I have stayed away from essential oils for the longest time because I used to think they are not suitable for oily skin and they are mostly used for Aroma Therapy. Recently I watched a couple of videos on Youtube where I saw some very well known skin care specialists recommending essential oils for skincare. So I decided to try them and here I am penning down my experience.

Also, it is worth noting down that there is a for and against group for applying essential oils directly into our skin. For example, I follow Hyram’s channel and I kind of agree with him on most of the other things regarding skincare. He seemed to be quite against of applying essential oils directly into skin as they are highly concentrated and may cause breakouts or actually make the skin super sensitive which we may realize only when it is too late. I totally agree with him and I feel like sometimes we purchase a product a lot because others are using it and not understanding the possible future implications.

So I bought 2 types of essential oils – Frankincense and Geranium oil. Both of them are from a brand called ‘SoulFlower’. They sell various types of essential oil, carrier oils in their website, Amazon and on Nykaa as well. I have heard good reviews about them and hence purchased them from this brand. There are some other herbal brands available in India as well who sell essential oils but I suppose we should buy it only from authentic sources.

Price and Quantity: First of all if you are new to essential oils you will find them way too pricey as compared to the quantity you get but I guess good things come at a price. So based on my market survey what I noticed is that the essential oil bottles typically come in 10ml -15 ml packaging with a dropper and they cost from around INR 350 – 800 for each bottle depending on the variety. For example you will get 15 ml of Geranium oil for around INR 450 whereas Frankincense retails for around 800 for the same quantity. Now you may find some in a cheaper rate from various brands but please be careful and read reviews before buying them as I read multiple reviews about the cheaper versions not being up to the mark or not giving expected results.

Benefits of Geranium Oil: Now let me tell you why I chose to buy this oil. Geranium is known to remove blemishes and also has astringent properties which means it can work as a face toner. It also gives the necessary hydration to our skin. Another great property of geranium is that its consistency is pretty thin and if you mix it with some moisturizer or serum of thick consistency it will make the mix thinner. So it works great for people with oily skin. Geranium works great to nourish scalp and to strengthen hair roots too. It works as a diffuser oil as well and let me tell you the smell is amazingly calming.

Benefits of Frankincense Oil: Frankincense oil is known to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, scars and stretch marks. It balances the oil content of the skin, preventing acne and also heals the skin on a cellular level. Originally from Africa, India and the Middle East Frankincense oil has been popular as an ingredient in incense and perfumes for thousands of years. Frankincense oil is prepared from aromatic hardened gum resins obtained by tapping Boswellia trees. With its potent anti-inflammatory properties, it reduces inflammation caused by acne, sun burns and any other skin inflammatory condition.

How I use these essential oils for my regular skincare: As I mentioned earlier I totally agree with those group of people who believe that we should not apply essential oils directly to our skin. So I have found out a couple of ways to include them in various ways in a very limited quantity.

Toner / Face mist : I prepare a DIY face mist and keep in the refrigerator to give me the instant freshness. So I take around 70% of rose water in a spray bottle. Add 1-2 tea spoon of Aloe Vera gel and just 1-2 drops of Geranium oil. Spray it whenever you want to give you instant hydration or just to freshen up during a break from work. You can also add 1-2 drops of geranium in your regular toner or even in the makeup remover. Remember the key is basically less is more.

Moisturizer : You can take any carrier oil e.g. pure coconut oil or olive oil in a 15 ml roller bottle and add just 2-3 drops of frankincense oil. Just roll this mixture around your eyes especially in those areas where you see fine lines. This works excellent in removing the dullness and wrinkles around the under eye area. Also if you want to use it with your face moisturizer then take a pea size quantity of the regular preferably organic / herbal moisturizer that you use and take even less than a drop of frankincense and do a good massage. I cannot emphasize this more that these essential oils are in their purest form. So always use very very very less quantity for the best results.

Hope you found this post helpful 🙂