Does anyone have acneic clients that insist on using essential oils to treat acne?

I have several clients that sell essential oils, and are using it to treat their acne, along with coconut or olive oil to moisturize. I explain skin science and acne and how certain products work on the skin to help clear it but to no avail they want this 'natural' method. That doesn't seem to be doing anything to clear the acne, but they come up with 'It's because my diet this week has been horrible' or 'I've been under a lot of stress, I'm surprised it looks this good'. It is so frustrating. Any thoughts??

Tags: acne, essential, oils

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Permalink Reply by Shareen Rustin on March 15, 2016 at 8:40pm

Hi Rachelle,

What we know as Esty's, is that the skin can be dry or dehydrated. This means the acne client could actually be dehydrated (lacking water) or dry (lacking oil). If your client is younger as with teens, they most likely are dehydrated from the products they have been using like ingredient SD alcohol. Remember anyone can become dehydrated depending on the climate and if they consume more water than sugar drinks, caffeinated or alcohol. This will dehydrate them, but not so much as pull the oils out. If your client is a mature skin, they could very well be lacking both, oil and water. A good way to see if your either (especially the mature skin) is lacking mostly oil, is to check how small the pores are. And yes, stress can cause the sebaceous glands to over produce. That's why stress creates so many problems with our skin.

With all that being said, I would like to conclude -to assess the skin texture by feel, the visuals of what the skin looks like and what they actually do as recreation. If they come to you for professional advice, they need to be honest so you can utilize your training and practice to best deliver what they are asking for. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Shareen Rustin on March 15, 2016 at 8:44pm

Just to add...If they are acneic and using oils, any oil, even our natural occurring body oil can clog the pores. That's why it is crucial to see what their skin looks and feels like in texture -including size of pores.