The Best Essential Oils for Eczema
Eczema is a skin condition that causes red, inflamed, and dry patches of skin. Sometimes the patches are little bumps, and other times they appear as a raised, flat, rash. Eczema is often known as atopic dermatitis -- there are various types of dermatitis depending on the type of rash and area of the body affected.
Soothing the skin can be difficult, especially when all you want to do is itch it. Various types of treatment can be effective for soothing eczema, however, if you prefer natural remedies you may want to try using essential oils. Essential oils are highly concentrated extracts from plants that are then distilled to create an oil. Please note that essential oils should only be used to treat skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis, or psoriasis if the oil is tested for being 100% pure, and proven to be high-quality.
Many essential oil brands on the market are not regulated for topical application, so do your research to make sure the oils you choose to use on your skin are safe. As always, it is recommended to talk to a health practitioner before beginning the use of essential oil for eczema.
How to Use Essential Oils for Treating Eczema
It is important to first discuss how essential oils should be used to treat eczema. Essential oils are potent and powerful. They should not, under any circumstance, be used directly on the skin without a carrier oil to dilute them, or a tool to lessen the intensity of the oil. The following application processes are safe for an essential oil to be used on the skin if done correctly.
Topical Application
Essential oils can be used topically. However, they should always be diluted first. An easy way to do this is to mix about 2-3 drops of the essential oil, with around 10-12 drops of a carrier oil. A great carrier oil to use for the body is coconut oil. Coconut oil has some antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties which can be beneficial in aiding skin irritations like eczema or psoriasis. Using a carrier oil like coconut will also be soothing and hydrating to the dry patches of your skin. Another fantastic carrier oil is jojoba oil. Jojoba oil has a very similar molecular structure to the natural sebum of human skin -- making jojoba oil an unproblematic and safe choice for topical application.
Diffusing
Aromatherapy oils are great when diffused into the air. Put a couple of drops into some water in a diffuser and leave it running for 3-5 hours in your home. Diffusers provide a faint scent to the air and disperse the essential oil gently and calmly for you to inhale and gain the benefits of them in a safe way. This will be the least effective way to use essential oils for eczema, as they would not target the affected area of skin directly.
Steam Facials
Treat your skin to a soothing steam shower. An effective and luxurious way to use essential oils is to drop them into your shower when it is nice and hot. The steam will intensify the aroma of the essential oils and allow them to penetrate the skin. Providing and hydrating, and soothing experience for your inflamed skin. Another great way to use essential oils in the bathroom is to drop them into your bath.
Tea Tree
Frankincense
Peppermint
Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil (TTO) has been used for hundreds of years in natural medicine for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
A study was conducted to test the antibacterial properties found in TTO, and the results were promising. The research suggested that TTO was in fact anti-bacterial in nature, however, it may take a high concentration of it for these properties to prove effective.
Tea tree is best recommended to help treat atopic dermatitis if an infection has occurred from excessive itching. Consider mixing tea tree oil with jojoba oil to help fight off infection or bacteria on your skin. TTO can be extremely drying to the skin, which would not be beneficial in treating an already dry irritation on the skin. This is why it is very important to only mix one or two drops of TTO with the base oil to prevent excessive drying of the skin.
Frankincense
Frankincense has been known for its skin-tightening, cell regenerative, and antibacterial properties. Boswellic acid is an active ingredient found in Frankincense, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Anti-inflammatory ingredients are very helpful when treating dermatitis and skin irritations because, typically, skin irritations are an inflammatory response from the body reacting to an unwanted bacteria or infection.
Another great benefit of Frankincense, and probably the most promising result of using Frankincense essential oil, is its ability to help reduce the appearance of scars. If you have scarred your skin from itching excessively, using frankincense to help heal the scars may be a good option for you.
Spot treating your scars with Frankincense oil consistently may show results as soon as 1 month after continued use. Dilute this essential oil with a carrier oil like jojoba, and gently rub it into the area you wish to treat.
Peppermint
Peppermint essential oil is most commonly known for its soothing properties. The cooling sensation of peppermint is often helpful in relieving itchiness or burning sensations on the skin. A study examined the effects that peppermint essential oils had on irritated skin that caused severe itching. They were able to conclude that most participants experienced itchy sensations for a shorter period of time when the topical application of peppermint oil was used. That being said, not a lot of further research has done surrounding this hypothesis, so it should be used cautiously when applying to irritated skin. As always when applying directly to the skin dilute the concentration beforehand.
Potential Risks
As mentioned above, essential oils are not regulated to the extent that medications and supplements are. It is much easier for essential oil brands to get away with not testing their products before selling them online. Even if the brand markets their product as a therapeutic grade oil, it is always recommended to research the brand a little bit more to see if they provide evidence of their testing procedures or extraction methods.
Most reputable brands will provide testing methods, and information regarding their extraction ad distillation process to ensure that their products are high quality and 100% pure. If the brand does not provide this information, it is not guaranteed that the product will be the best on the market. If you are experiencing eczema or any other type of skin irritation, you more than likely have sensitive skin.
If you begin to experience severe itching, burning, or further irritation, do not continue the use of essential oils on your body. For this reason, especially, it is important to do a small patch test on the skin with the diluted combination of the essential oil combination before applying to the affected area. Continued use may cause more severe irritation or an allergic reaction to the skin -- this is a potential risk of using essential oils on eczema.
If the oils are diluted properly they are generally safe to use on the skin, however, it is always best to test the product on your own skin to be safe before continued usage. We recommend you not ever ingest essential oils as they can be damaging or toxic to internal organs.
In Summary
Overall, there are several options when considering essential oils for eczema or psoriasis. Oils for eczema can be helpful when finding relief for your symptoms. Many professionals have concluded that eczema is often a skin irritation that can continue to come back regardless of the treatment, but relieving symptoms is definitely possible. Be sure to speak to a health practitioner, or do your own research before deciding which essential oil will be best for you and your skin. Typically, it is best to find EO's that contain anti-inflammatory and soothing properties to reduce the burning and itching sensation. Always find an essential oil that is 100% pure, and high-quality. High-quality oils will be more effective and safe for the topical application on the skin. Be sure to never use the essential oil directly on the skin without diluting it first -- this can cause more irritation and damage the barrier of your skin.
FAQ's
What clears up eczema?
If you are suffering from eczema, you have several different options when finding a solution. Depending on which path you choose to take, there are prescription medications or more natural remedies you can try. Essential oil treatment is a great option for people looking for a natural remedy to help ease the symptoms of eczema.
What essential oils are good for eczema and psoriasis?
Essential oils that have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties to them will be the most beneficial for treating eczema and psoriasis. Tea tree oil is a great option that contains all of the listed properties above.
Does tea tree kill eczema?
Tea tree oil is an essential oil that contains antibacterial properties. That being said, it cannot "kill eczema" however, it can help fight the bacteria that causes skin irritation.
Does frankincense help with eczema?
Frankincense essential oil can help relieve eczema due to its anti-inflammatory properties, and effectiveness when healing scars.
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