Hi,
I did a deep dive on essential oils this week. I’m always trying to figure out how I can eliminate chemicals from my daily life and from my skincare routine.
This week, I’m proud to say I’ve added 2 essential oils to my seb derm toolbox.
The first is thyme oil. I love the smell of thyme in the kitchen, especially when it’s on roast lamb! The essential oil is just as useful in your skincare routine as the herb is in your kitchen. Thyme has actually been shown in lab studies to be anti-Malassezia, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory. One lab study even showed that thyme oil can treat resistant Malassezia (that’s when your seb derm doesn’t respond to anti-fungal creams anymore! *horrors*) Read more about thyme oil.
The second essential oil hero this week is clove oil. Yes, the same spice that you use to make gingerbread cookies can be used to soothe your skin and your scalp! Again, this oil has quite a few lab studies showing that it can inhibit Malassezia. Check out the deep dive here.
My favorite way to use clove oil is to put a few drops of clove oil into my moisturizer. When I apply it, it leaves a warm, tingly sensation for a few seconds which is oddly soothing.
Get your thyme oil and clove oil from Plant Therapy so you know you’re getting the real thing (and also because I’m an affiliate and you’ll be supporting this newsletter)
Interesting finds:
Why expose yourself and your family to toxic cleaning chemicals? Plant Therapy also has natural spring cleaning products like this fresh cucumber multi-surface cleaner and this Tropical Sunshine Linen Spray. For a limited time, get a free Lavender and Rosemary Fragrance when you purchase both!
Reader Questions:
Is it OK to use a skincare product that contains coconut oil?
It depends. Coconut oil contains long-chain fatty acids that can feed Malassezia and irritate your skin. If you’re having a seb derm flare and your skin barrier is at an all time low, I would avoid any product that may make things worse.
However, if you are in between flares and one of your moisturizers or sunscreen contains a little bit of coconut oil way down on the ingredient list, it shouldn’t cause any issues.
As with any product, if you feel your skin is reacting to it, stop using it.
P/S: I’ve been getting lots of reader questions and answering them individually. I figured I’ll add on a ‘Reader Question’ segment to the newsletter and answer them here so everyone can benefit. If you have any questions for me, just hit reply and ask away and I’ll answer one question each week.
Stay healthy, happy, safe and rash-free!
Until next week,
Sharon G.
