it comes to acne, it has a profound ability to heal and reduce the visibility of scars on the surface of skin.
Lavender Oil
Lavender is known as the calming oil. It has long sense been used as the go to essential oil in the relief of burns. This is because of its almost immediate ability to calm inflammation and numb the receptors of pain.
When acne is present on the face or other parts of the body, the skin is in a constant state of inflammation. Acute inflammation is actually beneficial.
Lavender Oil (continued)
Its job [that being, acute inflammation] is to send a signal to the body to mediate the healing process. With acne however, that inflammation becomes ongoing or in other words, chronic. This prevents the body from healing and makes an existing problem even worse.
Lavender oil will calm that inflammation and allow the skin to relax… feeling soothed, and allowing healing to naturally occur.
Tea Tree Oil
Also known as melaleuca oil. This is the powerhouse of the essential oils for acne. Strong yet gentle, it is equipped to aid even the most severe breakouts on the most sensitive of skin.
It boasts antimicrobial and antiseptic properties which is ideal in eliminating the Propionibacterium acnes microbe that grows on the skin and is responsible for acne breakouts.
[note] Instead of trying to figure out your own essential oil formulas and combinations, here is a good oil formula worth trying, consisting of the much touted on this Blog, Argan Oil, plus Lavender Oil and Tea Tree Oil, one of several great products from Kenza International Beauty, a New York based company bringing some great holistic products to the American public. I first mentioned Kenza in my “Beauty Secrets from Africa (Part 1)” article
[note] One thing a few women who wrote to me pointed out, is even if you get rid of the acne, you may still have blemishes and other issues such as minor scarring, due to instinctively scratching acne over time. Thus, you also should look for products that help rid the skin of blemishes, dark spots, and scar tissue as the result of acne. 
Cinnamon Oil
Cinnamon oil can dilate blood vessels, increasing circulation. The better the circulation to an area of the body, the quicker it can heal.
Combine this with cinnamon oils’ antibacterial and antiviral properties and its ability to decrease inflammation and you have another oil that can sway the battle with acne in your favor.
Eucalyptus Oil
I love this oil. It has a smell that reminds me of a mixture between a pine tree and a mint leaf. Like some of the other oils, it has antibacterial, antiviral and antimicrobial properties.
When used with the other oils above, it will dry out existing breakouts and prevent new ones from forming.
(…..my [Doug, the blogwriter] addition to the article, Neroli Oil )
I’ve run across women raving about Neroli Oil (a.k.a, Bitter Orange ), as pertains to fighting acne. You might want to add it to your list of acne fighting oils to test out.
There is plenty of Neroli Oil available on Amazon.
Also, Kenza International Beauty, mentioned earlier, has an Argan and Orange Blossom formula amongst their many great offerings, which include their great Gift Ideas.
Though the terms, “Neroli”, “Bitter Orange”, and “Orange Blossom” are used interchangeably, since they all originate from the Bitter Orange Tree, there are some subtle differences, go to this article for the details
(…..back to Sally’s article) Here are some other essential oils…..
……that people have used for acne and other skin conditions. I haven’t personally used them myself but they are worth mentioning for your personal reference.
Those oils are arborvitae, bergamot, birch, cardamom, cedarwood, clary sage, clove, coriander, cypress, frankincense, geranium, grapefruit, helichrysum, juniper berry, lemon, lemongrass, myrrh, patchouli, rosemary, sandalwood, spearmint, vetiver, white fir, wintergreen, yarrow and ylang ylang. And I am sure there are others!
I also suggest that you dilute 10 drops of each oil (50 drops total) with 30-40 drops of fractionated coconut oil. It’s important to always dilute essential oils if you plan to use them topically.
Some can cause irritation in people and the process of dilution helps to eliminate or reduce that likelihood. Don’t worry, they’re still powerful even when diluted.
To Conclude
And there you have it! The oils that I used to heal my problematic breakouts.
For best results and a smooth, youthful complexion, I recommend you use them daily like I do.
That’s all for now….
Never forget – You’re beautiful. Let the power of essential oils help remind you of that!
–Sally
go to all my articles in
“Girl Talk”
Copyright Disclaimer: Right to use photos claimed under: Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
3 Responses
Manuka essential oil is proven to be very effective in eliminating the bacteria that causes acne, also Manuka UMF honey stops the bacteria and helps to reduce swelling and to unblock the pores. We make a special cream called Active Manuka honey cream and pair that with Manuka soap and 25% Manuka oil as a special natural acne treatment pack.
PS We love your photography!
Hey Bill Gluyas,
I’ve been hearing about Manuka Oil a lot. Of course, I’m Manuka Honey’s #1 fan.
P.S., the photos are nothing more than the result of the paranoia that my blog would be overly scientific and boring to the average reader, so I started “scicing it up” as a visual social media experience, and it’s a lot of fun doing it. Great job to have, that being thumbing through dozens and dozens of photos of beautiful women 🙂
Doug at GAIA Health Blog
The face wash is also important with essential oils for acne. I always use oil-free face wash for acne-prone skin . It is really helpful for me. Cinnamon Oil is my favorite and I regularly use it in my daily routine. Thank you for such a nice article.