Top Essential Oils for Anti-Aging
Did you know that your skin, your body's largest organ, represents over 15% of your body weight? Skin is a crucial barrier to climate factors and environmental influences, but it unfortunately changes over time. As you age, your skin starts to lose its elasticity, becoming thinner and drier. But don't despair! If you're looking for a natural and effective ways to combat this, we've compiled a list of the top essential oils for anti-aging, as well as some DIY recipes for you to try out at home. Take care of your skin, and it will thank you!
Anti-Aging Factors
There are a variety of factors that influence the change in our skin’s appearance, however there are specific indicators that may help to speed up or slow down the process:
- Genetics
- Alcohol consumption
- Smoking
- Diet
- Sun exposure
- Hydration (staying hydrating using water as opposed to soda or other drinks can slow down the signs of aging)
- Environmental elements (salt, pollution, wind, etc.)
- Facial expressions
- Stress
- Facial care
- Hormones
Although there are some skin anti-aging strategies, there are some things we really can't do anything about like gravity, chemical changes, and a decrease in cellular renewal. Your skin’s oil glands decrease in size and excrete smaller amounts of oil providing the necessary moisture to your skin. These factors and more can really be reflected in the aging of your skin.
Fortunately, over the last several years, there has been an increased awareness of essential oils in the skin care industry. Leading beauty experts and companies are taking notice and implementing strategies to incorporate these fascinating oils in to skin care products. But there are also many ways you can use essential oils to help fight the signs of aging skin and reduce wrinkles once and for all!
What essential oils are good for your skin?
Carrot Seed
You may not have noticed carrot seeds when you buy your carrots from the grocery store, but the leaves that are removed contain the seeds. Carrot seed oil is extracted from the leaves and is a great antioxidant to help protect against diseases. It also boosts skin renewal and is ideal for stressed skin due to environmental factors. It’s often used in commercial skin care products to increase their effectiveness. It could also be a great addition for men to use as a daily scent with its earthy aroma.
Clary Sage
Historically used as a medicinal herb, it’s considered an essential oil for hormones, primarily for women. It’s effective as an antibacterial, antiseptic especially for adult acne. It helps to tighten pores and improve your overall skin’s texture. It can also be used as a gentle moisturizer near the eyes.
Frankincense
Found in trees, frankincense is an aromatic resin often used in perfumes and incense. The essential oil derived from frankincense works to promote skin cell development, so it’s ideally used for anti-aging and healing purposes. Frankincense oil is effective at minimizing scars to treat eczema. As an agent to protect the skin, it is a good ingredient for basic moisturizers.
Geranium
A geranium is a small purple flower native to southern Africa. The essential oil is steam distilled from the flower and its leaves. Geranium oil is used for all skin types to help boost new cell growth, improve circulation and help to protect the skin’s existing cells. Used as a humectant, it helps to pull moisture from the body to the skin’s surface for added hydration or add 10 drops of geranium essential oil to your bath for instantaneous skin absorption. It’s also popular to use around the eyes for sagging skin.
Grape Seed Oil
Produced from the seeds of grapes, its powerful antioxidants help to eliminate toxins from the body. It’s also proven effective in combination with proanthocyanidin (the flavonoids in grapeseed) to restore collagen and improve skins texture and tone. To treat fine lines and wrinkles, grapeseed oil is gentle enough to use even for sensitive skin and it’s packed full of Vitamin E to help slow the aging process.
Helichrysum
Derived from a medicinal plant, this “Immortal Flower” is the source of oil known for packing a major punch against aging skin. Diminish the appearance of age spots and wrinkles by speeding up process of skin cell turnover using Helichrysum oil. It also works to reduce the texture and appearance of stretch marks and scars. It’s powerful enough to use all over your body while also sensitive enough for your face. Use a little Helichrysum oil if you went a little overboard on the exfoliation or experience redness and irritation from a chemical peel.
Jojoba Oil
The oil extracted from the seeds of a plant native to southern Arizona and California, Jojoba oil is commonly found in cosmetics and anti-aging products. It’s loaded with copper, zinc, Vitamins E and B complex. It also had silicon used to protect your skin and restore moisture. It can be used at home to treat acne and eczema. Jojoba oil is effective at preventing the skin from losing too much water and hydrated skin is slower to show the signs of aging. Try out this Anti-Aging Under Eye Cream, which is infused with jojoba oil and apricot seed oil.
Lavender
One of the most common essential oils, it has a fresh, floral, calming aroma that comes directly from the flower spikes of a lavender plant. Its uses are endless, really, but primarily used in skin care as a moisturizer. It boosts blood flow to the skin making it more efficient for nutrients to reach the skin cells in need of healing and renewal. You can use lavender oil in just about any skin care recipe - read about more of its surprising benefits here.
Lemon
Produced through cold press from the rinds of lemons, lemon oil has a brightness that is cheerful and sweet. It helps to brighten the skin after exposure to the sun and reduce the appearance of wrinkles on your body. It’s also one of the most affordable oils and people love to use it in a diffuser to brighten the aroma of their home or in cleaning.
Myrrh
Gum resin that comes from thorny trees and used in perfume, medicine and incense, myrrh essential oil works to fight cell damage and is ideal for sensitive skin and inflammation. It’s also effective when used for hormone related breakouts, but also gentle enough to use as an ingredient in eye cream or serum.
Neroli Oil
Neroli oil comes from the flowers on a bitter orange tree. Its primary use is to promote cell regeneration. It’s good for sensitive and oily skin, works to smooth fine lines and tighten sagging skin. It’s also been known to prevent or heal stretch marks. The moisturizing properties will help improve your skins elasticity and the antiseptic characteristics work to manage your skin’s oil production and prevent dry skin. This can be especially helpful as the dry winter season approaches!
Patchouli
The patchouli shrub native to the tropical area of Southeast Asia provides leaves that oil can be extracted from. Patchouli oil works to eliminate bad bacterias like fungi and yeast, which also makes it effective at treating blemishes or breakouts. It’s gentle enough for sensitive skin and helps to improve your skin’s density. This effort makes your skin feel and look younger.
Pomegranate Seed Oil
Like its name, from the seeds of a pomegranate fruit, this essential oil is used as a natural treatment for people suffering with skin cancer. It helps reverse the signs of aging when it comes to sun damaged skin and can be used as a sunscreen. It helps to reduce wrinkles naturally and slow the signs of aging.
Rose
With over a hundred species of roses, this fragrant flower is one of the most recognizable. It’s beautiful, layering petals and prickly stem are easily identified. Rose oil is extracted from the petals of various types of roses and has an endless array of benefits from antidepressant, antiseptic, relieves anxiety, and to treat headaches just to name a few. In regards to skin care, it’s used as an anti-aging treatment to moisturize and firm skin. It is the overall choice of essential oil enthusiasts to decrease the appearance of fine lines both on the body and face.
Sandalwood
Extracted from the woods of trees, they are finely grained and aromatic. Sandalwood oil is used to make the skin look and feel smoother. It’s also widely used by essential oil fans near and around the eyes. It has an exotic, woodsy smell that is appealing to both men and women.
Tea Tree Oil
From the leaves of Melaleuca, a tree found in Australia, the oil is extracted and used for medicinal purposes like treating coughs or colds. In relation to skin care, it can be used for acne prone skin as an antibacterial agent to regulate the body’s oil production helping to prevent future breakouts, treat existing ones and prevent acne scarring.
Ylang Ylang
Ylang Ylang essential oil comes from the flower petals in a large, tropical tree – the ylang ylang tree. The translation means flowers of flowers. It’s sweet, floral scent makes it a great ingredient in body lotion or bath products to fight aging skin. It helps to improve the skins elasticity by speeding up the process of cell regeneration.
Using Essential Oils
So as you can see, there are many types of essential oils that can be effective in improving skins overall quality and have been shown to slow the signs of aging revealing smoother, more youthful looking skin. Before you implement essential oils in your skin care regimen, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Essential oils are very concentrated. Therefore, dilute essential oils with a carrier oil like jojoba, grapeseed, sweet almond, shea butter and coconut oils to prevent irritation or an allergic reaction. Use 2 drops of essential oil per 1 tsp. of carrier oil.
- Use 100% pure essential oils for the best results.
- Store essential oils in a cool, dry and dark place because they can degrade overtime when exposed to light and/or heat.
- Do not store essential oils in plastic containers.
- Be cautious when applying essential oils around the eyes.
Essential Oil Recipes
Anti – Wrinkle Blend
- 4 drops of sandalwood oil
- 4 drops of carrot seed oil
- 4 drops Neroli oil
- 1oz. of carrier oil like grapeseed or coconut
Mix essential oils first before adding carrier oil. Pour blend into a small glass bottle. Using a cotton ball, apply a thin layer of the oil mixture over skin.
Anti – Aging Blend
- 9 drops cypress essential oil
- 6 drops geranium oil
- 6 drops frankincense oil
- 3 tsp. rosehip seed oil
- 3 tsp. carrier oil like jojoba or coconut
Mix all of the ingredients and store in a small glass bottle. Best applied early in the morning or before going to bed; Use this mixture sparingly.
Moisturizing Blend
- 12 drops rose oil
- 2 tsp argan oil
- ¼ cup shea butter
Mix together using a whisk and store in small glass container. Use only a pea sized amount as a facial moisturizer to help rejuvenate and smooth your skin.
Soothing Eye Serum
- 1 drop lemon or Neroli essential oil
- 1 drop lavender oil
- 1 tsp vitamin E oil
- 1 Tbsp. carrier oil like sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil
Mix all the ingredients in a small glass bottle. Apply around the eyes by gently dabbing a few drops of serum using your ring fingertip. Do not get too close to the eyes.
Cell Renewal Face Mask
- 1 drop lavender oil
- 1 drop carrot seed oil
- 1 drop frankincense oil
- 3 Tbsp. Natural green clay
Mix all the ingredients together using water to form a paste like consistency. Apply to the face, concentrating on the areas showing the greatest signs of aging. Allow the mask to sit for 20-30 minutes before removing with warm water. Follow by applying your favorite essential oil based moisturizer. This recipe may be used 2-3 times a week for optimal results in skin cell renewal.
Carrot Seed and Aloe Vera Moisturizer
- 3 drops carrot seed oil
- 1 Tbsp. jojoba oil
- 2 Tbsp. aloe vera gel
Mix the ingredients in a small bowl until blended well. Transfer mixture to a cosmetic tub or small glass jar. Apply moisturizer to your face after cleansing or for men, after shaving to refresh and moisturize the skin.
Want even more? Check out these essential oil blends from Brianna Stanko, a facial cosmetic surgeon and natural beauty guru!
Love seeing the added benefits of essential oils and watching as your skin transforms? Check out this post on how to use essential oils for dark circles. Enjoy trying out some new recipes!
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