Rosemary Oil for Skin
May 07, 2021
Rosemary Oil for Skin - # Benefits & Ways to Use Rosemary Oil for Face
Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly known as Rosemary is a popular medicinal shrub with fragrant, evergreen, and needle-like leaves and purplish-blue blooms. When you rub the leaves of this scrub between your palms, it releases a warm woody scent that instantly uplifts your mood and relaxes your senses.
The oil is derived from steam distillation of the rosemary leaves. It inherits the plant’s essence and the same invigorating scent as that of the herb. Apart from its aroma, Rosemary has gained a lot of popularity for its skin and hair care benefits as well. It is reported to exhibit strong free radical scavenging activity along with antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
As per a study, Rosemary oil is also known to enhance the short-term image and numerical memory in humans.
Chemical Composition of Rosemary Oil
Rosemary oil is reported to have 29 different chemical compounds and the major constituents are as follows -
- 1,8-Cineole - also known as eucalyptol, 1,8-Cineole is a natural monoterpene and helps soothe skin inflammations.
- Camphor - this helps ease skin irritations and is also gives the herb its woody aroma
- α-pinene & β-Pinene - these aromatic hydrocarbons are known for their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The pinenes help heal and soothe the skin.
- Camphene - another monoterpene, camphene displays strong antifungal properties and helps maintain the overall health of the skin.
Benefits of Rosemary Oil for skin & hair
Rosemary oil offers a myriad of skin and hair care benefits. Here are a few of them -
- Free radical scavenging - antioxidants rich rosemary oil protects skin against free radical damage and promotes healthy skin
- Helps with Acne - rosemary’s antimicrobial and antifungal properties help control acne breakouts and also reduces the appearance of blemishes
- Anti-inflammatory - rosemary oil is rich in terpenes that help soothe and calm the irritated skin.
- Astringent - Rosemary oil also has natural astringent properties that help improve the texture and tonicity of the skin
- Regulates sebum production - rosemary oil helps balance sebum secretion by the skin making it an absolute godsend for oily skin types.
- Reduces puffiness - rosemary oil helps enhance circulation thereby reducing fluid retention and puffiness. It also helps promote even skin tone.
- Reverses hair loss - as per a study, rosemary oil shows a significant contribution in reversing hair loss and promoting hair growth.
- Dandruff - terpene-rich rosemary oil also helps control dandruff and soothe itchy, dry scalp by stimulating circulation and strengthening the follicles.
- Premature greying - rosemary is known to help restore the natural color of the hair and prevent premature greying.
How to use Rosemary Oil for skin?
Rosemary boasts a long list of skincare benefits but it must be used with caution! Being an essential oil, rosemary is a highly concentrated and potent oil and hence is not advisable to be used undiluted for topical application. Rosemary essential oil must be diluted with an appropriate carrier oil within its recommended dermal limit to make it suitable for direct application. At JC, we suggest essential oil(s) should make 1% or less of the total concoction. For instance, if you are taking 100 ml of carrier oil then essential oil(s) should NOT be more than 1 ml of the total formulation. If you are using multiple essential oils then collectively they should NOT be more than 1 ml.
Here’s how you can use the rosemary essential oil for skin and hair -
- For skin - dilute the rosemary essential oil with an appropriate carrier oil as per your skin. Use the resulting facial oil as the last step of the skincare routine day (before sunscreen) and night. Here’s a quick guide to help you pick the right carrier oil -
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If your skin is DRY, dilute the rosemary essential oil with carrier oils like Argan or Avocado.
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If your skin is OILY or COMBINATION, dilute the rosemary essential oil with carrier oils like Hemp or Grapeseed.
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If your skin is NORMAL, dilute the rosemary essential oil with carrier oils like Pomegranate or Jojoba.
- If your skin is ACNE-PRONE, dilute the rosemary essential oil with carrier oils like Hemp (oily skin) or Argan (dry skin).
- For hair - dilute the rosemary essential oil with an appropriate carrier oil as per your scalp concern. Use the resulting hair oil twice a week, leave for 60 mins or overnight followed by a head bath.
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If you are facing HAIR LOSS, then dilute the rosemary essential oil with cold-pressed Jojoba or Pumpkin carrier oil.
- If your scalp is ITCHY or DANDRUFF PRONE, then dilute the rosemary essential oil with cold-pressed Neem carrier oil.
How to choose the right rosemary oil?
Rosemary oil is being used for its skincare benefits since ancient times and there is a huge variety of options available in the market. But how do you pick the right one for yourself? Well, here is a checklist you can follow -
- Check the method of extraction. Steam distilled rosemary oil is known to retain its nutrient profile post-extraction
- Look for certification - check if the label reads Certified Organic or Certified Natural
- If it is certified, check if it is certified from a credible organization or not
- Read the ingredients list and if it has only ‘Rosmarinus officinalis’ mentioned then its an undiluted pure oil
- Check for country of origin
Juicy Chemistry’s Rosemary essential oil is Certified Organic by Ecocert ( France ) in accordance with COSMOS V3 standard.
JC’s range of products enriched with Rosemary essential oil
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Australian Tea Tree & Basil Toner - This toning mist helps soothe and calm the acne-prone skin as well as improve skin texture.
- Tea Tree, Neem & Rosemary Organic cold-pressed soap - this multi-purpose soap bar can be used as a cleanser for acne-prone skin, shampoo for dandruff prone scalp
- Australian Sandalwood & Myrrh Night Cream -
- Tea Tree & Peppermint Organic Dusting Powder - A calming and refreshing, natural body dusting powder to help keep skin dry, cool, and fight against itch-causing bacteria.
- Fenugreek, Brahmi, Plantain Shampoo Bar - our organic shampoo bar helps get rid of itchy scalp and reduce the intensity of dandruff
- Hibiscus, Onion & Bhringraj Shampoo Bar -
- Baobab, Rosemary, Tea Tree Organic Shampoo - this organic shampoo helps ease the discomfort of an irritated and itchy scalp while controlling hair fall.
- Chilli, Horsetail & Blackseed Hair Oil - this natural hair oil helps stimulate the scalp and boosts hair growth.
- Sacha Inchi, Lemon & Peppermint Organic Hair Oil - an oil formulated especially for the itchy and dandruff-prone scalp, it helps soothe flaky, irritated scalp.
- Marula, Argan & Lavender Hair Oil - this organic hair oil deeply nourishes and moisturizes the scalp and hair. It helps fortify the scalp and make strands manageable.
- Neem Butter, Pumpkin & Ginger Hair Mask - this scalp repair formula effectively treats dandruff-prone scalp and replenishes hair.
- Sacha Inchi, Argan & Mango Butter Hair Mask - this deep-nourishing hair mask helps repair damaged hair and controls frizz.
While Rosemary essential oil offers an array of benefits, we highly recommend patch tests and using it with caution especially if the skin is sensitive. Take professional guidance if necessary.
References -
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2314808X16301890
https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-14-225
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24831245/