Essential Oils for Bruises

Essential oils are lovely when diffused into the air, leaving you with a pleasant scent to breathe in. When combined with your favorite moisturizer, your skin is left silky smooth; but one use you may not have thought of is the use of soothing minor issues—like bruises. Bruises can be tender, and they don’t match well with summer attire. The next time you bump your shin against the coffee table, try using one of these oils to eliminate the bruise more quickly.

Myrrh

The use of Myrrh goes back as far as the Egyptians, where it was used during the mummification and embalming process. Today, it can be found as an ingredient in salves for treating common, minor problems. Because of the components that make up this resin-turned-oil, Myrrh has a warm, earthy scent that blends well with other essential oils such as Frankincense, Lavender, and Peppermint. It is usually applied topically to promote clear, healthy-looking skin, but has also been recommended for bruising.

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Helichrysum

Helichrysum is renowned for its exceptional skin benefits—which is why you’ll find it in doTERRA Immortelle. When this “everlasting flower” is distilled into an oil form, it has many restorative properties to benefit its users. Native to the Mediterranean, and cultivated in Italy, the Balkans, and France, Helichrysum is often used to reduce the appearance of blemishes and signs of aging, and may be applied to bruises as well.

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Frankincense

Anciently prized and revered, frankincense resin has been used in everything from sacred religious ceremonies to anti-aging formulas. The essential oil is no-less valuable today, and doTERRA Frankincense oil is particularly unique; it combines four species of Boswellia trees that are known for their powerful essential oil—carterri, frereana, sacra, and papyrifera. While Frankincense possesses a myriad of other benefits, it is particularly rejuvenating to your skin. For this reason, it is a helpful oil to use on bruises.

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How to Soothe Bruises with Essential Oil

Bruising is caused by blood pooling in the area of impact. The pooling is what creates that unsightly purple-blue look. When caring for a bruise, you first need to reduce blood flow to the area. Keep that part of the body elevated, wrap ice in a cloth, and apply it to the spot that was hit or bumped. This helps keep blood from pooling in the bruised tissue, and therefore reduces discoloration.

Lightly massaging the area can also keep blood from pooling, minimizing the bruising. Essential oils are a great addition to any massage.  In addition to providing a pleasant scent, some are particularly soothing to the skin and provide other helpful benefits.

Once the area has been iced, combine one to two drops of either Helichrysum or Myrrh oil to enough Fractionated Coconut Oil to cover the bruised area. Depending on the severity of the bruise, you may consider applying heat to the area after 24 hours of icing. You can use an electric heating pad, rice bag, or heated water bottle. Apply heat to the area 20 minutes at a time throughout the day until the bruise has healed.

For more information on the products listed in this article, look here:

• 15 mL Myrrh
• 5 mL Helichrysum
• 15 mL Frankincense
• Fractionated Coconut Oil