They say beauty is only skin deep, but it’s hard to believe in that when you’ve got acne. The hard thing to remember is that you’re not alone in this! In fact, it’s estimated that up to 90 percent of people will suffer from acne in their teens due to turbulent hormonal changes.
However, many people now find themselves dealing with adult acne, something that hasn’t been a prevalent issue until now. As we become more and more exposed to environmental toxins, GMOs, and hormone disrupting chemicals, it’s no wonder the instances of adult hormonal acne has increased.
Aside from rebalancing the body from the inside by cleansing the liver, increasing lymphatic circulation, and clearing our elimination pathways, it’s good to treat hormonal acne from the outside as well.
Why Use Essential Oils for Hormonal Acne?
Essential oils offer a potent way to manage hormonal acne in a way that works amazingly well in tandem with internal treatments.
Acne is a multifactorial condition that requires an integrated therapeutic approach in order to control and finally clear it. Essential oils can really help keep blemishes at bay by killing acne causing bacteria, improving the integrity of the acid mantle, and reconditioning the skin.
Essential oils also treat hormonal acne by:
• Helping to clear out infection
• Reducing sebum production
• Minimizing scarring
• Promoting healing
• Reducing inflammation
• Eliminating toxins
• Reducing stress, depression, and negative emotions
Essential Oils for Hormonal Acne
One of the first things you want to do when healing existing acne and preventing new breakouts is choosing the right essential oils for the job as well as a suitable carrier oil to dilute them.
Choosing a carrier oil can be tricky since they largely depend on the condition of the outer-most layer of the skin. This is why some oils work some people and not work for others. The skin may be dry, dehydrated, oily, combination… some even have a mix of these conditions.
However, I find that jojoba oil is suitable for most skin types while hazelnut oil seems to work well for those with very oily skin due to its astringency. You can also match carrier oils to your skin type as well as read a whole list of comedogenic oils to see what works best for you.
Once you have chosen your carrier oil, it’s time to dive into the best essential oils for hormonal acne.
Essential Oils for Balancing Sebum
Acne Healing Serum Recipe
• 2TB carrier oil
• 1oz dropper bottle
• 20 drops Carrot Seed
• 10 drops German Chamomile
• 3 drops Myrrh
• 10 drops Palma Rosa or Geranium
• 7 drops Roman Chamomile
• 5 drops Yarrow
The essential oils in this blend reduce inflammation and discoloration, promote healing, and begin correcting and rebalancing sebum production.
To Use –
On freshly cleansed skin, apply 3-5 drops of healing serum to the face, concentrating on affected areas. Allow the serum to soak in for 5 minutes and then dab away any excess. Repeat this routine every morning for two weeks.
Healing Night Serum Recipe
• 2TB carrier oil
• 1oz dropper bottle
• 30 drops Carrot Seed
• 10 drops Rose or Palma Rosa
• 5 drops Roman Chamomile
This blend gives you a powerful punch with carrot seed essential oil that renews, rejuvenates, and restores the skin while you sleep. The healing power of rose essential oil smooths out the skin’s texture while reducing redness and fine lines. The Roman Chamomile heals existing acne, reduces hyperpigmentation, and replenishes the acid mantle.
Use for 2 weeks at night.
Essential Oils for Healing Existing Hormonal Acne
Now that your sebum is beginning to balance, it’s time to fight infection and reduce acne-causing bacteria on the skin.
Skin Balancing Toner
• 1oz spritzer bottle
• 2TB raw apple cider vinegar
• 10 drops Eucalyptus radiata
• 10 drops Lavender
Shake well before each use and spritz onto a clean cotton ball. Apply to acne prone areas morning and night after cleansing the skin.
Infection-Fighting Acne Treatment Serum
• 1oz dropper bottle
• 2 TB carrier oil
• 5 drops Thyme linalool
• 5 drops Clove
• 5 drops Eucalyptus radiata
• 8 drops Lavender
After applying the Skin Balancing Toner, gently massage a few drops of the Infection Fighting Acne Treatment Serum on affected areas. Dab off any excess after 5 minutes with a clean tissue.
This blend has amazing antibacterial properties that penetrate deep into the skin. Thyme is known to be just as effective as benzoyl peroxide as killing acne causing bacteria and drying up blemishes without the side effects. Clove essential oil is highly antibacterial and helps keep bacteria from replicating while the eucalyptus helps keep new blemishes at bay. The lavender in this blend helps calm the skin and reduce redness.
Repeat for 2 weeks.
Blemish Fighting Night Serum
• 1oz dropper bottle
• 2TB carrier oil
• 20 drops Carrot Seed
• 10 drops Eucalyptus radiata
• 10 drops Lavender
After applying the toner, gently massage the Blemish Fighting Night Serum onto affected areas. Let it sit for 5 minutes and blot away any excess with a clean tissue.
Repeat for 2 weeks at night.
Essential Oils for Repairing Skin Damaged by Acne
Now is the final step and you may be thinking “My skin looks so much better now! I don’t need to keep going with treatment!”. Well, continue you must for another 2 weeks if you want to fully restore your skin and heal up any remaining scarring and hyperpigmentation. Just because your hormonal acne has subsided doesn’t mean it can’t come back with a vengeance.
After cleansing, apply the Skin Balancing Toner. Then apply the below serums as needed.
Daytime Repair Serum
• 1oz dropper bottle
• 2TB carrier oil
• 10 drops Neroli
• 5 drops steam distilled Lemon (if you use regular lemon essential oil your skin will burn in the sun. Learn more here.)
• 5 drops Geranium
• 5 drops Elemi
Once you have applied the toner, gentle massage a few drops of the Daytime Repair serum on any areas with scarring, uneven skin tone, and hyperpigmentation. Allow the serum to soak in for 5 minutes, the blot away the excess.
Repeat daily for 2 weeks.
Nighttime Repair Serum
• 1oz dropper bottle
• 2TB carrier oil
• 10 drops Rose
• 20 drops Carrot Seed
• 4 drops Galbanum
• 8 drops Lemon
After applying the toner, gently massage a few drops of the Nightime Repair Serum all over the face, concentrating on affected areas where there is discoloration and scarring. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then blot.
After the 6 weeks are up, continue using the Skin Balancing Toner after cleansing morning and night.
For upkeep using essential oils for hormonal acne control, use the following blend during the day:
• 1oz dropper bottle
• 2TB carrier oil
• 10 drops Tea Tree
• 10 drops Juniper (great for oily skin)
• 10 drops FCF Bergamot
For treatment at night, choose any of the above nighttime blends for the desired results.
What have been your favorite essential oils for hormonal acne? Please share in the comments below!
You may also enjoy reading:
Thyme Serum for Acne Free Skin
How to Treat Hormonal Acne Naturally
3 Steps to Improve Your Female Hormonal Acne
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So helpful. I’ll start using these blends soon. Will you plz tell something for large open pores and scars as well. Thanks
Quick question, is thyme linalool different from thyme essential oil?
It can be. It depends on the botanical name on the bottle. It should be listed which type it is on the packaging.
I’m going through menopause and with hormone replacement cream my face has gone crazy! My normal cleanser is Cerave’ with salicylic acidbut I don’t have a moisturizer. Should I keep using this cleanser?
Hi,
Thank you for the post! Any idea what i can substitute for galbanum?
You can sub with frankincense 🙂
I was looking for something to help me with my oily skin when i happened upon this post. I’ve just turned 47 and my skin is not good and has never been. I’ve been struggling with acne my entire life. Im getting ready to mix up the first serum and and try it out. Thank you for this post.
You’re welcome Joy! I hope it works out for you!
So I currently use Burt’s bees toner and moisturizer. I am looking to start the first phase. Should I continue to use this toner and moisturizer?
Hi Kayla!
If the moisturizer and toner work well for your skin, you can definitely keep using them 🙂
Should this be put on before or after toner and moisturizer?
Hi Kayla!
After toner and before a moisturizer. Give it a moment to sink into the skin before moisturizing 🙂
Hi! Quick question: do you continue to use your other skincare items, such as serums and moisturizers? Or do you only use the oil? Also, if you do continue to use regular skincare items, where does the oil fall in a regimen?
Hi Jessica!
I do use other skincare items. Basically, it goes – boosters, actives like vitamin C, serums, oil with the EOs, moisturizer. 🙂
Thank you! So you don’t use an acids? I’m talking AHAs in particular. I like using a AHA mask once or twice a week but I don’t want to if it will cause the EOs to not be able to do their thing.
I use a vitamin C serum nightly and will sometimes use an AHA mask (1-2 times per month) if I feel like my skin is getting rough and patchy. Using the mask shouldn’t affect the essential oils, so you should be fine there!
You’re fantastic! Thank you so much!
Hi Tash! This is such precise information! And your article on hormonal acne.. I am sure half my problems are already solved! 🙂
I just wanted to know, what can I substitute for Yarrow and Myrrh? Also, can I substitute German Chamomile for Roman..? Since I can’t find the same in my area.
Also, can I just add few drops of other oils also to the mixes where they aren’t mentioned? Example Tea tree/Neem/Juniper/ Eucalyptus to the very first serum mentioned above?
Appreciate your help. Thanks!
Hi Neh!
For Myrrh essential oil, you can substitute with rosewood or frankincense. For yarrow essential oil, you substitute with roman chamomile or ylang ylang (though ylang ylang smells VERy strong so use maybe one drop only). For german chamomile you can substitute with roman chamomile 🙂 And yes, you can certainly add other oils! I suggest checking out this blog post for the max dilutions, but I think you’d be fine with adding maybe 2-3 drops of each in about 1oz of carrier oil. Best of luck!
Hi Tash, I’m finding so much helpful information here! What a great find I’ve stumbled upon. Thank you! I have a question about the Neroli essential oil in one of the serums. Is there anything to substitute for it? It’s an expensive oil, that I’m not sure I would have other uses for. I’m looking forward o trying your routine here out on my skin. I have never had clear skin, and I’m in my early 40’s still struggling with it. Thanks!
Hi Rebekah!
The neroli in this recipe is for oil control. The good news is, geranium is also used for that purpose so you can actually just leave out the neroli if you don’t have it and keep the number of drops used for the geranium the same 🙂
That is good news! Thank you. I’m getting ready to mix up my first serums tonight.
Amazing advice! I’ve had acne since I first became a teen and It’s plagued me ever since! Hopefully, now I might find some relief. Every time I try to use those chemical treatments, it only makes it worse.
So thank you very much 🙂
You’re welcome Kristen! 🙂
Hi, thanks for this article! I am allergic to chamomile and was wondering if you knew of any other essential oils I could substitute in their place, for the beginning recipes.
Thanks!
Hi Christina!
You can sub chamomile with frankincense or rosemary to get similar results 🙂
Hey Tash,
I have wanted to try essential oils for hormonal acne for a long time, and your post gave me the plan I needed to start. I have a couple questions, after the two weeks are up for the first couple of recipes, do you continue using them and add the next level of treatment? Or do you stop using them after two weeks and switch to the next step? I was wondering about this for all three phases of your plan.
I read a different blog that ACV breaks down the chemical components of essential oils and makes them dangerous for skin care, but I couldn’t find anyone else who shared that opinion. Have you ever had a problem combining ACV and essential oils?
Also, my sister and I are still in our late teens, is there anything we should be especially careful with when using essential oils?
Hi Katy!
For each phase you switch to the new oils 🙂 Keep track of your skin’s condition to see what it likes because you can actually just continue using the essential oils that worked the best after the 3 phases are over. I hope that makes sense!
Also, I haven’t heard about the ACV thing. Very interesting! I will need to do a bit more research on the topic. For now, I have not personally experienced any adverse effects while using both essential oils and apple cider vinegar.
I have looked through the oils in this article and don’t see any particular oils that will cause your hormones to go out of whack for your age. The ones you would want to look out for would be sage and clary sage.
Best of luck 🙂
Thanks so much! Started phase one yesterday, fingers crossed. If this works I’ll be back!
I dunno if it was hormones, but my skin has been horrible for years until I started using essential oils to fight acne. It’s been a few months now and not only have my pimples gone away, so have the blemishes and scars are starting to look faded too. I also haven’t been getting any new pimples either.
That’s great Breana! I’m happy you could find healing for your skin using essential oils 🙂
Which essential oils do you use?
This has been so helpful, What other essential oil can i use apart from Elemi and Galbanum in the serums.
Hi Tonia!
I would say that frankincense has the most similar properties to those oils 🙂
Hi Tash, thanks so much for the info! I just had a quick question, I noticed the last item for ongoing daytime treatment has bergamot but wasn’t that one of the most phototoxic oils in your other post? Am I getting it wrong or is there a different oil I should use that won’t react badly with the sun? Thank you!
Hi Elle!
Yes, bergamot is probably the most phototoxic oil out there, you have to find the bergaptine free version for use during the day.
Thank you for clarifying ?
You’re welcome 🙂
I cannot wait to try this. Thank you for the recipes
Best of luck Autum! 🙂
Thank you very much for recepies! One question :what does it mean TB ( I am from France). How much is it, please?
Hi Regina!
TB means tablespoon! I suppose in France 1 TB would be about 17.75 milliliters. I hope this helps! 🙂
Love this comprehensive protocol for healing hormonal acne! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks Tash for always offering great content <3
Hi Krissy!
I’m so happy to hear that you find my blog helpful 🙂 Let me know how the hormonal acne treatment goes! <3