Most people are introduced to essential oils (EO) as a way to diffuse crisp, clean aromatics into their households. The light, natural scents can help influence moods and create a sense of focus, calming, and relaxation. But the oils have many, many more uses and can aid in pain relief associated with muscle fatigue, injury, and even migraines- as well work as a cleaning agent or even lend flavor to some of our favorite dishes. Many also have a long and varied history as a topical solution for skin care, and the best essential oils for face related concerns such as for example essential oils for blackheads are often sought after, especially for those who have delicate skin.
Table of Contents
Best Essential Oils for Your Face Comparison
| IMAGE | ESSENTIAL OIL | DETAILS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Young Living Geranium Essential Oil |
| Check The Price |
| Young Living Frankincense Essential Oil |
| Check The Price |
 | Rocky Mountain Oils Skin Care Essential Oil Blend |
| Check The Price |
 | Rocky Mountain Oils Baby Skin Essential Oil Blend |
| Check The Price |
| Young Living Lavender Essential Oil |
| Check The Price |
| Young Living Carrot Seed Essential Oil |
| Check The Price |
| Young Living Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil |
| Check The Price |
| Young Living Melrose Essential Oil |
| Check The Price |
| DoTERRA Neroli Essential Oil |
| Check The Price |
| DoTERRA Rose Essential Oil |
| Check The Price |
What are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are an extract of various plants chosen for their aromatic and healing properties. These benefits can take many forms, and once the oils have been removed from the plant via distillation or cold pressing methods, their application can be taken advantage of.
EOs are usually specific in their uses, and care should always be taken to know how and why you may want to use them in certain ways. Not all can be ingested, for example, and some can even be toxic when used incorrectly. This doesn’t mean they are dangerous to have- not by any means- but like any product, it should be used and stored properly to avoid any problems.
Aromatic
Most popular with beginning essential oil users, the release of certain oils via a diffuser or other methods, such as specialized jewelry, helps to infuse your space with light, refreshing scents. Helpful in cleaning the air, influencing a more stress-free environment, providing focus, or simply creating a gentle scent for personal enjoyment, EOs can do it all.
Topical
Topical applications of oils should always be approached with caution to ensure you are using proper oil for skin use. There are many, many oils that provide skin care benefits, however, these are often blended with a carrier oil of some sort to provide a foundation for easy application. Other oils can be easily used within your favorite moisturizers, face creams, or even body washes by adding a few drops for dilution purposes.
Ingestible
This may be the smallest category of EO uses, but it still provides a healthy list of oils taken from popular plants used for flavoring your favorite dishes. Many of these also can be ingested for dietary purposes to help with health issues as well. Before introducing any sort of new ingestible dietary additions, always speak with a healthcare provider to rule out any medical interference.
Topical Applications of Essential Oils
As mentioned above, there are many ways to use EOs in a topical manner. This article is focused on those oils best used for facial skin care since your face is one of the most exposed parts of your body. Because of this, it is subject to all sorts of abuses in relation to temperature and humidity changes, as well as exposure to the sun and wind.
The scents and benefits of EOs influenced the beauty industry as we know it today. As the only products once available for health and skin care prior to synthetic perfumes and lotions, there has been a movement back towards the use of more natural products- especially in application to the more delicate skin of our face.
Use of Carrier Oils
Carrier oils, as described above, are used to help dilute and provide an easier application of EOs to your skin. Many trustworthy sources of essential oils provide a concentrated, undiluted oil for purchase, and depending on the oil, if applied in such a concentration, can cause skin irritations. This dilution of oil also helps make it last longer, providing you with more applications and longer lasting results.
Essential Oils and Skin Type Quick Guide
Your skin type helps determine which oils may be best for your skin, which is wholly unique to who you are. Troubled skin can be helped by the use of EOs, as with overly dry or oily skin types. The following quick guide provides some of the most common oils and their uses with skin issues. These can be blended with the ones we highlight below or may already be mixed with some of the company blends we review.
Oily Skin
To help regulate and normalize oil production, try citrus based oils, bergamot, geranium, or cypress. These can also aid in skin drying conditions.
Chapped
Mix the following with a deep moisturizing lotion, such as cocoa butter: rosehip oil, chamomile, palmarosa, geranium, and myrrh.
Acne
If troubled skin leaves behind clogged pores and blackheads, you may want to try Melaleuca (tea tree), geranium, lavender, or patchouli oils mixed in with your favorite face wash, hydrating serum, or moisturizer.
Wrinkles
Aging skin be held in check with the use of good hydration. Try mixing in ylang-ylang, lavender, frankincense, rose, or elemi oils (to name a few) with your nighttime moisturizing regimen to help smooth wrinkles and bring a more youthful appearance to your face.
Discolorations
Acne scars and sun spots, freckles, and other darkened, patchy issues are typical problem areas for many people- especially women after childbirth. Citrus, lavender, and frankincense are amongst the most effective in smoothing and lightening these areas.
Blackheads
Blackheads, a persistent concern for many. When it comes to which essential oils for blackheads you can use, tea tree oil, known for its incredible antibacterial properties, works wonders in combating these annoying blemishes. Lavender oil, with its soothing and antimicrobial qualities, aids in reducing inflammation and preventing further blackhead formation. However, when using essential oils for blackheads do make sure you take the safety precautions such as diluting them the right way.
How to Choose the Best Oils for Your Face
It may seem odd to look to oils to solve facial skin problems, as many issues arise due to an overproduction of oil. But many times, our skin produces oil, clogging pores due to your body attempting to balance skin dryness. Essential oils, especially those used in their pure forms, provide protective skin barriers and healing properties that do not clog pores and work towards balancing or reducing oil production to bring a more youthful appearance to your face.
Although there are many oils available for topical uses, the ones that are preferred for facial uses are very specific in their abilities to help with various skin conditions. Many are mentioned above, but below I am going to highlight the top 10 for use upon your face to help you narrow down the desired effects you may be looking for. Consider the following when reviewing what each oil can do for you.
What is your skin type?
What type of skin do you have? Oily, dry, combination? Some oils are more effective in providing a moisture barrier, while others can help negate oil production to even out skin tone.
Do you have any skin sensitivities?
The topical application of anything new should always be taken into consideration. If you have skin sensitivities, always apply a bit of the oil in a carrier to the inside of your arm to check to sensitivities.
What are your facial skin concerns?
Do you have scarring, discolorations, fine lines and wrinkles, issues with sun damage, or even concerns with skin cancer? Certain oils can help influence healing and smooth out trouble areas to make them less noticeable.
Top Essential Oil Picks for Your Face and How to Use Them
The following are our top facial essential oil picks. There are many more that can be helpful for your delicate facial skin, but these embody those properties as well and also blend well with some of those mentioned above in the quick guide. These are tried and true oils popular for skin care when used in various ways. Always be sure to use as directed and to test for skin sensitivities before use.
Young Living Geranium Essential Oil
- Single or blend: single
- Size: 15 ml
- Odor: sweet and floral
- Properties: Aromatic, topical
Although native to southern Africa, geranium is has become a popular plant due to its large, textured leaves, and bright, multi-petaled flowers. They also have a strong scent, which lends itself well when distilled into an oil that has many aromatic and topical uses. Not only is the smell peaceful and calming, but it also has wonderful topical solutions for problem skin when added to your favorite creams and washes.
Geranium influences cellular turnover and is highly moisturizing, which influences healthy, smooth looking skin. It also is calming and can help reduce redness and other irritating skin conditions.
Who should use this oil?
This is a great oil for any type of skin to provide an energizing, refreshing look for healthier skin. It also helps calm sun and windburn to take away the irritation. Simply mix with aloe or another moisturizer for its application.
Young Living Frankincense Essential Oil
- Single or blend: single
- Size: 15 ml
- Odor: Earthy and uplifting
- Properties: aromatic, topical, ingest (vitality)
The history of Frankincense spans thousands of years and is rich in both its scent and health benefits. The earthy, uplifting, clean aroma is rich and used for calming purposes. This is not unlike its use as a topical solution, which has a long and varied list of skin enrichment. Used to maintain radiant skin, it can be smoothed over troubled skin areas or mixed into your favorite lotions.
Medical studies have shown that this oil is potent indeed, and it not only increases cellular turnover and healing, it also is the only oil to boast possible uses in the fight of skin cancer. It helps reduce the appearance of pores, fights acne, and smooths skin.
Who should use this oil?
This is an excellent oil to add to anyone’s regimen as it provides properties to enhance any skin types and works towards a healthier complexion overall.
Rocky Mountain Oils Skin Care Essential Oil Blend
- Single or blend: blend
- Size: 15 ml
- Odor: fresh floral and menthol
- Properties: Topical
When all the best oils for your skin is combined in one place, you get this Skin Care Blend created by Rocky Mountain Oils. Cucumber, Lavender, Frankincense, Carrot Seed, Neroli, Roman Chamomile, and Rose essential oils work together to specifically address skin care concerns as it ages. When made a part of your daily skin treatment, you can bring your skin back into balance with proper moisturization.
Softening and rejuvenating your skin’s appearance is the main purpose of this blend’s use. It is made to tone mature skin and smooth fine lines, providing you with a more youthful appearance.
Who should use this oil?
More mature skin types would benefit from this blend as it is specific to hydrating and smoothing. It also helps influence skin rejuvenation.
Rocky Mountain Oils Baby Skin Essential Oil Blend
- Single or blend: blend
- Size: 15 ml
- Odor: sweet and floral
- Properties: topical
Baby Skin is a blend made specifically for topical use. Its blend of cucumber seed, geranium, rosewood, palmarosa, ylang-ylang, rose, geranium, and frankincense are diluted in a 40% fractionated coconut oil for direct application to your skin. These oils are all known to address certain skin care concerns as single oil, and when combined, provide an excellent choice to add to your regimen.
This blend helps inhibits oil secretions and is soothing to treat troubled skin. It is made to promote a brighter, more even complexion, and smooths fine lines and wrinkles. Whether you choose to add it to your existing skin care products or use it as is, the effects should be noticed quickly.
Who should use this oil?
This is a great oil for both young and more mature skin types. Highly hydrating, the properties of these blended oils creates an optimal barrier for soothing, healthy skin.
Young Living Lavender Essential Oil
- Single or blend: single
- Size: 15 ml
- Odor: fresh floral
- Properties: Aromatic, topical, ingest (vitality)
Whether used alone or blended, lavender is one of the safest oils that can be used in literally every way imaginable to enhance and benefit your life. The scent has long been popular as a calming aide and can be found in everything from shampoos and lotions to perfumes and even our favorite cocktails. The fresh floral scent inspires more than a peaceful atmosphere, but it is calming and soothing to your skin as well.
The gentle nature of lavender heals and soothes skin, lightens sun spots and scarring, and helps get rid of blemishes. It also is moisturizing and can aid in blood flow for cellular turnover, which also may improve the puffiness and dark circles under your eyes.
Who should use this oil?
This is another oil that anybody can take advantage of as part of his or her regular skincare routine. It helps clear troubled skin and inspires a healthy glow.
Young Living Carrot Seed Essential Oil
- Single or blend: single
- Size: 5 ml
- Odor: sweet with earthy, herb-like notes
- Properties: Aromatic, topical, and ingest (vitality)
Not to be mistaken with the popular orange root vegetable (that has its own health benefits), carrot seed essential oil is actually extracted from the wild carrot plant, also more commonly known as Queen Anne’s Lace. A native wildflower, the attractive lacey flower is commonly found in sunny, open fields and along country roads that produces an edible, carrot-like root. Care must be taken to avoid confusing it with poison hemlock.
This oil rejuvenates the skin and increases cellular regeneration. It fades scars and reduces the appearance of wrinkles, plus it is rich in antioxidants, which neutralizes inflammation.
Who should use this oil?
Scarred or aging skin would benefit from this oil since it aids in cellular turnover, which provides a smoothing effect. This minimizes fine lines and wrinkles, scars from acne, and helps bring a more youthful glow to the skin. SImply apply within your favorite carrier oil or add to a hypoallergenic facial moisturi zer.
Young Living Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil
- Single or blend: single
- 15 ml
- floral
- Aromatic, topical
Ylang-Ylang oil is derived from the golden, waxy flowers of the Ylang Ylang tree which grows in Asia and Australia. This tree can grow up to 65 feet in height, a quick grower, and naturally repels insects. It also can grow in zones 10 and above, making them an interesting plant to have within your landscape due to its evergreen appearance and heady floral scent that provides a sense of balance when in bloom.
As a topical application, the oil has many benefits and is a favorite for troubled skin. It helps control oil production, which stops blackheads and blemishes in their tracks, plus it supports skin regeneration to smooth fine lines and increase skin elasticity.
Who should use this oil?
All ages of skin can benefit from the regeneration properties of this oil, particularly those suffering from oily or combination skin to help bring it back to balance. Acne prone skin, as well as scarred or aging skin can definitely take advantage as well. Simply apply within your favorite carrier oil or add to a hypoallergenic facial moisturizer.
Young Living Melrose Essential Oil
- Single or blend: blend
- Size: 15ml
- Odor: spicy, crisp, and slightly medicinal
- Properties: Aromatic, topical
Melrose essential oil is a specialized blend created by Young Living for its cleansing properties, as well as for skin health and appearance. Made from tea tree (melaleuca), naouli, rosemary, and clove oils to work together as an astringent, you can use a few drops of this within your facial cleansers, as well as a carrier oil.
The blend prevents infections, eliminates inflammation, speeds healing, and soothes skin. This helps bring a healthy glow to the skin and allow for a clean, soap-free experience when needed as well when used as a wash.
Who should use this oil?
Although not harsh, the oil can be strong and may cause some irritation to sensitive skin. It is popular when used as part of your regular facial wash after which it can be rinsed off. It also dilutes well in carrier oils for longer application purposes.
DoTERRA Neroli Essential Oil
- Single or blend: single
- Size: 10ml
- Odor: floral and citrus
- Properties: Aromatic, topical
Neroli oil is extracted from orange blossoms, occasionally known as an orange blossom oil. This is another ancient oil often used due to its uplifting scent and positive skin benefits. Although dilution is not needed, it is a more rare oil, and you can often find it blended with fractionated coconut oil to provide instant use for skin purposes. doTerra oils purposely have created their Touch series to promote these beneficial uses.
Used to help tone and tighten skin, fine lines and wrinkles begin to fade, as do stretch marks with continual use. It also helps with acne, and it reduces the appearance of pores without drying out the skin.
Who should use this oil?
Anyone looking to tighten and tone their skin may want to give this oil a try. It works well for all ages to use over trouble spots and provides a very clean scent.
DoTERRA Rose Essential Oil
- Single or blend: single
- Size: 10ml
- Odor: rich floral
- Properties: Aromatic, topical
One of the most valuable oils through history, the rose is praised for its many benefits pertaining to healthy skin and is a very popular ingredient in quality skin care products worldwide. One of the reasons it is so valuable is how many roses have to go into pressing for a 5 ml bottle. Because of this, it is often sold blended with a fractionated coconut oil as it makes it easier to blend when diluted without using any of its healing properties. Although, some companies offer it in its pure, unmixed form.
The Touch Oil line from doTERRA offers a dilution to use to help balance skin moisture, heal dry and chapped skin, reduce skin imperfections, and promote skin tone. It also has strong antiseptic properties and balances oil production, and regenerates cells.
Who should use this oil?
Just a little rose oil goes a long way and can be easily purchased to mix with your own dilutions as moisturizers, serums, and other oils, or you can buy as a diluted solution for direct use. It is an oil for all skin types and is valued for its properties.
To Conclude
Although there are many more essential oils available for facial use, these above choices are some of the most popular and are found again and again within skin care regimens. Their use should always be taken with precaution to ensure proper dilution, as well as to avoid any possible skin interactions or allergies if you are prone to skin sensitivity. When purchasing your oils you should always take care to know what your bottle provides, for example- you have a quality oil mixed within a carrier already or have a pure one and requires your own choice of carrier.
Whether you have oily skin, dry skin, or are concerned with uneven skin tone, fine lines, and wrinkles, there is an oil that can help promote healing and renewal for a healthier you. If you have any questions or comments or have your favorite skin care oils or blends you would like to share with us, please let us know below. And, as always, please share.
