My then nine year old started getting pimples which progressively got worse, blackheads, whiteheads and small cysts by the time she turned eleven. I went to top dermatologist as well as her pediatrician. Both prescribed the same medications of Tretinoin and a topical antibiotic. It helped to some degree but the dryness left her with peeling skin which further aggravated her skin, causing more breakouts. She was too young to go on birth control, so I researched natural remedies.
Essential oils opened the world for me. With natural, organic therapy of oil combating oil, it seemed counterintuitive. But I gave it a shot. She just turned twelve and just started her period, but my husband and I don't want the hormone therapy just yet. So I researched like heck on essential oils. From the non-comodegenic properties of the Carrier Oils (these are what you use to dilute essential oils with, and use as an oil wash) to its high Linoliec Acid content...I found that using Hemp, Rosehip Seed Oil, Safflower and Grapeseed oils were in the 0-1 comodegenic rating (out of 5, with 0 meaning it won't clog pores and 5 will!) and had the highest Linoliec acid ratio to Oleic acid (Acne prone skin tend to have high Oleic fatty acid in their sebum, so a high Linoliec acid is needed to, well, basically, melt the clogged pore and breakup the Oleic acid).
So, initially, I used Hemp seed oil, and in my concoction, I added a few Drops of Essential oils -- Tea Tree, Lavender, Frankincense. Oh, and I mixed in some Emu, Tamanu and Neem oil with the Hemp seed oil as the base and lo and behold, my daughter's skin started to clear up. I had her wash and smear the oil on her face, let it sit and massage it in then had her cover her face with a hot towel for a few minutes, then remove it with the same hot damp face towel. The heat opened up her pores, allowing the oils to penetrate faster. She did this morning, then again after school and every night; as well as continued her Tretinoin and antibiotic topical treatments.
It has been two weeks and the dry flakes are disappearing along with the congested pores that used to be full of blackheads and whiteheads. Her skin is clearing! Completely clear on her nose and cheeks, just a few on forehead left. Insane! (Oh just so you know, pharmeuciticals attempt to mimic the structure of nature, but can only kill bacteria. Essential oils kill both bacteria and viruses! And is 50-70% more potent then herbs!)
I am planning to tweak the concoction a bit more as my research showed other Essential oils with healing properties, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties, etc that I can add to her regimen so that hopefully we will never need another drug again, nor ever need to resort to hormone therapy or Accutane!
Here are a list of EO's that you can look up and their benefits. I added Frankincense because that baby is magical! It can carry the others straight into the cell and pack a punch!
Tea Tree, Geranium, Lavender, Neroli, Patchouli, Rose, Ylang Ylang, Carrot, Myrhh, Clary Sage, Juniper Berry, Bergamot,Thyme, Helichrysumand Frankincense.
Always test patch, always dilute the EO with a Carrier oil to avoid getting "burned". And depending on what you use, limit sun exposure.
A 3% dilution would be about 9 drops to a 2 ml bottle filled with a Carrier oil (I used Hemp seed and filled the bottle 1/2 of the way then added 1/4 Rosehip Seed oil then drops of Tamanu (Tamanu is great for scars and regeneration , but it has higher comodegenic property so I used just enough to help in skin renewal and healing scars) along with drops of Neem and Emu to fill the bottle and use as my base). Then add the 9 drops each of pure, unrefined, organic, undiluted, cold-pressed (if possible) Essential Oils.
The "must have blend" would be the Carrier oils noted above WITH these EOs -- Tea Tree, Lavender, Geranium and Frankincense. Take this diluted blend and add on the other EOs you need. Some target pigmentation, other EOs address scarring, others cell renewal, others provide natural SPF sun protection, others give anti-inflammatory properties or microbial and virul protection! A stronger strength would be about 15-20 drops of each EO into the carrier oil. Talk to your doctor, read up and research. I prefer the natural remedies to damaging my child's liver and kidneys first! And of course, feed them unsaturated, unprocessed food. I stopped buying junk food and bought eggs and chicken that had no antibiotics or hormones, cut red meat. I buy only natural wild-caught fishes as well. I also have her do some exercise (she takes dance lessons and walks the dog) and have her drink lots of water, get lots of sleep and lower stress levels by simply being a loving and supportive mom!
