Essential oils have a long history of use in natural skin care –These wonderful phytochemicals provide a great breadth of natural medicinal components well-known for healing damaged skin, as well as reducing the appearance of old scars from trauma and surgical wounds, acne and other incidents. Recipes Essential oil blends for these applications are gentle, safe for regular use, and have a wonderful aroma to boot. The blends are easy to make, and simple to customize for your particular needs.

The Essential Oils

Certain essential oils are often used for healing and regeneration of skin tissues. We’ll review these and their companion carrier oils, then present some formulas for particular situations. The first of these essential oils is Helichrysum Italicum, an oil with an earthy aroma, distilled from the small flowers of an herb native to the Mediterranean region. This is the premier oil called for where the skin is in need of regeneration, and where inflammation may be present. Helichrysum is unique in that it contains ‘di-ketones’; a class of molecules that signal the skin to regenerate. It is also often used for bruising and impact related injuries.

Helichrysum, the Healing Foundation

Helichrysum is the foundation of many blends for healing the skin, and can be used by itself in a synergistic carrier oil such as Rosehip seed or Tamanu Nut. This combination may be all that is needed to speed the healing of recent wounds — though often a little Lavender oil is added as well. Kurt Schnaubelt, one of America’s leading aromatherapists notes in his quintessential guide “Advanced Aromatherapy” that Helichrysum essential oil and Rosehip seed can “heal wounds with minimal or no scarring”.

Synergizing with Lavender

As noted above, Lavender oil is often used for skin healing. In a 50/50 blend with Tea Tree oil, it is commonly used on small cuts and scrapes to sooth and prevent infection. Lavender has anti-inflammatory properties along with tissue regenerating effects, albeit a bit more mild than Helichrysum. It does, however, have the important added benefit of a well-liked aroma that can ease anxiety for many people.

Sage for Old Scars

Next up is the essential oil distilled from the leaves of common Sage, or Salvia officinalis. Sage is used in low concentrations in very specific conditions – where the scars are old and require a little extra phytochemical power to heal. Sage oil can bring circulation to the area, and can assist the scarred area of the skin to regenerate, particularly in concert with other oils. Sage can be used in stretch mark formulas, but should only be employed post-partum because of the high thujone content of the oil.

Rosemary to Stimulate Cellular Metabolism

Rosemary of the Verbenone chemotype (rather than Cineol, which does not have the same properties) contains regenerative ketones like Lavender and Helichrysum, plus has the added benefit of stimulating the skin’s metabolic process. This oil can bring greater circulation to skin tissues, delivering nutrients and eliminating cellular waste and toxins — functions which are crucial during the healing process. Rosemary Verbenone can be used for healing new or old wounds.

Nutritive Essential Oils That Can Speed Healing

Certain essential oils can offer important nutrient that may speed the healing process. Most importantly, they offer carotenoids and carotenes — molecules closely related to vitamin A. This vitamin and its precursors are considered very important to normal skin development and wound healing. Carotenoids are also potent antioxidants, which can oxidative compounds at the healing site. Two essential oils can be chosen from: Sea Buckthorn and Carrot Root (sometimes found as ‘Helio-Carrot’). These are both Carbon Dioxide extracts with deep red and orange colors, displaying their high carotenoid content.

Tea Tree: Nature’s Finest Antiseptic

For wounds that are currently healing, a small amount of an antimicrobial oil can help the process. It can prevent redness and irritation that is the result of your body dealing with bacteria at the sight of the injury. Between 8 and 40 drops of Tea Tree per ounce of your complete formula can be added if you feel a stronger antiseptic action is necessary (Lavender and Rosemary do have moderate antimicrobial properties). A second formula without Tea Tree can be used once the wound is completely sealed.

The Carrier Oils: Diluting and Delivering the Essential Oils

All these oils but Lavender should be diluted in a carrier before use (Lavender CAN be used directly on the skin, but will be used in diluted form in the following blends). Many studies have shown the great efficacy of essential oils at low concentrations – so in Aromatherapy, ‘less is more’ is a general rule. Two highly regarded carrier or ‘base’ oils used for skin treatment are Rosehip seed, cold-pressed from a plant native to the mountain regions of South America, and Hazelnut oil, which is suitable for all skin types. These oils will help the essential oils absorb into the skin, and can provide their own nutritive properties. Rosehip seed contains a wealth of fatty acids, plus a compound similar in action to the pharmaceutical preparation ‘Retin A’. without the drying side effects. Hazelnut oil has mild astringent properties, and will not leave the skin feeling greasy. It is appropriate even for acne prone skin (where Rosehip seed is not!). Other useful healing carrier oils are Tamanu Nut — recently making waves as an excellent carrier for healing nearly all types of skin conditions — and Evening Primrose, which offers nutritive and anti-inflammatory fatty acids.

Choosing Your Recipe

So how does one mix these natural botanicals for particular uses? There are a few simple but effective recipes specifically for wound healing and scar reduction. For old keloid or acne scars, make a two-ounce base using equal parts Evening Primrose, Tamanu and Rosehip Seed oils – to this, add one milliliter each of Helichrysum Italicum and Sage officinalis essential oil. Apply regularly for three to six months for best results. For more recent cuts, scrapes, and even surgical incisions (that have reached the point where they are safe to get moist), use the same base recipe, adding one milliliter of Helichrysum and one milliliter of Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia). You can choose whether you’d like to use Rosemary and/or Tea Tree. Apply twice a day while the wound is healing. For the reduction and possible elimination of stretch marks post partum, again to one ounce each of Hazelnut and Rosehip seed oils, add one milliliter Sage and one milliliter Rosemary verbenone. Like the formula for old scars, use this regularly for several months.

So there is a few effective combinations of natural botanical ingredients that can support certain skin care conditions. Many, many more skin care formulas are available when blending essential oils – with many oils able to aid with very particular situations. If needed, a little research should go a long way in helping you find what you need. And as always with aromatherapy oils, go slowly, pay attention to your body’s reactions and remember that increasing concentrations of the essential oils will not make a more effective blend. Be safe and enjoy.

Along with herbs from the garden, the author is a user of aromatherapy oils. More information on pure aromatherapy and wholesale essential oil pricing is available at the Ananda Apothecary.