Anti-aging face serum using essential oils

By Gaye Levy
Make a DIY anti-aging face
serum using essential oils 

Over the past seven or eight years, my skin has gone from less than ordinary to radiant. I do not say this lightly because not only do I have mature skin, but it has been acne-prone and blotchy throughout my entire adult life. I credit this transformation to essential oils rather than to the expensive, chemical-laden department store lotions, potions and serums I used in the 80s, 90s and beyond.

These days, I shun OTC skin care products and make my own. For years, the crowning jewel in my DIY arsenal has been my "Luminous Face Serum." That is still a fantastic concoction but to be honest, it uses five different essential oils plus a carrier oil and can be a somewhat of a chore to make.

So here is how this played out.

I was out of my face serum and short on time. I needed something quick that would not require opening a number of bottles and counting out drops. I pumped a dab of rose hip oil onto the palm of my hand and added a single drop each of frankincense and lavender essential oils. I massaged it into my face, added makeup and was out the door in no time. The next morning, my skin was smoother and more vibrant. I knew I was on to something.

Since that fateful morning, I have been reformulating many of my skin care products to include both frankincense and lavender and the results have been nothing short of remarkable. Of all of them, however, it is the face serum that gets most of the credit. The best part is that it comes together quickly with only four ingredients.How to make an anti-aging face serum

Ingredients

• 8 drops frankincense essential oil
• 7 drops lavender essential oil
• Rose hip seed oil
• Jojoba oil

Directions
Add essential oils to a 15ml dropper bottle. Top with 1/3 rose hip oil and 2/3 jojoba oil.

For a 10ml dropper bottle, use five drops of each essential oil.

Use a generous amount twice daily, morning and night. By generous, I mean 1/3 to 1/2 dropper full of serum. The carrier oils, rose hip and jojoba are very skin friendly and absorb quickly without any greasiness.

Note: This is a 5 percent dilution.

Click here to jump to a printable version of this anti-aging face serum.

Better than Botox? Really?

The first real indication that I was on to something with this serum is when my husband noticed that the fine lines around my eyes had mostly disappeared. I had already noticed that my skin appeared a lot smoother, so much so that I had stopped using a primer under makeup. And holy moly, my skin looked good even without makeup. That was a first for me.

Here is an unretouched photo of the area around my eyes. Keep in mind I am older than dirt (okay, 68 years old) so there is some sagging but the creepy fine lines are gone.

During my working years, I would get Botox injections around the eye area. It was expensive but did a lot for my self-esteem. A number of years back, I stopped the Botox injections not only because of the expense, but because I learned to become comfortable with the aging process. Still, who can deny the boost you get from looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing fewer wrinkles and fine lines instead of more?

The secret is frankincense essential oil

I have a confession to make. In the past, I have hoarded frankincense essential oil. I have a number of unopened bottles in my extensive EO inventory yet I would rarely use it due to the expense. It is not that I was ignorant of the many benefits of frankincense but more that I was being cheap. Kind of silly, really.

That is not to say I shunned it totally. I have used it to heal wounds from cuts, scrapes and burns while at the same time reducing and fading the appearance of scars. From time to time, I have added a drop or two to other formulas to help with anti-aging. Mostly, though, I have layered frankincense over other essential oils to enhance that oil’s properties and drive the oils deeper into the cells. This layering was something I would do almost in desperation, again, due to the expense.

I realize I keep mentioning cost. I do purchase my frankincense from Spark Naturals because I know their quality standards are high and because they sell direct and not through a membership or MLM program. Their product is not the cheapest but in the big picture, it is still less than those OTC products I favored in years past. Plus, for me, it works and works fast.

Which brings up another point. All essential oils, and not just frankincense, are adaptable. They interact with the unique chemistry of your body in such a way that what works for one person, may not always work quite as efficiently in another. In my case, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, oregano and melaleuca (tea tree) work for me without fail, every time. These are my go-tos for almost everything. Other EOs work better for me in blends and when they kick in, they really can carry a punch (blends are also referred to as synergies).

Regardless of the oil, however, adding some frankincense seems to make every oil I use more effective sooner.

Rose hip seed oil is also a star ingredient

I would be remiss if I did not include a word about rosehip seed oil. This gentle oil is not at all greasy and absorbs quickly into the skin. Rich in fatty acids, vitamin, and antioxidants, for me it is almost too rich which is why I combine it with jojoba oil. I found that using it straight resulted in little bumps on the surface of my skin. That is the reason why I blend it with jojoba oil, a fantastic carrier oil that mimics the sebum in our skin and has a long shelf-life.

Rosehip seed oil has a reputation for correcting dark spots and reducing scars and fine lines which, in addition to the frankincense, may be why this serum is so darn effective.

The combination of rose hip seed oil and jojoba oil makes a wonderful synergy. That being said, your experience may be different from mine so feel free to skip the jojoba oil and use 100 percent rose hip seed oil or even 100 percent jojoba oil.

Luminous face serum — still a fantastic choice

For those of you interested in making up a batch of my tried and true Luminous Face Serum, here is the recipe. Note that this serum uses only two drops of frankincense versus the eight that are used in my anti-aging serum.

Ingredients (2 drops each of the following essential oils)

• Lavender Essential Oil
• Frankincense Essential Oil
• Geranium Essential Oil
• Lemon Essential Oil
• Basil Essential Oil

Directions
Add the essential oils to a 15 ml glass dropper bottle (1/2 ounce) and top with jojoba oil (or another carrier). Alternately, double the oils and create a salve by adding the oils to a 1-ounce jar of Base Salve (recipe here). Use twice daily, morning and night.

Note: This is a 3.5 percent dilution

A word about essential oils

I prefer essential oils from Spark Naturals, an online company based in Utah. They are not the cheapest nor are they the most expensive, but they have a quality product I trust and some fantastic sales.

You can purchase them directly from their website and also on Amazon.com where they have their own branded store.

Wherever you decide to purchase your oils, let your nose guide you. If your essential oil smells like paint thinner, return it. Good oils smell nice.

Summing it all up

In the back of my mind, a little voice is suggesting that the phenomenal results from using this anti-aging serum may be the result of my skin becoming used to the Luminous Face Serum I have been using for years. I hold out that could be true but I don’t think so. After just a month, the change in my skin tone is so remarkable that I have to believe that it is the magical combination of oils in this serum that is producing such a dramatic result.

I also want to remind you that you don’t have to be a woman, nor do you have to possess mature skin to reap the benefits of this serum. My husband, Shelly, has started using it and so have a number of my younger friends. They are seeing similar results which can only get better over time.