Any help is welcomed when it comes to delay and fight any aging signs that tell off your real age. Some good habits such as drinking plenty of water and exfoliating are useful anti-aging tricks but they only go so far. Anti-aging essential oils, on the other hand, provide for a natural weapon to fight wrinkles and sunspots due to the particularities of their properties, according to science.
Best anti-aging essential oils
Essential oils provide a solution to fight the pesky lines and spots in a natural way. Some are more suitable to treat wrinkles, while others focus on maintaining a fair skin, but you don’t need to choose one or the other.
After reading about the best anti-aging essential oils backed by science, you can also learn how to make your own homemade anti-aging serum to recover your youthful glow.
Clary sage
According to a 2003 study, clary sage presents antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that can potentially help prevent aging signs as well as infections and inflammations that may increase the risk of early wrinkles.
The mechanisms behind this effect are yet to be analyzed, but this has already become of the best anti-aging essential oils to target the different aging signs.
Ylang-Ylang
This essential oil is infused with antioxidants that help to fight free radicals causing premature aging by damaging healthy cells.
Furthermore, it has a protective effect, working as an anti-inflammatory and it is antibacterial, thus reducing stress factors from the skin and its consequent weakening, according to a 2015 study. What is more, this oil also works to prevent photoaging (liver/age spots).
Frankincense
According to a 2010 study, this is one of the best anti-aging essential oils because it acts on all fronts.
It seems to be particularly effective in preventing and reducing liver spots in only 2 months, but this oil is also good to lessen and reverse small wrinkles and fine lines, provided they are still fresh.
Damask Rose
This essential oil presents anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that help soothe the skin, remove any foreign materials causing irritation and prevent blemishes.
However, what makes this one of the best anti-aging essential oils is its content in antioxidants, which prevent cell oxidation. According to a 2011 study, this content is so relevant that in an animal study it helped increase the life expectancy of the rats.
Sandalwood
Like most oils in this list, sandalwood also has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that help keep the skin clear of blemishes or irritations that strain its resources.
It is also rich in antioxidants that prevent and reduce aging signs, especially in the early stages.
According to a 2017 study, besides the aforementioned benefits for the skin, sandalwood essential oil also seems to contain an enzyme that affects melanin, the skin pigment. The researchers admit that further studies are required, but they also suggest that this oil could “potentially act as an inhibitor of abnormal pigmentation associated with aging”, the so-called liver spots.
Carrot seed oil
In a 2016 study, the researchers admitted that this oil has important anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that could potentially inhibit the germ concentration that can damage the skin. However, its antioxidant content was low compared to most essential oils.
Nevertheless, a new study in 2018 has shed a new light on the anti-aging potential of this essential oil. According to the researchers, its antioxidant content is still beneficial and can be a plus to prevent and reduce wrinkles and fine lines because it is only one of the anti-aging factors of this oil.
The anti-inflammatory effect is one of the added benefits, but, most importantly, this oil also contains SPF. Although this amount is not enough to skip a sunscreen, it still offers an important basic protection against the sun rays to prevent overpigmentation and wrinkles.
Argan essential oil
This oil is becoming more and more common in many cosmetic formulations to treat anti-aging signs and to improve the skin’s overall well-being.
According to a 2015 study, it shows strong potential to improve postmenopausal skin elasticity within only 60 days, either through consumption or through topical application. No side effects were detected in this study, which also counts as a plus for this oil.
These findings supporting the anti-aging effects of argan essential oil also came to complement a 2013 research that discovered this oil can also inhibit the production of melanin, thus helping to keep a fair skin free of liver spots.
Neroli
Neroli essential oil comes from a tree from the same family as orange blossoms. In a 2015 research, it was revealed that this oil presents a great antioxidant potential, helping to fight and prevent free radicals scavenging that increases the likelihood of wrinkles.
This oil also presented antibacterial effects which, according to the researchers, work in synergy with the antioxidants to keep aging signs at bay and maintain a youthful and healthy skin.
How to apply essential oils
Even the best anti-aging essential oils can worsen your skin condition if not used accordingly.
Never apply these oils directly to the skin as their high concentrations are likely to irritate it and might even result in burns. To use them topically you must first dilute them in a carrier oil or in your regular moisturizer.
The rule of thumb is the normal one in aromatherapy: 10 drops of oil for 1 oz of carrier oil. As for the latter, the most popular choices are olive, coconut and almond oil.
Check out the video below to get to know the best anti-aging carrier oils to mix with the anti-aging essential oils, and learn how to create a serum using these ingredients.
