Episode 190: Essential Oil Skincare And the Oils Inside the AromaTouch Blend

doTERRA: Taking care of your skin is so important and can make such an incredible difference. And if you're looking for natural ways to support your skin health, essential oils can be an amazing resource.

Welcome back to Essential Oils Solutions with doTERRA, the podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful, and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field.

Today's episode is brought to you by the dōTERRA On Guard^® Protective Blend. A powerful blend of essential oils, On Guard provides a natural and effective alternative for immune support when used internally. Your body does a lot for you, so why not get your guard up? Check out the link in our episode description to learn more.

Today, we're excited to talk to Samantha Lewis, a member of the doTERRA Product Marketing Team, about how you can use essential oils to take care of your skin. Plus, we'll explore the essential oils inside of doTERRA's AromaTouch^® blend. And remember if you're interested in any of the products we talk about today, make sure to click on the link in the episode description.

Samantha, thanks for sitting down with us today.

Samantha Lewis: Hi, I'm excited to be here!

doTERRA: We are excited to have you. We always love to have you on. And this is a really fun topic that I think a lot of people hopefully will learn something from, and that is skincare and using essential oils for our skincare. So what are your essential oil skincare recommendations that work for pretty much everyone?

Samantha: You're really hitting hard with a tricky question right off the bat. I love it, but I also don't really believe that there is a one-size-fits-all solution for skincare, but I do think there are a few key essential oils— Well, really, one that I want to talk about that I think most people should have as part of their skincare routine, no matter the specific concern.

I know I've talked about this before, but I am a firm believer in prevention, in all types of prevention. And with your skincare, there's a lot you can do. Some of you may have already guessed what I'm getting at when it comes to anti-aging and prevention. But I think the key, essential oil everyone can incorporate is Frankincense.

We know Frankincense as the king of oils, and it's actually been shown in pre-clinical research to help overall skin health and a healthy inflammatory response in skin cells. I recommend looking up Frankincense in our science blog to read a really cool research study that we've broken down for you, and it spells out exactly how it interacts with your skin cells.

Adding a few drops of Frankincense every morning and night to your moisturizer or serum, which I guess is another thing everyone should use is a moisturizer or serum every single day. And this should help improve the appearance of your skin and just maybe aid in your overall skin goals.

doTERRA: I love that, and I love the focus on prevention because sometimes it's a lot harder to fix than it is to prevent.

Samantha: Yeah, it really can be. And I think it's so important to just help give your body what it needs to do what it can do best.

doTERRA: Absolutely. Now, you mentioned, you know, using a moisturizer every day. If I am someone who has issues with keeping the moisture in my skin balanced, what products or essential oils do you recommend?

Samantha: Well, so I'm going to kind of get into some habits and some protocols that I think will really help with something like this.

Drink Water

One of the best tips I've ever received for keeping my skin moisturized, and it’s very simple: drink water. I know that seems so small, but since your skin is an organ, it needs water to thrive. I mean, our bodies are mostly made up of water in a way, really. However, there is a difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin.

So for me, I have more like normal to dry skin. But I notice when my skin is dehydrated, my moisturizers and oils kind of sit on top of my skin. Yet my skin maybe produces excess oil and sometimes I get breakouts when my skin is dehydrated, not necessarily dry.

My skin is on the dry side, which is usually the summer months, so about now I get dry patches that usually are like soothed or moisturized, obviously with more moisturizing and oil-heavy skincare protocol. So when I talk about oil, and I just say the word oil, just so you guys know, I'm talking about like fatty oils and carrier oils. And I'll specify essential oil when I talk about those too.

What I think is so challenging when it comes to skincare is that everyone's skin is so different. Something that works for me might not work for you, but you could take what I do and tweak it and maybe it will work perfectly. So hopefully defining dry versus dehydrated helps you figure out how to better balance that moisture in your skin. But I do have a few specific tips that you might consider implementing to improve the moisture balance.

Exfoliate

So first, outside of, you know, drinking more water, a weekly exfoliation with something like the Invigorating Scrub or even the Renew system can help improve the look of your skin over time while removing dead skin cells that your body might be over or under compensating for, and it just can't quite get rid of it.

But keep in mind that over exfoliation is a thing, so use discretion and find the right routine that works best for you. Like I said, a weekly kind of basis is what helps a lot of people, and I think that's a good starting point.

Create a Daily Routine

And then finding a daily routine that works for you. So when building your personal protocol, think of skincare like an equation. This is one thing that I've learned from one of my esthetician friends, and she says look at it like you have you have your base products (serums, toners, moisturizers, oils). And one of those plus another might be your perfect base for your skincare protocol.

For example, combine a serum plus toner, or maybe you need a moisturizer plus an oil. Or maybe you need a toner plus an oil. And that will help you strike the right balance for your own skin. So again, just to reiterate, when I'm referring to oil, when I say oil, I'm referring to the fatty oils, so it’d be something like—toner plus oil could be the Pore Reducing Toner plus Yarrow|Pom Nutritive Duo.

Toners

And then getting into specific products a little bit, we’ll break things, some things down. So we have two toners at doTERRA. We have the Veráge^® Toner. It's a bit more on the hydrating side, but still has great toning properties, whereas the Pore Reducing Toner is a bit more tightening and balancing to the skin.

Serums

And then when it comes to serums, I like to include both our skincare serums. So we have our Tightening Serum and then the Immortelle Hydrating Serum, which are both very hydrating to the skin. But the tightening serum has, well, literally more tightening ingredients. So if you're looking for that, that might be your product to go to.

Moisturizers

And then the moisturizers, you have a few options here. So for daily application, there's the Veráge Moisturizer and the Anti-Aging Moisturizer. I think the biggest difference here is the Anti-Aging Moisturizer is more focused on reducing the visible signs of normal aging.

And then we also have the Hydrating Cream that's part of the Essential Skincare Line. I think that works really well as like your PM deep hydration at night, let your skin really soak in those food health ingredients.

Fatty Oils

And then finally we're getting to oils. So like I mentioned, right now, we have really just one specific skincare fatty oil and that's the Yarrow|Pom Duo, combining Yarrow essential oil in a synergistic duet with Pomegranate fatty oil. This product has deep moisturizing benefits and might not be for everybody, but if you're really looking for some targeted moisturizing for those dry patches or again trying to strike that moisture balance in your skin, this could be a good product for you to start with.

So hopefully finding your ideal combination with all of these different products can improve your moisture balance just by giving your skin some of the nutrients that make the missing. So I know that's a lot. But there's so much more you can do for your skin.

Essential Oils

Once you find your combo, start to add the supporting cast with the essential oils. So we've already talked about Frankincense, right? But there's also Geranium, Immortelle, HD Clear^®, and so many others you're looking to incorporate.

If we're looking specifically at balancing the skin's moisture, I would recommend taking a look at maybe incorporating Cypress or Coriander. These have been known to help promote clear skin, particularly for those with oily skin.

So I know that was a lot, but I recommend doing some searching on doterra.com. There's some really great blog posts that kind of help you break down how to figure out what your protocol could be, too.

doTERRA: I think that is an amazing starting point and so much helpful information. Moving forward, looking at more specific issues, what essential oils or products work best for maybe younger or teenage skin?

Samantha: Yeah, so I have I have two younger sisters and the first product line I recommended to both of them because they both do have some problematic skin is the HD Clear Line.

HD Clear Line

And this is a trio of moisturizer, face wash, and a topical blend. Each product has really amazing powerhouse ingredients that work synergistically through all three products to thoroughly cleanse the skin while helping keep the moisture levels balanced, I know we've talked a little bit. And the topical blend is really great when used as a spot treatment too. So if you have specific problem areas you're trying to really help improve, HD Clear would be a great product line for you.

Essential Oils

I think a few unsung heroes that can easily be added into the routine for younger or teenage skin are Magnolia Touch, Copaiba Touch, and Tea Tree Touch. So Magnolia actually might have cleansing benefits. Although the research is very experimental, but it did show potential with cleansing benefits, which is really great, and honestly, it smells awesome.

You can incorporate any of these three Touch products as part of a spot treatment routine for more problematic skin or just to maintain good, healthy skin. And like I mentioned, Magnolia smells great, but even combined with Copaiba, I don't know if you've ever layered them. They work really well as kind of like a fruity, unisex fragrance almost. It's very youthful.

doTERRA: I love that. Products that smell good are never a bad thing to add to your skincare routine.

Samantha: I totally agree. And I feel like even like if—when I was young, when I was a teenager, I didn't want to walk around smelling like, you know, an oil lady with, you know, Cypress and Coriander might be a little bit strong. So Magnolia and Copaiba blended together, not only are they going to help your skin, but you don't smell like, you know, you're covered in oils all day, which is great.

doTERRA: Absolutely. Finally, what about older skin? What are some of your favorite products to recommend for older skin?

Samantha: Yeah, so with more mature skin we want to be gentle but still use powerful products.

I think the best place to start is that happy equation we talked about, and I think the products that that should be looked at more for those with older skin are those that are part of the Essential Skincare Line. So while we were talking about the equation, if those products popped out to you a little bit more, then you're already on the right track. This is a line more focused on anti-aging with a synergistic approach between products.

Essential Skincare Line

So I'll go through those one more time. We've got the Pore Reducing Toner, we have the Tightening Serum, we have the Anti-Aging Moisturizer, and then that wonderful, deep, penetrating moisturizing cream. We even have an eye cream, which I think everyone should be using an eye cream, no matter your age, and a few facial cleansers that are also part of that line. And then the Brightening Gel, too.

So you can kind of go into that product line, pick and choose items that you think are going to help target some specific problems that you do have because as your skin ages, you know, there are fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots that maybe pop up that we might want to go in and help and improve the appearance of. So I think the Essential Skincare Line can really help with that.

Essential Oils

When we're getting into essential oils specifically, that can help improve the appearance of aging skin, Immortelle is really that first go-to. It has such a great combination of really powerful anti-aging, essential oils. It smells great, easy to use. I do recommend, if you're rolling it around your eyes or something, maybe place a moisturizer down or a carrier oil down before because it can be a little bit strong.

But it is a product that I swear by. I know Emily swears by it. Bekah swears by it. We have a lot of people here who that is their Holy Grail product, and a lot of people combine it and add a little bit more Helichrysum with like their Helichrysum Touch.

So I feel like with anti-aging, the options are kind of endless. One other little tip I want to give out, too, is when you're looking at the Essential Skincare Line and there is a product you really love the benefits of, but you want to figure out how to boost it, pick out one or two of the essential oils that are already in that product and add those to your routine.

Because essential oils have been picked up specifically to aid in the benefits of those products, right? So if you're looking for more of that anti-aging with your Tightening Serum, pull out some of the oils from there and add them under your eyes or wherever you have some fine lines or wrinkles that you might need some help with. I think that can help you build out a really great protocol as skin ages and really help you age gracefully.

doTERRA: Well, I think all of that is fantastic information. And like you said, it's so customizable. And make sure to look at that line, find what works for you, and find what works for your skin so that you're seeing the best results that you can see.

Samantha: Exactly. And I think it's like you said, it's kind of a learning experience. Figure out what works on the outside. And then I know we're talking about skincare specifically, but you can find out what works on the inside. Maybe there are a few supplements you can take. Consistently take the doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Pack^®. That gets into the prevention a little bit more, too. So I think it's important to help our bodies, again, function the best they can and give them the tools that they might need to do that.

doTERRA: Absolutely. Well, Samantha, thank you so much for teaching us about the options doTERRA has for skincare and how to better take care of our skin. We always appreciate when you come on.

Samantha: Thanks! It's always a pleasure.

doTERRA: Sometimes at the end of a long day, all you want is a way to wind down. And when you combine the power of touch with our AromaTouch blend, you can get just that. AromaTouch is doTERRA’s proprietary massage blend and combines the unique benefits of oils Cypress, Peppermint, Marjoram, Basil, Grapefruit, and Lavender.

Now today we’re going to talk about some internal historical uses for some of these plants, but we want to remind you that the AromaTouch blend is for aromatic or topical use only. Any internal benefits discussed for the individual oils in the blend are not applicable to aromatic or topical use.

Cypress

First we have the resilient Cypress tree. It’s capable of living for thousands of years in the wild, and it’s found its way into the culture of many different civilizations.

In Greek mythology, it’s also associated with Cyparissus. The poet Ovid, who wrote during the reign of Augustus, recorded the myth of Cyparissus that explains the association of the cypress tree with grief. As he tells it, there was a handsome boy named Cyparissus, a favorite of Apollo, who accidentally killed his beloved tame stag. His grief and remorse were so inconsolable that he asked to weep forever. He was transformed into a cypress tree, and his tears turned into the tree’s sap, granting him his wish.

The famous philosopher Plato etched his code of laws into Cypress wood because it was thought to outlast brass.

Drawing from its mythological symbolism and associations, the scent is suggested as being helpful during times of transition and grief.

In Jewish tradition, the cypress was held to be the wood used to build Noah's Ark and the temple and is mentioned as an idiom or metaphor in biblical passages, either referencing the tree's shape as an example of uprightness or its evergreen nature as an example of eternal beauty or health. It’s also popular in modern Israeli cemeteries, with contemporary explanation being that its shape resembles a candle and its being an evergreen symbolizes the immortality of the soul.

Peppermint

Next we have Peppermint. Did you know that some of the earliest mentions of peppermint appear in Greek mythology, by Roman philosophers, the Christian Bible, and by monks in the Middle Ages? There are even Ancient Egyptian medical texts that date as early as 1,550 BC that include peppermint.

Pliny, a Roman scientist and historian, recorded that the Greeks and Romans used peppermint to flavor sauces and wine. And sprays of peppermint also adorned their tables.

And ancient Greek physicians used two different species of mint in their practices. There’s also evidence that the Egyptians cultivated peppermint, the dried leaves of which were even discovered in several pyramids.

In parts of medieval Europe, mint was used not only as a medicinal herb but as a breath freshener. People mixed it into vinegar to make mouthwash, or they just chewed on it to make their breath a little less gross.

Peppermint is also mentioned in thirteenth century Icelandic Pharmacopoeias. But it wasn’t until the middle of the 18th century that peppermint was cultivated in Western Europe and England.

Peppermint’s popularity around the world has long been documented. In the late 1700s in England, a natural remedy called “essence of peppermint” had great popularity, as well as in America and Canada. It was a popularity that continued through the late 19th century. And in London in the 1850s, there were even street vendors who would sell peppermint water out of kegs.

Marjoram

Marjoram an herb indigenous to Cyprus, Turkey, the Mediterranean, Western Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Levant and was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as a symbol of happiness

Considered to be one of the Greeks’ favorite herbs, it’s believed the goddess of love, Aphrodite, put her magic touch on marjoram, making it sweet and mild. They utilized marjoram for natural wellness in many different scenarios. They also called this herb “joy mountain” and crowned young couples with it during wedding ceremonies.

It was believed that marjoram helped to nurture love. It was added to food to promote civility and love, women carried it around in bags, and it was placed around homes for the sweet fragrance. It was even used in “love spells” where a young woman would place marjoram under her pillow at night believing that the herb would help reveal her future husband while she was dreaming.

Many people also believed that if marjoram grew on your grave, you would have happiness in heaven. And today many still consider it to be good luck and happiness to have marjoram growing by your grave.

Basil

Next, we have another herb: basil. Basil has been around for over 4,000 years. It’s believed that basil has origins in India, but the herb’s reach extended to all corners of the globe. There are some indications that basil may have originated even farther east than India, with ancient records suggesting that sweet basil was used in the Hunan region of China.

It was even found with mummies in Egypt. Ancient Egyptians used this herb for embalming and the ancient Greeks also saw basil as a symbol of mourning. In India, this herb was considered a powerful protector. They planted it around their temples and placed it with the dead to protect them in the afterlife. In Crete, basil was considered an emblem of the devil. They placed this herb on their window ledges to help ward away this evil.

Today, basil is frequently referred to as the “king of herbs.” But it was once known as the “herb of poverty” because it was believed to provide protection to the poor.

Throughout history, basil was believed to have almost magical powers. It was used in wellness practices and was believed to give strength during religious fasting.

In medieval times, many doctors thought basil was poisonous. But during this same time, others believed that basil was good for “cheering the spirit” and “clearing the brain.”

Though basil had been prized in many countries around the world for centuries, basil was not introduced in Britain until the 16th century, and they later brought this herb to North America. Today it is grown all over the Mediterranean region and in California.

Grapefruit

Next we have a bright note in our AromaTouch blend: Grapefruit. Grapefruit brings a citrus-y brightness to the blend. The genetic origin of grapefruit is actually a hybrid. One ancestor of the grapefruit was the Jamaican sweet orange, which itself is an ancient hybrid of Asian origin; the other was the Indonesian pomelo. One story of the fruit's origin is that a certain "Captain Shaddock" brought pomelo seeds to Jamaica and bred the first fruit. Though, it’s more likely that it probably originated as a naturally occurring hybrid between the two plants some time after they had been introduced there.

Unlike other earlier citrus fruits—like the orange, the lemon, and the lime—the grapefruit received a rather cold reception.

So how did the grapefruit go from being too sour to enjoy on a regular basis to the popular fruit it is today?

At first, the tree was grown only as a novelty in Florida, and the fruit was barely used. Even in Jamaica, the trees were often cut down. The original white grapefruit was joined by a pink and later a red variety that was much sweeter than its predecessors. The discovery of these new shades caught the public's imagination and helped the little-known fruit become a supermarket staple.

But grapefruit isn’t just known for its delicious taste. It has also been used throughout history for its many benefits. In traditional Chinese wellness practices, grapefruit is classified as a sour food. Sour flavors are associated with specific parts of the body. And sour foods are thought to be astringent, cooling, and to help generate yin.

In Ayurvedic practices, grapefruit is thought to increase pitta energy, and pacify kapha. Inhaling grapefruit essential oil is said to stimulate various areas, including third eye chakras. And in Ayurveda it’s used to help cleanse the mind and the aura, to stimulate confidence and creativity.

Lavender

The final piece of the AromaTouch blend is Lavender. The history of lavender goes back some 2,500 years. Believed to have originated from the Mediterranean, Middle East, and India, lavender is a flowering plant from the mint family known for its beauty, its sweet floral fragrance, and its multiple uses.

The Romans named the plant after its use in their bathing rituals. Lavender derives its name from the Latin lavare meaning “to wash.” The Romans used Lavender to scent their baths, beds, clothes, and even their hair.

Lavender's association with washing and bathing has continued throughout history. In Medieval and Renaissance Europe, washerwomen were known as "lavenders" because they spread their laundry over lavender bushes to dry for the scent it gave. And royalty is known to have used lavender for their baths.

Beyond lavender being a favorite ingredient in herbal baths of both Greeks and Romans, they also discovered its many benefits. Both the flowers and the leaves are used in their traditional wellness practices.

Lavender also has a long history of being associated with love. This association extends from Cleopatra to modern times. Cleopatra is said to have used lavender to seduce both Mark Antony and Julius Caeser. Also, King Tutankhamun’s tomb contained traces of still-fragrant lavender. During the Middle Ages lavender was considered an herb of love and was used as an aphrodisiac. And in Tudor times, a lavender brew was taken by maidens on St. Luke's Day to discover the identity of their true loves.

Lavender has also been popular among royalty throughout history. Queen Elizabeth I of England had fresh lavender in vases at her table every day. Charles VI of France insisted his pillow always contain lavender. And Louis XIV of France loved bathing in lavender-scented water.

Today Lavender continues to be cultivated across its countries of origin as well as Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North and South America. Its widespread presence is understandable due to its beautiful flowers, its alluring scent, and its extensive uses.

All of these powerful oils come together to create the incredible AromaTouch blend, and we know you and your family will love it.

Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you want to try any of the products you learned about, click the link in the episode description or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today. And remember, today’s episode was brought to you by the On Guard Protective Blend. A power blend of essential oils, On Guard provides a natural and effective alternative for immune support when used internally. Your body does a lot for you, so why not get your guard up?