How we absorb essential oils: the skin

Photo by Chelsea shapouri on Unsplash

“Our skin represents our perception of how the world sees us,

that outer persona we extend to others.”

-Elizabeth Ashley

what to know about the skin

The skin is the largest organ of the body, making up 16% of body weight, with an average surface area of 1.8m².

It’s action is to protect us from things spilling out from the inside and also from injuries, contaminants and UV radiation. Being largely with a high fat content the skin helps keep moisture in. The sweat glands in the skin, however, will mediate our temperature through releasing water and dilating our blood vessels to cool us down. Also excreted through our sweat is salt no longer needed by the body. The skin contains a large network of nerves which send messages to the brain about differences in temperature, touch, sensation, tingling, pressure and pain. Finally our skin synthesises Vitamin D through the action of sunlight on the skin. It is then absorbed into the blood vessels and used by the body to maintain healthy bones, teeth and muscles. Vitamin also plays an important role in our immunity against bacterial, viral and fungal infections.

As you can see, our skin is a very useful organ which we, all too often, forget to look after properly. How the physiology of our skin goes awry will be the subject of a future post!

the ways essential oils are absorbed by our skin

Although the skin acts as a barrier, the molecules of essential oils are so tiny, they are able to pass through the skin to then be diffused throughout the body via our systemic bloodstream. This is why it is so important to be sure of the quality of the oils that you are using.

Essential oils are highly concentrated volatile compounds that, if used undiluted, can cause adverse effects.

Now, I don’t want to scare you BUT, I invite you to take a minute to have a look at the Adverse Reaction Database at the Tisserand Institute to understand what I mean about adverse effects!

So it’s quite simple,

DO NOT USE ESSENTIAL OILS UNDILUTED ON THE SKIN!

To be used safely on the skin, essential oils need to be diluted into an excipient which can be a vegetable oil, an emulsion (water & oil), an anhydrous (oil only), or a gel.

Another thing about essential oils is that they are NOT water soluble and, even for a bath, they first need to be solubilised or diluted with an appropriate dispersing agent or vegetal oil, as mentioned below.

methods of absorption through the skin

• Massage

  Essential oils are lipophilic, that is they can be diluted in vegetable oils, waxes or butters. In the Cook Islands coconut oil is the prevailing oil for massage and is often the base of my oil blends. Coconut oil has remarkable healing properties which reinforces the therapeutic effect of essential oils. Coconut oil is a good choice for concerns related to chronic inflammation such as back ache, strained muscles, lumbago etc. Depending on the concern, I also use other vegetable oils for their healing properties, often blended with coconut oil. Essential oils blended in coconut oil tend to stay on the surface and it is the warmth of hands rubbing the skin which facilitates their penetration. The intensity of a massage with essential oils can be modulated according to the purpose, For instance a badly healing scar requires the active molecules of essential oils to remain on the surface and within the layers of the skin, whereas a physical concern, such as varicose veins may require the essential oils to penetrate more deeply into the body tissues. In addition to skin absorption, during a massage, a certain amount of essential oil molecules will be inhaled and be absorbed into the bloodstream which reinforces the therapeutic action.

• Application:

  • Rich and light aqueous emulsions, serums, gels and lotions. These are carefully formulated products for addressing specific concerns such as arthritic pain, stretch marks, psoriasis, varicose veins, wound healing, bed sores, sunburn etc. As mentioned above, essential oils don’t like being in an aqueous environment of an emulsion or gel and will naturally seek to penetrate the skin so as to reach the body’s more oily environment.

  • Anhydrous balms, salves and oil serums. These are oil only formulations with vegetable oils, butters and In some cases with organic beeswax or vegetable waxes. Depending on the purpose, they can be light enough to be rinse off oil cleansers and facial serums or protective and nourishing for treating dry chapped skin, cellulite and difficult scars.

• Soaking and Bathing

  Bathing with an essential blend is a very effective method of absorption which offers the double advantage of skin absorption and steam inhalation. However, there is an important safety concern which needs to be be addressed.

  ESSENTIAL OILS WILL NOT DILUTE IN WATER 

  if you add a few drops of essential oil into a bath you will see that it forms droplets which stay on the surface If the essential oil droplets come into contact with the skin undiluted and also because hot water makes the skin more sensitive, this is likely to cause irritation.

  This is why I ensure that any essential oil formulation intended for use in water will be appropriately solubilised or mixed with a vegetable oil or other excipient in order to be safely absorbed by the skin whether in the bath, shower or for the application of compresses.

References

Essential Oils for The Mind Body Spirit: The Holistic Medicine of Clinical Aromatherapy (The Secret Healer Book 2), Elizabeth Ashley

Essential Oil Safety. A Guide for Health Care Professionals, Robert Tisserand, Rodney Young, 2013.