Essential Oils for Bruises

Essential oils are lovely when diffused into the air, leaving you with a pleasant scent to breathe in. When combined with your favorite moisturizer, your skin is left silky smooth; but one use you may not have thought of is the use of soothing minor issues—like bruises. Bruises can be tender, and they don’t match well with summer attire. The next time you bump your shin against the coffee table, try using one of these oils to soothe your bruises.

Myrrh
The use of Myrrh goes back as far as the Egyptians, where it was used during the mummification and embalming process. Today, it can be found as an ingredient in salves for treating common, minor problems. Because of the components that make up this resin-turned-oil, Myrrh has a warm, earthy scent that blends well with other essential oils such as Frankincense, Lavender, and Peppermint. It is usually applied topically to promote clear, healthy-looking skin, but can also help to soothe bruises.

Helichrysum
Helichrysum is renowned for its exceptional skin benefits—which is why you’ll find it in doTERRA Immortelle. When this “everlasting flower” is distilled into an oil form, it has many restorative properties to benefit its users. Native to the Mediterranean, and cultivated in Italy, the Balkans, and France, Helichrysum is often used to reduce the appearance of blemishes and signs of aging, and may be applied to bruises as well.

Frankincense
Anciently prized and revered, frankincense resin has been used in everything from sacred religious ceremonies to anti-aging formulas. The essential oil is no-less valuable today, and doTERRA Frankincense oil is particularly unique; it combines four species of Boswellia trees that are known for their powerful essential oil—carterri, frereana, sacra, and papyrifera. While Frankincense possesses a myriad of other benefits, it is particularly rejuvenating to your skin.

How to Soothe Bruises with Essential Oil
Bruising is caused by blood pooling in the area of impact. The pooling is what creates that unsightly purple-blue look. When caring for a bruise, you first need to reduce blood flow to the area. Keep that part of the body elevated, wrap ice in a cloth, and apply it to the spot that was hit or bumped. This helps keep blood from pooling in the bruised tissue, and therefore reduces discoloration.

Lightly massaging the area can also keep blood from pooling, minimizing the bruising. Essential oils are agreat addition to any massage. In addition to providing a pleasant scent, some are particularly soothing to the skin and provide other helpful benefits.

Once the area has been iced, combine one to two drops of either Helichrysum or Myrrh oil to enough Fractionated Coconut Oil to cover the bruised area.