If you are really dabbling in aromatherapy, you'll have some dark glass bottles of essential oils and not much ion the way of instructions on how to use them. There are may ways to use aromatherapy essential oils, including making them part of your skin care regimen. The more you get a feel for aromatherapy, the more ideas for making your own aromatherapy skin care products will pop up.



Shoo, Fly, Don't Bother Me

Aromatherapy skin care products don't just make you smell better and feel better - but they also can make fantastic insect deterrents. And they are not loaded with the harsh, irritating chemicals that can be synthesized products. The essential oils that bugs find nauseating include tea tree, citronella, lavender, cedarwood and lemon-scented eucalyptus (which is different from plain eucalyptus). Here's what you can do with them to protect your skin:

Mix one part essential oil to an unscented, plain body lotion. This aromatherapy skin care product can then do double duty to moisturize your skin and keep the bugs away. Dab on neat like a perfume. You need to dilute the essential oils in carrier oils like olive oil, then apply. This writer's skin tolerates full strength tea tree and lavender oil, but do a test first to see if your body tolerates a drop at full strength.

Make a spritz, which is a multi-use aromatherapy skin care product. Take flower water or just regular water in an empty spray bottle and add about six drops of essential oil. Spritz on when needed.

Deep Steam Cleaning

An intensive homemade aromatherapy skin care product is steaming your face once a week or less (depending on your circumstances). This is a great way to clean the toxins out of your pores and softens the skin. Do not steam if you have sunburn, sores or if your skin is very sensitive.

You need to be sitting while doing this, and keep a glass of cold water nearby in case you feel faint. Get a bowl, a kettle full of water boiling, a towel and your favorite essential oil (tea tree, lavender and ylang ylang works with most skin types). Pour the boiling water into the bowl. Add six to eight drops. Close your eyes (or else you're eyeballs will sting) and lean over the steam. Place the towel over your head. Stay like that for no more than ten minutes. If you fee faint, come up for air and stop.