Live Lovely | Essential & Beauty Oils - Live Lovely Photography

Essential oils have been making a wave in the health and wellness industry lately and I thought it was time that I checked them out. I was given a lovely essential oils gift set as a Christmas gift and most of them smell heavenly, but I was not aware of what they could do.

Essential oils are highly concentrated oils that are distilled from flowers and plants that are known to have medical properties. They can be placed directly on the skin for scent and for the body to absorb, or they can be diffused to breathe in and purify the air (depending on the oil you use, so research before place it on your skin or diffuse it into the air you breathe). My recent favorite is lavender because the scent is so earthy and calming.

Different oils have different benefits, so I highly recommend researching the oils that are best for you as well as how to properly use them. Benefits of essential oils include:

Elevating mood
Improve immunity and increase recovery time from illness
Balance hormones
Purify the air
For homemade cleaning and beauty products
A natural bug repellant
Aromatherapy
Hair and skin health
Increase mental clarity
Decrease stress and anxiety
Speed up muscle recovery for sore muscles

Quality varies greatly depending on the brand. To create a small bottle, it takes a large amount of plants to produce, which is why they can be expensive. I carry a couple with me now for moments of calm and balance when I travel or when I find myself in a stressful situation.

Besides essential oils, there are many other natural oils that are also great for hair, skin, and nails. I call these beauty oils and these are the oils that I have used almost daily for the past few years. The beauty oils I use are natural and organic, and often contain Vitamin E which helps skin fight free radicals, air pollution, and sun damage. This main ingredient, along with fatty acids found in the oils, acts as a youth serum by protecting hair, skin, and nails from the damage that causes aging. These are the oils that I use at home.

Organic coconut oil (not pictured here) has a natural spf of 10 which makes it a wonder oil for your skin and your hair. However, it is an amazing makeup remover. I use it every night to remove my makeup easily without pulling or scrubbing my skin. An added bonus is that it also moisturizes and repairs skin cells. Another great oil for hair, skin, and nails is Argan oil (also known as Moroccan oil). Argan oil is 80% fatty acids, which moisturize and revitalize your skin. Argan oil does not clog pores, heals scarring and blemishes, moisturizes skin, prevents premature aging, protects against UVA rays, prevents stretch marks, heals sunburn, strengthens nails, and calms frizzy hair. Shea Moisture is a favorite brand of mine because the products work great, they are natural and organic, and the business is one that I can ethically stand behind. I like this little bottle (pictured above) because it is easy to travel with and has such a wide variety of uses. I often use Argan oil as a replacement for lotion. Shea butter also makes a great lotion substitute that has similar benefits as Argan oil.

This Shea Moisture lavender & wild orchid oil smells incredible and it makes a great skin oil after a bath. Moisturizing your skin after swimming or taking a bath or shower is so important to keep your skin healthy or you can even pour some right into your bath water.

MD Lavender oil makes my skin feel so soft and healthy. I love the lavender smell and the beauty of this glass bottle with the lavender floating inside.

For my face I use oil sparingly besides my usual coconut oil for removing my makeup at night. Once a week I will use an all natural vitamin E oil or Evan Healy Rosehip Treatment Facial Serum with Rose.

This rosemary hair oil by Waleda is all natural and works wonders. It is amazing for hair, however, it is very strong. A little goes a long way.

This Argan oil spray treatment is very lightweight for my curly hair and moisturizes without leaving my hair feeling or looking oily. It is not 100% organic, but it is made without chemicals and it works wonders.