Five Amazing Essential Oils for Wound Healing

Five Amazing Essential Oils for Wound Healing

By Camilla Restrepo, CAHP®-AM, RPN

Antimicrobial
Antiseptic
Anti-inflammatory
Antifungal
Vulnerary
Bactericidal
Cicatrisant

    What do you think all those words above have in common? 

    Yup, you guessed it! These are the essential oil properties responsible for wound healing and protecting skin integrity.

    Now, I know this may not sound like the most magical thing in the world but take it from a nurse: infection control is a fundamental part of our healthcare system. And isn't it great to know you can make your very own first aid kit with natural ingredients?

    The nerd in me wants to explain (in painful detail) how the chemical constituents of essential oils play a role in healing and protecting your skin. But for the sake of keeping things light and simple, we will look at the properties of essential oils and then talk about my favourite blend that you can use at home to treat some minor injuries like cuts, scrapes and burns.

    Let’s appreciate for a moment how your skin, being the largest organ in the body and the first line of defense, has you fully wrapped in a safe cocoon. It shields you from the dangerous germs that are forever trying to invade your system, and we hardly have to pay attention. Only when we have a wound do we remember how important it is to keep bacteria out!

    Now, there are many essential oils that are amazing tools when we are looking at how to prevent or heal a breakage in the skin, but I will give you my top five:

    1. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
    2. Tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
    3. Rose (Rose otto)
    4. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
    5. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

    When we are deciding which oils to use on a wound, it is important to understand what you are trying to fix. Is your skin dry or cracked? Is it swollen, warm and tender? Is there pus or any active infection? What is the stage of healing? We can choose essential oils based on their properties, like anti-inflammatory to reduce the painful swelling and throbbing you feel. We might also want an oil that is bactericidal to help kill off the bacteria causing trouble!

    The reason I have chosen these oils is because, with just a couple drops of each in some jojoba or calendula oil, these oils would help with any of those concerns. With this blend you can fight infection, reduce inflammation, aid in skin regeneration, and soothe the pain in the process. Next time you get a scratch, scrape or burn here is what you can do.       

    Here is your recipe:

    2 tbsp Calendula (Calendula officinalis) carrier oil
    3 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
    3 drops tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
    3 drops rose (Rose otto)
    2 drops bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
    4 drops chamomile (Matricaria recutita) 

    Add this blend into a dropper bottle. Wash your hands then your wound as best you can, then add a few drops of this blend over your wound and massage it in. You can do this a few times a day.

    Now, it might go without saying, but I will mention that it is very important you have pure essential oils in your blend. Avoid using oils that have expired or smell off, and of course contact your doctor if your wound worsens instead of getting better. Essential oils can aid the healing process, but they are not intended to replace your doctor’s instructions.

    Stay healthy, friends! And don’t forget mother nature will often offer us an answer to our ailments. We just need an open mind!

      

    Resources:

    Holmes, Peter. 2016. Aromatica: A clinical guide to Essential Oil Therapeutics. Volume 1

    Holmes, Peter. 2019. Aromatica: A clinical guide to Essential Oil Therapeutics. Volume 2.

    Buckle, Jane. 1997. Clinical Aromatherapy in Nursing.

     

    About the author: Camila Restrepo, CAHP®-AM, RPN, has found a passion for all things aromatherapy and is especially enthusiastic about supporting women on their self-empowerment journey. Camila comes from a nursing background and has had the honour of working very closely with people from all walks of life, including mothers and newborns, forensic psychiatry patients, palliative patients and the geriatric community. Camila is the founder of Essentsia Apothecary, a company proudly focussed on teaching people safe essential oil use and offering natural products to support their self-care journey. Committed to her lifelong learning, Camila is currently studying reflexology and reiki, and is advancing her nursing career into medical aesthetics.  

    Photo by emholk, Getty Images Signature

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