Essential Oils for Wrinkles: All You Need to Know

Aging is a natural process, but sometimes those wrinkles that appear on your face can take a real hit on your confidence. Are you looking for ways to reduce the fine lines that indicate you’re just a little wiser than the person sitting next to you?

Fortunately, natural problems have natural solutions, and there are essential oils that can specifically help face and deep wrinkles appear less noticeable. Keep reading for all you need to know about essential oils for face wrinkles.

Top 5 Essential Oils for Wrinkles

1. Lemon

Studies have demonstrated that lemon oil reduces damage caused by oxidation. Thus, it has become a commonly used ingredient in anti-aging skincare products that helps to prevent sun damage, which subsequently leads to wrinkles.

With use, you’ll also have access to its vitamin C benefits as it strengthens your immune system and makes your skin appear brighter. That said, be sure to avoid sun exposure in the hours after using lemon oil as citrus oils make your skin more sensitive to sunlight (=phototoxicity).

For most convenient use, use lemon oil during your nighttime skin care routine, before you head to bed. (1)

Lemon Essential Oil

2. Sandalwood

Sandalwood is another essential oil lauded for its wrinkle-defying qualities. It contains a high amount of sesquiterpenes, which help skin to constantly renew itself. When your skin can recover from any damage (sun or otherwise), you’ll look better, and your skin will feel smoother. Some of the best spots to use Sandalwood are around the eyes or lips – but be careful not to get it directly into those sensitive areas.

Additionally, the woody aroma is gender neutral for anyone who wants to protect their skin from aging.

Sandalwood Essential Oil

3. Clary Sage

Find that you’re still suffering from acne even in your later years? Don’t worry! Who said that acne was only for teens anyway? Clary Sage is an essential oil that is perfect for those who need an antiseptic and antibacterial oil. It’s known for having the power to reduce skin inflammation, irritation, and rashes. When you’re looking for something to tighten up any loose skin, especially around your eyes, this is one of the best essential oils for face wrinkles.

Bonus? Clary sage is an incredible hormone balancer (2) so if you’re suffering from any menopause symptoms, this essential oil can also help to regulate your estrogen levels. Who knew that there was such a natural source of aging relief?

Clary Sage Essential Oil

4. Rose

Rose is a powerful, luxurious essential oil that is not too often applied in at-home aromatherapy because of its steeper price tag. It comes as no surprise though, that it can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Rose has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce face redness and puffiness that plague you when you look in the mirror or at a photograph. It can boost skin cell renewal and keep the skin looking youthful for longer. (1)

Make sure you purchase pure rose essential oil and not a perfumery alternative, to make sure you get all of the good nutrients that help to heal your skin. This product here is already pre-diluted in an essential oil roller for easy application.

Rose Essential Oil

5. Frankincense

You may have heard of Frankincense in the Christmas story when it’s brought in a trio of gifts – “gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” It turns out that Frankincense can be quite the gift for your skin if you’re struggling with wrinkles. Frankincense essential oil is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. It also stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, which will help your skin recover from any damage or wrinkles already present and slow down the development of any more. (3)

Frankincense Essential Oil

Best Carrier Oils for Wrinkles

A natural treatment for wrinkles is to apply a mixture of essential oils and carrier oil to the affected areas. Never apply essential oils undiluted to your skin!

The following are our top choices for carrier oils to aid with wrinkles:

1. 1. Grape Seed
      Grape Seed oil is a carrier oil that ranks at the top of the best oil for face wrinkles. It’s great for both oily and dry skin with healing properties that help with acne and eczema. It won’t clog your pores but will firm your skin and allow it to benefit from all the healing properties with only a few drops. (4)
   2. Jojoba
      Jojoba is extremely similar to the human skin, and is considered one of the main treatments for dry and mature skin. Its waxy nature adds a protective layer that helps skin retain moisture. Jojoba carrier oil has anti-aging effects, helps reduce water loss and improves suppleness and skin elasticity. Overall, Jojoba is a great choice of carrier oil to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and scars. (5)
   3. Sunflower
      Sunflower oil should be your carrier oil of choice if you have acne-prone skin. Its gentle and hydrating nature can help improve the skin’s barrier functions, therefore helping to fight off infections such as acne bacteria. It is also affordable and blends easily with other bases and essential oils. If you wish to reduce scars or the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines and your skin is also acne-prone, use Sunflower as your base oil.

PRO TIP: If you like the skin-moisturizing benefits of all three carrier oils, you can blend carrier oils to a mixture of your liking. Start with 80% of one oil, and 20% of another and see how you like the base. Then adjust as needed.

• You might also like: Essential Oil Dilution Rates Guide for Carrier Oils

How to Discover Your Skin Type

Skin care changes as you age. Knowing how to take care of your skin using essential oils will ultimately determine which oils you select to fit your skin type. If you use the wrong skincare and essential oil for your skin type, then you may end up doing more harm than good. There are two solid methods that can help you determine the best way to take care of your skin. (6)

The first is the bare-faced method:

• This consists of washing your face thoroughly with a mild cleanser and allowing it to dry without any products for 30 minutes.
• After this period of time, check for any shiny areas on your face.
• If you don’t have any, your skin is considered dry.
• If you have shiny areas on your forehead and nose, your skin is considered normal/combination.
• If your cheeks are oily in addition to your forehead and nose, then you have skin that is considered oily.

The second method that you can use to prior to determining the best essential oil to use for your face wrinkles is the blotting method.

• This requires blotting paper. Blot different areas of your face with the sheets.
• If it picks up little or no oil, your skin is considered dry.
• If the oil on the sheet is from your nose or forehead then your skin is considered normal/combination.
• Finally, if your skin is oily then the sheet will likely be saturated with oil.

Knowing How to Handle Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin can be difficult to learn how to care for. If your skin is easily inflamed or irritated, it can take a bit of trial and error to learn what works for you. The most important thing to know when using essential oils with sensitive skin is to never test it directly on your face initially. Testing a new oil on your inner forearm and leaving for 24 hours to watch for a reaction is often the best way to get a feel for whether or not your skin will experience an adverse effect.

Look specifically for oils that identify themselves as anti-irritation and anti-inflammation as well. For example, Grape Seed oil is known for not clogging pores when used, so there’s a great option out there for anyone struggling with acne (provided you use a carrier oil that doesn’t clog the skin either).

What to Know when Integrating Essential Oils into Your Skincare Routine

Ready to get started? If you’re sold on essential oils for wrinkles, that’s awesome! Here’s what you must know before you get started.

1. Never use essential oils without a carrier oil. Essential oils are highly concentrated plant constituents possessing potential medicinal and cosmetic qualities. Essential oils don’t contain the fatty acids that butters, alcohols or waxes do for us to consider them oils. Thus, to use them safely, especially on your skin, you should combine them with a carrier oil to dilute them to avoid an adverse reaction. Now, there are a few essential oils out there that are exceptions that can be used in small quantities like tea tree oil and rose geranium, but it’s always best to be safe an opt for the carrier oil route.
2. Expensive doesn’t mean better, but quality isn’t cheap. Don’t always opt for the cheapest of cheap in essential oils. Remember, if you’re going to be putting it on your face then it’s likely better to seek the higher quality option as it will more often than not give you better results.
3. Avoid the sun to preserve the potency. Be sure to avoid the sun to maximize the lifespan of your essential oil. Keep your oil in the dark bottle it came in and store it out of direct sunlight to maintain its potency and effectiveness.

Final Thoughts

Using essential oils for face wrinkles is a safe and natural treatment for aging skin. There are a number of oils that allow you to choose exactly what’s right for your skin type – whether it’s dry, normal/combination or oily. Determine what type of skin you have and select the optimal oil for your skin in order to experience its wrinkle-defying and skin plumping effects. For more information on essential oils, visit our getting started guide to learn more.

To your well-being,

References

(1) Which essential oils help get rid of wrinkles? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321645.php
(2) 4 Incredible Benefits of Clary Sage Essential Oil: https://organicaromas.com/blogs/aromatherapy-and-essential-oils/4-incredible-benefits-clary-sage-essential-oil
(3) Frankincense Essential Oil for Wrinkles! Studies and Recipes: https://www.essentialbazaar.com/frankincense-essential-oil-for-wrinkles-studies-and-recipes/
(4) The Benefits of Using Grapeseed Oil on Your Skin: https://theidleman.com/blogs/grooming/benefits-using-grapeseed-oil-skin
(5) Susan Curtis, Fran Johnson. Essential Oils: All-natural remedies and recipes for your mind, body, and home. [Paperback]
(6) How to determine your skin type: https://www.tatcha.com/blog/How-to-determine-your-skin-type.html