Essential oils are best known for their scent - filling a home with beautiful fragrance and helping you unwind. But a drop of the right oil, properly diluted, can also be a lovely addition to a natural skincare routine, valued for the way it makes skin look and feel. Here's an honest guide to using essential oils for your skin - which oils suit which skin type, how to use them, and how to do it safely.
A quick, important note first: we write about essential oils as cosmetic and aromatherapy ingredients - lovely for the look and feel of your skin and the pleasure of a scented routine - not as a medicine. Essential oils aren't a treatment for acne, eczema, rosacea or any skin condition, and nothing here is medical advice. If you have a skin condition, please see your GP or dermatologist.
Why use essential oils in skincare?
Two reasons, really. First, the sensory pleasure: a natural, plant-derived scent turns an ordinary skincare step into a small, spa-like ritual. Second, the cosmetic appeal: used well and well diluted, certain oils can help skin look fresh, smooth and radiant, and add a lovely glow to a facial-oil routine. Think of them as a gorgeous natural addition to your existing products, not a replacement for them.
The golden rule throughout: essential oils are potent, so they always go into a carrier oil first - never neat on skin.
Best essential oils for your skin - by skin type
The nicest way to choose is by what suits your skin. Here's a simple guide.
For oily or combination skin
Look for fresh, astringent-feeling oils that leave skin looking balanced rather than shiny. Tea tree, lemon and clary sage are popular choices - people love them in products aimed at a clearer, more matte-looking complexion. (Lemon is phototoxic - night use only; see safety below.)
For dry skin
Choose soft, nourishing-feeling oils and pair them with a richer carrier. Lavender, sandalwood and rose (if you can find it) are lovely, blended into avocado or sweet almond carrier oil for a comforting, hydrated feel.
For a fresh, glowing look
For radiance and a smooth-looking complexion, frankincense, neroli and geranium are the classics - long-loved in natural beauty for how they make skin look fresh and even.
For mature or "tired-looking" skin
Frankincense, rosemary and neroli are the go-tos for softening the appearance of fine lines and keeping skin looking firm and radiant - a beautiful base note for a night-time facial oil, too.
For sensitive skin
Keep it gentle and well diluted. Chamomile and lavender are the softest, most reliable choices. Avoid stronger oils like peppermint and citrus on sensitive skin, and always patch-test.
The best carrier oils
Carrier oils do more than dilute - they're lovely for the skin in their own right, and they're what actually carry the drops of essential oil safely onto your skin. Great choices:
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Jojoba - light and well-loved for the face; sits close to skin's own oils.
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Rosehip - a beauty favourite, gorgeous in a night-time facial oil.
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Sweet almond - a nourishing all-rounder.
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Fractionated coconut - light and quick to absorb.
How to use essential oils on your skin
Add a drop to your moisturiser
The simplest way in: stir 1 drop of a skin-friendly essential oil into a portion of your usual moisturiser. Easy, and a lovely way to add a natural scent.
Make a facial oil
For a proper spa-at-home feel, blend 3–4 drops of essential oil into 15ml of a carrier such as jojoba or rosehip. Massage a few drops into cleansed skin in the evening, using gentle upward strokes, avoiding the eye area.
A relaxing facial or body ritual
A warm compress or a gentle body-oil massage with a diluted blend is a beautiful bit of self-care - as much for the calming scent as for how it leaves your skin feeling.
Using essential oils safely on skin
This is the most important section, so please read it.
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Always dilute. Never put neat essential oil on your face. For facial use, aim for a 1–2% dilution (about 1–2 drops per teaspoon / 5ml of carrier oil); up to 3% on the body.
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Patch-test first. Dab a little diluted oil on your inner forearm, cover, and wait 24 hours before using it more widely.
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Mind the sun (phototoxicity). Citrus oils - lemon, lime, bergamot, grapefruit - can make skin burn more easily in sunlight. Use them at night only, and wear sunscreen the next day.
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Less is more. More oil doesn't mean better results - stick to the dilutions and give your skin time.
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Pregnancy and breastfeeding: check with your midwife or doctor before using oils on your skin.
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Babies and children: many oils aren't suitable - check with a professional.
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Skin conditions: if you have eczema, psoriasis, rosacea or any skin condition, see your GP or dermatologist before adding essential oils.
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Allergies and medicated skincare: if you're allergic to a plant, you may react to its oil; and if you use prescription skincare (like retinoids), check with your healthcare provider first.
A simple place to start
You don't need a cupboard full of oils. Lavender (gentle and universally liked) and frankincense (a natural-beauty classic) are lovely first choices for most skin, blended into a little jojoba or rosehip carrier oil.
Browse our range of pure essential oils to build your natural skincare routine, and our guide to frankincense oil for one of the loveliest skincare oils of all - all 100% pure and made here in Wellington.
This article is for general information about using essential oils as cosmetic and aromatherapy ingredients. It isn't medical or dermatological advice, and essential oils aren't a treatment for acne, eczema, rosacea or any skin condition. Always patch-test, and if you have a skin condition, sensitive skin or allergies, please see your GP or dermatologist before trying new ingredients.
