Applying oils to our skin is great for soothing sore muscles, promoting healthy-looking skin, healing burns, wounds and bruises, but because essential oils are a lipid soluble substance, it can also penetrate the skin easily.
Some of you might know this already, but to me it was interesting to learn that, just like our gut, our skin is made up of trillions of friendly living microorganisms (aka skin flora). It’s called skin microbiome. Their job is to serve as a physical barrier to prevent the invasion of pathogens. Therefore our immune system actually starts with this barrier, our skin. Many of the store-bought chemical-based products we use on our skin can dry it out and break down that barrier, so by replacing some of those products with essential oil based body care solutions, we can help protect our body and immune system.
Another cool thing I have recently been reminded of, is that the cells in our body are protected by a phospholipid bilayer, or an oily membrane. Many of the modern medications out there are synthetic, water-based solutions and since water and oil don’t mix, it has a really hard time penetrating the cells.
Essential oils are different. When you apply essential oils to your skin, it’s absorbed into your bloodstream and penetrates your cells, protecting the cell from bacteria on the outside of the cell and preventing the duplication of viruses inside of the cell. But the essential oils do not stay in your system for very long when applied topically. This is a good thing, because what happens with most modern medication is there usually tends to be a biochemical toxic build-up in your fat cells, liver and kidneys. That is because there aren’t many drugs, if any, that our bodies can completely metabolise. Because essential oils are completely natural, our bodies can absorb them, metabolise them and excrete them out. The key, however, is that it truly needs to be pure and unadulterated, which is what dōTERRA oils are known for.
When we apply essential oils topically, it takes up to 5min for it to reach your bloodstream, and 20 minutes to affect every cell in your body. Within 90 minutes, most of the essential oil will be eliminated. This is why it’s important to apply the oils every few hours especially if you are trying to boost your immune system or combat a fungal infection. While essential oils absorb easily into the skin, you can increase absorption and extend the benefits of the oils by massaging the oil into the skin, or by using a carrier oil that will moisturise the skin as the oil absorbs.
So looking at the science behind this, it’s not surprising then that when I apply dōTERRA ZenGest™ to my abdomen, it relieves my hiatus hernia symptoms such as heartburn, as well as tummy aches and even nausea. And when I apply it to my baby’s tummy she gets immediate relief from cramps and constipation.
I can honestly go on about the power of applying essential oils topically forever, so I’m going to stop here and leave you some links at the bottom to amazing free resources where you can learn more about the topic from a trustworthy source, including some guidelines and safety tips.
If you would like to get some more in-person or virtual “face-to-face” guidance on how to dilute or apply essential oils to your body, or what oils to use for specific ailments or goals, please send me a message on +27828656054 and we can schedule a chat or an informal consultation session in person or over Zoom.
Great free resources
- dōTERRA e-Book – Topical Use of Essential Oils
- Safe Essential Oil Usage – Video of Dr. David C. Hill explaining the proper way to use doTERRA essential oils and how to get the most out of your essential oils.
- Using Essential Oils Topically – A Basic Guide
- Essential Oils Safety Guide
References
- Dr. Eric Zielinski, “Essential Oils for Abundant Living”, https://naturallivingfamily.com/
