How Effective is Eucalyptus Oil for Skin, Hair & Health?
How Effective is Eucalyptus Oil for Skin, Hair & Health?
From acne to anxiety, skin irritations to sinusitis, there seems to be an essential oil to ease every ailment. In the beauty and wellness sphere, essential oils are a big deal. They do great, smell great and make you feel great. What's not to like?
Still, few are as popular or as powerful as the minty-smelling age-old plant extract that is eucalyptus oil. It's the number one scent of choice at spas and wellness retreats. If you've been to a spa, you'll know what we're talking about.
There are numerous benefits of eucalyptus oil for skin, hair and health. Before we delve into them, let's first find out what it actually is.
What You Should Know About Eucalyptus Oil
In Australia, there's a magical tree koala bears call home that offers a plethora of benefits. It's called the eucalyptus tree. When the oval-shaped leaves of the tree get dried, crushes and distilled, a powerful essential oil is released: eucalyptus oil.
Cineole (eucalyptol) is its main ingredient, a potent antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic. The Australian Aboriginals used this oil to treat aches, pains, colds, wounds and infections.
With its menthol-like aroma, eucalyptus essential oil can really help you relax and unwind. But it obviously does more than that. Let's find out what it does.
What Eucalyptus Essential Oil Can Do For You
There are endless benefits of eucalyptus oil for skin, hair and health. It's definitely a handy ingredient to store in your cupboard.
It Soothes Sunburn
Because eucalyptus essential oil is an anti-inflammatory, it works wonderfully in soothing sunburn or any type of burn for that matter. Combined with pain-relieving properties and antibacterial properties, this oil can heal your pain and prevent infection from occurring.
Fill a spray bottle with water. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil and one teaspoon of aloe vera gel. Shake well, then spray onto the affected areas. You can also use this on a hot day to cool you down.
It Heals Cuts
Eucalyptus essential oil is a superb alternative medicine that you can use to treat cuts and scrapes. Owing to its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, it reduces pain and irritation, while calming down the wound, and preventing infection.
Instead of applying it directly, which can be too strong and may lead to irritation, add several drops into two cups of water in a spray bottle. Spray a dry, clean cloth then apply to the wound. Do this twice daily until you see the wound healing. It won't take long at all!
It Diminishes Dandruff
Did you know eucalyptus is also an antifungal? Yep, there's very little this oil cannot do. And it's precisely these antifungal properties that combat the yeast-like fungus responsible for causing dandruff - it's called malassezia by the way. So, if you can't seem to find a way to fight the flakiness building up on your scalp, try the following solution.
Mix three drops of eucalyptus oil with one tablespoon of coconut oil and a teaspoon of tea tree oil. Massage the mixture into your scalp, leave it on for 15 minutes, then rinse it off thoroughly. Make this part of your weekly hair care routine to stay dandruff-free.
It Opens Up Sinuses
Congestion can easily be cured by inhaling eucalyptus leaf oil. That's because it clears the sinuses like any other decongestant would. The only difference is that this one is totally natural. But whatever you do, avoid using undiluted eucalyptus oil as this can be too strong. You will need to mix it with a carrier oil or in this case, water.
In a large bowl of steaming water, add three drops of eucalyptus leaves oil. Placing a towel over your head, close your eyes, and inhale the steam at an arm's length. Do this for 10 minutes. As the vapour enters your nose, you will start to notice your congestion going away.
It Combats Brain Fog
Eucalyptus is a favored aromatherapy oil because it offers such soothing and calming effects. It also clears your airways and enables more oxygen to reach your lungs. In turn, this combats brain fog and boosts your energy levels at the same time.
Use a diffuser to breathe in the oil. You will instantly notice your mind clearing and your breathing becoming easier.
It Gets Rid of Headaches
You already know that eucalyptus globulus essential oil clears the sinuses. For that very reason, it can also ease headaches. Many headaches are causes by blocked sinuses, which is why inhaling this oil can help immensely in reliving headaches. Another factor is that it can relax tense facial muscles.
Add a few drops to a diffuser and inhale the oil. Alternatively, rub a small amount directly into your forehead. You should notice your tension fading away.
It Calms and De-stresses
There's a reason why spas make eucalyptus oil their first choice. It's because of its calming effects. Just breathing in that soothing, menthol aroma can calm you down in seconds and make you feel much more balanced and at ease.
You can either diffuse the oil or make a spray bottle mixture with several drops of eucalyptus blue gum oil and water. To make your own at home sauna, spray the mixture onto your shower walls then switch on the hot water so that the steam fills up the cubicle. Then simply step in, breathe in all that goodness and enjoy!
It Hydrates
You probably never expected that this oil would also function as a fabulous moisturizer too! Well, it does. You can use eucalyptus oil for skin as part of your skin care routine to treat dryness and any irritation. It is also effective at treating allergic reaction thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. Whatever skin issues you have, eucalyptus has the power to resolve them.
Mix a few drops with a carrier oil like peppermint or coconut oil and apply it just like you would a lotion. Daily use will help you attain smoother, softer, clearer skin.
And the List Goes On ...
Eucalyptus oil offers numerous positive effects. We could go on all day about all the awesome things it can do. In addition to all the above benefits, this magical oil can also clear up fungal infections, ease joint pain, and serve as an insect repellent. You can also use it as a mouthwash - rinse, don't swallow.
There may be a lot of essential oils to choose from, but the benefits of eucalyptus oil for skin, hair and health are quite hard to pass up. It's so universal and very handy to keep in your kitchen cupboard or bathroom cabinet the next time any of the above health, skin or hair issues crop up.
