Steam & Oil for Oily Skin

At first thought you'd think, WHAT?! Essential oils on oily skin? THIS chick is crazy!

But alas, I'm only a little loco once a month. 😊 That being said, using essential oils in conjunction with steam is a wonderful option for those of us with irritatingly sebaceous faces.

​The steam opens pores and encourages the skin to get rid of any deeply embedded gunk and toxins.

Next, enter the oil. There's a variety of essential oils that are beneficial for oily skin; including lavender, juniper, myrtle, and bergamot. My personal faves are a combination of lavender, juniper, and tea tree or lavender and tea tree only. Either combination smells delightful but the main point behind adding the oil is to reduce the amount of oil your skin produces. Essential oil on oily skin also aims to balance the skin out.

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Ok, so if you're anything like me, where there's a will there's a way. Saving a few coins is important these days so I quickly found that a large glass bowl, some hot water (not boiling, just enough to steam), and 1oz bottles of oil is just as effective as a personal facial sauna.

Here's what I do:

• Cleanse with a mild face cleanser.
• Get a large glass bowl and fill it with really hot water.
• Add 5 to 10 drops of a single oil to the water. Or you can do 5 drops each of two oils.
• Get a large hand towel or bath towel, cover my head with it, and hover over the bowl with my eyes closed.
• 5 minutes later, sit up, then I spritz with a mild toner, and let my face air dry before using a light moisturizer.
• ​All done!
  

My point in all this is to keep a clean face, reduce the oil, and fight off pre-mature aging ....at the same time. Hard cleansers tend to do me more harm than good, so the hope is that sharing a kinder, gentler method will help others too!

Oh and did I mention how relaxing it can be? I sleep soooooo much better, so there you go. A dual benefit of facial steaming. Just be mindful to not get to close to the water so you don't get burned and your eyes and nose don't get irritated.