Aromatherapy is an invaluable ally when it comes to acne. The reason is simple: essential oils allow you to tackle the various factors that cause acne. What's more, plant oils are perfectly suited to the structure of the epidermis, so the skin can be treated gently and the appearance of ugly marks and scars prevented.
Factors favouring acne
The action of androgens (sex hormones) activates the production of sebum in the sebaceous glands. The glands begin to produce "too much oil". This is known as hyperseborrhoea in the most acute cases.
The pH of the skin is no longer sufficiently acidic. Excess sebum causes an imbalance in the hydrolipidic film, which is naturally acidic (pH around 5.5). The pH becomes basic and sometimes rises above 7, encouraging the increased presence of bacteria and germs that are no longer destroyed.
The presence of the nasty germ Propionibacterium acnes, which is involved in the inflammatory process triggered by the pustules and papules that we tend to fiddle with too much.
Pustules and papules are caused by the progressive obstruction of the pilosebaceous follicle by accumulated keratin and sebum. These pimples quickly become infected and help to spread the blemishes over the entire area (often the face, sometimes the back or chest). Inflammation is inevitable.
Think about your diet!
Before starting your course of treatment, consider your diet first! Eating too much fat, too much sugar or lactose can cause acne. Stress is also an aggravating factor, as is unnatural, comedogenic make-up, and blockage of the emunctories (liver, kidneys, intestines).
Essential oils effective against acne
Essential oils tackle all the dermatological factors one by one:
Combat hyperseborrhoea, thanks to Clary Sage essential oil, which is keratolytic (i.e. it "breaks up" fat).
Eliminate germs and purify the skin with True Lavender, Tea Tree or Rose Geranium essential oils.
Limit the damage caused by pimples with Lavender aspic and Lavandin Super essential oils.
Chamomile essential oil is also a good anti-inflammatory that cleanses and soothes the skin.
A little skincare routine for acne-prone skin:
Cleanse your skin morning and night with a cotton pad soaked in Chamomile Noble or Lavender Hydrosol. If you can't find any, opt for an alcohol-free make-up remover lotion.
Using a cotton bud, apply a drop of Lavandin, Lavender Aspic or Chamomile Noble essential oil to each pimple (only the most painfully inflamed ones).
Next, gently massage a few drops of your anti-acne treatment oil with 5% essential oils into the entire face:
30ml Jojoba Oil - Simmondsia chinensis
10 drops of True Lavender Essential Oil - flowering top - Lavandula angustifolia ssp angustifolia
5 drops of Rose Geranium Essential Oil - leaf - Pelargonium x asperum
5 drops of Clary Sage Essential Oil - flowering top - Salvia sclarea
Oil on a face full of acne? Yes, because jojoba is a non-greasy plant wax that calms the production of sebum by the sebaceous glands!
It's the vegetable oil that's closest to the skin's PH level. Perform this little daily ritual and take care of yourself!
