Natural Acne Treatment with Essential Oils

Simple, Easy Aromatherapy Home Remedies for Acne that Work

Nov 12, 2009

Acne and pimples can be difficult to shake, but one of the best natural acne treatments is simple, effective, and feels great to the skin: aromatherapy essential oils.

Acne is one of the most persistent skin problems among both adults and teens – that's why an entire industry has developed to offer "foolproof" acne cures and treatments. Though many home remedies for acne are known to work, some of the best natural acne treatments include essential oils or aromatherapy oils, especially in combination with fatty oils like olive or sweet almond.

Essential Oils for Natural Acne Treatment

Essential oils have been used for all kinds of cosmetic and health purposes since ancient times. The doctors of the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were known for using essential oils and other herbal remedies as cures for almost every type of health problem – including skin conditions and to treat acne.

The skin responds especially well to aromatherapy oils as a natural acne treatment because the lipid nature of the oils can penetrate easily into the skin, where the oils heal and nourish the cells and relieve inflammation.

Choosing the Best Oils for Acne and Skin Treatment

The choice of a particular essential oil or a combination of oils will depend on the type of acne and on individual skin sensitivity – finding the best essential oil acne treatment can be partly trial and error until you are familiar with how your skin reacts to different oils.

It's also extremely important to purchase only therapeutic grade oils of the highest quality because lower grade oils contain additives that can worsen acne. For more information on aromatherapy oil quality, see The Real Quality of Essential Oils.

Applying Essential Oils to Cure Acne

There are a number of ways to use essential oils as a natural acne treatment, including:

Neat: Essential oils can be applied neat (or pure, without dilution) on the skin – but only if there is no skin sensitivity and if the oils being used as a natural acne treatment are completely pure and known to contain no additives. Anything added to a pure essential oil may cause skin reactions and worsen acne (see link above).

Diluted in Oil: Although it seems counterintuitive, fatty oils like olive oil, jojoba, sweet almond oil, and coconut oil can be healing to acne. Although acne is oily, it is often caused by skin dryness that forces cells to overproduce the natural oils of the skin. Using extra virgin olive oil (or another natural, organic oil) on the skin in a mixture with a few drops of essential oil can be very helpful as an acne cure.

Steam: A home acne remedy that feels like a day at the spa! All that's needed is a large bowl, a towel, hot water and a few drops of essential oil. Boil about two cups of water, then pour the hot water and essential oil into the bowl. Bend face over the bowl and cover your head (and the bowl) with the towel, and let the aromatic steam do its work on facial acne.

Ointments and Moisturizers: Essential oils can be added to facial moisturizer or skin acne treatments, but be very careful in so doing. Anything with synthetic ingredients can interact with pure aromatherapy oils in ways that can cause acne, not help cure it.

Essential Science Publishing (compiled by), Essential Oils Desk Reference, 2nd Edition. USA, Essential Science Publishing, 2001.

The copyright of the article Natural Acne Treatment with Essential Oils in Aromatherapy is owned by Victoria Anisman-Reiner. Permission to republish Natural Acne Treatment with Essential Oils in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.