One of the top properties of essential oils happens to be that they are often a wonderful natural antiseptic and anti-bacterial agent. This makes them the perfect alternative to the often-toxic antibacterial agents we find in so many commercial soaps, washes, hand sanitizers, and cleaners.
As someone who suffered all throughout my teens with acne, as well as many of the years between my twenties and thirties, I was always looking for something that would clean my skin and kill acne-causing bacteria without drying it out or irritating it.
Here is what I found are some of the best naturally antibacterial essential oils for clear skin.
Lavender – Lavender may be an even more potent antibacterial agent than the more well known “acne killing oil” – tea tree oil. Lavender is more expensive typically, but it really does have some excellent properties for killing acne bacteria. In addition, it possesses calming properties since it is also anti-inflammatory. This aids in the redness and irritation that often goes hand in hand with acne prone skin.
Tea tree oil – this native Australian oil has a very pungent scent and is a very powerful bacteria fighting weapon. It is used as an antiseptic and astringent (which can also help to smooth the skin and seal the pores) as well.
Rosemary oil – Rosemary oil is just now being found as another option for helping to fight blemish causing bacteria. This oil also has a very pungent, earthy aroma which seems to be the case with most of the most potent antibacterial essential oils. This suggests that it is these potent scent compounds that may also be responsible for giving the oils their properties.
Any of these oils can be diluted in a 3-4 part water, 1 part essential oil mixture and swabbed onto the skin as a sort of toner, although tea tree oil is usually mild enough to use with little or no dilution unless you have extremely sensitive skin.
Also, you can add any of these essential oils, just a drop or two to a squirt of your favorite facial cleanser – or if you use a hard soap simply add a drop or two to your hands before you lather the soap. If you already have a ready made toner, you can also add a drop or two to your cotton ball after soaking it in the toner for an extra antibacterial benefit.
