Anyone out there using Essential Oils (and carrier oils) to try and "Naturally" reduce Rosacea symptoms? I am about 3 weeks into an Essential Oil regimen, and I was curious of anyone else out there tried experimenting. I would love to hear some feedback.
UPDATE:
I guess no one really uses Essential Oils here, or has read about them. Well, I will provide a background of my experience:
August 2009: Finished Accutane (I was 29 years old) Face was super clear. This was also my 3rd round since my early 20's.
2 weeks later, my face was extremely oily, I mean extremely. I had a lot of comedonal (only flesh colored bumps) on my forehead, nose, and cheeks.
Derm put me on Atralin. I am allergic to BP and have sensitive skin. Atralin didnt work (tried for 2 months).
2nd Derm said I had Rosacea. Put me on Finacea. Finacea helped a little with some bumps, but not the redness. Tried this for a few months.
3rd derm said to use Differin, and take Oracea. I tried this regimen. I found out the Oracea caused me to be almost allergic to sunlight. I stopped that. Used the Differin for a number of months. I sort of helped, but not completely.
All in all my cheeks are now a dull, ruddy brown-reddish color, with flaky skin (rough texture).
I currently use an Essential Oil regimen, which I have been doing for about 3 weeks. It has NOT caused adverse reactions, and it seems to help so far.
So there is some background. If people seem interested, I can post what currently use to try and balance my Rosacea Skin.
Neal's Yard Remedies Rose Facial Oil. It's primarily rose oil, evening primrose oil, and hazlenut oil. It has a fairly strong rose scent (I would prefer an unscented product), but otherwise it is lovely, and was specifically suggested to me for my rosacea. It's a London based company, with U.S. sales reps. I recommend it highly. The ladies who formed the company have written several books over the years and I've read them all ... the company has been around a long time. Good luck!
This is what I currently use, in my own mixture, with each essential oil diluted to a particular percentage:
Carrier Oils:
Kukui
Tamanu
Essential Oils:
Sea Buckthorn (5%)
Lavender (1%)
Tea Tree (2%)
German Chamomile (2%)
Helichrysum (3%)
Calendula (1%)
Carrot Seed (1%)
Rose Geranium (8%)
Essential Oils are just plant fragrance. "Essential" means that they are the "essence" of plants. They are NOT essential to human biology! The only oils essential to human biology are omega-3 and omega-6.
Putting essential oils on your skin at best will do nothing, and at worst will irritate the skin. Best to avoid essential oils.
I tried hempseed oil for a couple days and it broke me out with more redness and whiteheads. Some say this is the healing stage but I'm not completely sold on that theory at all. Either it breaks you out and irritates or it doesn't..common sense. Same thing happened with coconut oil. I think they are best taken internally (I'm not sure the same is true for essential oils). I know coconut and hempseed can be ingested and are supposed to be good for EFAs and Omegas. I'm probably going to stay away from ANY oils at this point for topical applications.
I wouldn't knock using essential oils/ carrier oils for problem skin. Perhaps those of us with drier skin can "risk" trying essential oils for skin issues. I've been using rose hip oil, sea buckthorn CO2 and helichrysum for a major keratosis pilaris break out on my arm-- and it's been more useful than the steroid cream the derm gave to me. Besides, a lot of the high-end cosmetics nowadays have essential oils in their ingredients, anyway...
For example, Tamanu oil is great for nasty post-picking scabs from acne, in my experience.... it seems to make the scabs less rough and painful and helps them heal more quickly.