In daily life, many beauty-loving female friends use essential oils for skin care. Essential oils are well-known products with very good skin care and beauty effects. Essential oils are high-concentration skin care products extracted from plants. Products and skin care effects are indeed very good, but you must also pay attention to the use of essential oils. So, how to safely use essential oils for beauty and skin care? Come and take a look.

1. Essential oil skin care matters

Don’t choose inferior essential oils

Improper use is the most direct cause of skin damage. Without dilution, excessive use, and incorrect use methods, essential oils that can originally bring beauty and health have become beauty "killers." High concentration or excessive use of essential oils will cause the skin surface to be unable to metabolize, causing burns and blackening of the skin. Beautician Cao Xiaoying said that one of her customers once bought a bottle of essential oil and took it home for use. She applied the diluted essential oil that did not meet the standard directly onto her face. As a result, not only the acne was not cured, but the skin on her face was also severely burned. . Ms. Wu, a senior white-collar worker, accidentally spilled a bottle of chamomile essential oil on her cell phone a week ago. Within a few days after wiping it clean, the keys on her cell phone became very rough, and the hinge of the flip cover was corroded and broken. It can be seen that while we seek beauty from essential oils, we must also pay attention to its hidden dangers. Since the use of essential oils has strict regulations on operation methods and dosage, beauticians do not recommend that customers use essential oils themselves.

Inferior essential oils are also the main culprit in causing adverse skin reactions. Essential oils are extracted from a large number of single plants, or even hundreds of flowers, so it is very expensive. However, you can often see so-called "pure essential oils" worth tens of dollars on the market, which are very dangerous for consumers to buy and use. Because if it is not the essence of the plant, such as extracted from flowers, but is added with extracts from peels or leaves, although there is almost no difference in smell, it is enough to produce unnecessary allergens. Therefore, when choosing essential oils, you must go to a regular cosmetics store to buy them.

Be careful when purchasing and using essential oils

Buy aromatic essential oils correctly

1. When buying aromatic essential oils in a store, be sure to ask about the ingredients and usage. And taboos, regular essential oil products should be contained in dark bottles with a drop-shaped mouth design. Many so-called "essential oils" sold on the market have been added with mineral oil and essence, and can only be used to light aromatherapy stoves to smell fragrance. Only pure aromatic essential oils extracted from plants can be used for beauty care.

2. Be sure to buy from regular shopping malls or chain beauty salons. Pay attention to whether the essential oil label indicates the plant’s scientific name, origin, purity, registered trademark, and production date. It is best to purchase the essential oils you need under the guidance of professionals. Be sure to read the instructions for use carefully and do not mix or prepare essential oils without authorization.

3. It may be difficult to distinguish the authenticity of aromatherapy essential oils when purchasing them for the first time. The grades and grades of essential oils vary greatly, and the prices of essential oils extracted from different varieties, different origins, and different refining methods are very different. This is just like buying tea, which is divided into many grades. The same type of tea may have different prices, and some teas may even be sky-high prices. In many cases, it depends on personal taste and consumption values. You can buy it if you feel satisfied after tasting it.

4. Go to several stores and make a comprehensive comparison. Don’t buy some synthetic essential oils for cheap. Not only does it have no beauty and body health benefits, it may also be harmful to the body. Before purchasing, ask whether the essential oil is single or compound. It is recommended to use compound essential oil, and then read the instruction manual to understand its safety.

Principles of using essential oils

Essential oils can be regarded as similar to Chinese herbal medicines. Although they have many benefits, they are "three parts of medicines and poisons." Since they have medicinal effects, sometimes they Toxic, and some contraindications for use. As long as we follow a few principles of essential oils and use them correctly and safely, they will bring us a lot of benefits.

Must be diluted

Most essential oils must be diluted when used. Because the concentration of essential oils is very high, direct use will cause irritation to the skin, so vegetable oil needs to be added to mediate and dilute. In addition, diffusing essential oils with air and diffusing aromatic molecules into the air is also a method of dilution. Some essential oils can be applied directly to the skin. Except for phenols or some essential oils that are more irritating to the skin, you can use 1-2 drops in small amounts, such as lavender and tea tree essential oils. However, to be on the safe side, it is best to dilute them before use. .

Taking it internally under the guidance of experts or aromatherapists

Not all essential oils are suitable for internal use. Poor quality essential oils can cause harm to people, but the quality of essential oils varies. If There is no way to judge the quality of essential oils, so it is best not to take them internally. Some aromatherapy schools take a more cautious attitude and even believe that essential oils should not be taken internally. However, aromatherapists with rich academic knowledge and practical experience can recommend oral administration according to actual needs. What you need to remember is that unless you have expert guidance, try to avoid taking it internally.

Do a skin test before use

Some essential oils can cause allergic reactions or irritate the skin, and some people are allergic to essential oils, so you need to do a skin test before use. The test method is to first prepare an essential oil with a concentration of 3% and apply it on the armpits or chest. You can only use this essential oil after confirming that there is no allergic reaction for 24 hours. After many tests and a preliminary understanding of essential oils, the testing step can be omitted.

Do not contact eyes

Essential oils are very concentrated and can be dangerous if they come into contact with eyes. If used around the eyes, adjust the concentration to about 1% and do not place it too close to the eyes. Hydrosols can also be used instead of essential oils to avoid accidental contact with the eyes.

When there are wounds on the skin

When there are wounds on the skin, do not apply essential oils directly and avoid applying essential oils to the wounds. However, if it is a small wound such as a small knife wound, you can use essential oils to help speed up the healing of the wound on the skin.

Be careful when using photosensitive essential oils

Some essential oils have photosensitive components. If exposed to the sun after use, the skin will become darker and may even cause skin cancer. However, some essential oils with mild photosensitivity, such as grapefruit, can be used in low doses at night and will not be exposed to the sun the next day. However, essential oils such as lemon verbena that may remain photosensitive for a long time should be avoided in areas exposed to the sun. . Generally speaking, citrus (Rutaceae citrus) essential oils, such as lemon, bergamot, tangerine, sweet orange, lime, angelica root, lemon verbena, coriander, etc., are photosensitive.

High-dose use is not sustainable

High-dose therapy is only used in emergency situations, such as fever, diarrhea, etc., or as an auxiliary when certain emergencies occur, but the continuous use time cannot exceed 2 weeks. For daily use, the appropriate concentration is 3~5%, while for more dangerous essential oils, the concentration should not exceed 3%. To achieve curative effects, it is usually necessary to use low doses and last for a period of time, so as to effectively adjust body functions.

Single essential oils cannot be used continuously for too long

A single essential oil should not be used for more than 3 weeks, and avoid using it every day. The reason is that continuous use every day will make the body get used to this essential oil. , thus making the effect worse. In addition, if the essential oil used is toxic, it will cause damage to the liver and kidneys over a long period of time. In comparison, using compound essential oils is safer. If it is for conditioning, the compound essential oil can be used for about 3-6 months, but it is best to consult an expert before using it.

Some people should use essential oils with caution

1. Infants

Infants and young children should avoid using essential oils containing ketones, phenols and other ingredients. When you don’t understand the properties of essential oils, it is recommended to use safer essential oils such as lavender, Roman chamomile, German chamomile, mandarin, and orange. The dosage must be low, and it is best to use it under the guidance of experts.

2. Pregnant women

Pregnant women should avoid using essential oils with emmenagogue effects, because the use of such essential oils will activate blood circulation and stimulate menstruation, which may lead to miscarriage. In addition, some more dangerous essential oils such as rosemary, myrrh, hyssop, and parsley should not be used, otherwise they may affect the fetus. To be cautious, pregnant women should consult experts before using it.

3. People with asthma should not use steam inhalation.

People with asthma should not use steam inhalation for aromatherapy, or they need to avoid steam that is too strong, because steam that is too strong will not only cause Without the therapeutic effect, it will cause breathing difficulties and may be dangerous.

4. People with poor liver and kidney function should use with caution

Some essential oils can cause liver and kidney toxicity. Generally, there is no problem when used at low doses, but high doses can cause problems. People with functional impairments may cause harm to the body, so people with poor liver and kidney function should use it with caution.

5. Epilepsy patients

Some essential oils can induce epilepsy, such as hyssop, myrrh and other essential oils, so patients with epilepsy are not suitable for use.

2. Home remedies for whitening and lightening freckles

Home remedies 1: Tofu face rubbing method

Crush the tofu and put it in a thin gauze bag

After cleansing, gently rub your face with a gauze bag

Little P’s point of view: In addition to satisfying your appetite, the humble soft tofu can also provide more in-depth skin care. . This is mainly because tofu is rich in soy isoflavones, which can delay skin aging. There is also an ingredient called lecithin, which acts as an antioxidant and can prevent the face from turning yellow.

The editor has something to say: In addition to gently rubbing your face with a gauze bag, you can also add an appropriate amount of flour and honey to the crushed tofu, stir it gently to make it look like a mask, and then apply it on your face. , leave on for 20 minutes and then wash off. Two to three times a week, you can also add tofu into your diet regularly, take it internally and externally, and let tofu become a little magic weapon for your daily beauty! Dewy and smooth skin is born.

Recipe 2: Cleansing the face with rice water

Let the rice water stand for clarification

Take the upper serum to clean the face

< p> Teacher P’s point of view: Indeed, everyone can try this folk remedy, but it must be added that a second wash of rice water is required for cleansing. Because the surface of rice contains potassium, the water obtained from the first rice washing is weakly acidic, and the second water is weakly alkaline. The weakly alkaline water is very suitable for cleaning the weakly acidic environment of the face, and can provide a good cleansing Effect. It is also worth mentioning that the rice water cleansing method is especially suitable for oily skin, because one of the functions of rice water is to remove oil and moisturize the skin.

The editor has something to say: rice water is mild in nature and can be a good substitute for facial cleansers. If used with heat, the cleaning power is stronger. It must be emphasized that you should not use rice water to cleanse your face too frequently. It is recommended to do it every one to two days.