Top 10 Essential Oils for Skin Care and 5 to Avoid

Top 10 Essential Oils for Skin Care and 5 to Avoid

It’s no secret that I LOVE essential oils! They can be used for so many different things and they’re a safe alternative to using synthetic scenting agents in bath and body products. One thing I really like is how some oils are SO good for the skin! Today we’re going to be looking at 10 essential oils that are great for the skin, and 5 that you should avoid in skincare products!

10 Great Essential Oils for the Skin

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea)
Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
Copaiba (Copaiefera officinalis)
German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
Cypress (Cupressus sempervivens)
Geranium (Pelargonium asperum)
Blue Tansy (Tanacetum anuum)
Carrot Seed (Daucus carota)

5 Essential Oils to Avoid in Skin Care Products

Although citrus oils are some of my favorite oils, they’re unfortunately not good for use in skin care products. These essential oils are considered phototoxic, which means when they’re applied to the skin and then exposed to the sun, they can cause burns to your skin.

Way back when I first started using essential oils, I used a blend containing lemon oil for allergies. Not thinking anything about it I went out to mow grass about 4 hours after I used the blend. Later on that day I started noticing that my skin was sore and felt like it was burning, and wouldn’t you know it was right in the area that I used the blend. It was an uncomfortable experience, so hopefully my mistake will keep you from doing the same!

Lemon (Citrus limon)
Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)
Bergamot* (Citrus bergamia)
Grapefruit (Citrus paradisii)
Tangerine (Citrus reticulata)

*A note about Bergamot essential oil. Bergamot contains furanocoumarins, which is the component responsible for making it phototoxic. There are Bergamot oils on the market where the furanocoumarins have been removed, making it safe for use in the sun. If you’re wanting to use Bergamot in your recipes, look for FCF Bergamot (furanocoumarin free).

If you love simple handmade gifts that still feel festive and special, this DIY Christmas Cherry Body Scrub from CraftBits is such a fun little project. It is bright, pretty, and has that sweet cherry scent that makes it feel perfect for Christmas gifting.

What I like about this tutorial is how easy it is to pull together. The scrub uses granulated sugar, sweet almond oil or another carrier oil, red cherry fragrance oil, and a touch of mica powder for color, so it feels like one of those projects you can make quickly but still package up beautifully.

It is the kind of bath and body recipe that works really well for teacher gifts, stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, or just a little festive treat for yourself. The pretty pink-red color and cherry fragrance give it a cheerful Christmas feel without needing anything too complicated.

The tutorial itself is wonderfully straightforward too. You simply combine the ingredients well and store the finished scrub in an airtight container, which makes this a lovely beginner-friendly project for holiday crafting.

If you are looking for a quick Christmas body scrub recipe that feels handmade, giftable, and easy to recreate, this one is a sweet little pick.

Featured Project: DIY Christmas Cherry Body Scrub

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