Reviewed By: Kacie La
Many of us have heard about frankincense essential oil in various media talking about how incredible and versatile it is in giving awesome benefits to skincare and bodycare. However, there’s still a lot about it that most of us probably do not know. If you are eager to learn how beneficial frankincense essential oil is, read on.
Also called olibanum, frankincense is derived from the dried resinous sap of the Boswellia sacra (frankincense) tree. It is usually found in areas where there are insignificant amounts of soil like drylands or desert places. This includes Yemen, Oman, India, North and South Africa.
Through the years, frankincense was deemed to be teeming with beauty benefits from removing blemishes to promoting a youthful look. As such, ancient civilisations often refer to it as ‘liquid gold’ for its many versatile uses. Even Cleopatra, the most gorgeous Queen of Ancient Egypt, used frankincense oil in her beauty regimen. This goes to show that frankincense is predominantly valued even in ancient times.
But how about in today’s time?
Is frankincense oil still used in skincare? Is it still useful in terms of providing incredible beauty benefits?
Unsurprisingly, frankincense oil is still used in a lot of skincare and bodycare applications. Although the oil’s usefulness is not known to many, lucky are those who continue to use frankincense oil in their beauty regimen. This is because frankincense oil is jampacked with beneficial properties that can either be used independently in a diffuser or can be added in hundreds of products to boost their effectiveness.
In cosmetics, frankincense oil is believed to help improve the skin’s natural appearance by reducing the presence of skin blemishes including acne scars, discolouration, and hyperpigmentation. As we all know, acne scars are caused by inflamed acne blemishes. If left untreated, acne blemishes tend to swell and may cause deeper scars.
Not only does it help to improve the skin’s appearance but it also has properties that help fight skin damage caused by environmental factors such as UV rays, minute dust particles, and smoke.
In most cases, frankincense oil is known as a great alternative to facial toners. This is because frankincense oil contains skin-nourishing and cooling properties that help remove traces of oil and makeup, and excess dirt. Furthermore, continued use of frankincense oil in skincare may help slow down the visible signs of ageing, thus giving your skin a youthful glow.
Give your skin a daily dose of glow with this DIY Frankincense Facial Cream!
To begin, gather 80 drops of frankincense essential oil, 1 cup of cocoa butter, ½ cup of coconut oil, 4 tbsp of jojoba oil, and 4 tbsp of sweet almond oil.
Melt the cocoa butter in a double boiler. In a small bowl, mix the melted cocoa butter with coconut oil, jojoba oil, and almond oil. Place the small bowl into the fridge until it solidifies. Then, once it’s solidified, whip it up using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Continue to whip until every ingredient is well mixed. Add in frankincense essential oil when the mixture starts to get fluffy.
Transfer the mixture in a glass jar. Make sure to keep it nice and cool to extend its shelf life. When applying to the face, it is important to use only a small amount to prevent from too much greasiness.
Our takeaway
Above all this, frankincense can be inferred as one of the extremely powerful essential oils. It exposes lots of beauty benefits that we all love. No wonder it is hailed as the ‘King of Essential Oils’. However, if you are planning to use it directly on your skin, we suggest mixing it with a carrier oil to avoid complications.
