Essential Oils for Adult Acne

Skin care has been a constant struggle for me since I had my life transformation from drug addiction to spirit-filled Christianity at the age of 19. Whatever your skin struggle has been, whether its adult acne or other conditions, this blog is for you. Please, I encourage you to share your solutions or current dilemmas here.

Adult Acne?

Seems so strange but my acne started as an adult. Can anyone relate? What’s even crazier was that the acne started when I gave up drugs. You would think that removing harmful chemicals from the body would cause positive reactions. However, I replaced a lifestyle of drugs and carelessness with emotional stress, while I tried to prove to myself and others that I could move past the years of pain I caused to loved ones and myself.

Acne is Complicated

First things first, acne is complicated. I’m not a doctor and will not act like one. This entire blog is from my personal experience. Here are a few reasons that, as an adult, I have suffered acne:

1. Hormone Changes: stress, pregnancy, etc.
2. Diet: based on genetics, some foods may impact certain people more dramatically than others (i.e. sugar, carbohydrates, caffeine, etc.)
3. Use of new Products/Chemicals: laundry detergent, face wash, sunscreen, hair care products, etc.
4. Side Affects of Medicine: unfortunately birth control or anti-depressants can cause this
5. Overall Lifestyle: i.e. when I was surfing in the salt water every morning, I noticed a huge uptick in acne.

Overall, now I deal with issues related to motherhood and aging. This includes: dark spots and hyperpigmentation, bags under eyes, forehead lines and genetically I have deep lines between my lips and my cheeks.

As I find awesome solutions, I will continue a discussion on this topic. Before I get into the details of the products that I’m using (next post), I want to tell you some practical ideas for how to assess your overall skin conditions and then some tips for a detox.

Assess First

If you relate to any of these issues or even if you have other skin conditions, it’s time to detox. This has to start with an assessment of the practicals. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What did my skin look like 5 years ago compared to today?
  • Some conditions have been with you longer than you realize
  • Others may be new, so it’s good to be able to look back a short period of time and assess any differences.
• Basic:
  • Am I drinking enough water?
  • Do I clean sheets/pillow case 1-2x week?
  • Do I sleep with makeup on?
• How long have I experienced this skin condition?
• Did my diet change around the beginning?
• Has my stress level increased?

Detox with Essential Oils

For almost a decade, I was on the search for the right makeup to cover-up my acne. When I encountered the power of essential oils and saw that they are super effective, I started to research the oils for my skin issues. Honestly, I didn’t believe they were going to work but I paid a poop-ton of money to give it a shot. It was still cheaper than the expensive chemical treatments that are recommended and I believe more gentle!

When on a detox, make sure to drink lots of water!

Most importantly, I heard too many horror stories and research that correlated birth defects, infertility and miscarriages to some of the harsh treatments that are offered for adult acne. That being said, please still be careful when pregnant or nursing with any kind of detox – if you have any questions, message me. I’m here for you (but again, not an MD)

Most Important Essential Oils for Skin Conditions

• Frankincense: many believe this is miracle worker of all oils; as this oil penetrates deeply into the brain, experts believe this oil can regulate hormones, which you can imagine is powerful in this topic of acne; moreover, historical, spiritual and folklore references use this oil as a highly valued perfume and skin tonic
• Geranium: this oil is one of my personal favorites! Not only does the aroma refresh me, but its a powerful oil. Experts declare that this, like frankincense, is somewhat of a miracle worker. Among many medicinal uses, this oil is helpful with acne, hormonal rebalance, tissue and cell regeneration. The “Ref Guide 4 EO” app states, this oil “may balance the sebum, which is the fatty secretion in the sebaceous glands of the skin that keep the skin supple. This oil is good for expectant mothers as a cleanser for oily skin and to liven up pale skin.”
• Helichrysum: this oil helps to stop bleeding and reduce scarring; I used it for 72 hours postpartum. As you may consider what the body is healing from after birth, it’s a powerful oil. It’s beneficial for skincare in the early stages after trauma, while the skin is healing. In particular, this oil helps with eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis.
• Melaleuca (Tea Tree): most effective oil to kill bacteria and inflammation; helps to avoid the spread of acne in clusters
• Patchouli: a great skin toner and tightens loose skin, while protecting against UV radiation and wrinkles (unrelated side benefit — one whiff of this oil will curb nausea)
• Lavender: calm and soothe irritation (emotionally and physically); this is my go to for a burn, which I used a lot when Daniel worked in the a fine-dining kitchen 7 days a week. Let’s also be honest, Lavender fits in every category in some way shape or form. I’m just explaining how I used each oil for my detox, which was super effective for me.
• Ylang Ylang: moisturizer; here’s a snippet directly from the Young Living website, “Ylang Ylang essential oil has a sweet, romantic aroma and moisturizing properties, making it a key ingredient in many luxury skin and hair products.”
• Carrot Seed: moisturize, heal sunburns, regenerate aging skin and wrinkles
• Hyssop: historical, spiritual and folklore references use this oil as a highly valued perfume and skin tonic; this oil support scar tissue regeneration
  
• Spikenard: historical, spiritual and folklore references use this oil as a highly valued perfume and skin tonic, known to treat allergic skin reactions and cause permanent regeneration
• Citrus Oils: Just like vitamin C, these oils are huge to purify and sanitize as well as encourage the skin to stimulate healthy cell growth. A friend reminded me to warn against direct sunlight after any citrus oils – this is critical to keep in mind. For the entire detox, I tried to avoid the sun. On days, where I knew I would be outside, I would try to avoid citrus oils on the face for 2+ days prior.

There are a lot more, some I didn’t use because they were more expensive and I didn’t buy them, even though frankincense and helichrysum aren’t cheap!

Four Types of Essential Oil/Skin Care Goals

As you can see, I’ve grouped these essential oils into four categories based on the goals. There is some overlap in essential oils but the goals are extremely different:

1. Active Acne Goal: to purify, sanitize, kill bacteria, calm inflammation
   1. Melaleuca (Tea Tree)
   2. Lavender
   3. Citrus (lemon, orange)
   4. Helichrysm
   5. Frankincense
   6. Neroli
2. Acne Scar Goal: to stimulate collagen and growth of healthy cells
   1. Carrot Seed
   2. Neroli
   3. Patchouli
   4. Geranium
   5. Hyssop
   6. Ylang Ylang
3. Tone Boost Goal: to brighten, minimize difference in pink/red spots & healthy skin
   1. Geranium
   2. Spikenard (discontinued with Young Living)
   3. Lavender
   4. Frankincense
4. Maturity Goals: to hydrate, tighten, protect from wrinkles and UV radiation
   1. Patchouli
   2. Spikenard (discontinued with Young Living)
   3. Ylang Ylang
   4. Carrot Seed
   5. Geranium
5. BONUS – Healthy Hair
   1. Ylang Ylang
   2. Carrot Seed
   3. Lavendar

Tell Me About Carrier Oils

Lots of people will suggest the use of essential oils with a carrier oil. Personally, this was unnecessary for me. However, I’m a bit of an extremist (anyone who knows me can tell you!) My personal goal with this detox was a deep, intense cleanse. Therefore, once I knew my skin could handle the oil, I poured it on generously.

There are two reasons (that I know) why people use a carrier oil:

1. Cost efficiency
2. Skin reactions (carrot seed, citrus and tea tree can cause reactions for sensitive skin types)

So, I suggest starting with a carrier oils — coconut or jojoba oil. Then as your skin responds, reduce the carrier portion of your application. I’m not an expert on the difference in carrier oils, but there is a science to which kind you use as well.

How Long Will This Take?

Oh! I wish I could tell you that this whole process took me a few days. Truthfully, it was about a year from deep, painful crater acne to smooth, evenly toned skin. Thankfully, I started the process about one year before I got married.

Sign Up for Young Living

Please make sure you do your research on what essential oils you use. My preference is Young Living. If you want to sign up click this link and input 1997465 to both slots. Pick your starter kit (with a diffuser! woo hoo) and enroll in the monthly order. You can always change that from month to month, but this is how you build up reward points. Don’t buy anything without this!

I’ve shared this before, but yah, I kinda like essential oils.