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Essential oils for rosacea are an effective and safe natural remedy to soothe the symptoms of this skin condition.
What are essential oils and how do they help reduce rosacea symptoms? Essential oils are potent extracts from various plant parts. These oils have powerful healing properties and are often used to manage various physical, mental, and emotional issues. Some essential oils have properties that make them ideal for reducing the redness and itchiness that are associated with rosacea.
The key to using essential oils for rosacea is to make sure that you are using the correct oils and that you are using them correctly. If used exactly as instructed, these oils work gently on the skin without any adverse effects.
What Is Rosacea?
Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that manifests as red patches on the face. This skin coloration typically may appear on the cheeks, chin, nose, forehead, or eyelids.
Symptoms of rosacea may develop slowly over a few years, or they may develop quickly. The earliest sign of rosacea is a faint redness on any one or more areas of the face. The redness may or may not be accompanied by mild irritation.
As the condition progresses the blood vessels become engorged or swollen. When this happens, the skin and blood vessels in the face often become more prominent. The skin around these areas becomes hypersensitive and painful at the slightest touch.
In some cases, small bumps or pimples may start to appear. When associated with blemishes, it is called acne rosacea which is a form of adult acne.
What Causes Rosacea?
So what causes rosacea? Despite extensive research, the exact cause is not known. People with fair skin are more prone to developing this condition.
The redness and irritation can get aggravated by certain factors such as spicy foods, overexposure to the sun, caffeinated or alcoholic beverages, or exposure to extreme heat or extreme cold.
Stress and hot flashes may also aggravate the symptoms. The causes and extent of aggravation may differ from one person to another.
Researchers are still looking into how to get rid of rosacea permanently. Although there is no known permanent cure for this skin condition, knowing and avoiding your triggers can help prevent painful rosacea flare-ups.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and using essential oils for rosacea can also help to manage the symptoms, especially when you start in the early stages.
How to Use Essential Oils For Rosacea
Before you start using essential oils for rosacea, it’s really, really important to understand a few dos and don’ts.
1 – Never apply essential oils directly to your skin. Essential oils are highly concentrated extracts and can irritate the skin when applied directly. This rule applies to all skin types but is especially important if you have sensitive skin or if you’re using essential oils to manage rosacea symptoms. Applying concentrated essential oil could end up exacerbating the existing rosacea symptoms.
2 – Before applying any essential oil to your skin, first, mix a few drops of the oil with a carrier oil such as rosehip, evening primrose, or fractionated coconut oil. Mix 1-2 drops of essential oil with 1 teaspoon of carrier oil and apply gently over your skin. Mixing your chosen essential oil with rosehip or primrose carrier oils will give you the benefits of both for reducing the redness, inflammation, and itchiness associated with rosacea.
3 – Always, always do a patch test before applying essential oils over a larger area to make sure that you aren’t allergic to the oils. To do a patch test, apply the oil blend to a small area of skin on the hand or leg. If you do not have an adverse reaction, only then apply it to your face.
Best Essential Oils for Rosacea
Lavender
Its powerful anti-inflammatory properties make lavender one of the best essential oils for rosacea.
Lavender fine essential oil is particularly beneficial for this purpose. It is prized for its ability to soothe sore skin and reduce fine lines and dark spots. When applied over the skin with a carrier oil, it soothes and calms down the inflammation caused by rosacea.
Lavender fine essential oil also soothes the skin after extended exposure to the sun, which can inflame rosacea symptoms Lavender essential oil also has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that make it very useful for other types of skin ailments as well.
Tea Tree
Tea tree is another essential oil known for its powerful anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. These properties make tea tree the go-to oil for managing the symptoms of acne. These properties also make tea tree oil well suited for soothing the redness and inflammation of rosacea.
Cypress
Cypress essential oil helps to soothe the redness and inflammation associated with rosacea. It is often used in skin care products formulated for soothing rosacea.
Ho Wood
One of the lesser-known essential oils, Ho Wood is rich in linalool and menthol, both of which have a cooling effect on the skin. Mix 1-2 drops of Ho Wood with 1 teaspoon evening primrose or fractionated coconut oil to soothe red, itchy and irritated skin.
Best Carrier Oils for Rosacea
Carrier oils help the skin to stay moisturized. This keeps your blood vessels elastic and healthier so they are less prone to bursting, which can cause scarring under the skin and results in the skin looking thicker.
Rosehip and primrose are the two best carrier oils for rosacea.
Rosehip Oil
Rosehip oil is deeply moisturizing and hydrating. This is because of its high concentration of Gamma-linolenic acid or GLA. GLA is a fatty acid that produces and maintains healthy cellular membranes, which allows the cells to absorb nutrients more efficiently.
It also helps keep the skin properly moisturized by preventing moisture from evaporating easily. Staying moisturized is important at all times but more so when you have rosacea.
Rosehip oil is mild and very unlikely to cause any sort of irritation to the skin. All of this makes it particularly useful as a carrier oil when using essential oils for rosacea.
Evening Primrose Oil
Evening Primrose carrier oil is very soothing, which feels great when applied on red or irritated skin. This carrier oil contains high levels of nourishing fatty acids that penetrate deeply into the skin and nourish from within.
Rosacea-prone skin tends to look and feel dry. When applied over the rosacea-affected areas, evening primrose oil gets absorbed into the skin along with the skin’s natural oils. This helps calm the irritation and redness of rosacea from deep within.
DermiSoothe Carrier Oil Blend
DermiSoothe Carrier Oil Blend is specially formulated by Plant Therapy to provide much-needed moisture and nourishment for rough, reddened skin.
Plant Therapy’s DermiSoothe Carrier Oil Blend contains a proprietary mix of sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Avocado Oil. The combination of carrier oils in this blend soothes and calms skin that is winter-chapped, sunburnt, or rough and red from dietary intolerance or rosacea flare-ups.
Best Skin Care Products for Rosacea
Plant Therapy has two fantastic skin care products for rosacea.
1- Lavender Aloe Jelly
Enriched with 100% pure Lavender essential oil, Plant Therapy’s Lavender Aloe Jelly is gentle and hydrating. It penetrates deeply, soothing dry, irritated skin, and can be used even on sensitive skin.
The added skin-soothing benefit of Lavender helps protect your skin against the damaging rays of the sun. To maximize the hydrating properites of this skincare product, it is best to apply Lavender Aloe Jelly after a shower or after you’ve spent time out in the sun.
2- Tea Tree Lotion
Enriched with Tea Tree, Aloe, and Shea, Plant Therapy’s Tea Tree Lotion softens and soothes any skin type, including sensitive skin.
The ingredients work together to nourish the skin and keep it looking and feeling supple and smooth. The anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of the Tea Tree essential oil help reduce the inflammation and redness associated with rosacea.
Era Organics Rosacea Redness Relief Cream
Era Organics 
5 Lifestyle Considerations To Treat Rosacea Naturally
Making a few lifestyle changes is just as important as using essential oils or any skincare products for rosacea. The recommended lifestyle measures are aimed at reducing the aggravators that cause flare-ups of the symptoms.
1. Avoid skin-drying products – You have to be incredibly selective about what skincare products you use on your face. Avoid products that contain alcohol, menthol, propylene glycol, camphor, and fragrances. These ingredients dry the skin and make it even more susceptible to rosacea-related inflammation.
2. Choose your skincare products carefully – Look for natural skincare by reputed brands. Cleansers and moisturizers with natural ingredients are gentler on the skin. They also work more effectively to retain moisture in your skin while still letting the skin breathe.
3. Watch what you eat – Some foods are known to cause rosacea symptoms to become more severe. These include chocolate, yoghurt, sour cream, eggplant, avocados, and soy sauce. If your rosacea symptoms get worse immediately after eating any of these, it’s best to eliminate it from your diet.
4. Avoid Alcohol – Alcohol can cause rosacea to progress more quickly because it aggravates the already strained blood vessels and cause them to become heavily inflamed. As the tissue expands repeatedly, it causes permanent damage to the affected skin. Drinks that are particularly reactive include red wine, vodka, bourbon, and beer.
5. Keep physical exertion to a minimum – When you do strenuous work the body heats up. This is great for expelling toxins from the body but overheating is bad if you have rosacea. Higher body temperatures cause the rosacea to progress. This is because the blood that is forced into your capillaries may begin to cause some of them to burst, intensifying the appearance of symptoms.
Rosacea can deal a severe blow to your self-confidence, more so when the symptoms flare up. Knowing what to do and what to avoid is the first step toward controlling the painful symptoms. Just as important, is knowing how to use the right essential oils to treat rosacea.
Do you have any experience with using essential oils for rosacea? Let us know in the comments below. It may help others who are also suffering from this condition.
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Disclaimer: This information is not intended to serve as medical advice. Please consult your doctor before using any natural medication or if you experience any unusual symptoms. See Full Disclaimer here.
