Magic in essential oils

There are countless ways to use essential oils once you know which need it fulfills. I am not attached to any brands. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Considering I bought it based on instinct, and the fact that I had read a few times it was perfect for oily or problem skin.
  • I went crazy with the little bottle.
  • Apparently Ylang Ylang is an essential ingredient in Oriental perfumes and I had finally found the secret to blending all my moisturisers and skin care products with this one little oil.

Essential oils, those tiny little bottles with all kinds of flavours and scents. I found a selection at a pharmacy, and bought my first ever bottle of ylang ylang - pronounced ee-lang ee-lang. Then went home and sat down to Google it.

Considering I bought it based on instinct, and the fact that I had read a few times it was perfect for oily or problem skin. I went crazy with the little bottle.

Apparently Ylang Ylang is an essential ingredient in Oriental perfumes and I had finally found the secret to blending all my moisturisers and skin care products with this one little oil. It turns out it balances the sebum in the skin so it worked from head to toe.

With a price tag of Sh1,500, this was a magic bottle that was going to last and last. On top of that Ylang Ylang is an antidepressant - something I have mentioned battling in a previous article earlier this year - and was great for insomnia. Sleep is the biggest non-secret in the beauty, health, fitness and wellbeing industries.

It treats eczema, is an antiseptic and perfect for lowering blood pressure. How on earth could a little bottle that has to be measured out in drops do so much? I have always been curious about essential oils.

So after my Ylang Ylang encounter, I checked in on others. Tea trea, an antifungal and antibacterial blend, camomile which lived up to it’s calming reputation as a soother or eczema, acne and sensitive skin as well as any inflammation, neroli for ageing skin, lavender that can work just like Dettol on your babies and basil for those mutations we refer to as mosquitoes and frankincense for hyperpigmented skin and as a toner. Lemon and peppermint just because.

There are essential oils for every skin type and they are stored in dark brown bottles to prevent oxidation.

The one way most people know of using essential oils is by the use of a carrier oil. These are oils that allow the absorption and diffusion especially if you have sensitive skin.

Start with the lowest number of drops, no less than one, no more than two, when testing. It ranges from olive, almond, avocado, argan, coconut, jojoba, grapeseed , sesame, eucalyptus to rosehip oil.

It could be added into your own concoction of hair conditioner, used to make a serum that is then measured out in small doses via dropper according to the needs of your facial skin.

You could carry it around and use a few drops to either calm you or invigorate you during the day. You could add water and spray it like mist in the air or directly on your skin.

You could also spray said mist on your furniture, carpets or curtains or in the air in your home. When doing laundry you could add a few drops to the final rinse. Add to water in your tub and soak. Add to your favourite moisturiser.

Make either a hot or cold compress add essential oils and apply to the desired area. You would need to research on the oil you prefer to tell if you can use it internally or not. More often than not the bottle will indicate.

There are countless ways to use essential oils once you know which need it fulfills. I am not attached to any brands. I do know for every need you are anticipating from weight loss to healthy skin and if you have a diffuser, can be used in place of air fresheners, is possible.